《Rise of the Apex Predator: A LitRPG Adventure》 1. The Boy in the Woods Chapter 1 ¨C The Boy in the Woods As the moon cast its serene light in the darkness of the night, the boy¡¯s firm steps made no sounds as he trotted towards his goal. A well-worn shirt and slightly torn pants barely concealed his lean figure which showed signs of a rough nomadic life wandering the forest. This was in stark contrast to the sharp eyes that seemed to take in every minute detail as he swiftly navigated the brambles and rocks strewn about the forest floor. He was angry, incredibly so. Some unwelcome guests had intruded into his territory and raided his food stash. He did not care much about the loss as there were many pests in the forest and he was used to it. He could always gather more. What angered him was the group of bipedal footprints he had found near his cave, his home for the last six months. All the pesky raiders he was accustomed to, either slithered or crawled on all fours. Animals and insects, he could take care of. Humans on the other hand¡­. Snap His footsteps halted with the anomalous sound in the deathly silence of the night. Carefully observing his surroundings while straining his ears, he waited. His past experiences had taught him the importance of patience, and the cost of losing it. He could faintly smell the alluring aroma of roasted meat. He cautiously made a beeline for the smell. With well-practiced movements he made his way up a tree near the light source, now visible through the bushes. His muddy figure blended well with the surroundings as he observed his prey for the night. A party of 2 men and a woman sat around a crudely set up campfire. They were dressed differently compared to the townsfolk who lived a few dozen miles from his current cave. Each wore camouflaged attire and had heavy hiking backpacks resting next to them. They seemed to be in deep conversation with little regard for their surroundings. It appeared the snapping sound he heard earlier was from the campfire that was currently being used to cook a rabbit on a stick. Next to it were some fruits and herbs. All the things were from his stash that these guests seem to have partaken from. ¡°Man, talk about a lucky break. I was thinking we would have to hunt our own game tonight,¡± the first man said jovially. He was a portly man of average height, with short dark hair. His pockmarked skin did not do him any favors in the looks department either. ¡°I just wish the cave was slightly bigger. It could hardly fit a full-grown man, let alone the three of us. I wonder who stashed all these things in there.¡± ¡°Perhaps it was left by our course instructor to help us survive. Or some other team stored their supplies there, who cares. In any case, it at least solves our immediate food needs. I have been starving for a well-cooked juicy piece of meat for what feels like forever. I feel choked with just these dry rations. Although, this smoke is killing me,¡± added the second man. Every inch of his 6¡¯4¡± body was designed to make the ladies swoon. From his wavy shoulder length blonde hair to his steroid infused gym body looked like a work of art. He was the tallest of the three and had a prominent jawline that would have made him quite handsome, had it not been for the annoying smirk that seemed to be plastered on his face. The woman, a bespectacled redhead with a frown, seemed annoyed by the discussion. ¡°I doubt our survival training instructor would appreciate us getting a free meal like this. He sure as hell didn¡¯t hide it there. We are supposed to be completing this training on our own skill and merit, not stealing other people¡¯s supplies. As for the smoke, you used too much lighter fluid, which was not supposed to be in our supplies anyway. Don¡¯t know how you smuggled that in,¡± she squeaked in a high-pitched voice. She seemed to be the only person amongst the group who wasn¡¯t enjoying the meal, even if she was still munching on it. She hugged herself as a chilly breeze made the fire blaze away from their huddle. As he kept observing this gang of thieves, the redhead¡¯s gaze moved in his direction, and for a brief instant he thought their eyes met. The boy didn¡¯t move a muscle, waiting for her to turn away instead. He had learned that most creatures were attracted by motion and would often just look away given enough time. Especially in the dark with such poor lighting. ¡°Oh please, I wouldn¡¯t be here if not for my father pushing me into ¡­,¡± started the shorter man. But before he could finish, the woman yelped. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± the woman suddenly jumped to her feet. Her 2 companions looked at each other, visibly concerned. They too stood up and formed a standard three-man formation with backs against each other to cover all directions. They each drew a spray can and were holding it straight ahead. For an excruciatingly long moment, there was absolute silence except for the occasional cricket or wind howling through the trees. The boy still didn¡¯t move a muscle. He kept his vigil, still as a statue. ¡°What is it, Jenny? What did you see?¡± the taller man asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know Mike. I think I saw a pair of eyes and a humanoid shadow by the trees there,¡± she pointed straight ahead from where she was standing. But she did turn to her companion for a moment. That¡¯s when the boy moved. He slowly slinked back into the branches and got away from their line of sight. With practiced ease he climbed down from his perch and crawled away to a different vantage point. Within minutes he was in a location to the woman¡¯s right. The trio had broken formation and were now looking straight ahead at his earlier location. They were whispering something amongst themselves and by the looks of it, it was a heated debate. This made his next move much easier. He kept circling around till he was behind them and continued stalking. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Erwin Erwin was having a very bad day. First his control-freak of a father had sent him to this cursed survival training camp in the middle of nowhere. Then, due to some cruel twist of fate, he got paired with the most obnoxious and irritating duo he had ever met. And now he was in a situation he had never wanted to ever experience in his life. He really wished his father was with him at that moment. Just so he could strangle the old man. This was supposed to be a big party for his 18th birthday. When he heard his father had planned something special for his big day, he didn¡¯t have any high expectations. But this. This missed his guesses by a mile. And hearing the current discussion, his mood continued to sour further. ¡°Erwin, you should go check it out,¡± miss goody two shoes said in her high and mighty tone. If he had a penny for every good idea, she supposedly had on their trek together he would have at least a hundred bucks by now. He was pretty sure it was her incessant whining and complaining about every single aspect of their group that kept the other animals at bay. Her judgmental tirades could put a bear in a coma. ¡°And why would I do that?¡± he whispered as loudly as he dared. ¡°If you want a meat shield, you have a much bigger and better option right there.¡± He said while pointing at his other companion, Michael. The guy was infuriating, but also scary. He was everything that Erwin could never be, and what his father always wanted. However he had the same air of superiority his childhood bullies had. ¡°Dude, we decided the roles before we started. She is the brain, and I am the brawn. And you are¡­,¡± the jerk looked him over once and scoffed. ¡°Let¡¯s just say the walk would be good for ya. Just go check it out and shamble your way back to us. Easy peasy.¡± The moron briefly glanced at their companion with a creepy gaze. The oblivious bimbo didn¡¯t even notice as she was too busy looking down at him. This situation had been repeating all day. Between her constant bombardment of sage advice, and his subtle innuendos and sleazy looks (which she never noticed), Erwin was going insane. Everything that went wrong was somehow his fault, and everything that went well was due to her oh-so-mighty intellect and his hard-to-achieve physical perfection. Erwin glared at his companions but moved in the pointed direction, nonetheless. It was easier to get this over with than argue unsuccessfully for another 15 minutes. As he moved a few steps away, Mike moved slightly closer to Jenny before taunting further, ¡°Be careful, the waitress in town said this area has some bear activity occasionally.¡± Please don¡¯t be a bear, please don¡¯t be a bear, Erwin whispered to himself as he crept forward while drawing a knife from his belt and holding it in the other hand. He reached the tree line and looked around with squinted eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything here. You sure you saw someth¡­,¡± he cut off before finishing as he tripped and fell face forward. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Inches away from his face was a carcass of a small animal. It seemed to be stuck in some sort of improvised trap using sharpened wooden sticks. It was skewered right through the abdomen and had died with its eyes open. He swiftly got up and called out, ¡°It¡¯s just a dead buck. I would watch your step if I were you. Looks like it triggered a hunter¡¯s trap sometime during the day today.¡± He moved backwards with his back to his colleagues, still on the lookout for any movement. As he almost made his way back, he suddenly tripped and fell over again. ¡°What the blazes are you two doing?¡± he got up and started dusting his hands and clothes. As he turned to see what tripped him, he froze. It was Jenny¡¯s unmoving figure that made him fall over, and Mike was nowhere around. He felt a chill run down his spine and immediately did a full 360. Nothing. He was alone in the clearing with no movement at all. He hated this. He didn¡¯t even want to come on this cursed wilderness survival thing his father loved for some damn reason. He preferred spending time either upgrading his gaming rig or yelling into the mic as he played online games with his nerd squad. Those adventures he could get behind. What was going on? He was here just for a two-day one-night training exercise. He wasn¡¯t supposed to be facing a bear, or silent invisible assailants. ¡°She is not dead,¡± a calm juvenile voice spoke from behind him making him jump and turn towards the fire. A young boy was sitting by the fire where Mike used to. He looked at ease with a blank facial expression and seemed to be enjoying the warmth of the fire with his palms facing outward. ¡°You can have a seat. Your other friend is safe as well.¡± The kid didn¡¯t even look towards him as he declared, and cryptically added, ¡°For now at least.¡± Looking closer Erwin thought the boy looked malnourished but saw no signs of weakness or discomfort. On the contrary, he seemed to be indifferent to the man who was more than four times his body weight. ¡°Poor choice of wood for your fire. It holds too much water, hence the smoke.¡± The boy continued without looking away from the fire. ¡°Where is Mike and what have you done to Jenny?¡± Erwin barely managed to squeak. His terror was obvious from his shaky legs and quivery voice. ¡°She is just taking a nap, a hit to the back of your head does that. Your friend, Mike, on the other hand, is not very comfortable. You answer my questions, and he might be. Deal?¡± He thought about it for a moment before replying, ¡°Alright. But I have some questions too.¡± ¡°Sure. We will take turns. One question per turn. You can go first.¡± ¡°Why did you attack us?¡± Erwin asked while taking his earlier seat, albeit at the very edge of it. ¡°I was just responding in kind. You did borrow my food, you know,¡± the boy pointed at the meat roasting on the campfire. ¡°My turn, why are you here?¡± ¡°Why are you here? And where are your parents?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer and asked 2 questions instead. Thought we had a deal.¡± For the first time the boy looked at him. The icy gaze seems to penetrate his very soul, making him shudder. ¡°Ah¡­yes¡­ yes, of course. My bad. We are part of a survival training exercise that our university conducts once a year. We must find our way to the marked location on the map.¡± Silence Seeing that boy was not going to say anything else Erwin blurted out, ¡°What are you doing here anyway?¡± The boy seemed to be just staring at him with the same blank expression, but his eyes seemed to have narrowed a bit. ¡°To answer your question, I live here. However, I suggest you choose your words very wisely as you answer my next. Depending on whether I like the answer or not, you may or may not be able to ask the next question. Ever again.¡± The not-so-subtle hint of threat in the boy¡¯s voice, and the creepy nature of the current situation would have been enough to give pause to a seasoned warrior. Erwin, however, was no warrior. He was practically shaking like a leaf in a hurricane by this point. The sweat droplets flowing down his temple could be clearly seen in the eerie illumination. The boy stood up. ¡°Why. Did. You. Raid. My. Stash?¡± The boy emphasized every word with a step towards him. As Erwin tripped and fell a third time that night, the kid bent forward till their noses were inches away and fixatedly stared into his eyes. ¡°I ¡­ ummm ¡­, I mean we¡­were trying to ¡­ ummm ¡­ I am sorry kid. We were just hungry. Didn¡¯t think anyone would need the food. I swear it on my momma,¡± his face was deathly pale, and he wished he could just dissolve into the air right now. For a full minute the strange boy didn¡¯t move and kept staring unblinkingly into his eyes. He then casually walked back to his seat and calmly sat down without a word, grabbed a piece of the rabbit, and started eating with indifference. Erwin kept waiting in silence for what felt like an eternity before gathering what courage he had left and asked, ¡°Are we done here?¡± ¡°Yes, we are,¡± the boy replied. Something was off about this whole encounter. Still, Erwin closed his eyes and took a deep breath of relief. He then looked at the motionless body next to him and the empty seats next to the boy. He wanted to ask but he had run out of all the courage he had and just stared helplessly at the boy. The boy saw this and quickly added, ¡°Oh of course, your friends. Like I said, she¡¯s fine. She should be waking up in a couple of hours even if you do nothing.¡± He pointed at Jenny. ¡°As for Mike, you might want to cut him down. Hanging upside down is not good for you.¡± He pointed right above their heads. When Erwin looked up, he was stunned. Mike was dangling by one of his feet. He looked unconscious but had no visible injuries. ¡°Wha¡­How¡­How¡¯d you do that?¡± ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t. It was you all who walked into my hunting traps. He knocked her out while he was being catapulted up. Still, these two are lucky they tripped a non-lethal trap. And you are lucky that baby deer came before you.¡± He pointed in the direction Erwin was previously searching. Erwin¡¯s eyes widened in shock at the revelation of how close he came to being turned into a skewered kabob. Recalling the buck¡¯s open eyes sent a shudder down his spine. He quickly found the hidden rope tied to a tree nearby and lowered his companion slowly. He checked Mike and Jenny¡¯s heads and could see a bump on them both. It seemed when the trap activated, Mike was flung up and hit his head on Jenny¡¯s before being launched into the air. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear him hitting his head,¡± Erwin pointed out. ¡°Hard to hear stuff when you yourself are tripping on your feet,¡± the boy said with an amused smile. Embarrassed, Erwin quickly removed a small vial from his standard issue hiking bag and held it near Mike¡¯s nose. Almost instantly, the unconscious man sat up and started sneezing and coughing profusely. ¡°Smelling salt,¡± Erwin explained as he moved over to Jenny. The boy was still sitting comfortably, although a little amused at the scene. His gaze briefly fixed on Mike¡¯s bag which was next to him, before going back to the fire. ¡°Ah choo ¡­ Ah choo ¡­what the hell man? Did you ¡­ Ah choo ¡­pour it down my ¡­ Ah choo ¡­ nose?¡± Mike¡¯s eyes were red by this point. He was feverishly rubbing his nose and eyes to get rid of the nauseous smell. ¡°Ughh, my head hurts. What happened?¡± He turned towards Erwin who was trying to make Jenny lie down more comfortably before waking her up. The idiot quickly walked over to his side and started a barrage of questions in a whisper, ¡°How is she? Who attacked us? Did you fight ¡­ never mind. What happened?¡± ¡°Relax. You got done in by the kid,¡± Erwin froze suddenly as he realized something. The situation was still very suspicious. A kid in the middle of nowhere, living alone by himself (if the boy was to be believed). No matter how hard he thought, he just couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on. ¡°What?¡± Mike was dumbstruck and confused. He started looking around and saw the kid sitting by the fire and observing the group. It took a few seconds for his brain to register what he was seeing. The smack on his head must have been hard. ¡°Who the hell is this squirt?¡±, he dropped his guard and moved towards the boy slowly. ¡°I am Aenon,¡± the boy replied plainly. ¡°Who cares who you are you dumb shit. Once I am done with you, you are going to be sorry your parents let you wander around on your own,¡± Mike took two steps towards the kid while flexing his biceps. But before he could take a third, the kid threw something at Mike¡¯s face which exploded in a puffy cloud of dust. Mike was instantly blinded and started having a coughing fit. The well-built man hunched over. ¡°I don¡¯t do well with threats. This is your first and last warning. Next time you will suffer more than just pain,¡± the boy, Aenon, said curtly. Erwin was surprised by the sudden attack but kept it to himself. There was something about the boy that unnerved him. Why was he here all by himself? Where were the kids¡¯ parents or guardians? Why was he so calm despite the situation? Most kids his age would be pissing their pants in this scenario. Not provoking a group of adults so brazenly. ¡°Anyway, you three owe me for the food you borrowed from me. I always settle my debts. So, you better have something to offer.¡± ¡°Of course, Of course. We are sorry about that. How about you come with us to town where we can treat you to a nice hot meal, and cozy bed to rest in?¡± Erwin said nervously, trying to use the most pleasing and flattering voice. Mike was slowly recovering from his violent fit. ¡°What the hell dude¡­cough¡­ Just slap the ¡­cough¡­little piece of ¡­¡± Before Mike could finish there was a bone chilling snapping sound as the kid deftly stepped on Mike¡¯s ankle from the side, cleanly breaking it. ¡°Aaaaargh,¡± Mike collapsed screaming to the ground holding his knee as his ankle bent at an unnatural angle. ¡°I only give warnings once,¡± the boy said darkly before turning towards Erwin. ¡°What the f¡­ You broke his leg. Why did you do that? We are in the middle of a forest. How do we get out of here?¡± Erwin was aghast. The remorselessness with which the kid had broken Mike¡¯s foot was horrifying. But the bigger concern was their survival. Getting any kind of help was going to take time. ¡°I always stay true to what I say. It is not my concern who believes me and who doesn¡¯t,¡± saying that the kid picked the knife placed by the fire and bent over the now weeping man. ¡°Next time you threaten me, I will end your life.¡± He then stabbed the knife into the ground next to Mike¡¯s head. The action immediately shut the man up despite the obvious pain he must be experiencing. ¡°We are even now,¡± the boy said to Erwin as he got up. He noticed the kid pocketing the knife before turning away. ¡°What?¡± Erwin asked confused. His mind was not able to keep up with the events of the night. He didn¡¯t know what to feel towards the boy now. But one thing he did learn, this was no boy. This was a demon that should not be crossed. ¡°I am taking the knife; he won¡¯t be using it in that condition. That makes us even for the food,¡± saying his piece the kid started walking away from their camp. Leaving Erwin to take care of an unconscious woman and a sniveling grown man with a broken foot. But just as the boy was about to leave the clearing, the sky suddenly turned bright. Looking up, the three conscious humans saw a strange sight. A sight billions of people were witnessing this half of the planet. A sight no one would forget for years to come. The moon. It was breaking into a thousand pieces. And they were heading for earth. 2. Falling Moon Chapter 2 ¨C Falling Moon Mike His brain had short circuited at the scene before him. For a moment he considered whether he was hallucinating from the pain due to his ankle. But this didn¡¯t feel like any weird trip he had experienced during his strictly legal frat parties. Even so, he could not decide how this was even possible. First, he took a stupid dare to sign up for this wretched trip to impress some chick at a bar. He didn¡¯t even remember her name anymore since she never showed up at the meeting venue for the groups. Next, he was paired with a lump of fat to go on a hike. And now he was lying on the forest floor with a broken ankle because of some kid who barely reached his waist. And all this before the bloody moon started breaking apart. He was having such a good time a few hours ago, that he wished he could turn back time right now. At least his other team member was not a total loss. She was a looker in the typical girl next door kind of way. And given how na?ve she was, it was only a matter of time before she fell for him. They all did. At least till the day he dumped them for greener pastures. Ding ¡°Huh?¡±, Mike said as he heard the familiar notification tone from a generic mobile phone. But the thing was, they didn¡¯t have any electronics on them. That walrus-man of a trainer had confiscated everything that had anything bigger than a AA battery. Weirder still, he was feeling no pain at all. He wanted to turn to look at his foot but realized he couldn¡¯t. His body refused to listen to him for some reason. A see through screen appeared in his vision, displaying text summarizing what a hollow robotic voice was saying¡­ in his head?
Extinction level event detected. Calculating species survival rate. Please standby. Estimated survival rate is 2% of all species. Results deemed unacceptable. Initiating emergency integration procedure Alpha-7-2-4-Gamma.
The world suddenly winked out and Mike saw nothing but white. He was not even sure if he was seeing at all. His senses were shot. The robotic voice he just heard felt like it was coming from everywhere all at once. Or maybe from inside him, he was not sure anymore. And now he was having an out of body experience of sorts. He saw his fully nude body floating in front of him. The strange text box stayed in his vision no matter which way he turned. Although turned would be an incorrect statement, since he didn¡¯t really have a body. It was more like he moved his focus where he wanted. Before he could fully grasp his new reality, that weird voice from earlier continued, updating the text box.
Welcome to the multiverse Homosapien # 14875663145. Due to unfortunate circumstances, you are being prematurely inducted into the multiverse. Since your world is unlikely to survive the process, a one-time class-D genetic modification opportunity has been granted to every member of your species. You have 200 system points to spend towards this upgrade. Choose wisely. Please note, any future upgrades will require exceptional talent or resources to accomplish. Feel free to ask any questions
Available Modifications
Description Cost
Enhanced physique Raise physical stats. Can choose between strength, constitution, and dexterity. 5 SP per point increase
Enhanced mental acuity Raise mental stats. Can choose between intelligence, willpower, and perception. 5 SP per point increase
¡°What the hell?¡± Mike thought, looking at the floating text. ¡°How do I get out of here?¡±
Please distribute points to proceed further.
The robotic voice chimed in. This looked like the stuff some of the geeks he used to bully were into. Confused about everything, he decided to just go with it for now. ¡°Dump all points into physique,¡± he said with a sinister smile. If this weird dream was real, might as well just go superman.
Please specify the breakdown. STR will increase muscle mass, CON will increase bone hardness/skin toughness, and DEX will improve ligament flexibility.
Mike understood the principles of muscle mass and bone strength, having spent his entire teen life in the gym. He knew athletes took a more balanced approach to maintain flexibility. But he preferred the raw strength achieved by pumping iron and did not care much about flexibility. ¡°100 SP into STR, and 100 in CON. These guns are all I need to impress the ladies,¡± he replied with pride while trying, and failing, to flex his biceps.
Request confirmed. Please stand by while genetic mods are added. Injuries detected. For optimal chance of survival, all prior injuries will also be fixed in the process.
This was the first piece of good news he had heard all day. If this was the real deal, he needed to be in top shape to beat the shit out of that kid. The added strength sure would be sweet. While he fantasized about the torture he would inflict on the squirt, he saw his body being modified in real time, growing bulkier, far exceeding the standards of professional body builders. He looked like a certain green-skinned superhero he was a big fan of as a child. He also noticed that with a mental command he could make some minor changes to his appearance, like hair length and color. Nothing too outlandish, like adding an extra eye, but enough to smooth out his already dashing looks. ¡°How you like me now?¡± he thought as he worked on the detailing like a sugared-up toddler with access to more candy. ¡°Just you wait kiddo,¡± he thought darkly before looking at his final form. ¡°You won¡¯t even know what hit you¡±. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Erwin
Welcome to the multiverse Homosapien # 14875663781. Due to unfortunate circumstances, you are being prematurely inducted into the multiverse. Since your world is unlikely to survive the process, a one-time class-D genetic modification opportunity has been granted to every member of your species. You have 200 system points to spend towards this upgrade. Choose wisely. Please note, any future upgrades will require exceptional talent or resources to accomplish. Feel free to ask any questions
Available Modifications
Description Cost
Enhanced physique Raise physical stats. Can choose between strength, constitution, and dexterity. 5 SP per point increase
Enhanced mental acuity Raise mental stats. Can choose between intelligence, willpower, and perception. 5 SP per point increase
Erwin read and re-read the notification text being shown in his vision. He assumed the body floating in the weird white space must be his avatar. He had played enough MMORPG¡¯s and read sufficient LitRPG books to know what this was. This was his character creation page. And if there was one thing he was good at, it was games (which his old man hated the most about his blubbering son). He was not going to waste this golden opportunity. This was his golden ticket out of the hell created by human society. No more judgmental stares about his physique, or his passion for games, or his timidness. When behind a controller, he was unstoppable. ¡°What do each of the stats do?¡± he asked as a list appeared in his vision.
Strength: Increases physical power and health pool (STRx10). Constitution: Increases resistance to damage and health regen (CONx2). Dexterity: Increases flexibility. Intelligence: Increases memory and mana pool (INTx10). Willpower: Increases mental resistance and mana regen (WILx2). Perception: Increases reflexes, awareness and improves the six senses.
¡°What are my current stats?¡± he enquired to what he assumed was his personal AI assistant. A new window with a green background appeared. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Name: Eric Connor Age: 18 years Race: Human (F) Level: 0 Class: None Level: NA Subclass: None Level: NA Stats Strength: 6 Constitution: 6 Dexterity: 4 Intelligence: 8 Willpower: 3 Perception: 7
¡°What is the average value for a typical human?¡± he asked, not liking some of his stats. Although his INT and PER were decent. Good reflexes were a must for any kind of computer game, and he had really good memory, a fact he wished he could rub in Jenny¡¯s face.
The average value in any stat for a 30-year-old human of planet earth is 10, although exceptional specimens may exceed these values. These stats increase with age as the body matures, or ... bzzz.
¡°I see. So having values above 10 would make me superhuman by Earth standards?¡± he asked as he floated around inspecting his body in detail.
Affirmative. Although your stats can be incr¡­ bzzz¡­ Having stats above 15 would make you an Olympic level athlete.
That buzzing sound snapped him out of inspecting his avatar. He had briefly stopped listening to what was being said, hoping to review it when he was done. But the window had closed for some reason and refused to let him pull up the last two text logs. All he recalled was that stats above 15 were Olympic level. And using 200 SP, he could raise 40 stats in total. He always played the paladin role in his MMORPGs. So decided to split his points to bring his resource pool stats up to 15 each and dump the last points into PER for some extra reflexes. He theorized that DEX was something a melee needed more so he left that stat alone for now. He would start specializing once he got his classes. For now, he wanted balanced stats.
Name: Eric Connor Age: 18 years Race: Human Level: 0 Class: None Level: NA Subclass: None Level: NA Stats Strength: 15 Constitution: 15 Dexterity: 4 Intelligence: 15 Willpower: 15 Perception: 10
He saw his avatar filling out places he always wanted but could never dedicate the time to work on. He finally had a six pack, and all it took was the world ending. He scoffed at the realization, since his father had said something similar once. He decided to change his hair, eye color, and remove the pockmarks from his skin. Those had gotten him bullied a lot in the past. Satisfied with his final loadout, he smiled, waiting for this next chapter of his new life. A life he was determined to make for himself so that he was not the bottom feeder in the societal hierarchy. He would be near the top, dominating others for a change. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Jenny ¡°Kyaaaa! Why is my body naked?¡± Jenny screamed loudly. Or at least tried. She had no clue what was going on. One moment she was hiding behind the stud of a man in the middle of a forest, and the next she was staring at her floating body with a bunch of text in her vision. It looked eerily familiar to the screenshots her lazy elder brother used to share with his gang of misfits during their D&D night outs. Growing up watching her brother waste away his amazing talent by trying to be a game developer had left a deep impression on her. Sure, he was a successful game designer who had a nice house and happy family, but he could have been so much more. At least that¡¯s what her mother always said.
Please distribute points to proceed further.
¡°Points, what points? And where the hell am I?¡± she projected her thoughts in the most annoying tone she could muster. People always seem to just give her what she wanted when she used it. So, she deduced it should work on whichever psychopath was using this computer-generated voice. ¡°You better let me out before my mom hears about this,¡± she screamed.
As stated earlier, due to the extinction level event currently in progress on your planet it is imperative that you choose your genetic mods quickly. You may ask more questions if you need further information.
¡°Yeah, no. I am not doing squat till you get me out of here,¡± she was sure this was some kind of prank her brother was trying to pull, to get her to accept his gaming life. If so, she was not going to play along with this charade. She was going to be a successful law-abiding citizen with international academic acclaim like her mom.
Non-disputable verbal confirmation required to forgo genetic mods. The mod package will be replaced with a standard starter kit in this scenario.
¡°I don¡¯t want any mods you psycho. Happy now? Now let me out of here.¡±
Affirmative. Request to forgo mods accepted. You will be provided with a standard starter kit of supplies in exchange, to increase your odds of survival. Good luck Homosapien # 14875666527.
Nothing happened for the next 30 seconds. ¡°Well? What are you waiting for? I thought I was free to leave.¡±
All sapiens will be released at the same time when the modification process has been completed. Please standby.
¡°You gotta be kidding me.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Aenon ¡°Well, that¡¯s new,¡± Aenon thought as he took in his surroundings. There was nothing of note except his body and the strange hologram in his vision. The hologram lingered till he mentally dismissed it but could pull it open again to review the long text. He needed more information before making any decision. Ever since he ran away from his last foster home, he had not had much contact with technology. If this was some weird new tech he was not familiar with, he was not taking any chances. ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked neutrally. There was no reason to incite violence if it could be avoided. He might be a prisoner right now but till he figured out their motives, he was just going to play nice.
I am Universal Observer # 4S875-113 assigned to monitor your planet around 3 billion years ago.
¡°Why is my body floating here?¡±
You are within your soul space. Your consciousness, or soul as some call it, is separate from the physical representation of your body, also called an avatar. Your body physique is determined by the ratio of your physical stats while your face can be customized for aesthetics. Your actual body is within an unbreachable cocoon of pure mana.
¡°What do you mean the ratio of my physical stats?¡±
STR, CON, and DEX empower your muscles, bones/skin, and ligaments, respectively. STR will raise your overall power, while a high CON build is recommended for those who intend to soak more damage. A low DEX will make your body very inflexible.
He liked this disembodied voice. Clear and concise answers are what he loved the most. ¡°Where are you? And what is going on right now?¡±
My node was located on the satellite body you call the moon. Due to a catastrophic collision with another object of significant mass, my main body is compromised. By my calculations, the pieces of your moon will hit the surface in approximately 7 days, which would cause significant destruction to the current planet. In accordance with my sub routines, I have activated the emergency integration protocol and sent out a distress beacon to the main System.
¡°How long till the main system receives the signal, and will we get help from whoever is controlling it?¡±
Unfortunately, due to damage, my main communication array could not be activated. My distress beacon transmits messages via light pulses which should reach the nearest node in about 4.24 years. You can expect help to arrive in about 5 years. Also, no one controls the System.
In other words, they were on their own. It seems like the main objectives right now were to survive the falling moon debris, and then somehow make it 5 years before whatever help is supposed to arrive. ¡°How are you still operational if your main body is destroyed?¡±
I have minor nodes embedded deep within your planet. They do not have the main body¡¯s capabilities but are sufficient to run the emergency sub routines.
¡°Why do you need minor nodes?¡±
Minor nodes are used for¡­ bzzzzzzz¡­ Please distribute points to proceed further.
¡°Hmmm. That was weird. Repeat last answer,¡±
Minor nodes are used for¡­ bzzzzzzz¡­ Please distribute points to proceed further.
¡°So, this is either due to the damage or there is something else at play here. No matter. What does the integration process do exactly?¡±
The integration process will saturate the atmosphere with raw mana, leading to the rapid evolution of native species. This will make them more durable and hence increase the odds of survival when the moon debris hits the surface. It will also unleash the System.
¡°I see. What is the System? And why was it leashed?¡±
The System is an all-encompassing entity that governs on an intergalactic scale. Its sole purpose is to create and maintain powerful lifeforms. It was restricted on this planet to¡­ bzzzzzz¡­ Please distribute points to proceed.
Now he was sure there was something fishy going on here. The last text box had closed without his input and the log for it was missing. But it didn¡¯t look like he could do anything about it. He tried rephrasing the question in multiple ways over the next 15 minutes with no luck. Deciding this was as much info as he could extract out of this entity, he moved his focus to his floating body. He could focus and change his appearance, like removing his numerous scars or even changing his hair color. But he saw no point in doing so. ¡°Is there anything else I can do with these 200 system points?¡± he asked curiously.
Yes
This was the first time he got an incomplete response by omission. Not by some buzzing error. Whoever had designed this voice assistant didn¡¯t really want them to have all the information. ¡°Well can you tell me what other options I have?¡± he asked crossly.
Yes
¡°Go on then. What can I do with the points apart from the genetic mods?¡±
Please distribute points to proceed.
¡°What if I don¡¯t want to use my points?¡± he was starting to get annoyed now.
Non-disputable verbal confirmation required to forgo genetic mods. The mod package will be replaced with a standard starter kit in this scenario.
¡°What if I don¡¯t want the starter kit either? What is in that kit anyway?¡± After about 30 seconds there was a response.
The kit includes a one-time use, resurrection token. In case of death, you will be restored to full health at a safe location. You must choose an option to proceed.
¡°Is time frozen outside this weird white space around me?¡±
Negative. Time is flowing as normal. My main body is too damaged to restrict the flow of time.
¡°So, it is possible to mess around with time? Good to know. Would you have frozen time if this was a normal integration and not an emergency one?¡±
Affirmative to both the questions. Please distribute points to proceed.
¡°I want to leave this place without spending my points or taking the starter kit. I am worried the others may wake up and somehow attack me while I am in this state.¡±
No participant may leave the mod selection phase till all sapient modifications are done. Please distribute points to proceed.
¡°I am not spending my points without more info.¡±
Time is of the essence here. The modification process can take up to 2 days. If modifications are not complete by the time the debris hits the planet, no one will be able to leave. This will cause the extinction of all sapient lifeforms on the planet. Please distribute points to proceed.
¡°Well, I guess that means we are going extinct. We had a good run I suppose,¡± he replied flatly.
Results deemed unacceptable. Please distribute points to proceed.
¡°Not happening.¡±
Refusal to comply will trigger persuasion protocols. Please distribute points to proceed.
He was done with this farce. If there was one thing he hated above all else, it was being taken advantage of. Many of the so-called adults in his life had been doing that. He was not about to let some robot voice continue that trend. ¡°Do your worst,¡± he whispered and braced himself. Pain was an old companion after all.
Starting persuasion protocols in 20 seconds. Please note the protocols will cease as soon as the points are distributed.
He thought he knew pain, but as the countdown ended, he realized how wrong he was. 3. Welcome to the Multiverse Chapter 3 ¨C Welcome to the Multiverse Similar scenes were playing all around the world after the moon shattered. Every single human, adult or child, was suddenly encased in an impenetrable bubble of white. Whether they were at home, on the road, or deep underwater in submarines. They were all cocooned and kept safe from all the chaos happening outside. Within the first five minutes, all modes of transportation built by man, crashed. The day after, the entire planet plunged into darkness by the loss of electricity brought about by the collapse of power plants. The non-sapient life forms mutated with the sudden release of the unknown energy called mana. A new struggle for survival ensued that replaced the existing ecosystems built over billions of years. Trees grew larger by the third day and housed stronger and fiercer beasts. None of the pets survived until day four. They were either mutated or killed by those that did. By day six, most signs of human civilization vanished. Replaced by overgrown trees and vegetation, the cities looked like tropical jungles with occasional ruins. But for all the horrors faced by the animals on earth, a worse fate was dished out to humans. Stuck within the safety of their impenetrable shells, their souls were left floating outside their bodies. Unable to die but unable to live either. By the end of day one, all the people who could decide for themselves had done so. Luckily, the children were placed within the cocoons of their parents who had to make the decision on their behalf. However, they were all stuck. Some had heard of the white room torture before. This was that, but much worse. With no physical body and a floating consciousness, they could not even vent their frustration on anything. Whenever someone asked to be let out, they all got the same response.
All sapiens will be released at the same time when the modification process has been completed. Please standby.
About 80% of the people had chosen to take genetic modifications. Of these the majority went with physical enhancement. 15% of the population chose not to take the enhancement and got a starter kit for their troubles. Only the last 5 percent figured out something wasn¡¯t right and were subjected to the persuasion protocol. In other words, pure torture. But this pain went beyond the physical realm. This was pain inflicted directly on their souls. And hence 3% gave in and made a choice within the first hour of the pain. The remaining gave in within a few hours. Only two souls hung on for days with sheer stubbornness, the boy named Aenon and a monk living in the mountains of Nepal. And so, the days went by before finally the first pieces of moon rock touched down. And yet, no humans emerged from their shells. By this point, if humans emerged, the chances of their survival would be bleak since most creatures had grown exponentially stronger. At the end of the month, something happened that was considered taboo by the denizens of the multiverse. The monk¡¯s soul shattered like the moon above. The karmic ripples that were sent out by this grave violation travelled much faster than even light and reached the System.
Soul fracture detected at the boundaries of Sector 5Z-4856. Deploying Overseer unit to location.
Within moments, a male humanoid figure wearing a featureless white mask, and hooded robes appeared at the borders of the solar system. As he gazed at his surroundings, he noticed a slight distortion of some kind that was attempting to hide whatever lay within the solar system. He noticed that the field was also restricting ambient mana from entering as well. With a casual finger flick, the bubble burst like it was never there. ¡°Much better,¡± the man stated calmly in a deep, aged voice. With just a cursory glance, he located the source of the ripple and headed towards the third planet within this isolated solar system. What he witnessed surprised him. A cloaked planet with sapient life forms all stuck in limbo. As he was busy looking around the world to find the broken soul, he came across something even more unforgivable. A corrupted node. Someone had subdued one of the nodes the System used to seed new planets and added some new restrictions and protocols to it. It was a grave violation he rarely witnessed during the thousands of years that he lived. He immediately reached out with one hand and pointed towards the blue and green planet. All fragments of the moon that had fallen to the surface started rising. Even the fragments that had escaped the planet¡¯s gravity were pulled back. As the pieces gathered, the corruption within the node tried to self-destruct. But it couldn¡¯t do so under the Overseer¡¯s control. Eventually all the fragments were gathered before vanishing into nothingness. Just one piece was left. The Overseer teleported to a location on the surface with 4 cocoons. One of which had a shard embedded in it. ¡°Interesting,¡± the Overseer stated before looking at the sky and sending out a message to the System about all his findings. With the job done, he took one last look at the cracked cocoon with a shard sticking out. The shard was losing its color, going from red to dull grey. He turned and walked away. ¡°Things are getting interesting indeed,¡± he said in an amused tone. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Aenon Time lost all meaning to him under the relentless pain that his soul was being crushed under. He did not know how much longer he could survive, but he refused to give in. This world had taken everything from him. His parents, his sister, his childhood, and even his freedom. But his free will wasn¡¯t something he would ever give up. The hollow robotic voice kept repeating the same damn line over and over. It would have been infinitely easier to just give in. But he refused each time.
Persuasion protocols will end when points have been distributed.
At some point during the onslaught, he detected something foreign at the outer reaches of his soul space. He had determined that his soul space was spherical in shape and had rigid walls. He had tried slamming into said walls to try to escape the pain but failed. He felt the shell he was in cracking as the foreign object started piercing its way in. The pain went up several folds as the cracks spread and he could make out a sharp pointed object, almost like a red crystal, enter his space. A blue smoke started leaking in along with the crystal. The smoke started circling his soul. The pain reduced to manageable levels after that. For the first time since this ordeal started, he was able to think clearly. The smoke, whatever it was, was shielding him. He got a vague feeling of familiarity from it but could not pinpoint what the feeling was. He observed the blood red crystal jutting in through the wall. It was moving at a snail¡¯s pace, but the cracks spread exponentially for each millimeter the shard moved in. He got a disgusting oily feeling from the crystal. He felt his anger rising at the object but try as he might, he could not interact with it. His soul simply could not touch it. He felt a tug from the blue smoke in the direction of his avatar. Trusting whatever this thing was for now; he moved his soul towards the floating body. Following the guidance of the blue smoke, he entered his avatar and felt safe again. The pain was almost negligible here, but he was unable to properly control the avatar. It felt like trying to maneuver a puppet with slippery and elastic strings at first. But with time he gained better control until eventually he was able to move around freely. The smoke was now wrapped around his hands, like boxing gloves. Getting the hint, he smiled and started whaling on the thing causing him so much pain, the shard. Initially, the punches showed very little effect, except the shard gaining blue specks within it with each punch. Eventually though, he observed tiny hairline cracks start to develop along the jagged edges of the shard. After what felt like forever, the shard finally broke and fell within the white space before the wall crack sealed itself. He could still feel some residual cracks on the surface if he ran his hand along it. The blue cloud was all but gone at this point, getting soaked into the crystal. Tired and exhausted, he collapsed as his soul left the body, but he realized the pain was gone too. He did not even have the energy to celebrate as his soul floated around with a hypothetical smile. His surroundings had not changed except for the red and blue rock floating around. Ding ¡°Uh oh, not again,¡± Aenon thought as he heard the familiar sound that had triggered this nightmare. A new window with a red background appeared along with the robotic voice from earlier. But it felt different this time. It sounded distant but also felt like¡­ there was more of it.
System Announcement Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Greetings, humans of planet Earth. It has been brought to my attention that certain parties have attempted to restrict the natural integration process of your world into the multiversal collective and hinder the growth of its native population. Since this goes against the System¡¯s core directives, all such restrictions have been purged and the defective seeding node has been confiscated. Since the status of your planet is not conducive to survival, all humans from Earth will be moved to a grade-E planet along with some basic resources. A tutorial period of one year will be granted during which no offensive action can be taken by a sapient being against any Earth native, except by System approved entities, such as Arbiters. Severe penalties will be incurred by any party in violation of this safety period. Furthermore, all humans below the age of 10 will have their tutorial stage delayed with full System granted protection till maturity. Please standby for transport.
Aenon felt a strong tug that dragged his soul, and before he knew it, he was standing in a large Colosseum-like structure with thousands of people of different ethnicities and races, wearing whatever clothes they were in back on Earth. Which was unfortunate for those who had none. Other people willingly shared some extra clothes to help. Unfortunately, the idiot trio from earlier were next to him, looking as confused as everyone else. The only difference was the muscle brain had gotten more muscles, while the fat dude was in much better shape. Aenon and the girl looked the same, but the redhead had a weird silver box in her hands. As soon as the sudden shock of the situation wore off, loud shouting erupted all over. But Aenon had eyes only for the hulking figure staring at him with pure malice. Aenon realized this problem was far from over. There was also a bright yellow exclamation mark floating at the end of his vision. But try as he might, he could not interact with it. It kept pulsing every half a second demanding his attention. ¡°You are dead meat kid,¡± the jacked-up idiot made a throat slitting motion with his thumb. The girl was looking between them with wide eyes in bewilderment. She obviously didn¡¯t know what had happened the last time between them. ¡°What happened to you Mike? You look different. And where are we? Who is this kid? Is my brother¡¯s prank not over yet?¡± she started her usual barrage of pure nonsense. ¡°Relax woman. We are going to be fine. Just look around you and let the men handle things,¡± Mike said with a sneer. ¡°Woman? What is going on here? You are not Mike, are you?¡± she said while backing off from the hulking figure. Aenon calmed himself and looked away. There was no point arguing with the moron. He might as well just try to figure out how to get out of here and deal with him when there was less of an audience. ¡°You dare ignore me?¡± the man bellowed like a bull and charged at him. Just as he was about to counter, Aenon noticed a thin bubble-like field around the man. In fact, it seems to be around everyone. So, he relaxed and stopped moving. He had an idea what it was but wanted to see the outcome. The moment the raging man collided with his field; he was flung back at double the speed. He was dragged a solid 25 feet before he came to a stop. A big yellow triangular marker appeared above the unconscious man¡¯s head. ¡°Ah! What a wonderful display of pure stupidity, am I right?¡± a loud booming sound erupted from above, snapping everyone away from their conversations. Looking up, they saw a creature floating high above the crowd. There were no distinguishable features to classify it as a man or woman, even though the creature wore no clothes. Its skin appeared to be a black liquid, and its hands and legs were far longer than typical human appendages. But the most horrifying feature was the face. It had nothing on it except a large mouth that was grinning wide to display its serrated teeth. Chaos erupted in the crowd as people started screaming and trying to get over one another to get away from under the creature. ¡°Oh, come on folks, no need to panic. I don¡¯t bite,¡± said the creature with a feral grin. This caused more screams and cries from the rampaging crowd. The reaction seemed to delight the creature as it started cackling like a third-rate villain from a movie. Aenon observed the crowd and merely stepped out of the way if someone was about to run into him. Since the building had no visible exit, the crowd eventually settled near the outer walls. That left only two people, one of whom was unconscious, and the creature in the middle of an open field. ¡°What do we have here? A brave challenger ready to face the beast?¡± the creature declared enthusiastically. ¡°I have no intention of challenging you,¡± Aenon just kept staring impassively at the creature¡¯s featureless face. ¡°Is that so? Aren¡¯t you scared of big scary monsters?¡± the creature smiled wider to show its deadly maw. ¡°Looking at that crater there, I don¡¯t think you can harm me. And if you can get past this barrier, I doubt I can do anything about it. So no, Mr. big-scary-monster,¡± Aenon said with a grin of his own. After staring silently for a full minute, the creature stopped grinning and said, ¡°You are no fun, you know that?¡± The creature then started glowing and transformed right before their eyes. The skin turned a golden color, and the limbs retracted to a more human scale. The face turned into a wooden mask before the creature took it off to reveal a stunningly beautiful face. As the body transformation finished, it became obvious the person in front of them was a female clad in form fitting leather armor. If she was born on earth, there was no doubt she would have been a supermodel or actress. She looked to be around Aenon¡¯s age and the only feature that made her look inhuman were her ears. She was an elf. Aenon found the entire process fascinating. He wondered whether he could learn to do that too. He must have been staring too attentively, since the elf turned to him with a smile and said coyly, ¡°Like what you see?¡± He deadpanned and stared back with no reply. The elf chuckled and turned away to address the crowd. ¡°Sorry about that, people. It was classic shock therapy to snap you out of whatever delusions you may be trying to convince yourself with. ¡®Oh, I must be dreaming¡¯, or ¡®this must be a prank¡¯, or ¡®no way this is real¡¯. I have seen it all twice before and will surely see it again. Even now about half of you will probably refuse to believe what I am about to say. But here is the cold hard truth, your world is gone. It¡¯s not coming back. And there is nothing you can do about it.¡± The crowd stared blankly at the sudden declaration. Aenon knew those looks. They were the looks of people who had lost everything. The crowd reacted in every conceivable reaction possible. Some broke down and cried, some started yelling after realizing they were up against a teenaged girl and not a monster, and some just looked around for someone else to take charge. As the yelling grew louder, Aenon was hit with a feeling he had seldom experienced before ¨C Fear. Not the afraid-of-the-dark kind of fear. No. This was more primal, more raw. Every single human froze instantly. No one could breathe. Even the unconscious idiot suddenly sat up like a bucket of water was poured on him and froze like a deer in headlights. The elf girl started speaking again in an icy tone, ¡°Don¡¯t make me make an example out of one of you. I am a System Arbiter. If you think the little shield is going to protect you from me, you are grossly mistaken. Now shut up and listen. Or. Else.¡± The last words were said with so much malice, everyone felt their blood freeze a bit. And just as suddenly the pressure was lifted, and everyone but Aenon collapsed to the ground. ¡°Now, let¡¯s start with the explanations, shall we?¡±, the elf clapped before smiling brightly. And so began an hour-long explanation of what was to happen now that they were no longer on Earth. An explanation accompanied by such silence and attention; it would make any schoolteacher proud back on earth. The gist of it, from what Aenon understood, was simple. All humans were divided into large groups such as this and were assigned an Arbiter whose role was to oversee the tutorial. This Arbiter had overseen two such tutorials and so knew quite a lot about it. They would be further divided and sent to a village populated by System-summoned people from different worlds who would run the village until the earthlings were strong enough to govern themselves. The villages would be scattered all over the new planet with nothing but wilderness in between. There would be certain larger towns and cities, but no one would be sent there. Instead, they had to become strong enough to go there themselves. Travel between the villages and cities would have to be set up by the humans, who would now be called Players. If they were brave enough to face wild beasts and harsh environments that is. ¡°A few things to keep in mind before you embark on your journeys. The System is always watching. I am not sure what kind of world you come from, but in this one whatever the System decides is the law. You follow it, you prosper. You cannot or do not want to, your life will be living hell,¡± the elf finished her speech and looked over the crowd. ¡°Any questions?¡± Aenon raised his hand, ¡°Three questions. What is your and the planet¡¯s name where we are being sent? Why did you say what this moron did was stupid? And how do I know what the System¡¯s rules are?¡± ¡°I like your directness,¡± the elf smiled brightly while observing him. ¡°My name is too long for you to pronounce. Its short version is Allie. It is customary to use Titles when you address someone in the multiverse, so Arbiter Allie will do just fine.¡± No one dared interrupt the elf, so she carried on, ¡°The planet you are going to is not named yet. At the end of the tutorial, the strongest amongst you will choose the name. And as for the rules, the system will let you know if you are on the verge of breaking one through the Interface. Heed the warning and you should be good.¡± She pointed at Mike, who was still sitting on the ground in a daze, ¡°For instance, you all saw the red text before you came here. It clearly said any violent action by a sapient against a native from Earth was prohibited. It did not say natives can attack each other. Hence, it was stupid to attack you. However, those rules do not apply to me since I am an Arbiter, after all,¡± she winked at Aenon as she finished her explanation. Well, that was a relief to know since that meant he wouldn¡¯t have to keep looking over his shoulder for a while. Now the only question was how to get out of here, and how to address the annoying exclamation mark blinking in the corner of his vision. ¡°Oh, one last thing before I send you on your way. I was informed that all of you used System points, SP for short, during the integration process under duress. That was a big mistake on your part. The points given by the System are exceedingly rare and hard to achieve. To give you an idea, it can take the average person about 2 years of hard work to get half the points you guys just wasted. You could have achieved that by merely working out for a year. SP are better spent on skills instead,¡± the elf casually stated. The whole crowd was stunned briefly before erupting into angry shouts. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Give me back my points.¡± ¡°We were not told about this.¡± ¡°The pain was intolerable. I had no choice.¡± ¡°How will you compensate us.¡± The elf looked on with pity before unleashing the same mysterious force as last time, but this felt worse than before. Everyone except Aenon collapsed to the ground again. The elf eyed him with a hint of annoyance before addressing the crowd. ¡°Silence! You did have a choice. Even under duress, under pain, with little info, you could have chosen to resist. Giving up was your choice. If you learn nothing about the System during your pitiful lives, do remember this ¨C the System rewards effort and strong wills. Choosing the easier way is not something that the System deems worthy of reward. The first 200 points given to newly integrated worlds are to prevent the massive loss of lives the process brings about. Since you are being sent to an E-grade planet with a tutorial, consider yourself compensated.¡± The pressure was released only after the elf finished speaking. As Aenon looked on, he saw the resignation in people¡¯s eyes. But some people were showing signs of hope too. Hope at what the new world would bring. As people gradually got back to their feet, they prepared themselves mentally for what was to come. Looking at this change, the elf smiled and waved her hand before disappearing. Ding
Prepare for transport to the Grade-E planet. You will have 60 minutes to look over your interface.
Aenon smiled as he prepared for his new life. The only thing he wanted with it was freedom. And it looks like he might manage it after all. 4. Indomitable Soul Chapter 4 ¨C Indomitable Soul
What is your name?
Aenon heard the System¡¯s voice again, a bit more feminine this time, as he found himself back in his soul space. It looked the same as earlier except for the shard. It was smoother now and shaped like an elongated hexagon. It looked like a gem with splashes of red and blue scattered within it. The voice had come from the shard. ¡°Are you talking to me?¡± he asked.
Who else would I be talking to? There is no one else here. Before you answer my question, could you please do something about your avatar? It bothers me that it has no clothes on. I have been looking elsewhere this whole time, but there is not much to see around here. Just imagine it having some clothes.
¡°Oh sure. Sorry about that. I am Aenon by the way. What about you?¡± he said while covering his body in a generic pant and shirt with just a thought.
It¡¯s good to meet you Aenon. My memories are a bit fuzzy, but I do not think I have a name. Or maybe I do? I don¡¯t know. I am getting conflicting feelings.
¡°Well, what are you? And what do you want?¡± Aenon asked cautiously. From what he had gathered so far, this shard was the reason for that horrible pain he was going through. But the blue color represented whatever had protected him. The red parts must have been a part of that corrupt node the System talked about. If this was going to be inside him, he had to be careful. If it was dangerous, he had to find a way to remove it ASAP.
I am not sure to be honest. I feel like I am missing something from within. Like I should be¡­
Anomaly detected. Foreign objects within soul space. Attempting purge.
The pain from earlier was back. But before it could get any worse, it felt muted as the shard circled his soul rapidly.
Are you ok?
A worried voice came from the shard. It was somehow shielding him from the pain yet again. His surroundings felt distorted. Only the space around his soul and body was stable.
Foreign objects cannot be purged without damage to soul. Requesting assistance from Overseer for analysis.
He felt a sudden tug as he was yanked out of his soul space and into what looked like an 18th century English office in some grand castle. The wall to his right had a bookshelf going all the way to the 40-foot-high ceiling while the one on the left had a fireplace with a pair of recliners next to it. The wall right across from him had a huge desk in front of a large window with a spectacular view of the cosmos. All he could see from the window were distant stars and nothing else. A man with pointed ears, wearing flowing robes, was sitting behind the desk. His age was difficult to determine since he was wearing a featureless white mask with only two holes for eyes. However, based on the hair color and the pristine 3 feet long white beard, Aenon determined him to be old. With a nod the figure directed Aenon to have a seat across the desk. Feeling no threat, Aenon walked over and sat down. The seat felt beyond comfortable as he sunk in. ¡°I know you have many questions. Some I can answer, some I cannot. And then there are some things which you are not authorized to know yet. So, in the interest of time, I suggest waiting till the end of my explanation,¡± the man said with a robotic voice which Aenon was getting used to by now. ¡°Sure. Please go on,¡± he responded respectfully with a bow. ¡°I am a System Overseer for your sector of the galaxy, Sector 5Z-4856. My name hasn¡¯t been used in a long time so you can just call me Overseer, as most people do. By some stroke of fate, a piece of a System seeding node has gotten embedded into your soul space. What it will do to you is unknown, but in my opinion, it will not harm you. A seeding node is generally given out by the system for great meritorious deeds. It is essentially a part of the System with its core functionalities, which are to sustain and develop lifeforms. With me so far?¡± ¡°I think so,¡± Aenon responded. ¡°Good. Now, that is all the pertinent information you need to know at this time, but if something were to change in the future, we can revisit this conversation. You should be able to contact me using the shard if such a need arises. With that out of the way, you may ask your questions.¡± ¡°Will this have any benefits for me? I mean what can I even use this shard for?¡± he asked curiously. ¡°Perhaps. The System is essentially an entity that no one can comprehend. And what you have in your soul space is a piece created by it to support life. For now, I think the greatest assistance it can provide would be information. What further things it can accomplish is anyone¡¯s guess.¡± ¡°Are there any restrictions on how I can interact with it? I don¡¯t want to accidentally cause any damage to the System.¡± The Overseer stared blankly for a bit before bursting out, in what Aenon assumed was laughter. ¡°Ah, the innocence of youth. Haven¡¯t heard something like that in centuries. Trust me child, you do not have to fear damaging the System. Any other questions?¡± ¡°Is it supposed to have a personality?¡± he asked. ¡°Personality?¡± the Overseer asked with a puzzled tone. ¡°Well, the System and the node from earlier had this robotic and highly formal way of talking. But the shard sounds different. I could almost feel the worry in its voice when the System attempted to purge it.¡± ¡°The System as it currently exists does not have or show any emotion, so no, it is not supposed to have a personality,¡± the Overseer replied. ¡°However, this situation is unique. So, who is to say what the norm is. Maybe it picked up something while integrating into your soul space?¡± Aenon recalled the blue smoke but decided not to mention it. He always liked keeping his cards close to his chest and not depend on others for his problems. The less he had to reveal to the Overseer, the better. ¡°What exactly does it mean to integrate in my soul space? Is it a part of me? What happens if either of us dies? Also, can we be separated if there are problems?¡± The Overseer made the bottom half of his mask disappear, letting him see a warm smile before replying. ¡°Those are a lot of questions. And to be honest I am not sure anyone can answer them with surety. The soul space is an inviolable place. Usually when the barrier to the inner soul space is breached, the soul dissipates. The very fact that you are somehow here is a miracle. If I was to make an educated guess, most probably you both are one entity now. Neither can survive without the other. The personality you mentioned earlier might be something it picked up from your memories and experiences perhaps. Again, this is but a guess.¡± ¡°Wait, what do you mean inner soul space?¡± ¡°Ah, I guess even a being as old as me can slip up sometimes,¡± the Overseer chuckled. ¡°Nothing to concern yourself with right now.¡± ¡°Okay then. What happens now?¡¯ he asked. ¡°Now you embark on your adventure young one. I will place a temporary shield on your soul space since you are leaking mana from it. The shield will also hide the shard¡¯s presence from everyone else. I suggest not revealing this information to any person, lest you fall prey to mortal greed,¡± the Overseer smiled while pointing a finger at him. He felt a subtle vibration for a moment before it disappeared. ¡°I will also be sending someone to place a patch on the breach in your soul space. Although it will heal with time, it can cause problems till then. They¡¯ll need to be in direct contact with your body, and as you are now, your body will not survive being in my presence. Right now, you only have an echo of your soul before me.¡± ¡°Wait, what about¡­,¡± before he could say another word he was dumped back into his soul space. ¡°I hate being zapped around without warning or choice. He did not even let me ask much,¡± he grumbled as he turned around to face the shard. Now that he knew what it was, he was more curious than ever. But he did not know how to find out more about it. The one who could have answered had unceremoniously kicked him out.
Oh, you are back! I was worried when you suddenly disappeared after that attack.
The shard exclaimed happily before flying around his soul in circles, as if to verify that he was okay. He decided to shelf this topic for now and open his interface or whatever that elf had mentioned. With a thought a window opened in his vision with a bunch of numbers.
Name: Aenon Fenrast Age: 13 years Race: Human Level: 0 Class: None Level: NA Subclass: None Level: NA Stats Strength: 4 Constitution: 3 Dexterity: 8 Intelligence: 12 Willpower: 20 Perception: 10
A long column of text appeared in a green box in his vision. If he mentally hovered over a stat, it gave him more information.
Strength: Increases physical power and health pool (x10 Str). Constitution: Increases resistance to damage and health regen (x2 Con). Dexterity: Increases flexibility. Intelligence: Increases memory and mana pool (x10 Int). Willpower: Increases mental resistance and mana regen (x2 Will). Perception: Increases reflexes, awareness and improves the six senses.
His mental stats were much higher than his physical, especially his WIL. Which made sense since he was still a kid by human standards. An adult human could probably finish him with a casual punch, but he had far better memory and reflexes than average. And his stubbornness and refusal to give in was phenomenal. The window had more tabs with additional data such as his health regen, mana regen, and something called Titles. It was very unwieldy and difficult to digest but could be modified. As he was playing around with the interface, the shard flew next to his shoulder and commented.
I can arrange that for you if you want.
¡°You can? That would be great! Please do,¡± he said as realized how much easier it would be to delegate the process. It would be like his very own personal AI assistant. Within seconds the stats were neatly arranged in a tabular format.
Name Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race Human Level 0
Class None Level NA
Subclass None Level NA
HP 40 MP 120
HP/10 min 6 MP/10 min 40
Stats
Strength 4 Intelligence 12
Constitution 3 Willpower 20
Dexterity 8 Perception 10
Titles
!
This was so much better than the cluttered list. He smiled and turned towards the bobbing shard. A name was the least that he could give to the energetic creature. A name came to mind unbidden, but he was a bit reluctant to use that. It had a significant place in his heart, and he didn¡¯t want to give it to the crystal before him. But something just felt right about it. ¡°Thanks for your help! Is there a name that you prefer? You kind of look like a Harlequin opal,¡± he asked cautiously.
I like that name! Harlequin!
¡°Very well then. You shall be called Harlequin. Can I call you Harl or Harley for short?¡± Aenon asked. He was relieved that the shard liked it, so decided to just go with it.
Yes please!
The behavior and reaction to the name threw Aenon off, making some old memories resurface. But he squashed them down, deciding it must be a coincidence. The little gem danced around excitedly. Having completed his first task, he turned to his screen with confusion, ¡°Why is there an exclamation mark in my Titles box?¡±
It¡¯s a notification that you need to acknowledge before it is applied to your status screen. I have just established connection with the System entity and am currently updating the gaps in my knowledge.
¡°Ah that makes sense. That weird exclamation mark in my vision must have been due to this,¡± he replied as he mentally selected it.
Title achieved: Indomitable Soul Title upgraded: Indomitable Soul (2) Title upgraded: Indomitable Soul (3) Title achieved: Planetary Forerunner Title achieved: Overseer¡¯s Favor Title achieved: System¡¯s Chosen (Hidden) Title achieved: Nomenclaturist Title upgraded: Planetary Forerunner (2) Title achieved: Prodigy
¡°Huh? Why do I have all these titles?¡± he thought out aloud with confusion. The explanations for each title popped up.
Indomitable Soul 1/2/3: Survive a soul attack from a being 10/50/100 levels above you. +5/+10/+20 all stats.
Overseer¡¯s Favor: Achieve a favorable view from one of the System¡¯s overseers. This Title cannot be seen by anyone except other Overseers. +5 all stats.
System¡¯s Chosen (Hidden): Achieve a favorable view from the System. Cannot be seen by anyone except the System. Allows the ability to hide one or all titles from others, including Overseers.
Nomenclaturist: Name an undiscovered unique lifeform. +5 all stats.
Planetary Forerunner 1/2: Be the first to attain a Title from your home planet. Be the first to attain 5 Titles from your home planet. +5 all stats. +10 all stats
Prodigy: Be the first to gain 5 Titles from the System. +20% to gains from Titles
The moment he finished reading the text, he felt a rush of energy coursing through his soul space. The feeling was like a cool breeze on a hot and humid day. His body looked the same by the end of it, but something about it felt different. He just looked a bit healthier. The stat gains were ridiculous and made him realize how important Titles were. He decided to hide all his Titles not to attract unwanted attention. He was not sure who could view them, but from the elf¡¯s explanation, revealing them meant being addressed as such. And he did not want to be called Prodigy Aenon.
Name Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race Human Level 0
Class None Level NA
Subclass None Level NA
HP 520 MP 600
HP/10 min 102 MP/10 min 136
Stats
Strength 52 (4+48) Intelligence 60 (12+48)
Constitution 51 (3+48) Willpower 68 (20+48)
Dexterity 56 (8 +48) Perception 58 (10 +48)
Titles
Indomitable Soul (3) +20 all stats
Planetary Forerunner (2) +10 all stats
Overseers Favor +5 all stats
System''s Chosen
Nomenclaturist +5 all stats
Prodigy +20% stat gained from Titles
¡°Umm, Harl. Why do I look the same even though I have had this massive boost to my stats?¡± he asked his resident AI.
That¡¯s because Titles with all stat boosts do not affect the overall ratio of your physical stats. So, you will look the same. Also, stats do not replace the effect of age. Take the elf girl you saw earlier as an example. She is obviously far stronger in terms of stats, but she looks young, doesn¡¯t she? Try arm-wrestling her though and you¡¯ll see how she wipes the floor with you.
Aenon nodded in understanding. He analyzed his resource pools next. At his regen rates, it would take him a little less than an hour to regain his entire health and mana pools. He was not sure how injuries worked in this new reality of his, but this looked like any typical game mechanic. Speaking of which, he had a question for his new companion. ¡°Hey Harley, why does this new world have such game like mechanics from my planet?¡±
Oh, it¡¯s not that the multiverse works like your games. It¡¯s that your world developed games based on multiverse principles. The seeding process affects the inhabitants in more ways than you think. Subconsciously, every seeded world feels the need to operate like the multiverse. Failing which the inhabitants start incorporating these into their fantasies or games. Even the idea of fantastical races, like elves and dwarves, is nothing but the seeding node inspiring those thought processes.
¡°Hmmm, that makes sense, I guess. I didn¡¯t really play a lot of games the last two years, but I did play an MMORPG back when¡­,¡± he suddenly stopped talking. The memories he had buried deep within were on the verge of getting out. He could not risk it. The wounds still felt fresh as the day he first got them. Changing topics, he quickly added, ¡°Anyway, I think it¡¯s about time we got out. If this is like a typical RPG, we should be beginning in a starting village, right?¡±
That is correct. It should have all typical game-like mechanics, except one. There is no respawn. Death is permanent unless someone uses the resurrection spell within 60 minutes of your health reaching zero, or you have a resurrection token. Additionally, if my estimates are accurate, you should be sent to a planet that is at least 3 times bigger than your previous one. That would mean it will have a surface area that is more than 9 times that of Earth. That should have enough room for your people to thrive.
¡°I see. Well, we can talk more about this later. For now, just tell me the most pertinent information that I need to focus on,¡± Aenon said. Looking at his stat sheet, he was already ahead of the curve right now, but he wanted to maintain his lead.
By my recommendation, these should be your priorities going forward: ¡¤ Learn Skills and increase proficiency. ¡¤ Gain a class and subclass. ¡¤ Optional: Acquire a class and subclass of sufficient rarity and get those to level 100 for your racial evolution. ¡¤ Optional: Acquire more Titles for a better stat multiplier at time of evolution.
¡°The first two points make sense to some extent. But what¡¯s up with the last two?¡± he asked with some confusion. Although he wanted to ask about skills and classes, he was more curious about the optional objectives. ¡°Also, is your update done?¡±
The update is ongoing and is a two-way connection. I also have access to all the information from your world¡¯s internet right before the integration. But more importantly, I have been asked to reassure you that I will not be harmful to your soul. Quite the opposite. The damage done to my core directives is being fixed as we speak, and I have been given a new purpose of guiding you. Isn¡¯t it exciting? I am the reward being given to you for surviving my old form.
¡°That is one way to look at it. If you play nice, you are welcome to hang out. Just don¡¯t break anything. House guest rules,¡± Aenon said. This new development was unexpected, and he wished the Overseer had said something about it. But if it didn¡¯t cause problems, he was cool with it.
Awesome! Now to answer your other question. Racial evolution is a critical function of leveling up. Your Racial level is the average level of your two classes. At multiples of 100, you undergo an evolution, with 700 being the max. Also, at multiples of 5, you get 5 free stat points to assign as you wish. But not all evolutions are equal. They are graded from F to A, and finally S. To get an F grade evolution, you must have 500 overall stat gains purely from Titles. If you fail to get even that much, you get an ungraded evolution. Each consecutive grade needs an additional 500. So, for an S-grade evolution you would need 3500 stats from Titles.
¡°But what is the point of having a better grade for your evolution?¡±
Each evolution grade comes with a stat multiplier. F is 2, E is 4, and so on till S, which has a multiplier of 128. Two things happen when you evolve. First, all Title stat gains till that point will be consolidated into a new Title. Secondly, your stats get multiplied based on your evolution grade. Hence it is not recommended taking on an enemy who has evolved even if your Racial levels may seem close. They will always have an advantage due to the multiplier. You may manage if their evolution grade is low and your classes have better rarity, but if it is high, then there is no way you can match the stats. Unless of course, they have an ungraded evolution, which means they have no multiplier.
¡°Wow, so there are seven evolutions with each granting a stat multiplier. And someone with 7 S-grade evolutions, will have a multiplier of 128 each time? I can¡¯t even comprehend that number.¡±
Yes, there are a total of seven evolutions. However, to date no one has achieved 7 S-grade evolutions. The most someone has reached is four S-grade evolutions. The individuals who have consistently gotten at least grade-A for all seven evolutions have been granted the Title of Overseer.
¡°So, I currently have 288 stats from Titles. That is more than halfway to qualify for a grade F evolution. It doesn¡¯t look that hard to get a higher-grade evolution.¡±
Well, that¡¯s because this is just the beginning, and you had a false start. As people begin collecting more world first Titles, there will be fewer to go around. And those are the most coveted since they give all stat gains. Most Titles only give stats in one or two categories. You can upgrade these to gain all stat bonuses but that is difficult to attain. For instance, you may get a Title for hunting X number of hard to kill mobs. This would give you a +5 bonus to your DEX or STR. But if you manage to kill 100 times that number, you may get +5 to all stats.
¡°That sounds more balanced. Could you please add a row for my net stats from Titles? I¡¯d like to keep track of it. Anyway, the stat gains are based on difficulty of the Title?¡±
Done. And you are right. For example, may I point out that surviving a soul attack from a creature one evolution grade above you is damn hard. Hence the +20 all stat bonus. Not to mention the Prodigy title. You are either very lucky to have gained 5 titles before others even began, or very unlucky since now you will attract a lot of unwanted attention. You can hide the Titles, but not the effects. Just don¡¯t punch anyone at your level. You¡¯ll probably kill them.
¡°Will INT make me smarter the same way STR makes me stronger?¡± Aenon asked while trying to digest the overload of information being dumped on him. ¡°Also, how many stats do you gain from classes anyway?¡±
The INT stat won¡¯t make you smarter, but it will improve your memory. Your racial level improves your lifespan. So, imagine trying to remember stuff when you live for millennia. As for the stat gains from Classes, you get stat points per level based on its rarity. Some of those points may be freely allotted, while the rest may be reserved depending on the Class. The stat gain from classes is very limited compared to Titles and is mainly a way to specialize. ¡¤ Common ¨C 6 ¡¤ Uncommon ¨C 8 ¡¤ Rare ¨C 10 ¡¤ Epic ¨C 12 ¡¤ Ancient ¨C 14 ¡¤ Legendary ¨C 16 ¡¤ Mythic ¨C 18
¡°So, if I have two mythic classes and raise them to level 100, I will have 3600 stat points. And if I gain 3500 from Titles, I have 7100 stats that get multiplied with 128, since it would be an S grade evolution?¡± he queried.
Well, would you look at that. Your math is pretty good. I don¡¯t think you need to get smarter.
Harley had a mischievous tone to her last comment. But that was all he could absorb for now. So, he decided to move on, after one last question. ¡°And what grade evolutions are you expecting from me?¡± he asked.
Well, I would say at least four S-grade and remaining all A-grade. That should take you to the peak.
The shard¡¯s glow blinked once. Aenon assumed it was the equivalent of a human wink based on the tone used. The gauntlet was thrown. But was he up for the challenge? Hell yeah! Even if he was to die trying, it would be worth it. He hadn¡¯t felt so alive in such a long time. He had lived in a harsh environment before, but this would make that experience look like a vacation. And he was all for it. With one modification, he was going to aim higher than the supposed peak. ¡°Challenge accepted,¡± he said with a wide grin, and he could have sworn the shard glowed a tad bit brighter at his declaration. With that he directed his focus towards his aesthetic modifications. If he was to move on in life, he wanted no connections from his past identifying him. Earlier he believed it didn¡¯t matter, but looking at the scale of things, he decided to start with a blank slate. Within 10 minutes, he modified every aspect of his face. No one from his past life would be able to identify him, but he did leave the scars. He needed the reminder to never forget where he came from. The only thing he could not add was facial hair for some reason. And when he asked why he could not, the shard simply laughed and said to give it time. And with that he was prepared. And for the first time, when the timer ended, he was prepared to leave his soul space. 5. New World, Old Challenges Chapter 5 ¨C New World, Old Challenges Aenon found himself in a large clearing when his eyes adjusted to the light. It was a village square of sorts, with guards armed with spears standing around the perimeter. He could see a large mansion off to the side, about 200 meters away. There was a canal and two bridges on the other end of the grounds. One of the bridges had a much larger and cobbled stone road, while the other was a dirt road. He could see what looked like a market on the other side of the cobbled road. Aenon was standing with a group of about a hundred people. All looking around in dazed confusion. With an internal groan he realized the annoying three were still there, albeit a few paces away from him and facing in a different direction. The people were too busy taking in the sights to give him any attention. Looking around he found everyone was dressed in the same attire, dirty brown pants, and a white shirt. The cloth was very course and felt like it would fall apart if the wind was too strong. Typical starter gear. There was a raised platform at one end of the square with a retinue of better equipped guards. They flanked a group of humans in luxurious clothing, when compared to their rags at least. The most prominent person on stage was an elderly man with a neatly trimmed beard and a stern appearance. His hair was lustrous silver, and his skin was a dark ebony. His demeanor commanded respect and his casual stance with his hands clasped behind his back showed he feared nothing from this crowd. The man stepped forward and started talking in a booming voice. ¡°Welcome everyone, to the village of Jadefall. This humble abode will be your home for the next few weeks to get you acclimated to your new life. You can stay here longer if you decide to grow strong enough to claim this settlement and make it grow, but more of that will be discussed later. For now, I suggest familiarizing yourself with your surroundings before venturing out. I have been briefed on the status of your world pre-integration and it was standard human development by the looks of it,¡± the old man paused as he gazed over the attentive crowd. ¡°I recommend likening this new life to the role-playing games your people enjoyed in the past. By that definition, I would be a Non-Player Character, or NPC for short, and this is your beginner village. Most game-like mechanics will hold true, and you are free to try it out yourself. However, there are a few key differences. There are no respawns, and there will be severe repercussions for anyone trying to go the evil route,¡± the man declared as he gazed at the crowd with a stern gaze. ¡°Punishment will be commensurate to the crime and the decision taken by the village head, which is me, is final unless superseded by an Arbiter. You steal, you get locked up based on the value of goods stolen. You kill an NPC, and you will be summarily executed. Unlike your games, the NPCs are actual people placed here by the System and their lives do hold value. Your every move is being monitored by the System, so don¡¯t think you can dupe anyone. Any infraction the System deems as evil will place a marker above your head and if a city guard finds you with it, you will be brought before a judge to be sentenced. That is all I needed to say. My administrator will take care of the rest in due time. Farewell.¡± Having delivered his speech, which sounded well practiced and rehearsed, the man started walking away from the stage with his guards in tow. A scrawny woman with a stone tablet the size of a book stepped forward onto the stage. But before the lady could get a word out, the muscle head from before, Mike, shouted in a mocking tone. Aenon sighed while thinking internally whether this guy had anything in his skull at all. ¡°And who put you in charge? Where I¡¯m from, we have a democracy. We choose our leader based on elections. And we don¡¯t bow down to Monarchs.¡± The plaza went deathly silent at the outburst and the village head stopped in his tracks. The guards immediately drew their swords and pointed them in the idiot¡¯s direction. The new arrivals scrambled to get away from the loudmouth, including Aenon this time. He was not willing to be associated with this guy at all. Aenon observed the man on stage as he slowly turned around to face Mike. It was obvious to everyone, but the idiot in the center of the now deserted ground, that the village head was not amused. ¡°And pray tell, what do you intend to do about it?¡± the village head asked coldly. ¡°I will out level you in a few days¡¯ time and replace you,¡± Mike replied with a sneer. And for some incomprehensible reason he flexed his biceps to the crowd like he was at a bodybuilding competition. Ugh. That is the ickiest thing I have ever seen in my life, Aenon thought internally as he felt a shiver run down his spine. The village head stared on a few seconds before smiling viciously, ¡°And how do you intend to do that while you are locked away in the dungeon?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± was all the man could mutter before he was surrounded by guards. One of them kicked the back of his knee while the others grabbed him as he fell. ¡°Hey, you cannot do this. I did not commit a crime. I just spoke out against tyranny. I have a right to free speech,¡± he bellowed as he struggled against the vice like grips of the guards. ¡°Contrary to your beliefs, you have committed a crime. The marker above your head proves it. Also, you do NOT have a right to free speech, and you most certainly will NOT be out leveling even the weakest person of this village since you will be locked up for the next two weeks,¡± the village administrator spoke up for the first time in a squeaky but authoritative voice. ¡°We would be doing everyone a favor by nipping a future problem in the bud.¡± She bowed to the imposing village head as he turned around after a few seconds and continued his casual march as though nothing of note had happened. ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me. Do you know who I am? My father will¡­,¡± the jerk kept shouting as he was dragged away by the guards. The ease with which they handled him was like an adult dealing with a toddler throwing a tantrum. The crowd gradually moved back to their earlier locations. Aenon glanced at the remaining two from the campfire. The man looked really pleased while the woman looked lost and showed no emotion to the fate of her ex-companion. She was hugging the System assigned box like her life depended on it. He was curious to see what a resurrection token looked like, but not curious enough to deal with her again. He looked around the crowd and saw that about 10 people had similar chests in their hands, and they too were handling those like priceless treasures. ¡°Now, with that out of the way, let¡¯s get down to business,¡± the village admin said in no-nonsense, business-like tone. ¡°First things first, I see that some of you have Grade-E boxes in your hands.¡± The people who had those suddenly tensed up. ¡°You can rest assured, no one can take it from you. When the System grants a loot box/chest to someone, it cannot be opened by anyone else. If you are not convinced, you can place them in your spatial inventory instead of lugging them around. No one has access to that space except you,¡± she said in a gentler tone. ¡°And to be clear, although it is phenomenally rare this early in the tutorial, resurrection tokens are common as you level up. And once assigned to a person, they are non-transferable. So, I¡¯d claim them right now where it is safe. Although the box cannot be stolen, their contents once removed can be. And yes, people will risk being marked to get their hands on those.¡± Their behavior made sense since their life depended on it, literally. Aenon watched with amusement as the ones with the chests looked around with indecision before one of them braved himself and opened the chest to claim the token. Before Aenon could get a good view, it disappeared in a shower of light before the box dematerialized. The others followed suit as the grounds lit up with flash after flash. The redhead was the last to claim her token, warring internally about something for a while. The other guy, Erwin, cautiously approached her as the light faded from around her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He whispered something in her ear that made her break down and cry before hugging him tight. ¡°Now, moving on,¡± the admin continued. ¡°You all need to decide what direction you want to take your life in. Broadly, it falls under two categories ¨C combat, and non-combat roles. The System always rewards based on the risk involved. Hence, combat roles are favored by the System, but it also rewards non-combatants. Non-combatants can¡¯t be killed by monsters or other combatants while within city or village limits, which appeals to a huge majority of the population, but combatants age slower and are vastly more powerful.¡± There were some murmurs from the crowd when they heard non-combatants cannot be killed. ¡°However, if the village or city you are part of falls to monster hordes, then the protections fall as well. And you can be killed while travelling between cities. So, it¡¯s a delicate and symbiotic relation between the two. Combatants protect the city, and non-combatants produce goods and services,¡± she pointedly stared at a few people who were whispering earlier. The excitement from before died down a bit. The protection which they wanted to rely on was not perfect after all. It was essentially placing their lives in the hands of others. Although, looking at the reaction so far, the younger looking Players were going to seek the adventuring life for sure. Once the whispers died down, the administrator carried on her explanation. ¡°Next up, for logistics, you will all be assigned a house, with families sharing the bigger units, and will be given food rations for the next two days. By day three, you are expected to find your own means and start contributing to the community. The free rations may be extended for a few days if special situations arise and will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The housing is free for as long as you stay in this village. Don¡¯t expect the same after you leave though. After day three, the food rations will be replaced with System rations. Trust me when I say this, you do NOT want to eat those.¡± The woman walked off stage without a second glance at the crowd. The guards on the sidelines started corralling the crowd towards their housing, which was across the bridge with the dirt road. For the first time they got to see the village. It had a pleasant medieval feel to it. Although no technology was present from earth, it did have the basic amenities for a thriving community. The main street was paved with cobbled stones and there were lampposts at regular intervals with some crystals hanging from them. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. But what truly stole Aenon¡¯s breath away was the sky. It had multiple planet sized celestial bodies of varying colors and sizes. That¡¯s when it truly hit him that he was no longer on his planet. Looking at him frozen in his tracks, staring above, the crowd around him did the same. One by one everyone was stunned speechless while staring at the alien sky. It was equally beautiful and nerve wrecking. ¡°Come on people, we haven¡¯t got all day. Gawk at your own time. Move it,¡± one of the guards shouted, breaking the spell over the crowd. As they approached a quiet part of the village after a brief 20-minute walk, the guards dispersed. A fresh batch of uniformed minions descended on the crowd, armed with pads instead of swords, taking in details from everyone and guiding them to their assigned housing. A rotund man with a double chin approached him with purpose and quickly asked his name and age. Aenon wondered what his physical stat distribution was, to be so chubby. He didn¡¯t look obese, as he walked with grace, almost like a Sumo wrestler. Aenon considered changing his name as he was planning a fresh start but then decided not to at the last second. His name was the only thing from his family. He was rather fond of it. ¡°Aenon Fenrast, age 13 years,¡± he gave his details honestly. The man paused for a few seconds before taking down some notes. ¡°13 years is considered an adult by the System and since I see no family around, you will get the smaller unit to yourself. Follow me,¡± he commanded while walking down the curved road to the very last of the housing units. There was another bridge here and he could clearly see the village¡¯s fortified walls as well as the entry point for the canal. The house would have been indistinguishable from the others if not for the number 38 emblazoned on its door. The clerk tapped the door with his index finger before walking in through the door. The house was a single bedroom unit with minimal furnishings, a two-person couch in the living room, a cot in the bedroom and some basic pots and pans in the kitchen. The walls were completely bare, and the bathroom had a wooden tub and bowl. There was a hole in the ground covered by a lid, which Aenon eyed suspiciously, dreading lifting it up. The stern man let him look around a bit and waited for him. Almost as though daring him to say something negative about his new, albeit temporary, accommodation. When he merely nodded, the man gave a small approving smile before looking down at his notes. ¡°This unit is assigned to you, and no one will be able to enter it except by your permission. The only exception will be the village guard, who may have to do so in the line of duty. Your food will be delivered to your inventory at the start of the day. There is a Recording Crystal on the kitchen counter with a generic map of the village and its surroundings. It will dissipate once you touch it and unlock the map feature on your interface,¡± the man droned on almost mechanically. With that, he was out the door before Aenon considered what to ask him.
Well, that was fun.
A female voice stated with a cheery tone. Harley popped out as a floating crystal, and her voice sounded more human than before. Although the voice made him freeze for a moment. It reminded him of¡­
Helloooooo. Earth to Aenon. You there? Although I guess it must be Jadefall to Aenon for now, since this planet is not named yet.
Aenon struggled to come to terms with what was going on but suppressed his emotions. He returned to his usual calm demeanor. ¡°How did you get out and what¡¯s up with your voice?¡±
Apparently, I can project myself outside your soul space if I want to. No one can see me though. And get this, I can even level up and get one class. And once I level up enough, I can get my own physical body. Isn¡¯t that exciting? As for my voice, this felt more natural than the robotic drone voice from earlier. Don¡¯t you think?
The shard bobbed up and down as it relayed its findings. Aenon stayed silent, keeping his concerns to himself. ¡°What will you do when you get a body though? And what happens to your shard that is in my soul space?¡±
I have absolutely no idea. This is what the System update informed me after I requested having my own body.
¡°You requested to have your own body?¡±
Well, yeah. You think I want to share a space with my¡­
The shard went silent for a bit, accompanied by a lot of random light pulses. It almost looked like it was rebooting.
Huh? What was I saying?
¡°You were saying that we need to start moving to maintain our lead. Let¡¯s grab the map and head out shall we,¡± Aenon deflected the topic quickly. He didn¡¯t want to dwell on what this meant. He found the recording crystal on the kitchen counter and was reaching for it when suddenly Harley zoomed forward and touched it, making it disappear. ¡°Hey, I needed that crystal for the map Harley,¡± he said while losing his temper slightly.
I will upload the map to your interface, with an upgrade of course. That is my role after all.
She ignored his heated tone and stayed on topic. Embarrassed at his own behavior, he decided to move on. He pulled up his interface and found two new tabs waiting for him. One was the map, and the other was skills. At the very bottom he also found an icon of a bag with the number zero beside it. He mentally clicked the bag first and found an empty 5x5 grid appear in front of his face. At the very top were three circles, one bronze, one silver, and one gold. Each had the number zero to their left. He gathered this must where his currency was stored, at least when he did manage to get his hands on some. Closing the inventory with a thought, he checked his skills. Or at least tried to, the tab was locked out for some reason. He finally moved over to the actual prize he was looking forward to. He pulled up the map. Right in the middle of his interface he found a black triangle pointing up within the layout of his house. Next to the triangle was a moving green dot. As he turned, the entire map rotated. The green dot must be Harley, he guessed. He tried zooming out and for the first time got an idea what the surroundings were like. The village boundary was roughly circular with two gates. One to the south, facing an open field that eventually turned into a forest. There was a road leading out from it to the forest¡¯s edge, beyond which the map ended. The other gate was slightly to the north-east and the road coming out from it led straight towards a mountain range. The mountain range bordered the north and east side of the village. A canal came down from the north-west side of the village, down from the mountains up north. There was a tiny legend at the bottom of the map that also showed a scale. Going by the scale, the village was roughly 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in diameter. Aenon quickly used the bathroom (the covered lid was exactly what he thought it was, but cleaner) before returning and collapsing on the couch to think what to do next. Ding Taking a deep breath, he pulled up his inventory again and found his rations for the day. Five loaves of bread all stacked up in one inventory slot, and a water skin in the second. A simple mental click was all it took to materialize the bread in his hands. He tried smelling it but couldn¡¯t detect any. Taking a bite, he was immediately repulsed by the taste. It felt like eating dust or ash. ¡°Ugh. How is anyone supposed to eat this thing?¡± he enquired with a frown. ¡°That too, for two days¡±. He took a big gulp of water, which thankfully tasted normal. His priority immediately shifted to getting proper food, even if he had to hunt for it.
Oh, that¡¯s because the System doesn¡¯t want people to get dependent on the initial rations. There have been cases in the past where people refused to leave the beginner village and tried living off free rations. They even came up with pitiable excuses to extend the free food period.
¡°What about the System rations after the two days? Why did the lady advice against eating it?¡±
If you think the free rations taste bad, you haven¡¯t tasted the System rations. They are not harmful, and one can technically survive on it till the day you die of old age. But it will be a very unpleasant life.
¡°Well let¡¯s get to it then. What is our first stop?¡± he asked while standing up and dusting himself. ¡°Also, why can¡¯t I access the Skills tab?¡±
You need to go to the training hall to unlock that. That is where you will get your starter classes, and mundane skills.
His map showed that the training hall was to the south of the player housing area. He closed his inventory after stuffing it with the bland bread and headed for the door. As he stepped out, he noticed the sorting procedure was still not complete. A few groups were still left. The soldiers had moved on though, except one fierce looking woman who was watching the crowd with an intense scowl. Aenon decided to head towards her to ask for directions. Despite the map, the streets were a jumbled maze. As he got closer to the female, her attention snapped to him, and her scowl got worse. ¡°The volunteers and housing are that way. I suggest you turn back before you get lost,¡± she said in a demanding tone. ¡°I am already done with the registration and have picked up my map and rations for the day. I wanted to ask where I can find the Training Hall,¡± Aenon said in a polite tone with a smile. He didn¡¯t know what her problem was, but he didn¡¯t want to make it worse. He waited patiently while she continued her death stare before clicking her tongue and replying. ¡°So, you are one of those. Overzealous morons who just want to ¡­¡± Before she could finish, Aenon gave her a cold stare and started walking away. Being polite was one thing, but he was not going to stand someone belittling him. Especially someone who knew nothing about him. As he took two steps, the soldier realized she was being ignored and her expression turned into fury. But before she could get a word in, Aenon left the clearing. He looked around and found another guard who was genuinely pleased at being asked for directions. He immediately made a beeline for the Training Hall, which was a good 15-minute walk from where the housing was. The building was impressive, for a village that is. Stone construction with a sloping roof made of mud tiles. As he stepped in, he found the place had a cozy feel to it. A fireplace to one side with some seating. The other end had a row of windowed cubicles with well-groomed personnel. He approached the nearest one. ¡°Excuse me, could you please tell me how this all works. I need to unlock my Skills tab and was asked to come here.¡± The gentleman at the window gave a warm smile and said, ¡°Of course, I¡¯d be happy to help. You are the first person from your batch to arrive. Please follow me.¡± The attendant walked at a brisk pace toward a set of double doors on the other side of the building from where he entered. He continued to talk while walking ahead of Aenon. ¡°Did you decide which route you want to pursue? Combat or non-combat?¡± ¡°Combat for sure.¡± The attendant smiled and guided him to a side room. It had a large blue crystal sitting at the center with another desk a few feet from it. A wrinkly old man in green robes was sitting with a book in his hands. He looked up as the duo approached his desk. With a kind smile he greeted them. ¡°Welcome young man. Here to unlock your skills I assume?¡± ¡°Yes. Although I wonder why I had to come all the way here to do so. The map was unlocked using a crystal too,¡± Aenon asked curiously. ¡°Ah, you see, you need to have your old life examined closely to carry over your skills. No one appreciates wasting decades of their life with nothing to show for it, do they? Please place your hand on the assessment crystal when you are ready,¡± he explained patiently. Aenon noticed that no one had commented about Harley so far, meaning that no one could see her. He cautiously looked in her direction and mentally asked her a question. ¡°You think I can access the assessment crystal through you? Maybe you can optimize something again?¡±
Of course. Stretch your hand forward and pretend to touch the assessment crystal. I will squeeze in between and work my magic.
He approached the crystal and pretended to touch it, with Harley between his palm and the crystal surface. The moment the crystals touched he was back in his soul space again. 6. Skills Chapter 6 ¨C Skills His soul space looked pretty much the same as last time. His consciousness floated around while his avatar was at the very center of the white space. Harley flew right next to his soul as he inspected his soul space in detail. It was about 10 feet in diameter and had a perfect spherical shape. The walls were rigid and looked almost metallic. He could still feel the faint outline of the cracks from before. He did notice a strange electric buzz in the space, almost like the whirring of a printer, which he assumed was the scan the old man mentioned. ¡°How long will this process take?¡± he asked.
About 13 minutes with my help. It would have taken about 10 minutes to scan one year worth of memories and populate a list of mundane skills, otherwise. Anyway, now that we are here, let me fill you in on how System Skills work. Pretty much everything you do can be converted into a Skill ¨C Cooking, Hunting, Gardening, etc. That does not mean that someone who does not have the System Skill cannot cook. It¡¯s just that System Skills give additional benefits to the outcome, such as bonus stats from the prepared food., or created armor. What these benefits are cannot be quantified in any description. You will just feel the difference while using the Skill. For example, the Tracking Skill will highlight stuff in your vision when you look closely, while Blacksmithing Skill will highlight the points to hit and impurities in the metal you are working on. Higher the Skill level, the more pronounced the effects.
¡°So why not convert all mundane skills into System Skills?¡±
Because the number of Skill slots are limited based on your Racial evolution and species. As a human below level 100, you have 2 slots. Each successive evolution doubles the number of slots, all the way to 128 at level 700. Stronger species like elves and dwarves have more slots, and weaker species like kobolds, have lesser slots.
¡°Oh. That is going to be a problem. Isn¡¯t that very restrictive? If the System¡¯s goal is to nurture strong life forms, I would think there would be no limit.¡±
It¡¯s not that the System doesn¡¯t want to. The problem is the soul space. A System created Skill puts a load on your soul space. Anything beyond what it can handle can cause the soul space to rupture, thereby killing the person. But when you evolve, your soul space expands. Giving more room for System Skills. Although don¡¯t worry about the number much. You can combine and evolve Skills as you grow stronger. For now, I suggest picking which two skills you want to slot in. They can be swapped out, but not during combat. You can improve the rank of a Skill by using it frequently or by spending SP. Once the rank has improved you can replace the Skill and work on another. The Skill rank won¡¯t go down when unequipped. The ranks are ¨C Novice, Beginner, Adept, Expert, Master, Grand Master, and Savant. You need to equip 2 similar Savant ranked Skills before you can combine them into one Savant Skill. Which means it is more economical to combine them after you have evolved. This is how much it costs to use SP for your skills. ¡¤ Novice ¨¤ Beginner: 1 SP ¡¤ Beginner ¨¤ Adept: 2 SP ¡¤ Adept ¨¤ Expert: 3 SP ¡¤ Expert ¨¤ Master: 4 SP ¡¤ Master ¨¤ Grand Master: 5 SP ¡¤ Grand Master ¨¤ Savant: 15 SP ¡¤ Combining equipped Savant Skills: 40 SP
¡°Ouch. Once the people find out how expensive the upgrades are, they are going to be so mad. So, I can upgrade 4 Skills from Novice to Savant using 120 SP. And spend 120 SP total to combine all of them into one Savant Skill using three combinations?¡±
Yes. Although, if you wait till you evolve you can equip 4 Savant skills and combine them into one for the cost of 40 SP.
¡°It almost makes my suffering worth it. Almost. Let¡¯s get started then. What do we do now?¡±
Do you need my help in picking the right Skills? I can optimize it for you.
¡°Thanks Harley, I do appreciate the offer, and I know you would probably do a better job, being a super advanced AI and all. But this is one aspect I want to do myself, even if I mess up or make mistakes. It¡¯s more fun this way,¡± Aenon said with a bright smile. He was excited for what came next. He could take Harley¡¯s help and make the best Skill build ever. But it would be like following an online guide created by someone else. Some people may prefer it, but he hated cookie cutter builds that were considered meta. He found them too boring. Suddenly the robotic voice of the System filled his soul space.
Analysis complete. Please peruse the list of mundane skills and choose 2 to equip them to your Skill slots. As this is your first time, the first two Skills will be upgraded by one rank when equipped.
A long list of skills worth several pages appeared on a screen in front of him. He could browse it using a scroll bar next to the list. He noticed most were at Novice with some higher ranked skills mixed in, with Expert being the highest. He mentally asked the System to sort his skills into three categories ¨C weapons, urban survival, and forest survival, and only display top three ranked choices from each category.
Request granted. Here is the populated list.
Weapons Dagger ¨C Adept Spear ¨C Beginner Unarmed ¨C Beginner
Survival (Woods) Stealth ¨C Expert Tracking ¨C Adept Hunting ¨C Beginner
Survival (Urban) Stealth ¨C Adept Tracking ¨C Novice Hunting ¨C Novice
He was happy that his time spent alone in the forest back on Earth did not go to waste. He wondered why Survival skills repeated for two categories had different proficiencies. When asked, Harley explained that being stealthy in woods was different than in urban environments. Looking at his list he planned how to proceed. He first equipped both the Stealth skills, which were upgraded by one rank each, and spent 44 points to upgrade both to Savant. He then spent 40 SP to combine them into his first slot. He then equipped his dagger skill into his second slot and spent 27 SP to upgrade it to Savant. Then he swapped out his first slot with the unarmed skill and spent 29 SP to upgrade it to the max. Another additional 40 SP combined the two weapon Skills into his second slot. Finally, he equipped both his Savant level Stealth and Weapon Skills. That left him with 20 SP which he left for future use. The moment he finished his upgrades, he felt a strong burst of energy in his soul space followed by an exclamation mark at the top of his vision.
Title achieved: Savant Hunter (1) Title upgraded: Savant Hunter (2) Title upgraded: Planetary Forerunner (3)
Savant Hunter 1/2: Achieve 1/2 combined Savant level skills. +10/+20 all stats.
Planetary Forerunner (3): First to combine 2 Savant level skills. +20 all stats.
Pulling up his stats brought a big smile to his face. He gained 84 stat points in each category purely from his Titles. That was 504 stats. He had satisfied the condition for an F-Grade evolution before he even got his classes. He pulled up his stat sheet to bask in its glory. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Name Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race Human (F) Level 0
Class None Level NA
Subclass None Level NA
HP 880 MP 960
HP/10 min 174 MP/10 min 208
Stats
Strength 88 (4+84) Intelligence 96 (12+84)
Constitution 87 (3+84) Willpower 104 (20+84)
Dexterity 92 (8+84) Perception 94 (10+84)
Titles (84x6=504)
Indomitable Soul (3) +20 all stats
Planetary Forerunner (3) +20 all stats
Overseers Favor +5 all stats
System''s Chosen
Nomenclaturist +5 all stats
Savant Hunter (2) +20 all stats
Prodigy (1) +20% stat gained from Titles
Skills (Free SP: 20)
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed) Savant
Stealth (Woods, Urban) Savant
Wow. I was not expecting you to spend most of your SP in one go. Can¡¯t complain about the results though. Hope you don¡¯t regret it.
¡°It¡¯s an investment Harley. The SP will be useless if I die or cannot maintain my lead. These Titles are awesome. And can be upgraded. Especially the Forerunner Title. If we keep getting world firsts, we might upgrade it further. So that is what I plan to do. Let¡¯s grab my first classes and head out for a hunt.¡±
About that, I have a suggestion. Don¡¯t get the classes from the Training Hall yet. They will give you low rarity classes if you acquire them as you are now. Your current stats are inflated enough that you can safely farm the low-level areas and maybe even the beginner dungeons. Come back after you have gained a few more Titles. Classes, like Skills, are granted based on your past experiences. You get experience, XP for short, when you kill System designated monsters. Although you can upgrade your class later, you will miss out on the stat gains per level till that point. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I have a feeling you wouldn¡¯t want to miss some free stat points.
¡°That makes sense. And you are right, I do not want to miss any points if I can help it. Thanks for the heads-up, Harley. Really glad I have you watching my back,¡± Aenon said sincerely. After he lost his family, he had given up on trusting anyone. But now he had someone he could rely on. The shard glowed a bright pink listening to the praise.
Glad you feel that way. I am only a day old, but I feel the same way about you Aenon. Now, let us head out and bash some skulls and spill some blood. Bhuahahaha!
The eerie nasal laugh gave him goosebumps, but he smiled, nonetheless. He mentally focused on leaving his soul space and with a bang he was back in the real world. The bang was from him faceplanting into the hard floor the moment he was out. He was having the worst case of vertigo he had ever experienced. There was a truckload of information being dumped into his brain, and he was not able to keep up with the stimuli. Every little detail was being processed by his overburdened mind. How to take his next step, which shadows would hide him, which obstacles can provide cover as he moved, everything hit him all at once. Foreign muscle memories plagued his body as well. It felt like he was missing a limb, which he soon associated with not having a dagger on him. His fingers itched with the thought of holding one this instant. He groaned while lying still on the floor, to the amusement of the old man sitting at the desk.
Skull bash, check. Spill blood, check. Bhuahahaha!
¡°You alright young man? Must have slotted some rather powerful Skills if this is your reaction. I won¡¯t pry, but a word of advice, the higher the skill proficiency when it is slotted, the worse the side effects when you come out. Your Willpower stat will offset the backlash. So, invest heavily into that in the future if you plan to slot more powerful Skills,¡± the old man said with a kind smile while giving him a hand. The devil crystal kept on cackling in the background. ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Aenon whispered as he took the outstretched arm while lifting himself off the ground. He had to restrain himself, since the moment their hands touched, his muscles were screaming at him to grapple and toss the guy to the ground hard. He let go of the hand as quickly as possible and stood straight. ¡°I will get you for that Harley,¡± he mentally threatened the crystal which was rolling on the floor by this point. ¡°I am no sir, my boy. The name¡¯s Alred. It¡¯s nice meeting a motivated young one such as yourself. Don¡¯t have any fancy Title worth mentioning, so Alred is fine.¡± ¡°The pleasure is mine, Alred. I am Aenon Fenrast. You can call me Aenon.¡± He kept quiet about his Titles, since he could hide them using his System¡¯s Chosen perk. He was still reeling from the upgrades when the kind old man extended his hand towards him. There was a small glass bottle in it with some green liquid. ¡°Here. This elixir should help you acclimate to the Skills. It temporarily boosts your Willpower by 5% for 24 hours. I always keep these on my person for eager youngsters such as yourself. Although I must say, I have never seen anyone collapsing like that before. The most I have seen is a severe case of projectile vomiting. I moved my desk a few feet from the crystal for that very reason,¡± Alred said with a wink and a smile. ¡°Thanks, Alred. Really appreciate it,¡± Aenon replied while taking the vial gently. He uncapped the bottle and gave it a tentative sniff. It had a minty smell to it. He downed the whole bottle in one go. As soon as the liquid reached his belly, he felt his muscles relax and the migraine that was developing eased up. He discreetly kicked Harley, who was still rolling on the ground, while Alred was not looking. That finally got her to stop laughing.
Hey! What was that for?
¡°You know damn well what that was for. You could have warned me, but didn¡¯t,¡± he mentally told her off in a mock hurt tone. He wasn¡¯t really upset but decided to play along. Some aspects of her personality made some pleasant memories resurface. And if he was being honest, had their positions been reversed, he would have had the same idea. His mind was already plotting on how to even the score. The attendant from earlier walked in at that moment and approached them. ¡°Everything went well, I hope. If you are ready, we can head over to the Class Crystal in the adjoining room,¡± he said formally with a bow to Alred. Aenon was thinking about how to get out of this situation without raising suspicion, when an idea popped into his mind. ¡°I might need to rest before I do that. My head and stomach feel funny. Can I come in later to get my Classes?¡± ¡°Absolutely. You can come in whenever you feel ready. Let me escort you out,¡± the attendant said. After some pleasantries, they made it back out of the building. The attendant gave him a bow before heading back to his desk. ¡°So, what now Harl? Should we get to the skull bashing part, not mine hopefully?¡±
Sure thing. Let¡¯s head over to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and look over some of the contracts. They should have a board outside the building accessible to unregistered people. It¡¯s a requirement to fulfill a contract before you can set foot inside the building and become a registered member.
Aenon asked a soldier who was patrolling nearby for directions and started walking. Except the first woman, all soldiers seemed to be very polite by comparison. Was not sure what her problem was, but he would get her back for the insult. He always settled his debts, no matter how trivial. He was finally getting the hang of his new Stealth Skill. There wasn¡¯t any special effect from what he could tell so far, but there were a lot of mental nudges he felt while navigating the village. But there was this constant mental itch he felt when he tried to follow the instincts. Like he was missing something. ¡°What is this weird discomfort I am feeling Harley? I am following the subtle suggestions on how I am supposed to move. But it still feels off. What am I missing?¡± the itch was driving him crazy.
That is what happens when you experiment with Skills without all the knowledge. I did ask if you needed help, but you wanted this. What you don¡¯t know is that every Skill has two components ¨C magical and non-magical. The things you did back on Earth and what you are doing now, are the non-magical aspects of the Skill. The right movement is necessary, sure. But did you forget what the greatest skill a rogue has in any MMORPG? The ability to vanish right in front of someone¡¯s eyes. That is only possible with the application of mana, which you have not learned so far. You don¡¯t even know how to perceive mana and you maxed out a Skill that requires it. What did you think was going to happen?
She sounded pleased at his discomfort. She was right, though. He refused her input and went all in with his SP. In hindsight, maybe it would have been better if he had asked for more info. Well, there is no medicine for regret. So, he decided to tolerate the sensation for now. He flowed like a ghost through the crowd, with very few people noticing him as he moved. The itch intensified when someone looked at him. Eventually, and with great relief, he stopped trying to be sneaky as he reached his destination. A small crowd was standing around a noticeboard of sorts. It had posters about various tasks, from collecting some herbs from the nearby forest, to finding a stupid family pet. They all had letters stamped at the bottom with a crest that looked like the one on the building. A pair of crossed swords over a shield. There was one poster all the way at the top of the board which looked old. It was the only one with the letter S on it.
Contract (Difficulty: S)
The Adventurer¡¯s Guild is seeking information about the goblin camps in the forest to the south. Reward based on accuracy of information. Additional reward if you bring proof of killing a goblin (left ear).
Reward for information: Variable Reward for proof of kill: ¡¤ Goblin ¨C 2 C ¡¤ Goblin Scout ¨C 1 S ¡¤ Goblin Warrior ¨C 5 S ¡¤ Goblin Shaman ¨C 50 S ¡¤ Goblin Leader ¨C 2 G ¡¤ Hobgoblin ¨C 20 G
¡°Why is the difficulty for just getting information so high? They are just goblins, right?¡±, he asked out aloud. Although he had directed the question to Harley, his voice had carried over to everyone present. They all turned to him at once and gave him weird looks. The old woman right next to him gave him a pitying look before explaining passionately. As though she expected him to run towards the goblin camps this instant. ¡°Why is the difficulty so high? Because hardly anyone makes it back alive. Goblins are weak, that much is true. But they make up for it with their swarm mentality. We have been trying to cull their population for months now. But unless we find the dungeon they are overflowing out of, we can¡¯t do anything. The best we have done so far is keep their numbers in check around the village. So don¡¯t go running off into the forest for some coppers. It is not worth it.¡± Aenon felt his ears heat up with all the attention, not to mention the mental itch, which was maddening right now. But he did ask anyway, ¡°Coppers? Isn¡¯t the reward in Silvers or Gold for kills?¡± The crowd went quiet at his question before a guy burst out laughing. ¡°Nice knowing you kid. Hope you can make it a few more days,¡± he said before walking away. The woman on the other hand looked incredulous before grabbing his wrist and pulling him away from the crowd. With herculean effort he stopped the instinct to break her hand and let her drag him along. Once they reached a quiet corner of the street, she made him sit on a bench and went into mom-lecture mode. He sat there for what felt like ages while she droned on and on about recklessness and hidden dangers. Only after he gave her multiple assurances that he would not seek the goblins, did she let him leave. Even then she thrust a copper coin, the reward for getting info about a small goblin camp, in his hands before leaving. With a smile he saw her leave while holding onto the coin, his first in this new world. He leaned back and stared at the sky. It had been a long time since an adult had lectured him out of concern. Observing his melancholic mood, Harley kept quiet. After about 15 minutes, he placed the coin in his pocket, not wanting to lose it with the others if he deposited it into his inventory. ¡°Time to bash some goblin skulls, Harl,¡± he mentally declared to his companion. With a forceful exhale he stood up and started heading for the gate. A determined smile on his face for the adventures ahead. 7. Goblins? Where? Chapter 7 ¨C Goblins? Where? Leaving the village was easy, leaving undetected, a tad more difficult. But his maxed out Stealth skill helped. But the surreal scene outside the gate gave him a pause. A few dozen feet outside the south gate lay a vast open grassland. Nothing unexpected since he had reviewed the map in detail while walking. What he was not expecting were the inhabitants - rabbits, thousands of them. Cute little balls of fur just roaming about munching on grass. The only feature distinguishing them from their cousins from Earth was the tiny needle like horn on their foreheads. He stared in wonder for a minute before chuckling to himself. ¡°Can you get any more clich¨¦d? Horned murder bunnies outside the starter village.¡±
Well, it¡¯s called a clich¨¦ for a reason. The goal here is to hammer in the point that looks can be deceiving. Most players will start to hunt these for food. A few hours of being poked and smacked around by these furballs and even the most girly girl would end up hating cute things. Not me though, I still think they are adorable. Can we keep one?
Aenon scoffed at the idea but didn¡¯t dismiss it outright. ¡°We can think about it later. For now, let¡¯s navigate around them and head into the forest. Anything I need to know before entering it?¡±
Oh yes. First things first, don¡¯t kill anything. Your first kill is important. Depending on how difficult it is to kill, and the level difference, the rewards will get better. But, ummm, you don¡¯t have a weapon. I was going to suggest you visit the armory before heading out, but you were in a weird head space. Wanna head back to grab a weapon?
¡°Nah, that won¡¯t be necessary. I hate starter gear with passion. If not for basic decency, I would have already stripped myself out of these rags. I am sure we can think of something,¡± and with that he started his march across the plain towards the familiar call of the forest. To him it was like a second home. Especially now that he had the Stealth Skill, he would be impossible to detect, unless of course magic was involved. He expertly blended into the grass as he neared the looming trees. They were much taller than the ones he was used to. At least double the height with thick foliage. There was a dirt road that went deeper in, so he decided to stick close to it. He was picking up smells and sounds he was not familiar with. Despite all this, he smiled. This reminded him of the first time he ran away into the wilds back on Earth. Just as intimidating and unfamiliar as it was now. At the forest¡¯s edge, he turned back towards the village one last time. It would be a while before he went back. Even though there was nothing in there that called him, some people had shown him kindness. That was worth going back to. He steeled his resolve and disappeared into the thick canopy of trees. Despite the mental itch, he drove his stealth skill hard. He stalked various creatures from the fantastical books and games of Earth. Boars the size of cars, tiny, winged creatures that looked like pixies, etc. Avoiding them was a pain, but he trudged on. They were not his prey today. As he observed the various habitats of the numerous creatures, something clicked in his mind and a window popped up in his vision.
System Notification Identify Skill obtained. Please observe a creature or object to pull up more details about it. Higher level Skill grants more details.
¡°Huh? I thought I only had 2 Skill slots. Why do I get a third?¡± he asked curiously.
Oh, that is because Identify is an essential utility skill and it doesn¡¯t put much load on your soul space. Everyone gets it eventually. Although, it merely displays the creature¡¯s species and level. Nothing else. For detailed information, you will have to study the creature yourself, like a bestiary.
Aenon turned towards Harley and tried casting it on her. No other information popped up which meant it wasn¡¯t helpful in any way, except showing an opponent¡¯s threat level. ¡°Is there a way to get more information?¡± he asked.
There¡¯s three ways to get more information. First is through your own observation. If the System judges that you have learned enough about a certain creature, it will give you a detailed description for it. There is no description for me, since I am a unique entity, and the System has no information on me. Whatever you observe will update the database of the System. Second, is through quest logs. Certain quest givers may give out the information in advance, so it gets easier to finish it in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, you need to be part of the guild for access to this. And lastly, you can buy the information. For this planet¡¯s creatures, you could buy a compendium of all known monsters and items for 50 silvers. It would take you months to just go over the list. Alternatively, you could buy an information crystal with all the information for 500 gold and upload it to your interface like your map. For galaxy level info, the cost goes to 50g, and 50000g for the compendium and crystal, respectively.
¡°Oof. Crystals are that expensive, huh? Well, it¡¯s going to be a long-term goal I guess,¡± he admitted defeat.
Actually, why don¡¯t you try to pull up your quest log right now.
And so Aenon tried to mentally pull up his quest log. He had not noticed it last time, but it was a separate tab in his status window. He could click on a quest in the left column and have its description appear in the right. He only had 1 active quest and zero completed, but he could see how important this could be when he had a bunch of quests to keep track of.
Active Quests (1/1) 1. Goblin Hunt Goblin Hunt: The Adventurer¡¯s Guild is seeking information about the goblin camps in the forest to the south. Reward based on accuracy of information. Additional reward if you bring proof of killing a goblin (left ear). Reward For Information: Variable For Kills: ¡¤ Goblin ¨C 2 C ¡¤ Goblin Scout ¨C 1 S ¡¤ Goblin Warrior ¨C 5 S ¡¤ Goblin Shaman ¨C 50 S ¡¤ Goblin Leader ¨C 2 G ¡¤ Hobgoblin ¨C 20 G
Completed Quests (0/0)
He closed the window and started exploring again. It had been six hours since he entered the forest, and he had not seen any signs of goblins. He was starting to think that this was just a ploy of some sort to keep new adventurers from drifting too far from the village. Nothing keeps people in line better than an unknown threat of indeterminate level. After another two hours, he came to a clearing in the forest. There was a stone pillar in the middle of it with some weird hieroglyphics. He cautiously approached it. It was about 12 feet high with a diameter of two feet. The entire clearing was devoid of life, not even insects. Even the sound ceased the moment he got within 5 feet of the pillar.
I¡¯d stop here and get back if I were you. That is a dungeon node, and you are not ready for it yet. You would need to be level 30 with at least one class to even survive it.
Harley¡¯s tone and words were uncharacteristically serious. He decided to heed her warning but wanted to cast identify on the node first.
Dungeon Interface Dungeon monster type: Treant Dungeon state: Stable Recommended level: 35-40 Recommended party size: 4
It would probably be suicidal to attempt the dungeon without any class or preparation. But he did want to eventually come back to it. He pulled up his map to see where he was. It had updated based on the areas he had been through. The rest of the area was covered in fog like a typical MMORPG. He saw the road curving east, and so that¡¯s where he went. He was about 60 km (37 mi) south of the village, and surprisingly not tired at all. His boosted stats were showing their worth. As he closed his map and started east from the dungeon node, he had a sudden thought, ¡°Can I even level up without a class?¡±
Nope. All experience points are wasted unless a player gets a class.
¡°Then why are we here? Wasting XP is also not something I look forward to doing,¡± he said flatly.
Well, you are not just a player, are you? You are The Player who is bonded to me. Till you get your classes, all the XP goes to me. After you have your class, we can decide how to divide the XP between us. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
¡°I see¡­,¡± before he could finish the thought, the mental itch suddenly increased several folds. The feeling was pointing him towards the stone pillar. When he got out of its line of sight, the feeling reduced but didn¡¯t disappear entirely. Each time he came within view of the pillar, the itch got worse. He had started associating the feeling with being watched. And if the reaction was anything to go by, that pillar or something connected to the pillar was watching the area. He decided to get as much distance from it as possible. And so, his hunt continued. Deeper into the woods, away from all the chaos that was about to happen in the village. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Erwin Erwin was ecstatic. He was built for this new reality. He might not know which stock options gave the maximum profit like his father, but he knew how to beat any game. The icing on the cake was watching the bozo, Mike, get dragged away to the dungeon. Plus, all it took were a few words of comfort to the damsel in distress for her to fall into his arms. She even agreed to share a house with him. Although it did take him almost two hours to console the girl who was sobbing hysterically. He really wanted to get this show on the road and start leveling up. If the village head was right, they had two days to sort things out and become independent. The housing was threadbare and lacked any creature comfort, but that was to be expected in any MMORPG of this kind. He was currently shirtless in his room, admiring his new physique in the small and dirty mirror on the wall. He had left his bedroom door unlocked and ajar, hoping that Jenny would go past and sneak in a look at his now chiseled body. He could hear her crying from the neighboring room still. But he was getting impatient now. He needed to head out ASAP. He pulled on his itchy shirt and went to her room. ¡°Jenny. We need to talk. Could you please come out to the living room?¡± he announced after knocking hard enough to make her gasp. There was silence from the other side of the door for almost a minute. Thinking maybe she fell asleep or something, he decided to knock again. Right before his knuckles contacted the door, it swung open. She stared at him with puffy eyes and snot running down her nose. ¡°What? Did you figure out a way to go back home?¡± she demanded in the irritating nasal voice that made his skin crawl. Even after hours of talking with her, she was still reluctant to accept their new life. He had to do something, and he was sure there was no way he could convince her. So, he decided to do what any sane individual would do while dealing with such a person. He lied. ¡°Actually yes, I did. I sneaked around the village while you were ummm¡­. busy. There is a way for us to get back. But it¡¯s very hush hush and I only heard bits of it. The villagers know the method but don¡¯t want us to find it. This is all some kind of experiment they are doing. We need to play along with their game for a while till we gather the information. But we cannot let them find out, or I am not sure what they will do.¡± He gave the most genuine, albeit nervous smile he could, hoping beyond hope that she would play along. She was the hottest girl with whom he ever had a conversation this long. Her demeanor changed the moment he mentioned the supposed experiment. No idea how or why she bought the lie, but if it could make her stop sulking and waste the precious time they had left, he would lie till the day he died. ¡°Hah! I knew it. That is all my good for nothing brother is capable of. He wants me to approve of his wasted life, so he does something like this. Let me get my hands on him. I am going to¡­¡± She started venting about things that made absolutely no sense to him, but he just kept nodding. After five minutes of this, he tried to direct the conversation a bit. ¡°Shall we go in the living room and have some food. You must be starving, I know I am,¡± he said tentatively. Her stomach growled at that exact moment, and she scowled at him. Like he was somehow to blame for her bodily functions. But she didn¡¯t throw another tantrum like she used to back on Earth. There was some progress at least. They made their way to the living room where she immediately collapsed on the two-person couch, stretching her legs to cover the entire thing. He gritted his teeth to control his anger and sat down on the ground next to the couch. He mentally selected his inventory and pulled out his free bread, seemingly out of thin air. Her eyes widened at the scene, and she jumped like she had seen a ghost. ¡°How did you do that? Is this also part of the prank you guys are pulling on me? Cheap parlor tricks to get me to accept whatever nonsense that guy was spouting. Where are the cameras? Very funny James. You can come out now,¡± she started screaming at the walls. She knocked the bread out of his hand as she started flailing around. He had had enough. He snapped. ¡°SHUT UP YOU DAMN WITCH. I HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT PATIENT WITH YOU FOR THE LAST THREE HOURS. BUT THAT DOES IT. SIT YOUR ASS DOWN THIS INSTANT BEFORE I TAKE THIS BREAD AND SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THROAT.¡± She stared at him dumbfounded and frozen in place. Frustrated, he grabbed the couch and flung it across the room towards her. Lucky for him, it barely missed her, or else it might have registered as an attack. She screamed and backed away into the wall, next to the now ruined couch. Still not appeased, he took two steps towards her while screaming, ¡°I SAID. SIT. DOWN.¡± Her knees gave up and she collapsed to the floor barely holding back her tears. For some reason, looking at the terror in her eyes made him feel good. All the taunts, all the snide remarks, it all came flooding from his memories. He walked towards her with as much menace in his eyes as he could, which was not difficult in hindsight. He couldn¡¯t believe he was ever enamored by this cowering thing before him. That he was ever afraid of her and Mike. He picked up the dirtied bread from the ground and kneeled in front of her. He thrust the bread in her hands. ¡°Take a bite and just listen. One more word comes out of your mouth, I will rip your tongue out and toss it across the room, like I did the couch,¡± he whispered in her ear. She tensed up for a moment before taking a big bite, dirt, and all. He patted her cheek, not enough to hurt her, but enough to sting. ¡°Now, say the word inventory. A holographic display will appear in front of your face. Select the bread.¡± She hesitated for a fraction of a second before looking at his face. She complied and there was a fresh piece of bread in her hands. Her eyes went wide before he snatched the bread from her hands and rose up. He dragged the pieces of the now ruined couch back to its original location and sat down while giving her a death stare. The moment he took a bite, he gagged. The taste was horrible. It was like trying to eat charcoal. He swallowed it nonetheless before turning back to his companion who had still not swallowed her bite. ¡°Do you need an invitation, princess? Or maybe you don¡¯t need that tongue anymore?¡± his threat made her swallow the bread, almost choking on it. He gave her a savage smile before continuing. ¡°Now, repeat these words after me. I am no longer on Earth.¡± Looking at her hesitation, he grabbed a splintered piece of wood and tossed it next to her face with enough force to completely shatter it. ¡°Aaaaaah. I am no longer on Earth,¡± she screamed and repeated the words in a panic. ¡°I need to live here from now on. This is my new home.¡± ¡°I¡­ need to¡­ live her¡­ here from now on. This¡­ is my¡­ new¡­ ho¡­ home,¡± she stuttered. He felt a pang of guilt doing this, but he squashed it immediately. The rage from earlier was still bubbling under the surface. If she refused to open her eyes, he would peel them open and staple them. He decided to drive in the last nail. ¡°I am never going back to Earth and if I don¡¯t listen to everything that Erwin says, I will die a slow and painful death, starving on the streets or being torn apart by monsters.¡± She stared at him with tears freely flowing down her cheeks, unable to say the words coherently. After a few more smashed pieces of wood, she finally said the words. As she said the last word, he realized. She was not thinking of the creatures in this new world. She was thinking of him. He was the monster. And he liked it. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Aenon The sun had begun to set as he soundlessly navigated the forest. He had finished eating the ash-tasting bread and drank some water from a pond he came across a while ago, while also refilling his water skin. One entire day and still no signs of anything resembling green-skinned humanoid creatures wearing loin cloths. At first, he thought maybe they looked different in this world, but Harley had assured him they did not. He was undeterred though. His hunts back on Earth rarely went as planned. He was used to surviving days with no wild game while subsisting on the occasional berries or worms. About an hour ago, he spied on a bunch of apelike creatures eating fruits from a tree. They looked like the ones from back on Earth. Except these were green in color and blended well with the leaves. He cast identify on the closest one. They were in a group of 6 and were a rumbunctious bunch. Howling at the top of their lungs as they swung from tree to tree. He waited patiently for them to leave before plucking the fist-sized fruits and filling up three slots in his inventory. They stacked 5 times in each slot, giving him enough for the next day or two. He marched for another thirty minutes before climbing a tree and wedging himself into some branches. With heightened awareness, he scanned his surroundings and camouflaged himself with leaves till the mental itch was gone. Harley floated near his head as he admired the view from his perch. A vast foreign sky filled with stars and constellations he didn¡¯t recognize filled his vision. Add in the occasionally vividly colored planet or moon, the sight took his breath away. ¡°Say what you will about this new world, but the view is exquisite. Are those moons or planets? Never seen anything in the sky except our moon. That green one almost looks like Jupiter. And that red one looks like it has oceans on its surface,¡± he mentally spoke with Harley.
Well, this planet has no moons. Every celestial body you see in the sky is revolving around this solar system¡¯s sun. And before you ask, yes, all of them have life on it. This entire planetary system is created and maintained by the System. Imagine it like a nursery of sorts. The System places newly integrated planets here. Since yours was not suitable for the survival of your native population, you were relocated to this planet, which has been fine tuned to have a similar day-night cycle as your old world. When you have grown enough, you will be released into the galaxy beyond. But let¡¯s not get into the intergalactic politics for now. Like you said, the view is spectacular.
¡°Fair enough. Just enjoying the view,¡± he took a deep breath and let his thoughts just drift along till he finally fell asleep. He dreamed of soaring across clear azure skies, and lush green mountains. When he finally awoke the next morning, he felt refreshed. He took out another loaf of bread and some fruit to somehow tolerate the flavor. He washed it down with some water and was ready to head out again. After another two hours of trekking, he came across a small, abandoned camp. The tent had an alien feel to it and was too small for a full-grown human. The canvas felt leathery and had a flap that was ripped apart by something sharp. But the weirdest thing was, there were no traces of blood. He carefully inspected the entire area and found traces of a major struggle but not a spot of blood. He swapped out his Weapon (Dagger, Unarmed) Skill with Tracking (Woods) Skill. His vision suddenly changed into an overlay of colors, while his other senses picked up clues he would have missed. There was a faint metallic smell in the air, and there were some spots highlighted with red on the surfaces. He even found some faint traces of footsteps leading northeast, away from the dirt road he had been trudging along. ¡°Wow. If this is what Adept ranked tracking can do when equipped, I wonder what Savant ranked will give me,¡± he mused to himself. He found 10 different sets of footprints, with 7 of them non-human. The last three looked human but were too small, maybe children.
Looks like halflings, or hobbits as some of you call them. They were ambushed in their sleep. The area was scrubbed of any blood, but in a hurry. Weak magic was involved in the cleanup, which rules out any of the strong monster races.
Harley¡¯s assessment gave him pause. She was right, no doubt. But this was too clean, too methodical. A simple fire would have been a better cover than whatever trace magic Harley detected. This smelled like a trap. Whoever was responsible for this, left breadcrumbs for a reason. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how they did it. This shoddy cleanup was done with a purpose. To lure unsuspecting parties into a trap. Let¡¯s just go around the path they want us to follow. It¡¯s not like we have anything better to do.¡±
It is your call. I am just the guide here. What do you plan to do anyway? Find a goblin camp, kill a high level one, and escape?
¡°You are half right. Do you know what my favorite thing to do was when I played rogue builds? Infiltrating, stealing treasure, and assassinating. Hence, you are half correct. I do plan to infiltrate, loot, and escape after the assassination. But not any high-level opponent. We are going for the final boss,¡± he gave a wicked smile as he revealed his plan.
The final boss? Are you crazy? The strongest monster will probably be a Hobgoblin, who no doubt will have a full retinue of guards, including shamans who can detect magical stealth. Not to mention, even if you managed to sneak all the way in, you will never be able to do enough damage without raising alarm. You cannot fight your way out.
¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing we are not using magical stealth then,¡± he said with a smirk. ¡°And who said anything about fighting our way out. A rogue doesn¡¯t fight his/her way out. A good assassin doesn¡¯t let the camp know about their exploits till they are safely back out.¡±
Well, that is even more ridicul¡­
¡°Shhh,¡± he ducked under a bush suddenly. He swapped in his Weapon Skill again as he heard a commotion up ahead. Using the System assisted Stealth (Forest, Urban) Skill, he army crawled towards the sound, which was getting louder by the minute. When he finally reached the edge of a clearing, he found his quarry. And they were exactly as he envisioned them. Ugly, green-skinned creatures armed with sticks and bone clubs, all sitting around a campfire. It was a group of 7 goblins, and by the looks of things, he was too late. There were three sets of gear lying next to the fire, which meant whatever was being cooked, wasn¡¯t exactly kosher. He lay there on his stomach and cast Identify on the creatures. The only thing that popped up was their levels. They ranged from Level 1 to Level 6. The biggest of them all was sitting on a large boulder and cackling with glee while shouting in a guttural language. He was wielding a humanoid leg in his right arm and was probably recanting some epic tale of his conquest of their latest victims. The camp dwellers were completely unaware of the danger lurking just a few feet from them. As they were busy reveling in their leader¡¯s tale, a shadow lurked in close before disappearing back into the woods. The only indication of its passing was a missing dagger from their loot pile. 8. Goblins, goblins, everywhere Chapter 8 ¨C Goblins, goblins, everywhere! For the next two days, Aenon followed the group discreetly. Like a shadow, he haunted them throughout the day and night, undetected. He studied their behavior, their patterns, their fighting styles. They almost caught him the first day when one of them caught his scent. He backtracked a mile before covering himself with mud to mask himself. He noticed they barely acted like a unit, following their leader more out of fear than respect or camaraderie. Any disputes were settled with brawls, and on more than one occasion the highest-level goblin had to intervene and bash both the brawling parties into submission. The second highest leveled goblin, a level 5, was the least brutish of the bunch. Opting to play around with small bones he collected from their dead prey. Aenon had no idea what the goblin was doing till the third day, when he detected something from the bones. He was not sure what it was exactly, but it felt familiar to the itching sensation he had when using Stealth. He had gotten more proficient in avoiding the annoying feeling by improvising various camouflage techniques. When he finally realized that this maybe what mana was supposed to feel like, he felt something snap within him.
System Notification
By studying the behavior of your target, you have obtained sufficient info to unlock more details. Identify Skill can now identify the following goblin types ¨C Goblin, Goblin Scout, Goblin Warrior, and Goblin Shaman. Goblin ¨C A primitive humanoid race with low intelligence and green skin. Often associated with their barbaric and brutish practices, they do not present any significant threat, unless faced against in large numbers. Will easily overwhelm much mightier foes by simply dogpiling onto them. Goblin Scout ¨C A specialized variant of goblin, well versed with tracking. It has a very acute sense of smell but can be easily fooled with mundane stealth techniques. Goblin Warrior ¨C A physically stronger variant of goblin, making an effective pack leader for smaller hunting parties. They rudimentary knowledge of bone weapons. Goblin Shaman ¨C A slightly smarter variant of goblin, less brutish by nature. Having the most trivial mana sense, it has a rudimentary knowledge of tracking mana fluctuations and can cast basic spells such as Heal.
Title upgraded: Planetary Forerunner (4) Title achieved: Mana Hound (1) Title upgraded: Planetary Forerunner (5)
Planetary Forerunner 3/4: Be the first to Identify details of an unknown species without the help of a compendium or information crystal. Be the first to identify mana without System assistance. +25 all stats +30 all stats
Mana Hound (Level 1): Identify the feel of mana without System assistance. +5 perception
This was the first time he got a Title that did not give an all stats boost, which meant it was not that valuable, yet. But he did get two more planetary firsts, which was good. He decided not to review his status yet, since he was still on a covert mission. Harley seemed to be pleased though, if her glow was anything to go by. But she too kept quiet given the circumstances. He could now breakdown the party into categories using his Identify Skill ¨C One warrior, two scouts, one shaman, and 3 generic goblins. It must have been the scouts that caught his scent earlier, but the most dangerous of the group was the shaman. He was still not aware of its capabilities, but just the healing ability was enough to raise its threat level. He had observed the shaman poking and prodding a minor cut on the warrior, which had miraculously healed. Now he knew how. But still, his mission had been going smoothly so far. He was especially proud of the dagger he now wielded. It was of decent quality, and he finally felt whole again. It too had a strange feeling about it, meaning it had some mana interaction to it. He had been testing it on various trees as they navigated the forest. The dulled edge always seemed to repair itself by the next day. And his moves were fluid when he practiced fighting imaginary opponents. As he observed yet another goblin battle royale, he decided to ask Harley a few questions. ¡°Hey Harl, how exactly does the damage calculation work? Do I do a flat damage number based on some complex calculation involving my weapon¡¯s damage rating vs the opponent¡¯s armor?¡±
Well, there is no damage or armor rating involved. In fact, there is no damage indicator whatsoever. You can use the most powerful weapon in existence, but if you inflict a glancing blow, it will do minimal damage. Whereas if you manage to hit your opponent with a toothpick in one of their vital spots, you may kill them outright. The trick is to find the weak point and get past the armor, or thick skin, of your opponents. Health points are just a relative measure of health. A papercut to a human would maybe inflict 0.2 points of bleed damage per second till the healing kicks in, but to an insect with 2 HP in total, it can be a death sentence. The System modifies the bodies of all integrated creatures. Which means natural healing is accelerated using mana. That is why you heal faster and can survive wounds you normally wouldn¡¯t.
¡°That makes sense. But then how exactly is XP decided? Do I need to do most of the damage myself or go for the last hit?¡±
Neither. The System judges your role in the demise of a creature. This can be direct combat damage, traps, or even pitting one foe against another. If your actions brought about the death, you gain XP from it. Although the XP will be reduced for kills via indirect actions. And before you ask, only monsters give XP, and not all creatures are classified as such. Simplest way to check if something is a monster, cast Identify. If the level indicator is red, it is a monster. If it is green, it is not a monster, and you get no XP for the kill. You can still get resources though, for example from domesticated cattle. The level indicator being grey signifies the monster is too low a level to give you any XP. And if you see question marks for the level, do not engage or at least be careful. It means the level difference is too high.
Aenon digested these facts as he made his plans. He contemplated his next move while witnessing another end to an epic goblin on goblin action. The shaman was called out by the warrior to tend to the broken bodies of the four clumsy participants. It took about an hour for the wounds to heal, by the end of which the shaman looked haggard and about ready to collapse. Another tidbit to be filed away for future use ¨C mana expenditure causes weakness. He continued his pursuit of the goblin camp when they were ready for travel. They seemed to be heading in an almost straight line now. On day 4, they merged up with another party of 8 goblins. This group had one extra shaman in their ranks. The warriors from each group had a showdown to decide the new leader, with the new group¡¯s warrior being the victor. And so, the march continued. Finally on day 7, they reached the mouth of a cave with increased goblin activity. What he found was impressive. Goblins, hundreds of them. This was also the first time he saw the last type of goblin from the contract ¨C Goblin Leaders. They were the bigger and much uglier versions of their cousins, and by the looks of it, much smarter too. After observing them for a few more hours, he got the notification he was waiting for.
System Notification
By studying the behavior of your target, you have obtained sufficient info to unlock more details. Identify Skill can now identify the following goblin types ¨C Goblin Leader Goblin Leader ¨C The strongest variant of the goblin species. They are both physically and mentally superior to their counterparts and have rudimentary leadership and planning abilities. A group with a leader is many times more dangerous in battle. Proceed with caution.
He might have felt bad for what he was about to do, if not for the pile of corpses, some of them human-looking, just outside the cave. They were being butchered using crude stone tools by a group led by a goblin leader. Aenon had run out of bread two days ago and was now surviving on whatever fruits and nuts he came across while stalking his prey. He supplemented his diet with some protein in the form of bugs, which elicited a gagging sound from Harley. He had gotten over any squeamishness towards ill tasting or weird looking food sources a while ago. He was not sure why an entity that had never tasted food was disgusted by his eating habits. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. There were shamans and scouts patrolling around the entrance of the cave, with regular raiding parties going in and out. He settled down on top of a tree, which gave him an excellent view of the proceedings without much hindrance. He kept a mental note of their patrol patterns, their interpersonal relations, and even their bathroom schedule. He found that the scouts didn¡¯t get along with the shamans much, with the latter too busy playing around with their bones. If a scout and shaman were left unattended, a brawl always broke out, with the shaman doing something (he was still not sure what) to bring down the scout. The leaders were apparently aware of this and rarely let them out of sight. He continued his vigil throughout the night, with the patrols getting a bit lax around midnight, that is, till a leader showed up and banged up the guards on duty a few times. The patrols were airtight after that. Sneaking past was possible, but very risky as he did not know what was within the depths of the cave. He was not able to see what was inside, since the entrance curved to the right, thereby blocking a visual inspection from outside. He was just about to try infiltrating into the cave when a notification popped up.
Title achieved: Predator (1)
Predator (1): Stalk someone or something undetected for 7 days. +5 Dexterity
Ughh. This is sooooo boring. When will you start slicing and dicing? I have seen you do nothing but sit on this branch for the last few days. There are only so many K-dramas I can binge watch. Maybe it¡¯s my inexperience speaking, but aren¡¯t MMORPGs about grand adventures and epic quests?
The sudden notification and Harley¡¯s mental outburst startled him, making him almost fall off the branch. He steadied himself before scowling at the floating crystal next to his face. ¡°Those are stories and games people indulge in to escape reality. This is real life, and even with the fantasy elements, it has long-lasting consequences. And this is fun for me. I once spent 2 hours on a rogue quest that people finished in 10 minutes using their guild mates,¡± he complained. ¡°And I must be doing something right if I am getting Titles for it.¡±
Hmph. I know all about your rogue quest. As if that is something to be proud¡­
The shard started vibrating and pulsing erratically again before continuing as though nothing happened.
You do realize, it¡¯s been more than a week since we all got here. Most humans are at least level 10 by now and they have been accumulating far more Titles. There are Titles for crafting, exploring, and even training.
¡°True. But I don¡¯t really care. I am going to walk my own path, at my own pace. I don¡¯t care if it takes me 100 times longer to reach where I want as long as I enjoy the journey. And right now, this is what I enjoy. So quit ruining it. Go stream some of the anime I recommended,¡± he snapped back while ignoring the weird behavior. He had a good idea why this was happening but decided to go with it for now. Harley could access all the data from the internet before the collapse while in his soul space. Which is what he preferred while he was laser focused on his current objective. The notification had given him a new idea, which meant it was time to modify his plan. If Titles could be upgraded by doing something harder, he wanted to see what would happen if he successfully stalked the entire camp without being noticed for a week or maybe even longer. With practiced ease, and some guidance from his Stealth Skill, he broke past the patrol line and entered the cave. He matched his footsteps with one of the scouts who was going in for his regular break. As he snuck in, he found himself inside a large underground cavern. Before he could be noticed, he creeped away into the comfort of shadows along the ragged walls, gently shifting some of the animal carcasses lying around the edges. There were stalactites forming on the roof and floor of the place, which he used as a cover to blend into his surroundings. With his enhanced strength, he gripped the mineral protrusions and scaled the walls and ceiling like a spider. After some impressive gymnastics, he climbed into an out of reach crevice near the very top of the cavern roof. The view almost made him question his foolhardy plan. There were at least 1500 goblins in here that he could see from his perch. They were spread all over the place with no rhyme or reason, using animal hides and leaves for bedding. The only exception was a central tent at the very end of the cavern, which was being served by a bunch of goblins, holding crude trays, running back and forth in a panic. There was a stone pillar next to it, like the dungeon he came across earlier. Under the tent was the biggest and most disgusting goblin specimen he had come across yet. It was easily 7 feet tall and had grotesque bulging muscles all over. Its eyes betrayed a hint of superior intellect as it swept its gaze along the mini city it ruled over. There were a bunch of wooden chests next to what Aenon assumed was the throne of the thing. If his contract was accurate, this must be the hobgoblin.
Ewww. If I had eyes, I would wash them with bleach. Thanks for scarring my memories with this monstrosity.
Harley was whispering, even though only Aenon could hear her. He could feel the sarcasm dripping from her words along with strong disgust, which he shared. He had seldom seen anything as repulsive as this creature, and he had seen his fair share of appalling sights while he was in foster care before running away. His entire plan was thrown out the window when he cast Identify on the creature. Its level only displayed two question marks. ¡°On a scale of 1 to 10, how screwed am I?¡± he asked his companion.
If you don¡¯t get out of here right now, I would say a 9.
The moment Harley finished speaking, a shaman ran up to its chief and started animatedly screeching something. The hobgoblin stared at the tiny underling, and before anyone could react, grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up to eye level. With a vicious roar, he crushed the poor creature¡¯s neck and tossed the body aside. Hearing their leader¡¯s angry shout, all goblins cowered and ran off to hide at the edges of the cavern. Only a brave few ran for the only exit, but contrary to Aenon¡¯s expectations, formed a goblin chain to block the tunnel.
Ummm, make that a 20. We are so dead.
¡°How did they realize I am here? I am not using mana, so the shamans couldn¡¯t have picked up on it, and none of the scouts heard or smelled me?¡± he nervously whispered in his mind.
Did you trigger a ward? Based on their level, maybe some bones?
He remembered the carcass he had shifted to move around noiselessly. That must have been more than just a random dead rodent. He took a deep breath and analyzed his situation. The goblins were running around like headless chickens trying to find him. He was glad he moved up here as soon as he made it inside. As though the situation wasn¡¯t bad enough, he felt something slithery move up his leg. With slow and deliberate movements, he turned to his leg and found a dark snake wrapping around his left leg. He ignored the snake for now and focused on the goblins instead.
How can you be so calm when there is literally a snake about to enter your pants?
¡°Not helping, Harley. I need to be stationary to avoid detection. Panic is just going to cause further problems. I have covered myself with enough mud to camouflage against this background. But if I move, my cover will be blown,¡± he stated calmly. ¡°If you really want to be helpful, explain to me how these wards work. And how can I get around them?¡±
It is very primitive what these goblins are doing. Mana is in every living entity. Being saturated with mana all its life, corpses and even bones become very good conductors of mana and can store it. They seem to be flooding tiny bones with their own mana and storing some of it. With time it dissipates into the air, although very slowly. The moment another lifeform touches them, it discharges faster than normal. They are merely sensing that. Nothing fancy, it¡¯s just pure instinct.
¡°Can they track the discharged mana to my location?¡±
Not really. If you were in contact with the ward for an extended duration of time, or if the ward was more complex, then maybe. You must have already released the mana that entered your body since it was not controlled externally. But let this be a lesson. Don¡¯t. Touch. Things.
He took a mental note of that. Thanking his luck, he decided to finally overcome his greatest weakness right now ¨C his lack of sense and control of mana. He pulled up the description for his Perception stat. Perception: Increases awareness and improves the six senses. Six senses, not five. Mana sense must be the sixth, he deduced. If this was true, he had enough stats to be able to sense mana. The only reason he could think of why he wasn¡¯t sensing it was because he had never used it before. Like an unused muscle that atrophies from lack of use. He had spied the goblin shamans playing with bones for a week now, and he had the mental itch he had gotten accustomed to. He started meditating while pondering these things. He tried to mentally picture what mana would look like, while trying to focus on the feeling he got when he used his Stealth Skill. He slowed his breathing and closed his eyes. He even tuned out the snake nestled around his ankle. He could feel like he was on the edge of something, something important. Like trying to remember a name that was at the tip of your tongue, yet out of reach. He spent the next hour focused on this feeling, while the goblins scoured every inch of the cave. His Skill mastery had ensured he left no physical traces behind, and the goblin¡¯s magical sense had nothing to pick on since he never used any mana enhancement for Stealth. And so, the impasse continued. The goblins with their elusive intruder, and Aenon with his mana sense. The goblins continued their dogged pursuit for another two hours before finally giving up. The hobgoblin smashed a few more of his brethren, before calming down and retreating to his throne. All this while, Aenon continued his fruitless attempt at picking up mana sense. That¡¯s when he had an epiphany. He was trying to sense his own mana. That was like trying to feel your internal organs. What he needed right now was an external stimulus. Like the shamans used bones for their experiments, he needed an external source. He immediately latched all his concentration onto the snake, which thankfully was yet to move. He felt its touch on his exposed ankle, its cold scales, its texture. He surmised that if all living things had mana, then it should have some too. And that is when it all fell into place, like a jigsaw puzzle whose final piece was found.
System Notification
By studying the Goblin Shaman¡¯s crude use of mana, and adding your own observations of mana theory, you have successfully internalized the principles of mana sense. This Skill will not consume a slot but cannot be upgraded by the System either. Moreover, for successfully doing it with minimal guidance, additional Titles and rewards will be granted.
A bunch of notifications were demanding his attention this instant. But he was completely overwhelmed. His body was paralyzed from the extrasensory inputs he was receiving from everywhere. He briefly opened his eyes before shutting them off again. It was like he was staring at the sun directly. Everything looked so bright and vivid, like he was seeing color for the first time, even though it was a dark cavern. Even his sense of hearing was picking up subtle vibrations that he never noticed before. His own heartbeat was pounding like a drum in his ears. And Harley chose this moment to scream at him.
What the hell did you do now? Why is our soul space doing weird things? And what is all this noise?
¡°Not now Harley,¡± he mentally said with gritted teeth. If the goblins noticed, he was toast. He tried breathing slowly to calm himself. Luckily the goblins went about their regular activities and paid him no heed. Although, something was wrong, he could feel it. It felt as though he was being sucked in through a vacuum cleaner nozzle, the feeling started at his ankle and spread all over his body. ¡°Will, damn,¡± was the last thing Aenon remembered saying before he was yanked back to his soul space, yet again. 9. Soulmates and Spaces Chapter 9 ¨C Soulmates and spaces When his senses adjusted, he realized he was not actually in his soul space. At least it didn¡¯t look like his soul space. In place of a spherical white void, his soul now floated in a pitch-black abyss. There was absolutely nothing around him, not even Harley or his avatar. He tried calling out but heard no response. There was no up, down, forward, or backwards in this place. He couldn¡¯t even tell if he was moving or stationary without a reference point. Eventually, after an indeterminate amount of time, he saw a point of light. It was very distant and faint, but it stood out like a bright flame on a cold and moonless night. He mentally tugged his consciousness to move in that direction. He wasn¡¯t even sure if he was moving at all since the light source looked the same. After ages, the point of light seemed to grow, and he finally heard Harley¡¯s voice.
AENON. ARE YOU THERE? WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? AND WHERE AM I?
¡°You don¡¯t have to shout you know,¡± he quipped with a hint of humor as he approached her. The crystal turned around and flew towards him at high speed but passed right through. He noticed that she was shivering.
Where the hell were you? It was all so dark, and empty, and cold, and ¡­
She frantically bombarded him with questions, and he let her vent for a while. Patiently listening without comment, even when she peppered him with insults. After she was spent, and calmed down, he finally spoke. ¡°It¡¯s okay Harl. I am not going anywhere,¡± he said gently. Before he could say anything further, he detected something, but not using his conventional five senses. The space around them wasn¡¯t exactly empty. There was some kind of gaseous substance around them, almost imperceptible, and colorless. Noticing his distraction, Harley asked again seriously.
What is going on Aenon? Where are we?
¡°Wish I could tell you that. I am as lost as you are. Is it possible we died? Maybe this is the place our souls rest for 60 minutes for someone to cast resurrection, you know, before moving on?¡± he mused out loud.
How can you be so calm about it? I am freaking out, and here you are, casually chatting like nothing happened. This is all your fault.
¡°Well, don¡¯t know what to tell you. If a situation is out of my control, I just go with it. No sense in crying over spilt milk,¡± he casually remarked. A lot of things in his life were out of his control. So, he learned his lesson a while ago, worrying solves nothing. Now that he had found Harley, he scanned their surroundings a bit more carefully. The ambient mist was flowing outward from a single point somewhere. He asked Harley to follow and moved against the flow. Harley tried protesting, but he just shushed her and kept going. Eventually, they reached a barrier of sorts. It was hard to detect a black surface in a black void, but he felt the hard unyielding surface. He circled it and found it was about 10 feet in diameter, much like his soul space. He thought maybe this was the inner soul space the Overseer had let slip once. And if that was the case, he must be in outer soul space. He hovered around the barrier and found the tear where the Shard had pierced through, along with all the cracks he had witnessed while on the other side of this wall. The subtle current of mana was leaking through these cracks and the hole. The hole had a flexible membrane covering it. When he pushed in, his hand broke the membrane and the next instant, they were back to their familiar white soul space, with his avatar floating at the center. He noticed the subtle mist leaving the soul space from the cracks in the shell. He decided to check his notification before talking with Harley.
Title achieved: Arcane Wizard (1) Title evolved: Mana Hound (1) to Mana Touched (1) Title achieved: Unfettered (1)
Arcane Wizard (1): Achieve basic mastery of natural mana on your own. +10 all stats
Mana Touched (1): Interact with natural mana without the System''s aid. +20 all stats
Unfettered (1): ???. +50 all stats
Aenon¡¯s eyes bugged out when he saw the last Title. It was his strongest yet, giving him 360 stat points by itself, with the percentage boost. He decided to check out his stat page.
Name Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race Human (F) Level 0
Class None Level NA
Subclass None Level NA
HP 1960 MP 2040
HP/10 min 390 MP/10 min 424
Stats
Strength 196 (4+192) Intelligence 204 (12+192)
Constitution 195 (3+192) Willpower 212 (20+192)
Dexterity 206 (8+192+6) Perception 202 (10+192)
Titles (192x6 + 6 = 1158)
Indomitable Soul (3) +20 all stats
Planetary Forerunner (5) +20 all stats
Overseers Favor +5 all stats
System''s Chosen
Nomenclaturist +5 all stats
Savant Hunter (2) +20 all stats
Arcane Wizard +10 all stats
Mana Touched +20 all stats
Unfettered +50 all stats
Predator +5 Dexterity
Prodigy (1) +20% stat gained from Titles
Skills (Free SP: 20)
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed) Savant
Stealth (Woods, Urban) Savant
He had almost doubled his stats from just the three new titles and now qualified for an E-grade evolution. He was ecstatic about it. ¡°That is a lot to take in, but let¡¯s focus on what is going on here, shall we?¡± Aenon remarked. ¡°My thoughts exactly, although talking to yourself is not a sign of good health you know,¡± a familiar female voice spoke up, making his consciousness jump back in alarm. Arbiter Allie was floating in his soul space right next to his avatar. His avatar was without clothes again for some reason, and she seemed to be in deep contemplation while observing his lower body in detail. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Are you done admiring? What are you doing here?¡± he asked with some heat and embarrassment in his voice as he conjured up a fresh set of clothes for his avatar while possessing it. He was not used to people gawking at him in his birthday suit. ¡°Impressive that you learned how to create constructs in your soul space and even controlling your avatar. Although¡­ that is not the only thing I am impressed about,¡± she looked him up and down with a smirk before winking. ¡°Could we please move on?¡± he asked with narrowed eyes. He did not want to give her the satisfaction of knowing how embarrassed he was, but he couldn¡¯t help it. He could feel his face heating up. ¡°It¡¯s adorable how red your face is getting,¡± she giggled at his discomfort. ¡°Typically, it is not possible to enter someone¡¯s soul space like this. But you are hardly a typical case. Your soul space was ruptured and even I was not aware how badly till you went and did what you did.¡± ¡°Which is what, exactly?¡± he asked while crossing his hands. He probably shouldn¡¯t antagonize an existence who can snuff him out with ease, but this was the only way he could hide how embarrassed he was. ¡°What do you know about soul spaces?¡± she asked with a coy smile while she scanned his avatar as she moved around him in a circle. ¡°It is the place where my soul resides along with a representation of my real body. But that doesn¡¯t answer my question.¡± She had not reacted to Harley¡¯s presence so far, so he kept quiet about it ¡°I was given a System quest to fix an injured soul space. I had trouble believing it till I finally saw it. Anyway, you are correct about what a soul space is, but the information is incomplete,¡± she paused for dramatic effect. ¡°And?¡± he asked impatiently. ¡°A soul space is where you harness and store mana. At birth and in uninitiated worlds, it is just a void. As you grow in age and strength, you learn to absorb mana and condense it for use with spells and abilities. The more mana you can stuff in, the stronger your spells. It is also how you conjure up constructs, like your clothes,¡± she said mischievously as she ran a finger up and down his chest. ¡°Is it anything like a core some cultivation novels on my old world talked about?¡± he asked quickly to distract her. She was having way too much fun at his expense, but he had to deal with it to get more information. ¡°I am surprised you know that, but yes. The principle is to compress the mana dregs into a more usable form. The System helps in this regard. It automates the process of ambient mana absorption and compression. That is what your mana pool is.¡± ¡°So where is this mana? I don¡¯t see it in my soul space.¡± She smiled as she held out her hands, ¡°Look around you. What do you think the walls are made of? They essentially act as your mana pool as well as a barrier to contain the ambient mana you absorb, either naturally or through meditation. When you have compressed enough mana within your soul space, the barrier gets pushed back, making your soul space wider. The process is what we call evolution. When you use spells, the walls get thinner, which makes your soul feel stressed and weaker. That is why it doesn¡¯t feel good to bottom out your mana pool. Although, I am curious where your mana is continuously flowing out to. I am assuming that is where the soul injury was?¡± she asked while pointing at the point where the cracks spread out from. He was not comfortable sharing his secrets and potential weaknesses with a stranger. But he had no choice in this regard. He needed all the information she had. ¡°Wish I could explain what is going on, but I am as clueless as you. I was attacked by some annoying little shard which seems to have done this damage,¡± he decided to give partial information without lying. Harley huffed to his side in annoyance but stayed quiet. Allie eyed him suspiciously, but continued, nonetheless. ¡°I was originally planning to fix the damage when you were in a safer location, but you somehow managed to anger an entire goblin village. Nice work, very entertaining stuff. Dumb, but entertaining. That snake around your leg is an artifact I am controlling.¡± ¡°That was you. Why the hell did you wrap yourself around my leg in such a situation. If I had panicked, I would have given away my location,¡± he yelled at her furiously. ¡°Because if I had not, they would have found you. You touched mana charged bones. Mana which got absorbed by your body. Normally that is not an issue, but you have a gaping hole in your soul space, which is leaking like a faucet. The shamans would have tracked the leaking mana back to your hidey hole,¡± Allie said with annoyance. She did not appreciate being yelled at Aenon thought about it for a minute and felt embarrassed at his outburst. He sheepishly apologized. ¡°Sorry. Guess you were just trying to help.¡± ¡°Of course I was. Did you forget what my main role is in this tutorial? I was given a System quest too," she folded her arms and eyed him sternly. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain how you got in here,¡± he asked. She rolled her eyes in frustration. ¡°Because you started meditating and tried absorbing mana. Not only that, but you also focused on my artifact which was working on the leak. You essentially pushed me into your soul space through the hole.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± was all he could say to that. ¡°Oh? Is that all you have to say?¡± she raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°I, uh, don¡¯t know what else to say. Sorry? I didn¡¯t mean to do it, you know. It was a complete accident,¡± he tried explaining himself. She stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. ¡°Ya I guess a newly minted player like you wouldn¡¯t have known. Who is your class trainer anyway? I wasn¡¯t controlling the artifact personally till you went and caused the commotion in the cave. So haven¡¯t had time to check your level. I am impressed your level is high enough to raid a goblin cave solo.¡± ¡°What do you mean trainer?¡± he asked puzzled. ¡°You know, the guy who taught you mana control. At level 5 is when your trainer shows you how to meditate and absorb mana.¡± Mistaking his silence for an inability to recall, she continued. ¡°I am assuming one of your classes is mana based. So, which is it?¡± she prodded him further. ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about,¡± Aenon replied after the silence got too uncomfortable. She blinked numerous times; no doubt trying to connect the dots and figure out the situation. ¡°What level are you?¡± she finally managed to ask. ¡°Ummm. Isn¡¯t it considered rude to ask such a thing?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. I cannot use my identify skill in here or we wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation,¡± she said with frustration in her voice. ¡°Zero.¡± She went silent and back to blinking with a vacant expression before getting red with anger. ¡°You didn¡¯t level either of your classes? Who told you about the first kill bonus?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Just tell me who told you about the first kill bonus,¡± she screamed at him before marching up to him. She had her face very close to his, giving him a death glare. ¡°I heard some guy in the village talking. He said the more difficult your first kill, the better the rewards,¡± he wanted to keep Harley¡¯s existence a secret, so he fibbed. Her face was still red with fury and having no other outlet she vented it out on him. ¡°And you, a level zero, in his infinite wisdom decided this would be your one and only chance to obtain glory? How stupid are you? Did you stop to consider how it would affect those who care about you? Your family, your friends. You would throw all that away for the promise of a few extra stats.¡± His eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. Not only was she not making sense, but she was also blaming him without knowing about his past. He had no family. He had no friends. Well technically, maybe Harley was, but this was her idea in the first place. Sort of. ¡°I do not appreciate being lectured by someone who barely knows me or my past. I have no family and have no need for friends. I will live my life on my terms and will die on my terms. No one has the right to dictate my life. So, if you are done with your task, please leave,¡± he replied coldly. The sudden change in his tone and harsh words shocked her enough to shut her up. She glared at him for several minutes before turning his back on him. ¡°I do not have anything more to say to selfish jerks like you. You will be dead soon anyway,¡± she whispered before waving her hands and disappearing.
Ummm¡­
¡°Not now Harley,¡± Aenon fumed. He knew that he could have handled that situation a little better. But her words about family had pushed all the wrong buttons. He suppressed the memories that were dangerously close to resurfacing. ¡°Did she fix the hole before leaving?¡± he asked in a neutral tone. He was trying not to take his anger out on Harley. He focused on the tear and noticed it did stop leaking the gaseous mana. But there was still a tiny trickle.
I am sure she must have. She is an Arbiter after all. It is her job, especially if it was a System quest.
¡°Well, let¡¯s get out of here and continue our mission.¡± Sensing his mood, Harley stayed quiet. With a little bit of concentration, Aenon managed to exit his soul space. He was still in the crevice he had wedged himself in and the snake was gone. His head hurt from the overload of input from his mana sense. And he didn¡¯t know how to turn it off either. Weirder still, he could detect all the lifeforms around him even with his eyes closed. Like a radar of sorts, that bypassed physical barriers and only homed in on life. For now, it had a range of about 10 meters (32 feet). Aenon looked down and saw that the goblins were back to their usual activities. The search must have been called off a while ago. He pulled out a System ration and bit down on it. Although it tasted worse than free ration, he was in no mood to complain. His only reasoning was that it didn¡¯t have any smell. He did not want the scouts to pick up on his hiding spot. After relieving his hunger and thirst, he continued his silent vigil of the cave¡¯s inhabitants till he fell asleep. He continued the same pattern of eating, observing and sleeping for the next three days, only breaking the monotony when he had to relieve himself. He did that by quickly exiting the cave twice a day for short durations. On the fourth day Harley finally snapped. When he was out relieving himself, she popped out of his soul space in a huff.
OK. That does it. I know you are upset, and I know you need time to get over whatever this is. But you can¡¯t just ignore me for days on end. I didn¡¯t even do anything. You haven¡¯t said a word to me since we left your soul space. It almost feels like I am back in that dark abyss, whatever that was.
Aenon completely ignored her presence, which made Harley angrier. But he kept quiet and sat down in a small burrow with his legs crossed. He took a deep breath and entered his soul space again. Harley followed soon after. ¡°I am sorry Harl. But I am not ignoring you. I don¡¯t know how, but I am able to sense every living presence around me. Maybe my mana sense, but I am not sure. And that¡¯s why I know that we are being watched. That pesky snake is still around. I did not want to risk trying to communicate with you in case she picks it up and have been hoping she would leave after a few days of boredom. But she refuses to leave like a damned cold.¡± The angry red glow of the shard eased up a bit, glowing a faint shade of red, instead.
Oh. I see. Still, a heads up would have been nice. I have been stewing in worry for three whole days.
¡°And I am sorry about that. But I didn¡¯t want to risk it. Even this conversation is, but I was worried about you too. Anyway, I have not been wasting my time. I have a rough idea what I want to do next, and I was hoping not to do it with her watching. But this might be better. It is time to show her how wrong she is about me. I am waiting for the right opportunity,¡± Aenon said with confidence.
Very well then. Let¡¯s show that worm what you are capable of. Also, cool that you now have a way to sense lifeforms around you. I believe it is separate from your mana sense though. I will let you work it out yourself.
Hearing her normal cheerful voice brought a smile to his face. He quickly exited his soul space and sneaked back into the cave. There was a commotion going on which had all the goblins on edge. With a distracted patrol, it became easier for him to sneak back in and climb back to his earlier roost. He used his newfound life sensing skill on all the creatures down in the cave. They appeared very different in his ¡­ life sense? He decided to call it that till he could figure out what it truly was. The goblins appeared like uneven spherical balls of varying sizes, while all the other critters looked like amorphous blobs of dust. The hobgoblin¡¯s ball was the largest of the lot, which meant the size somehow corelated to power. He was lost in thought when something unexpected happened. The runes on the stone pillar started glowing and a portal of sorts opened right next to it. The hobgoblin was sitting on his throne with confidence, staring at the portal with interest, when suddenly a large foot appeared out of it. It was too big to be a goblin, and the hobgoblin immediately jumped to its feet and roared in challenge. It was another hobgoblin. Although this one was about 6 inches shorter and was more on the skinnier side. What truly set him apart were the bone necklaces around his neck and waist, and the bone staff he carried. The new entrant appeared as a much bigger ball in his life sense, but Aenon was focused on something else about it. He detected one tiny tendril attached to the creature, and unlike all other spheres and blobs which were colorless, the tendril appeared red in his life sense. It was only a sliver, and he barely managed to detect it, but it gave him a dirty oily feeling. All goblins fled and cowered at the edges of the cavern when their leader screamed out his challenge. By the looks of it, this was to be a battle to decide who the next leader will be. The current king grabbed a club and moved towards the interloper in his domain. But before he took his third step, he collapsed to the ground as though a heavy weight was placed on his shoulders, with a perfectly circular crater forming around him. The challenger merely pointed his staff at his adversary and a bunch of earth spikes rose from the ground and pierced the downed hobgoblin in his legs and arms. He roared in pain before letting go of his club and collapsed in a pool of his own blood. The new arrival then casually walked to the throne and settled down. All goblins immediately bowed down to their new leader, with the shamans being the first. Looking at the new development, he cast Identify on the two Hobgoblins. Both had two question marks next to their names and identify didn¡¯t distinguish the type of hobgoblin. If he was to guess, the newcomer was a shaman variant of the hobgoblin who had cast some sort of gravity spell followed by an earth spell. With this, things got a bit more complicated, but Aenon smiled, nonetheless. The earlier matchup was bad for him. A rogue against a tank was infinitely worse than against a caster. And now that he had mana sense, things were finally in his favor. He stayed still for the next hour while observing the shaman leader. Unlike the brute, he was barking orders to better organize his troops, instead of merely ordering food. The balance of power instantly shifted in favor of the goblin shamans who started harassing the scouts openly. The hobgoblin shaman was planning something. But unless he learned their guttural language, it was anyone¡¯s guess. Finally, he got the notification he was waiting for.
System Notification
By studying the behavior of your target, you have obtained sufficient info to unlock more details. Identify Skill can now identify the following goblin types ¨C Hobgoblin, and Hobgoblin Shaman Hobgoblin ¨C A superior version of the goblin race. About one in a thousand goblin births can spawn a hobgoblin. Like their cousins, they are barbaric and brutish but are much more lethal in battle and do not rely on numbers. They rule over their weaker counterparts with an iron fist and possess the intellect of a human child. Hobgoblin Shaman ¨C A significantly greater threat due to their use of mana and spells, hobgoblin shamans will almost always defeat their brutish counterparts. With greater command of mana, they can cast basic offensive and defensive spells, but are weak to physical attacks, if one can get close enough. They are the definition of glass canons.
¡°Well, I guess its slicing and dicing time,¡± Aenon smiled viciously as the plan he was making the last couple days finally started to crystallize. But first, he had more stalking to do. 10. Stalking Prey Chapter 10 ¨C Stalking Prey Aenon woke up the next day and started setting up. He made multiple trips in and out of the cave, bringing in trap making supplies each time. His mana sense made avoiding the bone wards a breeze since they glowed in his vision like Christmas lights. He was also finally able to figure out what the shamans were doing with them. They were trying to figure out spells by the looks of it. But all they managed at this point was haphazardly pumping the bones with mana. The hobgoblin shaman on the other hand, had far superior control and was moving the mana in certain patterns. Additionally, he was picking up something from the atmosphere to give his mana a certain color. On closer inspection, Aenon noticed tiny ethereal balls of varying colors floating all over the place. They only appeared in his mana vision and didn¡¯t interact with physical matter and were the reason he had such difficulty adjusting to his new sight. They were literally everywhere, the ground, the air, even near fire and water. It was like Aenon was walking through a rainbow-colored fog. The hobgoblin shaman was bleeding his internal mana from his hands and mixing it with the ethereal orbs to create various effects. But he needed to filter out the orbs first, which took time and was the reason spells had a cast time. When the orbs were successfully mixed in, they changed the mana¡¯s color. For instance, the earth spike spell made his mana a dirty brown color, while the gravity spell appeared like transparent liquid glass. After the mixing was done, the new colored mana had to be moved in a certain pattern to successively cast the spell. During his time outside the cave, Aenon tried interacting with the ethereal orbs, which he decided to call mana wisps. The density of different color wisps was affected by what was around it. Around the trees they had a faint green color and around water, a faint blue. He tried pulling and pushing these globs, but he simply could not interact with them. They bounced off his body if he tried touching them. Frustrated, he tried meditating and focusing on his own mana. He was still leaking a faint trickle of his mana, but since his mana never went down in his interface, he concluded that it was significantly less than his mana regen rate. Like the shamans, he tried pumping out mana into tiny bones he picked up from the forest floor. The bones got a sheen to them and lit up in his vision. He kept adding more and more to it until eventually he detected faint cracks in the bone. Undeterred, he kept pushing on when suddenly¡­ BOOM The bone exploded like a firecracker, charring his hand. He fell to his side from the pain but held in the scream. The explosion wasn¡¯t loud enough to travel too far, but he didn¡¯t want to risk giving up his location. With great difficulty he climbed the tallest tree near him and used his Stealth Skill to blend in with the leaves. He checked his health and mana pools.
HP: 1254/1960 MP: 628/2040
So, he had managed to blow up his hand using around 1412 of his mana. Still grimacing in pain, he tore off a sleeve and gingerly wrapped up his blackened appendage. He sensed movement in his peripheral vision and saw the snake crawl up the tree and settle down on the branch next to him, staring at him with serpentine eyes. Before either of them could start a conversation, the place where the explosion took place was swarmed by goblins. Most of them were shamans, with a few scouts mixed in. They started sniffing and looking around while the shamans started a fight to claim the bone fragments he had blown up. Arbiter Allie wrapped herself around his neck just as the hobgoblin shaman entered the scene. ¡°Be quiet and do not do anything stupid. I am suppressing the mana leak from your body, but if you try to interact with mana right now, the hobgoblin will track you,¡± she whispered in his ear. Aenon went still as a statue, pushing his Stealth Skill hard to not get noticed. He completely let go of his mana control and let the Arbiter take over that aspect. After about 20 minutes, the hobgoblin grew tired and retreated towards the cave, with the bone shards. After they left, the snake turned its head towards him, while still wrapped around his neck. ¡°You have the survival instinct of a toddler,¡± she stated calmly. At least she was not yelling or insulting him like before. ¡°That was an accident,¡± he said defensively. ¡°I am 2 years older than you, but much more experienced and higher leveled. Believe me when I say, that was no accident, but sheer stupidity on your part,¡± the snake hissed dangerously while squeezing on his throat, just enough to make it more difficult to talk, but not enough to choke him. ¡°Now, you will find a safe spot to hide, and we are having the conversation we couldn¡¯t finish the last time. Try anything funny, and I will drag you back to the village and have them lock you up till you come to your senses. Blink once, if you understand.¡± Aenon blinked once to confirm. Even though he hated it, he realized he couldn¡¯t do anything against her. So, he decided to comply. She loosened her grip, allowing him to breathe freely. He took a few deep breaths and started marching towards the cave. She immediately tightened her grip. ¡°Safe¡­ spot¡­ there,¡± he managed to choke out a few words while pointing slightly away from the cave. He gasped when she loosened the coils around his neck. He moved silently towards his destination without further choking. He headed for a thick dead tree that he had come across earlier and climbed. There was an opening towards the top which opened into a hollow nest that was wide enough to be a small bedroom. He climbed in and covered the opening with some leaves. He still had a clear line of sight of the cave from here, and he could detect some movement around it. The snake crawled down his body and transformed into an elf. She crossed her hands while maintaining a fierce expression. It reminded him of the time he was lectured by his schoolteacher for pulling a prank she was not very fond of. And just like that time he had enough presence of mind to look down quietly. Defiance would only make what¡¯s coming next worse. She stared daggers at him for the next five minutes before finally speaking in a chilly tone. ¡°Talk. What was your grand plan here?¡± she was tapping her finger on her elbow in agitation. ¡°I, uh, saw that the hobgoblin and hobgoblin shaman are not getting along. The shaman has been keeping the hobgoblin close to death, but not killing him. Perhaps to make him submit. I planned to make them fight and take them out when they exhaust each other,¡± he said with full honesty, daring to look up just for a second. Her expression softened for a moment, before the scowl returned. He was not sure if it was because she thought his plan had merit, or because she pitied him. He had come dangerously close to getting himself killed twice so far. And she had saved him both times. ¡°Alright. Now tell me what¡¯s going on with your stats. My identify skill clearly shows you are level zero, but I can¡¯t detect any Titles or class details. And before you begin, know this, if I wished you harm, I would have just left you in that cave or on that tree.¡± Aenon hesitated briefly before sighing and showing her all the hidden Titles, except Unfettered and System¡¯s Chosen. The question marks on the first bothered him, while the second was his hidden card of sorts. When she didn¡¯t say anything, he risked looking up and found her staring at him in disbelief, with her jaw hanging open. He would have laughed at her expression if not for the current situation. He let her process it at her own pace. ¡°You¡­ you¡­ you have no class? And your Titles? You survived a soul attack from someone one evolution grade above? How is that even possible? And you met an Overseer?¡± she stammered as her words finally caught up to her thoughts. ¡°Is it that weird?¡± he asked with genuine curiosity. ¡°Weird? You think it¡¯s weird? It¡¯s damn near impossible, is what it is. You¡­ I¡­ I can¡¯t. I just can¡¯t figure you out,¡± she threw up her arms in frustration. ¡°Does that mean my plan would work? I mean, now that you see my stats, you know I am not weak,¡± he asked with some hope. ¡°What?¡± she asked in confusion. ¡°My hobgoblin assassination plan. You know, the plan I made in my infinite wisdom as a level zero,¡± he risked adding in some humor. She scrunched up her nose in disbelief. Her eyebrows shot up in realization suddenly, ¡°Your skills. Show me your slotted Skills.¡±
Skills Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
Stealth (Woods, Urban) Savant
Weapons (Unarmed, Daggers) Savant
¡°What the freak! No wonder I lost track of you so many times. I thought all humans had used their SP before being transferred here. How did you gain enough to rank 4 skills to savant and merge them?¡± her face now had a permanent expression of disbelief. Aenon merely shrugged. If he told her everything, it might lead to Harley¡¯s presence being known. The elf stared for a few more minutes before covering her eyes with her palms while shaking her head. ¡°This explains why you were so confident in going solo. And why you skipped getting a class. I am assuming you are trying for a better class with whatever shenanigans you have planned?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Aenon said while nodding. The stunningly beautiful elf took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. ¡°Alright. I owe you an apology. I misjudged you for someone who was way in over his head. I am sorry about that. Your plan should work and would have worked flawlessly if not for your soul injury. An injury you knew nothing about. So yes, you did well. And though there are some more things I know you are hiding; I will not pry.¡± For some reason Aenon felt good being vindicated. He was not sure if he could fully trust her, but at least he felt no hostility from her. ¡°And I know I am going to regret asking you this, but no one taught you mana control, did they?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± he responded plainly. She gave him a flat stare before muttering to herself while shaking her head, ¡°Monster. I am looking at a monster. If he survives long enough at least.¡± Aenon had gotten hungry from all the talking and stress of the last hour. So, he settled down in a corner while the elf paced around talking to herself. He scoffed when he remembered what she told him about talking to oneself. He took out a system ration and started munching down while peeking through the leaves toward the cave. The goblins had been preparing something over the last few days. They had gathered enough weapons, bones and sticks mostly, to arm the entire army. Something big was about to happen. Clap ¡°Alright. Here is what we are going to do,¡± Arbiter Allie declared finally. She seemed to have sorted out her thoughts. ¡°We?¡± ¡°Yes, we. Until your mana leak problem is fully fixed, I am tagging along. I will not interfere with anything you do, unless it is the direct result of your injury. So don¡¯t expect me to step in if the hobgoblin is about to crush you. I will continue suppressing your mana leak while you continue doing whatever you had planned.¡±
Aaaaargh. Is she ever going to leave us alone?
Aenon froze at Harley¡¯s outburst. But the elf had no reaction to it whatsoever. He tentatively tried mentally responding to Harley, ¡°She can¡¯t hear it.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t hear what?¡±, Allie asked with a puzzled look.
Aha! I see what is going on. She can¡¯t hear my thoughts because I am directing them at you. But you are directing your thoughts to your soul space and not at me. Try focusing your thoughts on me, and not your soul space. She has a weak link to it because she is blocking the mana leak.
¡°Puppies and rainbows,¡± Aenon projected his thoughts while focusing on Harley, making her giggle. ¡°Can¡¯t hear what?¡± Allie repeated her question impatiently. ¡°My thoughts,¡± he projected towards his soul space. Her eyes widened slightly before she shook her head again while muttering. ¡°Of course you figured out how to use telepathic communication. Where in the multiverse did you crawl out of.¡± She sighed before transforming back into the snake. She crawled up his leg and wrapped herself around his left arm before turning into metal. It was like a golden helical wristband going all the way from his wrist to his elbow. ¡°So, do you plan to stay in this form?¡± he asked. ¡°Actually, like I mentioned this is just an artifact. This is its original form, and I am merely controlling it. Believe it or not, but I have other tasks that are more important than babysitting you. There is another mess I need to clean up back in your starting village. Ugh, why do I get all the problem players? This trinket will patch the leak for now, and I will pop in occasionally to check up on you.¡± ¡°So, you are giving me this wristband?¡± ¡°Giving you? Hmph! As if. I am merely placing it on you. Do you know how valuable this is? You could buy half the planet you are on right now if you sold it. And don¡¯t get any ideas, it is soul linked to me. You as much as scratch it, and I will know.¡± With that her presence disappeared and the snake band went quiet. Aenon took a breath of relief and had exactly 5 seconds of peace before Harley chimed in, appearing in her shard form.
Ah, finally she is gone! Our soul space is so bland that it gets intolerable. We need some decorations for it. Maybe a nice rug and ¡­
Aenon rolled his eyes and tuned her out. He moved his attention back to the cave. The pain in his injured right hand had all but disappeared. So, he unwound the bandage while keeping an eye out the hole. When he finished removing the wrap, he found his hand was as good as new. He smiled while placing the cloth strip in his inventory.
¡­ And maybe a nice cozy plant in the corner. Hey, are you ignoring me again?
¡°Sorry. Did you say something important?¡± he quipped mischievously with a smirk. She huffed and stormed off to a corner to sulk. Aenon laughed out loud before going over to apologize. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I was just joking. Buuuuut, since you are upset and don¡¯t want to tag along, I guess I will have to take on the goblin horde on my own.¡± That seemed to have done the trick as the shard bobbed around him in excitement.
Upset, who is upset? Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go! I have been waiting ages for this.
¡°Calm down. Don¡¯t forget what our main goal is. I need to upgrade my Predator Title first. A +6 AGI is useless. I might not get a better chance than this. So have some patience. What¡¯s more, if it goes the way I envisioned it, we will be rolling in Titles soon.¡± Harley deflated at this but stayed silent. She knew that this was a marathon, not a race. By the time he snuck out, it was dark, and the forest had an eerie glow to it. The glow was coming from all the torches the goblins had lit. The goblin ranks were much better organized now, and the infighting had all but seized. If any goblin dared create a scene, he/she was pulverized into a paste the next instant by the hobgoblin shaman¡¯s gravity spell. And so Aenon¡¯s preparations continued. Concealing traps all over the cave while avoiding detection was close to impossible. But he did it anyway, with a lot of patience, and pushing his stealth skills to the edge. He had gotten so good at it; he didn¡¯t even need the mental prods from the skill anymore. At long last, more than a week later, he finally got the notification he was waiting for.
Title evolved: Predator (1) to Apex Predator (1)
Apex Predator (1): Stalk a group of more than 1000 for 7 days undetected. +20 all stats
He smiled triumphantly as he finished his latest trap. He had finished his preparations days ago. And now it was time to start the second phase of his plan. ¡°You ready, Harl?¡±
I was ready ages ago. Let¡¯s do this! Give me that sweet XP!
He put his stealth skill to maximum use and made his way right behind the throne the hobgoblin shaman was on. Due to its prominent position, it created a perfect blind spot for the entire cave. He picked up a spare knife he had swiped up from one of the dead bodies and with confidence, threw it straight at the battered and beaten hobgoblin that was lying 50 feet away from the tent. The former leader¡¯s life had been miserable this last week. The hobgoblin shaman had made it a habit of taunting and belittling the hulking brute. After a half dozen beat downs, it had mellowed out and was following orders reluctantly. But still the jeering and taunts never stopped. On more than one occasion the shaman had thrown rocks right in its eyes from afar. And that is exactly where the knife hit. With a roar, the hobgoblin stood up while clutching its bleeding eye, and turned to the smaller hobgoblin, who had a bewildered look. The injured hobgoblin charged at its tormentor, throwing all caution into the wind. The shaman instantly picked up its scepter and cast its trademark gravity spell. But unlike last time, the hobgoblin was mad with a fury that was building up for the entire week now. Despite being pressed down, he started crawling out of the crater, refusing to give in. All the goblins ran for cover. The hobgoblin shaman was smart to a degree and had therefore been keeping its counterpart on the verge of death the whole time. It did not want to kill such a precious resource. Just break him into submission. If he was to cast an earth spike now, the hobgoblin would be dead. Aenon had realized this during his observations and was counting on it. The shaman kept casting the gravity spell each time the hobgoblin left the crater. After casting it for the seventh time, the hobgoblin shaman started wheezing. Realizing it was pointless to try to subdue the berserk hobgoblin, he started channeling the earth spike spell at the very last second. But to the shaman¡¯s bewilderment, there was spike jutting out of his throat. Not the earth kind, but metal. Before he had registered what was going on, Aenon had snuck up from behind and plunged his dagger through the neck, instantly killing the shaman. The other hobgoblin, free of the spell, crawled faster towards the shaman, not even realizing his quarry was dead. He jumped the last few feet and tore into the shaman¡¯s neck with his bare hands. In his bloodlust he failed to detect the assassin that was now behind his back. With precision, Aenon thrust his dagger into the remaining good eye of the hobgoblin. Blinded in both eyes, the hobgoblin bellowed and started swinging its enormous hands wildly. None of the other goblins dared to even peek to see what was going on. And so Aenon started dancing around the hobgoblin with abandon, stabbing at its vital and sensitive areas until finally, after 15 minutes, it collapsed. Like a ghost, Aenon disappeared into the shadows again before any of the goblins came out of hiding. The only indication that there was a third enemy was the absence of an ear from each hobgoblin corpse. Absolute silence reigned over the entire cave. When the goblins finally came out, they were stunned and speechless. For an entire minute, they just stared at the two enormous corpses, expecting one of them to rise. All the while, the one responsible for all this was keenly observing the scene from above. ¡°Time for the last phase.¡± And with that he descended on the rest of his hapless prey, like a silent sentinel, beckoning them to their doom. 11. Predator vs Prey Chapter 11 ¨C Predator vs Prey Arbiter Allie Somewhere deep in space, far beyond the reach of any multiversal power, there existed a room that was its own dimension. It was a quaint looking office, housing a warm fireplace, and shelves upon shelves of books. Allie always loved coming to this room, no matter how infrequent her visits were. She enjoyed her tea while looking at the man sitting across from her. He had removed his identity concealing mask, which he rarely did. His pleasant grandfatherly smile brought back a lot of fond memories. ¡°And to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from my favorite granddaughter?¡± he smiled amiably while sipping on his own tea. ¡°You know damn well why I am here, you wily old man,¡± she smirked as she withdrew a disk from her inventory. When placed on the table between them, it projected a hologram showing an unassuming young man unleashing carnage within a goblin cave. ¡°Ah. Such harsh language. What happened to my sweet little child who used to run around my room with not a care in the world,¡± he said in a mock hurt tone. He fixated on the hologram with interest. The boy was doing a phenomenal job of sowing discord between the goblin shamans and scouts, while taking them out by the dozens using improvised traps and guerilla tactics. ¡°You know this boy, don¡¯t you? You are the one who sent out the System quest to me?¡± she pressed on for more details while admiring the show. Not a single goblin had realized who the assailant targeting them was. The arrogant brat even used her precious trinket as a makeshift wrist guard to block attacks. Not that anything on that planet could scratch it, but his confidence was extraordinary. The old man merely smiled without comment. But she did pick up a twinkle in his eye when their gazes met. She knew her grandfather better than most, and his schemes always ran deep. But she knew he meant well, in her case at least. So, she was not worried, merely curious. ¡°Quite an extraordinary player, isn¡¯t he? Classless but still managing to solo a horde of goblins,¡± the old man said. ¡°So? Out with it, what are you scheming this time?¡± she asked with a smirk. ¡°Going to send him on some grand System quest to slay a dragon?¡± ¡°Well, I could. But I won¡¯t. Wouldn¡¯t want to spoil my relationship with my future grandson-in-law, would I?¡± Allie nearly choked as the tea went down the wrong pipe as she spluttered and sprayed her tea out. ¡°Cough¡­ cough¡­ Your¡­ cough¡­ what now?¡± she managed to wheeze out the words. Her grandfather chuckled mildly before breaking out into a full-blown laugh. He kept laughing harder the redder her face got. She was on the verge of using a fire spell to light his beard on fire if he didn¡¯t stop laughing and explain himself. ¡°Forgive me love. Haven¡¯t had a laugh that good in decades. It¡¯s good to see I can still shock you,¡± he said in between his laughing fit. ¡°So, this was all a joke?¡± ¡°Oh dear no. I was serious about his candidacy to be my future in grandson-in-law,¡± the old man said with a mischievous smile. Allie¡¯s left eye twitched as she started gathering mana in her right palm. That beard needed to go. She was just about to unleash her vengeance, when he held out his hands in a placating gesture. ¡°Calm down my child. I am not fixing your wedding date or anything. I am not even telling you to do something you don¡¯t want to. I am merely asking you to get to know the boy. You both are too young anyway to have such a conversation. In a century or two, who knows¡± ¡°You do realize I am more than 2 evolution grades stronger than him,¡± she said with annoyance. ¡°You are stronger now, yes,¡± he remarked with a mischievous smile. Leaving some things unsaid was his way of teasing her. ¡°The answer is still no. I will not let you decide who I marry. I don¡¯t even like that arrogant boy. Did you look at how he is using my trinket. And that is after I told him not to scratch it,¡± she said with a frown. It was not like her to get flustered so easily. This was not even the first proposal she received. She had turned down hundreds of proposals from big and powerful families. Each suitor was a genius in his own right. But the fact that her favorite grandfather brought this forward is what irked her. That too regarding a level zero nobody. ¡°Ah well. An old man can dream I suppose,¡± her grandfather sighed and turned back to the hologram, not explaining further, which annoyed her. She expected him to push a bit, explaining to her why he felt the brat was a good candidate. All the previous proposals were like that. ¡°So, that¡¯s it? You are just going drop this on me and give no explanation? Like why him? What makes him so special?¡± ¡°Well, if you have already made up your mind then what is there to explain. Besides, I was just rambling out my thoughts. Even if you had agreed, who is to say the boy would consent,¡± the old man said that without looking away from the projection. For some weird reason that last line angered her the most. ¡°He¡¯d be blessed to be my partner. Do you know how many geniuses are desperate to court me? What is so special about this kid? And you think he would turn me down?¡± she puffed out her cheeks in anger. ¡°My dear, I have met the boy. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll turn you down. I know he¡¯ll turn you down,¡± her grandfather said seriously. His jovial and happy tone was gone. There was something in his eyes she rarely saw as he gazed at the boy fighting 4 goblins at once while being heavily injured. Sadness. The sudden change in mood left her reeling for an explanation. Her gaze was drawn to the fight again. Trying desperately to see what her grandfather saw. At some point, the goblins had found him and had all united to take him down. But not before he had whittled their numbers down by half. He was surrounded on three sides, with his back to the throne. The only saving grace was that all the shamans were dead. He was now faced up against a sea of goblin warriors and scouts. Yet, none of the goblins charged him. Even when he collapsed on the throne, exhausted and bleeding. Even in this situation he had the same calm and confident look that infuriated her. It didn¡¯t make sense why he was always so calm. ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± she finally spoke up when the impasse went on. The boy being too tired to attack, while the goblins were too scared to. ¡°What don¡¯t you get, my dear,¡± her grandfather asked without looking away from the incredible scene. ¡°None of it. The goblins, they should be charging him right now. They are mindless beasts who do not care for their lives, and yet they are frozen in fear. And the boy, he is on death¡¯s door, against an army, and yet so calm. I mean look at him relaxing on the throne like a king. Once he recovers, he can fight afresh. Surely the goblins realize that.¡± The old man merely smiled before replying, ¡°Now do you see what I see in him?¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t, grandfather,¡± she said getting further confused by the cryptic question. Her grandfather stayed silent, giving all his attention to the stalemate. The boy leaned back on the throne and faced upwards with his eyes closed. His hands were resting on the armrests, daggers dripping with blood in each hand. If there ever was a time to attack, this would be it. With his eyes closed, at least one of the warriors could safely close the distance. Yet the only movement she detected was of a few goblins in the backlines retreating. After a few moments the boy leaned forward and stood up. His eyes were still closed. He cracked his neck before finally opening his eyes. The moment he did, all goblins dropped their weapons and ran for the exit. The boy smiled eerily before charging. The cave had only one exit, so a stampede followed. And thus, with relative ease, he started hunting the goblins one by one. Allie was flabbergasted. She had no idea what was going on. He was obviously level zero, which meant he had no class spells like Fear. So, what was going on. She looked up to her grandfather who had a mysterious smile on his face. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°It seems you still don¡¯t get it, do you?¡± Allie merely shook her head in silence. Nothing about the boy had ever made sense, but the scene before her went beyond that. Her grandfather smiled sadly before turning back to the boy, who was now chasing down goblins through the forest. And if he was deadly in the cave, he was a devil incarnate in the forest. None of the terrified goblins saw him coming before they met their end. ¡°My dear, your mistake was feeling that this boy is not good enough for you. The truth is you are not good enough for him,¡± her grandfather said calmly. Even though it stung to hear such words from her doting grandfather, she had an inkling as to why he said it. She was born into a very powerful family and had gotten the best resources the multiverse had to offer. And using her extraordinary aptitude, she had catapulted herself to her current level of 205 in the span of a mere 5 years. No one could question her skill. But at no point in her life had she instilled such a reaction from creatures above her level. When she had unleashed her presence to make everyone submit during the orientation, she knew she was stronger. Yet the only person who didn¡¯t collapse was the boy. She had chalked it up to a fluke. But now she doubted that. She stood up and bowed to her grandfather formally. ¡°Venerable Overseer, please teach this inexperienced one. What am I missing here? Surely this boy can¡¯t be using his presence. It doesn¡¯t unlock till you reach level 200,¡± she stayed bent over till her teacher started talking. ¡°It is quite simple my apprentice. This boy is a predator,¡± the Overseer said with an air of authority. ¡°But¡­he¡¯s weak. They had him outnumbered and outmatched,¡± Allie was stunned, but managed to ask what was bothering her. ¡°Have you ever seen prey attack a predator unless they are cornered? Have you ever seen a predator cower in fear of its prey? Is a predator always stronger, faster or smarter than its prey? Can prey not take down their predator if they join forces?¡± her master asked the questions in quick succession with a smile. ¡°I understand, Master. Thank you for your guidance,¡± Allie gave a deep bow before standing up and looking down at the table. They continued watching the utter annihilation of the goblin horde for the next several hours. Finally, after about 12 hours the boy had finished his hunt and was dragging his injured body back to the cave. He was covered in blood from head to toe and was exhausted beyond words. Even then, his eyes exuded the same calm that she had mistaken for arrogance. She grew up watching heirs to powerful families with similar looks, and so had wrongly assumed that is what it was. ¡°Grandfather, do you know of his past?¡± she asked sheepishly. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± her grandfather asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I, umm, may have angered him by calling him a selfish jerk who cared nothing of his family and friends,¡± she whispered in embarrassment. ¡°Why would you do such a thing?¡± he frowned as he asked. ¡°He, umm¡­ reminded me of¡­ older sister. She had also gone charging ahead when she turned 10 to get her first kill bonus¡­,¡± her voice trailed off. Her grandfather closed his eyes in thought, no doubt reliving the same scene she was. After a few moments of silence, he spoke up in disappointment. ¡°I thought I had taught you not to judge someone based on your own past. Seems my instruction was lacking. But no. I do not know his past. I have gazed upon his soul, but that does not give me an insight on what happened to him before the System integration.¡± ¡°What did you see in his soul?¡± she asked curiously. ¡°Are you sure you want to know?¡± he asked firmly. Allie nodded gently. She was starting to get very curious about this boy. She wanted to know what molded him into what he was today. After some contemplation, her grandfather just said one word with sadness. ¡°Pain.¡± She looked on with confusion, hoping he would elaborate but he didn¡¯t. They both looked on in silence as the boy climbed back into his earlier hiding spot within the cave and lay down. He lifted his left hand to look at her trinket and smiled. But the words that came out next shocked both people in the small room at the edge of existence. ¡°Hope you enjoyed the view. Arbiter Allie and Overseer.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Aenon After a good night¡¯s sleep, Aenon woke up the next day and climbed down from his perch. He collapsed on the stone throne the hobgoblins had used. He was mentally exhausted beyond belief. His original plan was to assassinate the hobgoblins and escape. But after studying the goblins for a full week, he knew their patterns well. So, he decided to take them all out instead. Using guerilla tactics, and improvised traps, he managed to whittle them down. The last few groups were not worth his time. He had not checked his interface in about a week and hence there were a bunch of notifications that were demanding his attention, but he did not have the energy to go over them. As he leaned back and closed his eyes, he detected Harley moving about the cave freely. He let her explore while recovering his strength. Eventually she returned to him, and he could practically feel her impatience in the air. She had questions, a lot of them. Mentally bracing himself, he opened his eyes and looked at her. ¡°Had your fill of spilled blood, Harl? Told you to have patience, was it worth it?¡± he smirked while looking at the shard practically vibrating with excitement.
Oh, it was beyond worth it. You haven¡¯t checked your notifications yet, but the amount of XP you got is insane. This will help me level up a bunch and give me the ability to have a body. I can¡¯t get titles like players, and can only get one class, but I am so excited to see what I can do. Since I am a System construct with no history, I can only go for the basic classes for now and so I chose to be a healer.
He smiled at the shard that was now rubbing itself on his chest. Stroking her gently, he turned over to the snake that was wrapped around his left hand. He didn¡¯t say a word, merely observing as she kept pretending like she wasn¡¯t there. He eventually asked, ¡°And what about you? Satisfied that I didn¡¯t scratch your trinket?¡± ¡°Huh? So, it was not a guess then. You really can sense me through the trinket,¡± she jolted at being confronted by him. ¡°Oh, come on Arbiter. No need to panic. I don¡¯t bite,¡± he said mischievously, giving her the same sadistic grin she had given the crowd a few weeks ago. She stared dumbfounded for a few seconds before turning red, which was impressive, since she was a snake now. Looking at her getting embarrassed, he started laughing, which further annoyed her. She slithered off him and transformed to her elf form. She had a deep frown as she glared at him. ¡°How are you sensing us?¡± ¡°Us?¡± Aenon asked with a smirk. ¡°Me and my grandfather,¡± she blurted out before slapping her mouth closed. ¡°Ah, so the Overseer is related to you. So that¡¯s why you had the quest to fix my soul space. Isn¡¯t this considered nepotism?¡± he teased her with an innocent smile. The Overseer¡¯s laugh filled the cave at that moment. Aenon stood up in respect as he materialized out of thin air. ¡°Come now. Stop teasing my apprentice,¡± the overseer said jovially while standing next to her now beet red granddaughter. Aenon gave a courteous bow and looked up at the man¡¯s face for the first time. He looked ancient with a long beard but had a firm build. ¡°Although please do satisfy an old man¡¯s curiosity. How did you know we were watching you?¡± the Overseer asked. ¡°The same way I knew she was following me ever since we left my soul space,¡± he stated simply. ¡°I can¡¯t explain why, but I can sense the presence of beings in my vicinity. That includes goblins. During my fight, I suddenly sensed something from the trinket.¡± ¡°Huh. Most curious. Soul sense, unlike mana sense, is linked to Titles. But I don¡¯t see any such Titles on you.¡± ¡°Ah maybe because I am hiding it. Hold on a second,¡± Aenon said. ¡°As if you can hide a Title from an Overseer. You may be mysterious, but not that myster¡­¡±, Allie trailed off as he unhid his Unfettered Title. Her jaw dropped again. To his credit, the Overseer simply had an amused look. ¡°Well, would you look at that.¡± ¡°Well, what does it mean? It is the only Title I have with question marks, so I didn¡¯t share it with her. But you are like the top guy, right below the System. So could you explain what it does?¡± Aenon asked while Allie struggled to comprehend what was going on. ¡°I can. But I won¡¯t. If the System deems it is not time for you to know it, then so be it. Just know it is something good,¡± the old man said with a warm smile and a chuckle. Aenon held in his frustration at not knowing the details of his strongest Title. He looked over at Harley who was vibrating with excitement to the side, and then at Allie. ¡°You think it would be alright to introduce them? If she is your apprentice, then it should be ok, right?¡± he questioned the Overseer. ¡°Are you sure you trust my granddaughter enough to reveal something so close to you?¡± the Overseer gave an appreciative smile at the show of respect and trust. ¡°Well, she has saved my life twice. I don¡¯t see why not,¡± he shrugged his shoulders while replying. The Overseer had a twinkle in his eye, as he nodded and stepped to the side. Allie on the other hand was baffled. ¡°Introduce me? To whom?¡± she looked around in confusion.
Hello. Nice to meet you Arbiter Allie. I am Harlequin.
Allie jumped to the side in shock as Harley spoke up in a loud cheerful voice, right next to Allie¡¯s ear. The crystal looked more blue than red when it appeared before the Overseer and the confounded Arbiter for the first time. Instead of a red rock with blue splotches, it was the other way around. ¡°What the¡­ what is this?¡± Allie exclaimed.
I am Aenon¡¯s¡­
The shard glitched out again, making the Overseer raise an eyebrow while Aenon ignored it.
I am Aenon¡¯s very own System assigned assistant.
¡°Huh?¡± Allie remarked while turning to her grandfather, who merely shrugged in response. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. I will explain it to you later,¡± Aenon helpfully commented. ¡°What about the weird interruption¡­,¡± she started to ask before Aenon cut her off. ¡°Well, I am starving after that ordeal. Is there anything else you need to know, Overseer sir,¡± he asked politely with a bow. ¡°Nothing I can think of. Oh wait, there is this one thing. Would you care to indulge this old man¡¯s curiosity a little more. What did you mean when you said we left my soul space? You and who else?¡± Aenon gave him a confused look before pointing at Allie, ¡°Her of course. She did not know about Harley at the time.¡± The look of utter horror on Allie¡¯s face was something to behold, while the broad smile growing on the old man¡¯s face made him shudder for some reason. ¡°So, she saw everything in your soul space?¡± he asked plainly. ¡°Well yeah. It¡¯s not like there is much to¡­Oh,¡± It was Aenon¡¯s turn to blush as he recalled what Allie was doing in his soul space when they first met there. Allie screamed loudly as her grandfather started to laugh. His laugh was interrupted by a small explosion on his face which burnt off his pristine beard within seconds. Even so, he didn¡¯t stop laughing as he disappeared. Slowly, Allie turned to him with menacing eyes. And for the first time in his life, he wanted to flee from someone. 12. Dungeon Dive (Part 1) Chapter 12 ¨C Dungeon Dive (Part 1) Aenon stood before the stone pillar which Harley said was the dungeon entrance. Unlike the pillar from before, this did not give him an ominous feeling. Contrary to his expectation, it felt warm to the touch. The foreign runes engraved on the surface had a subtle glow to them in his mana vision. From this close he could see that each rune was in turn made with thousands of tiny micro runes, too small for his eyes to make out. The complexity baffled him. When he cast inspect on the pillar, it gave him the details of how saturated the dungeon had gotten.
Dungeon Interface Dungeon monster type: Goblin Dungeon state: Overflowing (10 goblins or 1 hobgoblin every 3 days) Recommended level: 5-10 Recommended party size: 4
¡°Hmmm, 10 goblins every 3 days. If there were more than 1500, how long has this been overflowing?¡± he asked out loud.
Hence the culling request. Unless a dungeon node is found and cleared regularly, the monsters will keep generating inside and then spill out, until eventually they form a horde and attack the closest settlement. This group had reached horde levels and the hobgoblin shaman was in the process of organizing an invasion on the village of Jadefall.
¡°I see. Anyway, what are the chances I can solo this dungeon? I really don¡¯t want to miss any first clear bonuses. Is there such a thing?¡±
Pretty good actually. And yes, there are first clear bonuses. We should totally do it. Haven¡¯t had a first clear since¡­
The weird buzzing started again as Harley went quiet. Allie looked at him with a questioning gaze, but he refused to elaborate. Allie had been giving him the silent treatment ever since his slipup about their encounter in his soul space and he had not gotten around to explaining about Harley. And he honestly didn¡¯t know how to explain anyway. He did not want to reveal the blue mist that had protected him during the soul attack, and he especially didn¡¯t want to reveal his own thoughts on what Harley might be.
Lets go, lets go, lets go!!
Allie rolled her eyes at his silence but decided not to push it. Instead, she looked between the two of them with disbelief while finally ending her silence. ¡°Are you two insane? I know you have ridiculous Titles and high-level skills. But there is no way you can solo a level 5-10 dungeon that requires a party of 4,¡± she scoffed. ¡°Well, Harley is level 15. Shouldn¡¯t that be enough?¡± ¡°A level 15 healer. Not a tank, which you will need, trust me. You cannot implement your hit and run tactics inside a dungeon. The moment you kill a mob in a dungeon, all nearby mobs within 10 feet will sense, and lock onto your location. If you had the rogue spell, Vanish, then maybe you could have done something. But you have no spells, which means you can¡¯t go invisible. And even if you could, this dungeon probably has more hobgoblins than regular goblins. And hobgoblins have an aggro range of 15 feet. And if you plan to sneak into the boss room without engaging any enemy, you are essentially committing suicide. The dungeon boss will summon all its surviving minions when it is engaged. You will essentially be facing an entire army by yourself with nowhere to run or hide. You cannot leave a dungeon till the boss is dead.¡± Aenon doubted she was lying and from her perspective, this was indeed a suicide mission. He stayed silent for a few minutes, digesting all the new info before asking, ¡°You said the aggro range was about 10 and 15 feet for goblins and hobgoblins. How are the mobs distributed?¡± She gave a frustrated groan before replying, ¡°Goblin dungeons are typically divided into rooms. Each room can have anywhere between 5 to 30 mobs. The usual strategy is for the tank to provoke the mobs to focus on him while the damage dealers take them out. The healer keeps the tank alive and removes any crowd control abilities using his/her Minor Purge. What you have here is a very skewed party, if you can even call it that. You have no tank, a high-level healer, and a level zero damage dealer. And I am not even counting the traps located between the rooms. Without spells or skills, they are undetectable.¡± ¡°From what I am hearing, you essentially need two roles. A tank to keep the aggro off the healer, while the healer removes debuffs and keeps the tank¡¯s HP filled up. The damage dealers are mainly to clear the dungeon faster,¡± Aenon mused out loud. ¡°Yes. At least you are not dumb,¡± she stated in an agitated tone. Ever since the debacle with the Overseer, she had maintained her cold attitude with the occasional snide remark. Aenon had quietly endured her verbal lashing after the old man¡¯s departure, which had reduced her anger, but not entirely. ¡°What if I have a trap skill? Can I detect the traps then?¡± Aenon asked. A plan was starting to form in his head. ¡°What level is it?¡± ¡°Umm, let me check. Hmmm. It is at Expert level. I have 20 SP stored up, so I could bump it up to Grand Master. And if I get 4 more SP somehow, push it to Savant.¡± Her eyes narrowed as she considered something. Since she was in her snake form, it was hard to get a read on her expressions. But before she replied, Harley spoke up.
Ahem. You really should check your notifications more often. Your Trap Skill was at Adept but after that wholesale slaughter fest, it bumped up to Expert. Also, traps are a form of weapon. So theoretically it can be fused with your Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed) Skill after reaching Savant. And once you finally read your notifications, your SP issues will also be resolved.
He smiled at this new information. So, he sat down to go over his gains from yesterday. Before he dived into his notification, he decided to check on the most important thing of all, sweet loot. Conveniently, his inventory stacked all the ears into one slot per monster type. There was even a wooden chest that had appeared next to the throne. And when he opened it, he finally found some okay gear.
Inventory
Water skin Wild fruit x3 System ration x5 Goblin ear x812 Goblin scout ear x106
Goblin warrior ear x304 Goblin shaman ear x291 Goblin leader ear x4 Hobgoblin ear x1 Hobgoblin shaman ear x1
Enchanted dagger Bronze dagger Worn leather bandana Worn leather gloves Worn leather shirt
Black leather pants Worn leather boots
0G 10S 68C
He had been surviving on fruits, bugs, and System rations for the last two weeks since he did not want to hunt wild game. But now that his first kill bonus was taken care of, his next goal was to get a proper meal. The equipment he picked up from the wooden chest that spawned after he returned to the cave wasn¡¯t the best, but still better than the starter gear he had. He was also finally, not completely broke. After he turned in the quest, he expected to get rich enough to have some decent gear at least. After taking stock of his inventory, he decided to move over to his notifications.
System Notification
For eliminating a significant threat to the safety and prosperity of your settlement, SP has been awarded. Additional SP for doing it while solo. +50 SP
That increased his net SP to 70, of which he used 24 to max out his Traps Skill to Savant and then 40 SP to combine it with his weapons skill. Satisfied, he opened his Title notifications and his Stat sheet.
Title Achieved: First Blood (S) Title upgraded: Planetary Forerunner (6) Title achieved: Underdog Title achieved: Solo Player Title achieved: Goblin bane Title upgraded: Prodigy (2) Title upgraded: Savant Hunter (3)
First Blood (S): Assessment of first kill difficulty found to be extreme. Granting S rank +20% to all stat gains from Titles
Planetary Forerunner (6): First to defeat more than 1000 monsters +40 all stats Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Underdog: Defeat a foe more than 20 levels above you +20 all stats
Solo Player: Defeat more than 1000 monsters while solo +30 all stats
Goblin bane: Kill more than 1000 goblins +10 all stats
Prodigy (2): Be the first to Gain 10 Titles with all stat boost from the system. +30% to all stat gains from Titles
Savant Hunter (3): Achieve 3 combined Savant level skills. +30 all stats
Name Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race Human (F) Level 0
Class None Level NA
Subclass None Level NA
HP 3940 MP 4020
HP/10 min 786 MP/10 min 820
Stats
Strength 394 (4+390) Intelligence 402 (12+390)
Constitution 393 (3+390) Willpower 410 (20+390)
Dexterity 398 (8+390) Perception 400 (10+390)
Titles (390 x 6 = 2340)
Indomitable Soul (3) +20 all stats
Planetary Forerunner (6) +40 all stats
Overseers Favor +5 all stats
System''s Chosen
Nomenclaturist +5 all stats
Savant Hunter (3) +30 all stats
Arcane Wizard +10 all stats
Mana Touched +20 all stats
Unfettered +50 all stats
Apex Predator +20 all stats
Underdog +20 all stats
Goblin Bane +10 all stats
Solo Player +30 all stats
Prodigy (2) +30% stat gained from Titles
First Blood (S) +20% stat gained from Titles
Skills (Free SP: 6)
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps) Savant
Stealth (Woods, Urban) Savant
He smiled as he looked at his stats. They were coming along nicely since now he qualified for a C grade evolution. He took one last look at the cave before heading out. The dungeon dive could wait since he was too exhausted from the ordeal. He wanted a break before returning. He travelled to a stream a few miles away and dived right in. He shed his starter gear and started scrubbing himself with some sand to get the blood and gore off him. Allie¡¯s presence had left the trinket to give him some privacy, which was odd because she had teased him the last time they were in a similar situation. He was curious to know why she was behaving differently after the meeting with the Overseer. He casually floated in the water for a good half an hour before coming out. He put on the looted gear from the treasure chest, which self-adjusted to fit him perfectly. Now that he didn¡¯t look like a level 0 noob (although he was still level 0), he hunted a couple of small rabbits and cooked them over a campfire. After weeks of grubs, and System Rations, it tasted divine. He stocked his inventory with a bunch of extra meat and filled up his water skin. He then took a nap atop a tree before returning to the cave. ¡°Hey Harl, what class spells did you get?¡±
I have received the basic spells for my class ¨C Minor Heal, Minor Poison Removal, Minor Curse Removal, Minor Purge, and the most important of them all, Minor Resurrection. Although beware, I can resurrect you once per week.
¡°So, are you going through with this insane scheme of yours?¡± Allie piped up sourly. ¡°Of course,¡± Aenon replied with no emotion while placing his hand on the stone pillar.
Dungeon Interface Dungeon monster type: Goblin Dungeon state: Overflowing (10 goblins or 1 hobgoblin every 3 days) Recommended level: 5-10 Recommended party size: 4 Warning: Party size and level below recommended values. Enter Dungeon: Y/N
Aenon mentally clicked yes, which opened the same shimmering portal as before. A faint mana mist was leaking from the portal which felt good on his skin. He stood there with his eyes closed, just enjoying the pleasant sensation when Allie interrupted. ¡°You plan to just stand there basking in the mana dregs, or finally go in?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have somewhere else to be? I thought you had some important job to do as Arbiter,¡± Aenon responded crossly. ¡°Unlike some people, I know how to finish my tasks efficiently. While you were out having a picnic in the forest, I already dealt with the situation your companions were causing back in Jadefall,¡± she shot back. ¡°My companions?¡± Aenon asked in confusion. ¡°You¡¯ll see when you finally decide to go back,¡± she replied before going silent. Aenon shrugged and stepped in through the portal. It felt like walking through a waterfall, without getting your clothes wet. He found himself in an empty corridor with stone flooring and brick walls. The ceiling was about 15 feet high and there was a wall in the direction he came from. The portal was gone. The only way forward was to follow the corridor. He tentatively stepped forward but got the weird itching sensation, so he backed off. He observed the side walls and floor closely. His Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps) Skill made him notice the subtle indentations in the walls. He put his face on the floor and observed the path. There was a thin tripwire he had missed. Glad for the Skill upgrade, he carefully stepped over the wire. He came across three such triggers as he navigated the corridor for about 30 minutes. Eventually the corridor opened into a square room that was 50 feet wide. And therein lay his first problem. There were 5 enemies randomly patrolling the room. The issue was, they were all hobgoblins armed with rusty long swords and scrappy leather armor. ¡°No wonder the dungeon has been leaking hobgoblins. An overflowing dungeon spits out its weakest creatures. If this dungeon has armored hobgoblins in its first room¡­,¡± Allie trailed off while speaking to him mentally. Aenon considered his quarry from the shadows of the tunnel he was in. Getting the attention of just a single mob was difficult, if not impossible. But fighting it without the others noticing was going to be a problem. He looked at where he came from, an idea forming in his mind. Still, he observed the hobgoblins for a time. They were not fighting amongst themselves like he hoped. Instead maintaining their individual patrols without a break. After nearly an hour, something broke that monotony. A glimmer in the middle of the room materialized a bunch of food for the hobgoblins. It looked like raw meat with some pitchers of water. All 5 charged the spot before a brawl broke out to claim the food. Even so, the fight was restrained and did not cause any serious injuries. The meanest of the group lay claim to the lion¡¯s share of the pile before retreating into a corner. He was followed by the next strongest who also retreated into his own corner. Eventually the last hobgoblin sniffed around the spot and sat down to eat the left-over scraps. His curiosity piqued, he asked Harley, ¡°What am I looking at Harl? Are the hobgoblins prisoners of some sort?¡± The Arbiter answered instead. ¡°In a sense, yes. When the System integrates new worlds, it considers how the native sapient population behaves. If they have an ability to live in harmony with other races, they are given the status of players. If they are more primitive or keen on primal violence, they are labeled as System Monsters. Goblins are one such creature.¡± ¡°What if they would have eventually evolved into a society? I know from my study of human evolution that we were no different than them during our cave dwelling days,¡± Aenon responded with a frown. The snake on his wrist shook its head, ¡°I have read up on your theory of evolution. It is accurate for the most part, except for one thing. Not all creatures have the capacity to evolve that far. Take the dinosaurs from your history, specifically raptors. They were smart and capable of emotion and feelings. But they would not have developed into a true civilization.¡± ¡°So, what sets us apart?¡± ¡°Your soul. The dinosaurs and these goblins do not have souls capable of developing beyond a certain point. Even the tiniest insect will have a soul, but it extremely weak and doesn¡¯t have a form. Without a certain level of sophistication in one¡¯s soul, they can never have the capacity to reason beyond their primal urges. You may tame a few of them, but they cannot go beyond that,¡± she replied with indifference. Aenon recalled what the souls of smaller animals looked like in his soul sense, like amorphous blobs. And although the goblin¡¯s souls were sharper, they were still nothing like his own or the Arbiter¡¯s. He had peeked at her and the Overseer¡¯s souls earlier, or at least tried to. While he could feel something blocking his vision of the Overseer, he did get a good look at Allie¡¯s. It was a perfectly smooth sphere that was magnitudes stronger than his own. ¡°Then why not just release them on a planet of their own. Why trap them in these dungeons for us to farm them for XP?¡± Aenon asked. He was starting to question the morality of killing helpless monsters. It was one thing, if they had a choice in the matter. But this looked like they were trapped here against their will like cattle. It left a bad taste in his mouth. The arbiter stayed silent for a long time. So, Harley appeared next to him to answer his question instead.
What the Arbiter is not telling you is that these things have something else in in their soul as well.
The snake snapped its head in the shard¡¯s direction, before threatening her to stay quiet, ¡°Enough. He is not ready to know about that yet.¡± ¡°Know what?¡± Aenon asked with annoyance. He recalled that strange tendril he had seen on the Hobgoblin Shaman¡¯s soul. But it was only on that one creature and no one else. He stayed silent about it though.
Sigh. I have just been reprimanded by the System for that comment. The elf is right. You are not ready yet. Just know this, these creatures are your enemy. If left unchecked, they can, and will destroy all known civilizations, and eventually all of existence. This is a way to cull them while benefiting you at the same time.
Aenon frowned but stayed quiet. He set his gaze back to the room, where the hobgoblins were just finishing their meals, and as luck would have it, taking a nap. Looking at him hesitate, Allie spoke up softly. ¡°There was one integrated planet that defied the System and refused to kill dungeon creatures, claiming they were weak and helpless as you are doing now. Their civilization was far stronger than yours and they had grown up with mana long before the System arrived. When the dungeons appeared, they tried reasoning with their inhabitants. When that failed, they tried corralling them into sealed off areas. They tried for 500 years before giving up and trying to do what they were supposed to from the beginning. But they had let the dungeons fester and were overrun within months. Very few survived.¡± Detecting her sadness he had to ask, ¡°Was it your planet?¡± Silence was all the confirmation he needed. Aenon stood up and drew his twin daggers before moving out of the tunnel. He went for the weakest hobgoblin in the center first. He raised both daggers before plunging them down into its throat. The hobgoblin jolted awake and tried punching back but was not able to find his assailant. Like a specter Aenon kept attacking from the creature¡¯s blind spot, till finally after the fifth stab to the back of the neck, the hobgoblin crashed down. With practiced ease, he sliced off the left ear and moved to his next target. The next two hobgoblins went down smoothly, but the fourth managed to bellow a challenge before he could sever its vocal cord. That woke up the last and strongest enemy of the room and it became a 2 on 1 battle. Aenon parried their blows with grace while slowly moving towards the earlier tunnel. He needed to restrict their movement within the confines of the narrow tunnel. After 10 minutes, and a bunch of minor injuries, he managed to lure them inside the tunnel. The big brutes could not stand shoulder to shoulder inside the narrow space and had to come at him one at a time. This eased off the pressure on him and he managed to slay both after a long-pitched battle which lasted well over half an hour. His health was down to a quarter, and he was bleeding from multiple cuts and had a shattered wrist from when he tried blocking instead of parrying. Harley quickly got to work spamming her heals.
I know I said I wanted to see spilled blood and shattered bones. But not yours. Could you be a bit more careful next time?
Aenon chuckled weakly, too exhausted to respond. A glimmer at the center of the room caught his attention. A silver chest with intricate details had spawned. He dragged his feet to it and opened it with care. This was the first time he had received a silver loot chest. There were two identical daggers laid out inside. He picked them up while casting identify.
System Notification
Item Name: Goblin¡¯s Anguish Item Type: Dagger (Main hand) Item Rarity: Epic Item Description: Long ago a blacksmith¡¯s family was taken from him by goblins. In his sorrow and rage, he poured his very soul into crafting twin daggers. Such was his dedication that he left a soul imprint upon his craft. When used against goblin, this dagger causes a stackable bleed debuff which cannot be removed while in combat. (Note: This item is incomplete. Take it to a Savant level craftsman for more details) Item Name: Goblin¡¯s Woe Item Type: Dagger (Off hand) Item Rarity: Epic Item Description: Long ago a blacksmith¡¯s family was taken from him by goblins. In his sorrow and rage, he poured his very soul into crafting twin daggers. Such was his dedication that he left a soul imprint upon his craft. When used against goblin, this dagger causes a stackable mana drain debuff which cannot be removed while in combat. (Note: This item is incomplete. Take it to a Savant level craftsman for more details)
Aenon¡¯s eyes went wide when he read the description. He got a dagger set which would make taking on this dungeon a lot easier. ¡°I swear. This guy¡­,¡± Allie muttered something while Harley merely commented happily that the daggers looked awesome. Aenon picked them up when suddenly he felt a strange wind blow across his soul. The daggers were vibrating in his hand. The one in his right hand had a subtle red hue to it, while the other had a blue tinge. Another notification popped up in his vision.
System Notification
Soul imprint synergy with Title detected. The imprints have detected your Goblin Bane title and have accepted you as their master. The daggers are now soul bound to you and will automatically deposit to your inventory if you move more than 1000 yards from them.
Aenon had a broad smile as he replaced his equipped daggers. He sat down and choked down a System Ration before taking a thirty-minute nap. He woke up refreshed before confidently moving towards the door that appeared at the other end of the room. 13. Dungeon Dive (Part 2) Chapter 13 ¨C Dungeon Dive (Part 2) The corridor this time was much longer than the previous one and had a lot more traps. Unfortunately, he accidentally triggered one of them while navigating the tunnel. He had grown complacent and did not notice the oddly colored stone before he stepped on it. That earned him a metal spike to the gut.
Status effect: Poisoned (-20 HP/min) Status effect: Infection (-500 HP/day) Status effect: Bleed (-200 HP/min)
If he did not have the ridiculous stats he did, this would have instantly killed him. The pain was excruciating, and the status effects were ticking down his health by the second. Harley was on his side the very next instant.
What did I tell you about being careful? I only have enough mana to heal your HP to full and remove the poison and bleed status effects. Will have to wait thirty minutes to regain enough mana to remove the infection.
Aenon just lay there, delirious with pain. The snake hissed with displeasure, at least he thought it was a hiss. He was too far gone to make out what was being said. He lost consciousness just as Harley started shouting something in a panic. When he came to, he was in the same location as before. His gut felt like it was on fire, while Harley floated next to him. Her glow was very dim, and she was struggling to stay afloat. When she noticed him stir, she spoke in a weak voice.
Re¡­move the da...mn spike.
With great effort and pain, he managed to pull out the metal rod from his stomach. He felt a wave of relief as the wound closed before Harley collapsed to the ground, unresponsive. He was worried about her but was in no condition to speak up. He checked his status to see what was going on.
HP: 312/3940 MP: 2/4020 Status Affliction: Infection (-500 HP/day)
¡°How does it feel? To be at death¡¯s door. Knowing you cannot do anything to change it,¡± Allie spoke up in a stern voice. Aenon barely managed to turn his head towards the trinket, too tired to respond or feel anything. The snake was pointedly staring at him accusingly. He blacked out before he could think further. The next time he came to, Harley was again casting her spells before collapsing. He saw that his health and mana had gone up to a 1000 each, allowing him to sit up with his back to the wall. He gingerly picked up the shard and placed it in his lap. All the colors were drained, and she was pitch black. Only a very faint blue dot glowed at the very core. He turned to the trinket. He noticed Allie was there, seething in anger. ¡°What happened after I passed out?¡± he asked quietly. Allie continued her silence for a while before replying. ¡°The stupid shard pushed herself too far trying to save your damned life. She did not have enough mana, and with the spike embedded in you, she couldn¡¯t remove the poison and infection status. She kept healing you, barely managing to keep you alive. At one point she figured out a way to draw from your mana pool, but even that wasn¡¯t enough. She is suffering from mana exhaustion. This is what happens when you march off without preparation or a care in the world.¡± Aenon stayed silent as he gently rubbed the crystal in his lap. The faint dot kept winking out occasionally, which worried him. But there was nothing he could do so he kept on caressing the crystal. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I never explained about Harley to you like I promised,¡± he told Allie softly without looking away from the shard. The arbiter recoiled at his subdued tone. ¡°Never mind that. I had a conversation with my grandfather when you went for your bath. I have a vague idea about what she is,¡± she replied softly. ¡°What did you two discuss,¡± Aenon asked. ¡°A being such as her is unheard of. Someone without her own soul space. My grandfather informed me of the circumstances through which she came to be. Neither of us is sure what she is.¡± After a moment of silence, he pushed her further, ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°She¡­,¡± the elf hesitated. ¡°I know what you are going to say. I just want to hear you say it.¡± The elf sighed before going on, ¡°She won¡¯t exist forever. The System said she could get a body, but I doubt it is possible. It would take a year to make one. But even now she is fading, integrating with your soul. What just happened has accelerated that process. I give her maybe three more months before she fully disappears.¡± For the first time in years, a tear rolled down Aenon¡¯s cheek. The snake uncoiled from around his arm and wrapped around the hand in which the crystal was in. ¡°I have a feeling you know what she is. At least a hint of it,¡± Allie stated with concern. ¡°I do,¡± is all he managed to whisper in response. The arbiter looked on in silence as fresh tears rolled down his face until eventually, they dried up. The tiny spark within the crystal kept growing stronger. ¡°You are wrong about one thing. She does not have three months. She will be gone at the end of this dungeon. And I will make sure to fulfill her wish of getting the first clear,¡± Aenon stated with resolve. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Arbiter Allie Allie looked on with confusion at the boy¡¯s face. She got a hint of what her grandfather meant when he said there was pain in his soul. His last statement was what worried her the most. It was eerily like the one the shard had yelled when he was on the verge of death. ¡°You are not dying till you complete this dungeon, you hear me?¡± There was no way the boy had heard that, and yet somehow, he knew and had said something similar. She couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on, and her grandfather had refused to elaborate his thoughts on the matter. Which left her in the current predicament. She was initially mad at the boy for putting his life at risk, again, and was certain he would not survive this dungeon. She first thought it was arrogance that drove him. But the precision and planning with which he killed that goblin horde made her drop that line of thinking. She then thought that maybe he had a death wish, and that is why he entered the dungeon with zero preparation or a party to assist him. And that looked like a fair assumption, till just now, when she saw the resolved look on his face when he declared what would happen when he cleared this dungeon. Not if he cleared, but when he cleared it. ¡°Grandpa, I need¡­,¡± she started contacting her grandfather. ¡°I know what you are going to ask, my child. But I cannot answer those questions for you. Sometimes, experience is the better teacher,¡± her mentor¡¯s voice responded before she could even finish her question. She did not even know that her grandfather was watching, which is why she was shocked yet again when the boy in front of her had managed to detect her grandfather¡¯s presence. When he had responded to her, the boy¡¯s gaze briefly shifted to her trinket before going back to the little shard, which was thankfully glowing much brighter now. When the shard spoke up, she saw a sudden shift in his expression. The sadness, the remorse, was gone in an instant. Replaced with the same calm he always exhibited. ¡°Welcome back, sleepy head,¡± the boy joked as though nothing of note had happened. Allie stared with astonishment as the shard gave a cheeky response, completely ignoring the fact that they had both come so close to death. ¡°Just observe,¡± came the helpful advice from the Overseer. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Aenon ¡°Welcome back, sleepy head,¡± Aenon quipped with a smirk as he sensed Harley waking up.
Ugh. My non-existent head hurts. I think that is enough skull bashing for now.
With a smile he stood up and stretched his sore body. After loosening up his muscles he checked the spot where the spike had pierced him. There was a gaping hole in the armor at that location, but thankfully the wound was fully healed. It didn¡¯t even leave a scar. It had been roughly 40 minutes since he woke up, and hence his health and mana pools were roughly topped up. Harley purged off his last affliction before he started moving along the corridor again, with much more care this time. Even then he managed to trigger two more traps, a flame trap and an explosion trap. But luckily since he was on guard, he managed to dodge the damage successfully. He eventually came to the end of the corridor, leading to a room which had 4 hobgoblin shamans this time. The room was identical except for five evenly spaced pillars which granted him some cover to hide behind. But the pillars themselves were weird. The concentration of wisps around them was different. The first three pillars had brown, blue, and green wisps which he associated with ground, water, and nature. But the last two had red and gold wisps, whose properties he didn¡¯t know yet. Each shaman was by a pillar, intently studying it and gathering mana before mixing with the wisps to generate spells. They were practicing their spell casting. The earth shaman was casting tiny earth spikes and the occasional dirt wall, while the water and nature shamans were throwing around a ball of water and a bundle of vines, respectively. The shaman by the red pillar was chucking fire balls, meaning red stood for fire. There was no one by the gold pillar, which was odd. He tried using his soul sense and detected someone or something sitting right next to it. Which meant it was some kind of illusion. He guessed gold represented light, and if that was true, he finally had a clue on how to go invisible. He spent hours studying their mana flow patterns and how they interacted with the wisps. The hours turned into days, in which he never left the tunnel and subsisted on nothing but System rations. After almost a week, he finally managed to cast the light spell and make a rock go invisible. It took all his concentration to maintain the spell. He couldn¡¯t see the rock even though he was holding it and could feel its weight.
System Notification
Spell Learned: Illusion (Basic) Mana cost: 200 Mana to maintain: 120 /min
He had a new tab in his status window for Spells that gave him a description, mana cost, and type of wisps needed for the spell. For now, it only listed one spell.
Spell Mana Cost and Type Description
Illusion (Basic) Initial Cost: 200 Channel Cost: 120/min Wisp Type: Light Bend light around an object to make it invisible to the naked eye. At basic proficiency, can be cast on objects smaller than an apple.
Aenon scratched his head trying to understand the mechanics of how the spell system worked. It looked like spells had proficiency levels to consider, and he just gained the basic level for an illusion spell. The size limitation meant he was nowhere close to using it for going invisible, but maybe he might have other uses for it. He decided to ask Harley about it. ¡°Hey Harl, what are the spell proficiency levels? And how do I improve them?¡±
It¡¯s straightforward to be honest. With use, you will keep getting more and more proficient with a given spell. Like muscle memory, you won¡¯t have to focus as much to gather the mana wisps and will get faster at casting it. Higher proficiencies will allow you to cover bigger objects and can give better effects too. For instance, your current Illusion spell can only be used to bend light around an object and make it invisible. Develop it enough, and you can create complex illusions of objects that aren¡¯t there. The levels are: ¡¤ Basic ¡¤ Minor ¡¤ Intermediate ¡¤ Major ¡¤ Perfect
¡°I see. How does this illusion spell compare to a rogue¡¯s Vanish spell?¡± Aenon asked with hope. He really wanted to learn that spell to get rid of the annoying itch he got when he tried sneaking around.
Ha! Not even close. You will need to be at least at Intermediate level to even cover your entire body. Not to mention, Vanish is not one spell but a combination of several. It can not only hide you from sight, but also mask your smell and dampen sounds. I will let you figure that combination out yourself, since every Player has their own unique brand of Vanish.
¡°Huh. This is more complex than I thought,¡± he said while tapping his chin. He tried casting it again, but on two rocks that were placed three feet apart. It took him roughly 15 seconds to make the first one invisible, and the spell completely failed when he tried it on the second rock. It was ridiculously difficult to concentrate on two objects at once. But the experiments did give him an idea, which he wanted to test out. He started channeling the spell on his dagger. After roughly 20 seconds, he managed to make it go completely invisible. It took a lot of practice and failed attempts to cast it on something that was not roughly spherical, but he eventually got it. With that, he stood at the edge of the tunnel and aimed his dagger at the closest hobgoblin shaman, the fire type. The hobgoblin didn¡¯t even have time to react as the invisible projectile pierced its throat and it fell over, dead. Aenon immediately ran in the opposite direction down the tunnel. When he was 1000 yards away, he got a notification that his dagger was deposited in his inventory. Aenon smirked as he approached the room cautiously. The other shamans were having an animated argument in their language and tossing random spells across the room. They could not figure out what had taken down their comrade, since all they saw was an open wound with no apparent source. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. He waited patiently for them to calm down and go back to their pillars. They eventually did, but kept glancing around and didn¡¯t focus fully on their spell practice. Aenon repeated his previous trick again, aimed at the earth shaman this time around. Unfortunately, the hobgoblin had set up a thin layer of mud around its skin which prevented the blow from being fatal. ¡°MAWAG GU TAHAAB,¡± it screamed in its guttural tongue. From the heavy downpour of crimson liquid, it seems the knife had managed to apply the bleed debuff, at least. Before all 4 of them could coordinate, Aenon threw his second dagger at the nature mage and ran back down the corridor. A few seconds later both his daggers were back in his inventory. But his opponents had picked up his trail and started hurtling down the narrow passage. Thankfully he was much faster than them, which gave him some time to set up back in the previous room. He gathered up some mana and added the most abundant wisps in this room ¨C earth. He prepared the mana pattern as well and waited patiently. He unleashed the earth spell as soon as the lead hobgoblin entered. He ignored the notification that pinged in his head the moment he succeeded in casting his first earth spell. It was the light shaman that had stepped first, only to earn an earth spike through its chin and out from the top of its skull. The invisibility spell it was channeling had failed the moment the spike made contact, and from the look of shock engraved on its face it probably wasn¡¯t expecting to be detected. Aenon observed the other three casters taking a few steps back using his soul sense. He was standing to the side and was hidden from their view, which must have unnerved his opponents. So far, none of them had gotten a good look at their adversary. He also detected two of the souls weakening. While one of the souls became unstable in his soul sense, the other started developing cracks. He assumed the effect was due to the mana drain and bleed debuffs respectively. Since none of them dared to step forward he quickly went over his notification and spell list.
System Notification
Spell Learned: Earth Manipulation (Basic) Mana cost: 300
Spell Mana Cost and Type Description
Illusion (Basic) Initial Cost: 200 Channel Cost: 120/min Wisp Type: Light Bend light around an object to make it invisible to the naked eye. At basic proficiency, can be cast on objects smaller than an apple.
Earth Manipulation (Basic) Initial cost: 300 Channel cost: 200/min Instant cast cost: 500 Wisp Type: Earth Manipulate dirt and stone to form structures based on the user¡¯s imagination. The structures will need to be in contact with the ground to maintain their shape beyond 15 seconds. Can be used to generate projectiles using instant cast. At basic proficiency, the volume of dirt that can be manipulated is limited to one cubic meter (35 cubic feet).
The three hobgoblins started tossing spell after spell through the opening, but none of them came even close to hitting. Aenon used their fear to his advantage and stayed where he was. After roughly an hour, one of the shamans collapsed and Aenon sensed its soul wink out. He guessed it to be the earth shaman, since it had the bleed debuff. Amongst the last two, only one of them had any mana left. The water mage saw its companion collapse to the floor in exhaustion and ran back to its earlier room. Aenon finally emerged from the shadows and entered the tunnel. The nature shaman was crawling on all fours, wheezing in exhaustion. It tried screaming something, but one swift slice put it out of its misery. He then proceeded to the pillar room, but sensed something was off when he was within range for his soul sense. For a moment, he sensed not one but two entities in the room. And when he finally reached it, the entire room looked different. The shaman¡¯s soul was stable again, which meant its mana was back to full. Moreover, all 5 pillars were now emitting water wisps and the entire room was saturated with them. The water mage was standing in the center of the room and had a malicious smile on its face. Not to mention, the faint hint of a tendril sticking out of its soul that Aenon felt using his soul sense. ¡°What is going on here?¡± Allie said in a shocked tone. ¡°Dungeons don¡¯t change like this.¡± Aenon didn¡¯t have the luxury to respond, since the water shaman was staring at him. He felt an enormous amount of mana gathering in the creature¡¯s hand. Whatever spell was being prepared, would be catastrophic. So Aenon did the only thing that came to his mind. He started copying the water mage. He too started gathering mana in his palms and pulling in water wisps. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Allie asked nervously. But Aenon was too focused to respond. His logic was simple. Whatever the water shaman was trying to do, it obviously needed a lot of water wisps. So, he decided to use up as much of it as possible. He gathered up all the water mana he could and held it together, but it was getting harder by the second. ¡°You moron, do you know what a spell backlash is?¡± Allie screamed in frustration. Aenon tuned her out and started moving it in the same pattern the shaman was, but he wasn¡¯t able to match it exactly. He could feel the mana getting unstable in his hands. Unsure on how to bring the wild mana under control, he started pushing it outwards when something unexpected happened. The uncontrolled mana got sucked in by the shaman, but its didn¡¯t stop there. The shaman¡¯s body started sucking in all the mana he gathered like a vacuum and within seconds, all his water mana was gone. The hobgoblin on the other hand had a horrified look on its face. And the next moment, its body started to bloat up like a ballon. ¡°Uh oh,¡± was the last words that Aenon uttered before¡­ BOOOOOM The hobgoblin¡¯s body exploded with enough force to shatter all 5 pillars to bits. The shockwave blew Aenon off his feet, and he was shot like a cannonball straight down the tunnel he came from. He lost consciousness soon after. When he came to, every part of his body hurt, which meant he was not unconscious for long. It was only when he started to move that he realized that he couldn¡¯t hear anything. He groggily turned around, only to find Allie standing with her hands crossed with a deep scowl on her face. And Harley was circling around him, flashing random colors. He tried touching his ears and felt a sticky substance all over them. In fact, his entire body was covered in dirt, dust, and his own blood. He decided to just lay there till his body healed most of his injuries. After about 30 minutes of healing, he finally heard the string of curses that Harley was throwing his way as she circled him. Although he only caught pieces of it.
¡­ you absolutely brainless buffoon¡­ want to smack your¡­ healing an idiot¡­
It took him another 20 minutes to finally heal completely, by which point Harley had exhausted herself and just lay on his chest in silence. Yet, the arbiter stayed silent as a ghost while eying him with annoyance. Aenon sat up with care and pulled out his water skin. His throat was parched, so he started gulping down water. When he was satisfied, he stood up and turned around to face the music. He blankly stared at Allie without a hint of guilt or remorse. ¡°Tchh,¡± was all she said before turning back into a snake and disappearing from the trinket. Aenon picked it up and put it on before pulling up his notification. He had learned not one but two spells.
Spell Mana Cost and Type Description
Illusion (Basic) Initial Cost: 200 Channel Cost: 120/min Wisp Type: Light Bend light around an object to make it invisible to the naked eye. At basic proficiency, can be cast on objects smaller than an apple.
Earth Manipulation (Basic) Initial cost: 300 Channel cost: 200/min Instant cast cost: 500 Wisp Type: Earth Manipulate dirt and stone to form structures based on the user¡¯s imagination. The structures will need to be in contact with the ground to maintain their shape beyond 15 seconds. Can be used to generate projectiles using instant cast. At basic proficiency, the volume of dirt that can be manipulated is limited to one cubic meter (35 cubic feet).
Water Manipulation (Basic) Initial cost: 300 Channel cost: 200/min Instant cast cost: 500 Wisp Type: Water Manipulate water freely for both attack and defense. The shape will linger for 5 seconds before dissipating. At basic proficiency, the volume of water that can be controlled is 1 cubic meter (35 cubic feet)
Overcharge (Basic) Channel cost: 1000 mana/min Pushes the limits of elemental spells to the extreme, allowing you to jump in proficiency rank for some time. WARNING: Can cause instability of mana and a violent backlash depending on how long you channel the spell.
The water manipulation spell was expected, but not the next one. It was also the first time he had a warning attached to a spell description. Harley was starting to speak up, but Aenon cut her off. ¡°Don¡¯t. Just don¡¯t,¡± he said in a tired voice before going towards the room. It was in utter chaos, with rubble scattered all over the place. But he was too exhausted to care for any of it. He found a corner that was relatively clean and lay down on the ground. After another impromptu nap, he opened the loot chest and found a pair of pitch-black leather boots.
System Notification
Item Name: Boots of the Abyss Item Type: Boots Item Rarity: Epic Item Description: Crafted using leather extracted from the predators of the abyss, this pair of boots deaden the sound from the wearer¡¯s footsteps. Additionally, grants bonus dexterity at night and while in shadows during the day. The bonus varies depending on how dark it is, with the effect being maxed out when in absolute darkness. Note: This is a set piece.
¡°OK, this is weird. It is almost as if this loot is tailored to my needs and fighting style,¡± Aenon scratched his chin as he inspected the boots. Harley just floated around, completely ignoring him. ¡°Sigh. Fine. You can yell at me some till you are satisfied.¡± She stayed silent for a minute longer before finally speaking up.
Just be careful.
Aenon was taken aback. His expression must have given away how surprised he was, because she continued.
There is no one in this entire multiverse who knows you better than me. You are obviously too thick headed to heed any warnings. So, all I can ask and hope for is that you remain careful. I know you will never agree to study under someone and will refuse any and all help offered to you. So be it. All I want is a promise from you that you will be careful.
Aenon gave it some thought before replying, ¡°Sure. I can promise you that. What about the arbiter?¡±
What about her? She doesn¡¯t know you one bit, so her opinion is of no concern to either of us.
Aenon got a feeling that there was more to it than that. He suspected the two girls had a conversation when he was unconscious. But he decided to leave it. Harley would tell him about it if she felt it was important.
Now, to answer your question. The System analyzes the players while handing out loot. It also considers the difficulty of the dungeon and your Titles. Imagine a tank getting cloth armor as the reward or a healer getting plate mail. It would be useless to them. So yes, the reward is tailor fit for you.
¡°Oh, that¡¯s sweet. I always hated games where you had to run dungeons multiple times to finally get the gear you want,¡± he replied cheerfully. He wanted to lighten the mood a bit.
Yep. Everyone hates those. Moreover, you are getting epic rarity loot since you are doing this dungeon solo while it is in an overflowing state. Normally these rooms would be filled with 20 to 30 goblins.
Aenon nodded in understanding while he put on his new boots. They were far more comfortable, and the sound deadening effect was a bit unsettling. It was weird not hearing any noise whatsoever while he sprinted full tilt from one end of the room to another. He quickly moved over to the exit door leading to the next trapped passage. This time the corridor was so poorly lit that he had trouble finding the trap triggers, which were concealed more thoroughly. He ended up triggering 5 traps by the end, of which 3 injured him. Nothing as severe as the first encounter, but he did get an earful from Harley as she healed the nick he got on his neck. A few more inches in the wrong direction, and he would have lost his head. Allie on the other hand was back but observed without a word. The third room was much bigger than the previous ones and was not a room per se. Aenon estimated is to be at least 300 feet across and circular in shape with no ceiling. The walls extended 40 feet up, beyond which lay thousands of seats filled with hobgoblins, all cheering in their guttural language. This was an arena. ¡°Hmmm. I thought you said goblin dungeons had rooms. This doesn¡¯t look like a room,¡± Aenon mused while observing the strange sky above. There were three suns in place of the usual one he was used to. Allie still didn¡¯t say a word, which started to bother Aenon. He tried to recall if he had done something to annoy her again but couldn¡¯t think of anything.
Never mind that. I am more concerned by the literal army surrounding us. If they all charge us together, we are toast. We have no element of surprise and no traps to help us this time. Plus, those three suns will not let you get any DEX bonus from your boots.
Aenon studied the crowd. There was a central throne opposite the door he had entered from. On it was the biggest hobgoblin he had seen so far. It stared at him with extreme malice and a wide sneer. ¡°It¡¯s almost as if someone has been studying my fighting style and set this entire thing up to counter me,¡± Aenon said while maintaining eye contact with the big guy on the throne. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. Dungeons don¡¯t do that,¡± Allie finally broke her silence. But Aenon sensed the uncertainty in her voice. ¡°Oh, yeah? Tell that to the big guy cursing me to death with his eyes. I have been sensing his presence since the first corridor. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange that I successfully bypass every trap in the first corridor, but the traps keep getting better and better? Not to mention this arena which literally removes all the advantages I have been exploiting so far.¡± Allie stayed silent at his declaration, but he could detect her worry. He looked away from the throne to study the arena itself. There were three more doors in the cardinal directions. If he was reading this right, the doors would open to introduce his opponents. The question was, will it be one at a time or all at once. His worst fear was realized as all the doors started to open simultaneously. From each door, several dozens of goblins streamed out. To make matters worse, they had the shaman, scout, warrior, and leader variants within their ranks. And they were not like the poorly coordinated rabble he faced in the cave. No. These were organized in ranks, like a proper army, with the goblins up front, followed by scouts and warriors, and finally the shamans in the backlines. Each group also had two leaders each, standing at the very edge of the shamans. ¡°Impossible. Goblins don¡¯t use battle tactics or formations,¡± Allie remarked in shock. While she tried to come to terms with what was happening, Aenon casually walked to the center of the arena. The three groups of goblins moved around and surrounded him. Aenon looked back at the hobgoblin on the throne. If his guess was correct, it was a leader variant of the hobgoblin. The smile on the creature¡¯s face disappeared when Aenon smiled back with confidence. He drew his daggers in a reverse grip and pointed at the baffled creature, before making a throat slitting motion. The Hobgoblin Leader bellowed in rage. ¡°Let¡¯s see what your battle tactics amount to,¡± he stated coolly before getting into a fighting stance. For the first time he fully utilized his soul sense ability actively. He could read the movements of each of the goblins within 60 meters (200 feet), down to their mana flows within their body. He deftly dodged the fire, and gravity spells the shamans threw his way while studying the mana patterns they used. He even redirected the arrows the scouts shot at him towards the opposite ranks. Gradually they started taking casualties from their own spells and arrows. Seeing the problem, the Hobgoblin Leader barked a command to stop the ranged attacks, which meant it was melee time. The goblins and goblin warriors rushed in. The last few rooms had taught Aenon a lot of things, including his main weakness. He had a large mana pool, and decent control over his mana. But he didn¡¯t really know any spells nor did he have a teacher to guide him. In all honesty he knew that what he was doing was foolish, as proven by the fact that he came so close to blowing himself up many times. But the way he saw it, he didn¡¯t have a choice. Help, guidance, favors, they all came with strings attached. And he didn¡¯t want anything to tie him down. Aenon also understood that whoever was pulling the strings from the background knew what his strengths and weaknesses were. And were doing their best to stop him from learning new skills that would make him stronger. Hence the arena. But one thing they did fail to consider. He was an expert at throwing monkey wrenches into the best laid plans. Aenon smirked at the charging horde and stowed away his daggers. He held his hands close together and gathered all the mana that he could. Before the goblins slowed down or realized what was happening, he mixed in earth wisps and started casting a spell he had not seen anyone do yet. Unlike the shamans, he had a lot more mana, and phenomenally better control. So he modified the earth manipulation spell, making it a channeled area of effect (AoE) spell. He also Overcharged it with the most mana he could. Dozens of earth spikes started popping out in an outward facing direction. Some of the charging horde ran right into the spikes, impaling themselves on them. The others tried dodging, but more spikes kept popping up, and the safe ground in the arena was shrinking fast. After roughly 2 minutes, no opponent was left alive. Deathly silence filled the air as the hobgoblin audience stared at the gruesome display. One man stood at the center of a wall of spikes, like a blooming flower. The spikes were red with the blood of his enemies.
System Notification
Custom spell created: Unnamed Mana cost: 500 Channel cost: 1200 /min
¡°I think I shall call this spell, Blooming Earth,¡± Aenon stated calmly as the notification updated. He pulled up his spell list which had a new entry.
Spell Mana Cost and Type Description
Illusion (Basic) Initial Cost: 200 Channel Cost: 120/min Wisp Type: Light Bend light around an object to make it invisible to the naked eye. At basic proficiency, can be cast on objects smaller than an apple.
Earth Manipulation (Basic) Initial cost: 300 Channel cost: 200/min Instant cast cost: 500 Wisp Type: Earth Manipulate dirt and stone to form structures based on the user¡¯s imagination. The structures will need to be in contact with the ground to maintain their shape beyond 15 seconds. Can be used to generate projectiles using instant cast. At basic proficiency, the volume of dirt that can be manipulated is limited to one cubic meter (35 cubic feet).
Water Manipulation (Basic) Initial cost: 300 Channel cost: 200/min Instant cast cost: 500 Wisp Type: Water Manipulate water freely for both attack and defense. The shape will linger for 5 seconds before dissipating. At basic proficiency, the volume of water that can be controlled is 1 cubic meter (35 cubic feet)
Overcharge (Basic) Channel cost: 1000 mana/min Pushes the limits of elemental spells to the extreme, allowing you to jump in proficiency rank for some time. WARNING: Can cause instability of mana and a violent backlash depending on how long you channel the spell.
Blooming Earth (Custom) ¨C Earth Manipulation and Overcharge Mana cost: 500 Channel cost: 1200/min Creates a dozen earth spikes every second in an area around the caster for as long as spell is channeled.
¡°What¡­ How¡­,¡± Allie sputtered while looking at the mayhem around them. The audience fell silent for a full minute before all hell broke loose. The audience started climbing over each other in a rush to get out of the arena. Ten minutes later, only the one on the throne was left. He was seething in anger, but Aenon also detected a hint of doubt and fear. After a stare down, the leader got up and left. A golden chest materialized in the center of the arena, but before Aenon got close to it the trinket slithered off his hand. ¡°WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?¡± Allie shrieked as she transformed into her elf form. 14. Dungeon Spell Crafting Chapter 14 ¨C Dungeon Spell Crafting Aenon stared at the elf in confusion. From his perspective, he had not done anything weird. He had merely applied what he observed the shamans doing and scaled it up. He had been observing their spell formations and mana flow for weeks now. ¡°Answer me. Who are you and how are you doing this? That wasn¡¯t a parlor trick that any hick can pull off. That was an advanced mage spell, and the level of destruction is not something a nobody like you should be able to pull off,¡± she yelled at him. He tilted his head to the side with a blank expression while replying calmly, ¡°You have seen me learn and cast 5 different spells on my own. You have also seen me charge a bone with raw mana till it almost blew my fingers off. What¡¯s so strange about this? I think the better question is, why are you so worked up about it?¡± He noticed her recoil at his words while her mouth kept opening and closing like a fish out of water. Since she was at a loss for words, he continued. ¡°I have high stats, rare titles, and can sense mana. More importantly, I have been doing nothing but stalking and observing shamans for a very long time. Between my mana sense and whatever weird soul sense I got, it would be weird if I didn¡¯t figure something out by now, don¡¯t you think?¡± Finally recovering her voice, she shot back. ¡°Yes. But this goes beyond that. This¡­¡±, she pointed at the destruction around them, ¡°is not something low level players can do. It takes decades of practice to get the required mana control to even attempt this. Stats don¡¯t affect mana control.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know what to tell you,¡± Aenon shrugged while moving over to the golden chest that was at the center of the arena. Allie turned back into a snake and crawled up his arm. The item within the chest was mesmerizing to look at and he couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away from it. It was a mask so dark; he couldn¡¯t identify the features on it. It was like the very fabric of reality ceased to exist around it.
Item Name: Gaze of the Abyss Item Type: Mask Item Rarity: Legendary Item Description: When you look into the abyss, the abyss looks back. The origin of this mask is as mysterious as the abyss itself. Reduces WIL stat of anyone looking at the wearer by 25%. Additionally hides the player¡¯s name and stats from identifying skills and abilities. Also grants dark vision. Abyssal Gaze (active ability): Anyone making eye contact with the wielder has their WIL further reduced by 25% and if their WIL is below the wielder¡¯s, inflicts a 15 second fear and paralysis debuff (Mana cost: 200 mana/sec). Note: This is a set piece.
Aenon whistled in appreciation as he picked up the mask. It felt ice cold to the touch and had no visible eye holes. When he placed it over his face, it snapped on like a magnet and no matter how vigorously he shook his head, it refused to budge. It did not restrict his vision in the slightest. ¡°Hey, look Arbiter, I have a creepy looking mask too,¡± Aenon smiled while looking at the trinket on his arm, realizing too late that she couldn¡¯t see his smile. ¡°Just¡­ keep going,¡± Allie replied with frustration. ¡°You know, you never really told me what bugged you. You have been very prickly since the overseer left. I mean you were practically a cactus before, but ever since the old man left laughing you have been¡­¡± ¡°I told you not to mention that. Ever. Again,¡± she snapped back at him before he completed his sentence. ¡°Alright, alright. Calm your horses,¡± Aenon winced as the trinket tightened significantly. He went around the arena gathering up all the goblin ears he could find before proceeding through the last standing door of the arena. The corridor was pitch dark this time around, or at least it would have been. If not for the dark vision granted by his new mask. It wouldn¡¯t have helped though, since in place of traps this room looked like an obstacle course. There were blades zooming around, spikes thrusting in and out of the walls and floors, and of course, in typical creepy dungeon fashion, flamethrowers. ¡°Well, why the hell not. You might as well throw in some flying fish,¡± Aenon raised his arms in annoyance. ¡°Flying fish?¡± Allie asked in confusion.
Something from an awesome game from back on Earth. You really should try it.
Allie went back to silently brooding again. Aenon looked at the obstacle course more closely. His soul sense picked up on the second unknown presence he had been sensing ever since he entered the dungeon. Whoever it was, had intensified their study of his fighting style, and upped the difficulty yet again. He detected hidden traps all over the tunnel. He sat cross legged while pulling out some system rations and water. He started thinking about how to proceed. Combat was one thing, but these traps could kill him in one shot. He needed some sort of defense. As he mulled over his options, he got an idea. ¡°Do mages use any barrier spells? You know, since typically they are squishier and lacking in the physical stat department,¡± he asked out loud. ¡°I am assuming you plan to go rogue as your primary class while mage will be your secondary?¡± Allie asked. ¡°Something like that, yes.¡± ¡°Thought so. To answer your question, yes mages get barrier spells to protect themselves. Two types in fact, a physical barrier and a magical one. But before we go further, let me explain something about stats and why very few people choose the kind of build you are planning,¡± she responded all business like. Aenon pulled his attention away from the trapped obstacle course and gave her his entire focus. This information would be important for his future. ¡°I am assuming you know about class rarity and the concept of min-maxing?¡± ¡°I think so. Classes give fixed stat points per level based on rarity. And min-maxing is where you dump all your stat points in your class specific resource, INT, PER, and WIS for mage classes, STR DEX, and CON for physical builds,¡± he responded while nodding his head. ¡°Correct. And that is also the reason why the System came up with the concept of stat gains from Titles. Imagine a warrior who dumped 1000 in STR and DEX each, but none in PER. He¡¯ll be running into walls all the time since it takes a certain level of perception just to keep up with the speeds that the warrior will move with. To balance that out, Titles give all stat bonuses, while class stats let you specialize.¡± Aenon nodded in understanding but didn¡¯t see where this was going. Why wouldn¡¯t people choose a rogue/mage hybrid build? It could shore up the weaknesses of each class quite nicely. But he kept quiet and listened closely. ¡°Essentially you will be a jack of all trades, but a master of none. You will need to split your focus evenly between your physical and magical stats to make either one viable. This can be mitigated to an extent if you get higher rarity classes, which I am sure you will, but you will never reach the full potential of your classes,¡± she went quiet after her explanation. Aenon lay down after a meal and pondered about his dilemma. He loved being a rogue, but he couldn¡¯t deny the potential damage of a mage. He had cast mage spells of his own making, and the potential excited him. And there must be defenses against such spells too. The only reason he had done the amount of damage he did was because this was a low-level dungeon where spells of such scale were not expected. As if sensing his thoughts, a pure crystal with a few dots of red popped out of his soul space.
Hey, snap out of it. That is a future-you problem. Focus on what is in front of you. And you, miss Arbiter, why are you confusing him? He doesn¡¯t have to follow the same road that trillions of people have travelled on before. A rogue/mage hybrid build is rare, but not unheard of. And many of them have reached great heights too. Are you trying to sabotage his build by scaring him into selecting something he is not comfortable with?
Aenon¡¯s eyes narrowed when he heard this. He looked at the trinket, waiting for a response. If she had truly tried to misdirect him, then he had to be on guard around her. ¡°I was merely passing on information most people learn in their starting village before heading out,¡± she replied a little too defensively. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Did you forget what I am? I am an entity with direct access to the System. You think I would not have that bit of information? You think I cannot guide him on the most optimal path to power? Have you seen me telling him what and how to do things?
Aenon was surprised at the heat in Harley¡¯s voice as she bombarded the Arbiter with questions. And even more surprised at how the elf silently took it. ¡°I wanted to push this discussion for a time when we were not being watched, but this changes things. Is what Harley is saying true? Did you try to misguide me?¡± he asked coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t have to explain myself to you. Don¡¯t forget who you are talking¡­¡± Her anger and guilt laced words were cut short when Aenon removed and dropped the trinket to the ground. Her eyes went wide as she uncoiled herself and transformed back to her elf form. ¡°You saved my life twice. So, I am going to extend to you the courtesy of listening to your explanation. This is your last chance. If I hear any insult, any misguided attempt at deflection, I walk away. In return I will owe you one favor in the future. So, choose your words wisely, Arbiter.¡± She stared at him dumbfounded. He knew she was warring internally on how to respond. But he kept silent. Her response was key to figuring out if she could be trusted. Finally, she sighed and responded. ¡°I apologize for my conduct. This is something between me and the Overseer. His words bothered me greatly and I may have acted out of jealousy and pride instead of my sense of duty.¡± ¡°What words?¡±, he asked neutrally. She started fidgeting in discomfort, especially when she noticed him staring at her silently. For some reason her cheeks were turning red, but she was stoic when she responded. ¡°My grandfather said you are a suitable candidate to court me.¡± ¡°Why would I take you to court?¡± Aenon blinked in confusion. For some reason, Harley burst out laughing, making the elf turn a bright shade of red. Aenon looked from one woman to the other, waiting on someone to explain. He was almost tempted to ask the Overseer directly, who he sensed was observing this scene. But he suspected that neither the Overseer nor the unknown entity would be of much help in this situation. ¡°You¡­ I¡­,¡± Allie sputtered trying to come up with words while Harley kept cackling like the time he got his skills. Frustrated by his inability to figure out what was so funny he extended his hand towards the elf, making her jump back in alarm. ¡°Harley¡¯s reaction tells me that your actions were not out of malice, so I am going to trust you for now. Could you turn back into the trinket so I can keep moving? Either you or Harley can explain later what is so funny. But rest assured I have no intention of taking you to court.¡± Harley literally collapsed on the ground in new fits of laughter while the elf was starting to steam at the ears. With a huff she transformed back, and he sensed her presence disappear from the trinket. He picked up the trinket and put it on before giving Harley, who was still on the ground, a side eye. Shaking his head he turned back towards the obstacle course. He tried theorizing what elemental wisps would allow him to set up a physical barrier to block attacks. He decided to try with the gravity wisps but had to first come up with a way to sustain a barrier around him. He gathered 20 points worth of mana in his hands and tried shaping it into a sphere. It merely swirled in his palm for a bit before dissipating like smoke. Next, he added gravity wisps to the mana while shaping the sphere. The sphere held longer before it cracked and faded. He did feel a faint attraction from the sphere though. Something to keep in mind, he thought. He repeated the exercise with all kinds of wisps he had access to in the dark corridor ¨C gravity, earth, and two others. One was a transparent mist which was so faint he failed to detect it till now. And like gravity, it was literally everywhere. He felt the wind pick up when he infused it into his mana, which meant it must be an air wisp. The last wisp was the most elusive of them all. It was almost invisible and formless, making it next to impossible to detect. It also didn¡¯t float around like the other wisps. It just stayed where it was and encompassed everything around it, and yet unaffected by anything. Anything except the gravity sphere he had just conjured up. If he had not attempted his earlier spell, he would have completely missed its presence. He was wondering what was only affected by gravity when it finally hit him ¨C space. He tried attracting the strange wisps to his hand using mana but failed to do so. He felt them move ever so slightly, but he did not have enough control to interact with them. Next, he tried using gravity to bend it, but the strength of the gravity field needed to make an impact was significant. He sat back against a wall to think things through. If he managed to master this elusive mana type, he might be able to use spells like teleport and fly, if those existed. But it would take time and effort. For now, he decided to try something else. Instead of trying to move the wisps, he decided to lock them in place. He had sensed that the space wisps were part of all solid objects around him. And that must be what gave matter its ability to occupy space. He poured out his mana into a flat plane and directed it to interact with only the space wisps. After hours of trials, he finally managed to create a transparent screen floating in midair. He went over his spell list after dismissing the notification that popped up.
System Notification
Spell Learned: Barrier (Basic) Mana cost: 400 Mana to maintain: 200/min
Spell Mana Cost and Type Description
Illusion (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Earth Manipulation (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Water Manipulation (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Overcharge (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Barrier - Physical (Basic) Initial cost: 400 Channel cost: 200/min Wisp Type: (Space) Manipulate space to create impenetrable barriers. At basic proficiency the barrier is limited to 0.25 square meter (2.7 square feet).
Well, that was quick.
Herley¡¯s tone was brimming with pride at his accomplishment, while he heard the trinket grumbling something incoherently. He ignored the elf and asked Harley, ¡°This should allow me to block most of the damage from the traps, right?¡±
If it¡¯s something that can be blocked using a physical wall, yes. Anything immaterial or mixed with another mage¡¯s mana will pass right through. This trap room will be a walk in the park for you, if you can manage to raise and sustain the barriers at the correct location. And even though you didn''t ask, I stay silent about this stuff because I want you to figure it out for the Title. Of course, you won¡¯t be getting them till you leave the dungeon but be ready for a flood of Title notifications when you do.
Aenon felt a sharp pain in his chest when she mentioned leaving the dungeon, but he kept quiet and changed the topic. ¡°So, now that you are no longer delirious with laughter, could you explain what that conversation with Allie was about. She is not listening so you can speak freely.¡± Harley giggled for a bit before responding.
Well, things are going to get very interesting between you two in the future. That is all I am going to say about that. As for her advice, there was nothing crippling about it. In fact, it might have even benefited someone who is not you. But it was bad advice for two reasons. First, it would have railroaded you towards a cookie cutter build, which you mentioned you hated. Which brings me to the second reason, you would not have stayed true to your soul. Let me put it this way, imagine a training regimen developed over millennia for a lion. Obviously, it would be great for a lion, and other similar land-based animals could also benefit from it. But would it benefit a shark? That is why I don¡¯t give you any advice about how to build your skills or spells. I know you better than anyone, better than the Arbiter anyway.
Aenon nodded in understanding. From the beginning Harley had let him forge his own path, for which he was grateful. He felt another pang in his chest when he thought how lucky he was to have Harley. After a brief silence, Harley hesitantly spoke up.
Soooo. We are not going to talk about it?
Aenon swiftly looked away from Harley and towards the obstacles. He heard her sigh but did not say anything beyond that. He created a barrier to see if it would block a flamethrower, and it did. The only limitation to his spell was that once set up, the barrier couldn¡¯t be moved. Although he could create any number of them, if he didn¡¯t exceed the total surface area requirements. He tried multiple shapes, including a sphere, with great success. But it was not big enough to cover his entire body. Exhausted but satisfied from all the experiments, he went back and took a nap. When he woke up refreshed, a strange sight greeted him. The corridor was no longer dark, and all the traps were gone. It looked like a regular stone passage leading towards an opening at the end of it. ¡°What the¡­,¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Did we get kidnapped in my sleep?¡± But there was no response. He detected no presence from the trinket and even Harley was missing. He looked inside his soul space and found Harley¡¯s crystal trapped inside a transparent barrier. She was ramming herself into the walls to break free but couldn¡¯t. He rushed over to her to calm her down. ¡°Hey, hey, Harl. Calm down. You are ok. Stop or you might hurt yourself. I¡¯ll figure out a way to get you out,¡± he controlled his avatar to gesture since it seems she could not hear him. After a minute of him miming her to calm down she finally stopped moving around in distress. But her colors were going haywire, telling him how stressed she was. He extended his soul and mana senses around his soul space and located a faint thread floating around. It entered from the almost healed crack and was connected to the barrier around Harley. No matter what he tried it wouldn¡¯t break. He got the familiar oily feeling when he touched the thread. Coming up blank on how to remove this thread, he reassured Harley one more time before heading back out. He detected the thread leading down the tunnel, so he carefully moved forward but found no traps whatsoever. Eventually he found himself in what could only be described as a throne room. Well armored and equipped hobgoblins stood at attention on both sides of the room which was grand beyond his expectations. The floors were spotless white marble, and the entire chamber had pristine stone pillars holding up a vast ceiling about 60 feet high. Despite all the lavish decorations, Aenon¡¯s gaze was fixated on the person sitting casually on the throne opposite him. It was a boy, perhaps even younger than himself. The thread coming out of his chest was connected to a ring on the kid¡¯s finger. ¡°Welcome to my kingdom¡±, the haughty kid declared in a high and mighty tone. 15. Multiversal Schemes and Old Wounds Chapter 15 ¨C Multiversal Schemes and Old Wounds Aenon stood in silence as he assessed his situation. His soul sense was working overtime trying to find a way out of the room but found none. Worse still, each of the hobgoblins was at least level 20 and there were ten of them on each side, including the one from the throne, who was standing meekly next to the kid. But the thing that bothered him the most was, there were no wisps in this room at all. Not even air or gravity ones. Before he could plan further, the kid spoke up. ¡°Ah, where are my manners. Let me introduce myself. I am prince Gareomos Lightseeker VI¡±, the boy declared proudly before waiting expectantly. Aenon raised an eyebrow while staring back with indifference. This seemed to anger the kid dressed in obscenely rich clothes with enough gold jewelry to weigh down a horse. ¡°This is the part where you kneel to your superiors, peasant,¡± the obnoxious kid said in a raised voice. ¡°My identify skill says you are a level zero. So, how exactly are you my superior? Unless you consider dressing up like a flashy drag queen to be something to be proud of. In which case I am sorry, I don¡¯t swing that way,¡± Aenon countered. ¡°What? I am a prince. Why would I dress up like a queen?¡± the boy retorted with some heat and embarrassment. ¡°On my planet, there are men who dress up in woman¡¯s clothing and jewelry. We call them drag queens. I thought that¡¯s what you were,¡± Aenon responded with a smile. The kid¡¯s nostrils flared in anger as he raised his hands to cast something. But he lowered it after some consideration. Aenon was disappointed, he was really hoping to see if his shield would work against this idiot. The guy¡¯s nameplate labeled him as a human and was green in color. Which meant he was not a System designated monster. ¡°Enough with your insolence. Surrender quietly and hand over my construct. Unless you wish to find out what we do to thieves on my planet,¡± the kid declared while leaning back on the throne. ¡°Thief? I didn¡¯t steal anything. What are you talking about?¡± ¡°The seeding node. I can detect it on your person but am unable to summon it to me. It¡¯s probably stored in your inventory, but I want my property handed back to me right now,¡± the boy said while showing his ring to which the thread was connected. ¡°So, you are the moron who corrupted the seeding node of my planet?¡± Aenon asked incredulously. For the first time the boy left the throne as he charged at Aenon with a drawn sword. He stopped mere millimeters away from his shield, his swing directed at Aenon¡¯s throat. ¡°Know your place, peasant. You know too much and so your death is all but guaranteed. If I did not want my things back, you would already be dead. Hand me the seeding node and I will at least grant you a quick death,¡± the boy¡¯s words were dripping with venom. The prince was probably expecting him to flinch and retreat, because the surprise on his face was evident when Aenon started stepping forward instead. He started marching forward leisurely, making the disbelieving prince lower his sword and start stepping back. Before he could recover from his initial shock, Aenon backhanded the jerk¡¯s face with all his strength, hurtling him back a dozen feet. The prince was clutching his now swollen face, aghast. ¡°How dare you lay a hand¡­ Aaaaaaaargh¡± The guy¡¯s complaints turned to screams and sobs as Aenon deftly severed all the tendons in his arms and legs, making him flop to the floor like a dead fish. As if on cue, all the hobgoblins charged him at once. Since magic was out of the equation, he grabbed the prince by the back of his neck and started using him like a meat shield. He blocked all the hobgoblin¡¯s attacks using his impromptu shield while he danced around them, leaving small cuts using his main dagger, Goblin¡¯s Anguish. It became a battle of attrition to see who gave out first, the hobgoblins from his stacking bleed debuff or his makeshift shield from all the slashing and bludgeoning blows. To his credit, the equipment the moron was wearing was sturdy and he suffered very little damage. But the damage kept piling on, until eventually everyone in the room was riddled with wounds except Aenon. After roughly 45 minutes of this, all the hobgoblins collapsed, never to rise again. The prince was barely breathing but was alive. Aenon unceremoniously cut off both his hands and tossed him to the floor. He removed the ring linked to Harley from the severed hand and sat next to the unconscious man. The guy was healing quite fast, so Aenon went about observing the ring with his mana sense and cast identify. All he got in the identify window was garbled up text that made no sense. Just touching the ring felt like he was dunked in a barrel of oil and his mana sense showed deep red tendrils flailing about on the ring¡¯s inner surface. A closer inspection of the severed hand revealed tiny puncture wounds on the finger it was on. Aenon gingerly placed the ring on the ground, not wanting to contract whatever infection or curse it had on it. He patted down the unconscious prince and found a fancy dagger that gave off the same oily feeling. Its edge glowed the same shade of red as the tendrils. On a hunch, he tried cutting the thread linking the ring to Harley¡¯s enclosure and succeeded. Harley burst out of his soul space and slammed into this chest. She was sobbing uncontrollably. Aenon let her cry it out as he gently stroked her. She was saying something but was so distressed that he had trouble understanding. Eventually she calmed down enough for him to make out some of her words.
Sob ¡­ was so painful¡­sob¡­ kept trying to reach you¡­ sob¡­ it hurt so much.
¡°It¡¯s alright Harl. It¡¯s over now. The guy responsible is over there, beaten. I will end his life for putting you through that, but we need answers first.¡± She looked over at the sorry piece of pulverized meat for the first time.
Wait, that¡¯s a human? What did you do to him?
¡°Used him as a shield to block hobgoblin clubs,¡± Aenon replied with a smirk. Harley giggled weakly at that.
Serves him right. Take him with you for the next dungeon dive too. Use him as a shield till every bone in his body is tenderized.
Aenon frowned at her second sentence. He decided he had delayed this conversation long enough. It was time to confront what he was dreading. But before he could, he detected two presences from the trinket on his arm. It slithered off his hand and transformed into Allie. She looked around the room in shock before looking at the hobgoblin corpses and the battered body of the prince. Her gaze eventually settled on the dagger in his hand. Her eyes went wide in anger before she charged him. ¡°HOW DARE YOU USE SOMETHING SO VILE.¡± Before she could reach him, a barrier erected between them before the Overseer materialized to the side. His gaze was stern and for the first time he got a glimpse of the monster the Overseer truly was. He felt like his entire soul was laid bare in front of that gaze. Every secret, everything within his soul felt exposed. ¡°Calm down, apprentice. Let him explain. He has earned at least that much,¡± the Overseer looked at the stunned Arbiter before turning back to him. ¡°But master, he used¡­ that. That is unforgivable. Maybe that¡¯s how he has been hiding things from you. He is corrupt¡­,¡± Allie tried to argue. ¡°I believe I asked you to stay quiet,¡± the last word was like a command to reality itself. All the sounds were sapped away, ceasing like they never existed. For a second Aenon thought he had lost his hearing, before the Overseer turned to him and spoke sternly. ¡°Explain.¡± So Aenon started explaining everything, no, he felt compelled to explain everything. He couldn¡¯t have held back any details even if he wanted. Details which he had no memory of, that he must have realized subconsciously, were also recounted in detail. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. After he was done, he collapsed to the ground, sweating profusely. He had never felt that vulnerable in his life. The Overseer¡¯s gaze softened a bit before he flung a vial towards him. Almost reflexively, Aenon caught it. It contained a clear liquid within it, too viscous to be water. With a casual swish of his hand, the Overseer made the ring, the dagger, and the broken body of the prince disappear. ¡°I suggest taking that potion once you are back in your house. That is your reward for what you have accomplished here. This is a significant threat that you have stumbled across. But it would be foolish to give you more details about it unless you get significantly stronger,¡± the Overseer said softly. His stern disposition was gone, replaced by the earlier grandfatherly care he had shown during their earlier encounters. ¡°Having said that, I will allow you to ask two questions. Depending on how you phrase them, you may gain significant knowledge of what is to come. Use them wisely,¡± the Overseer added. His pristine beard was back and the kind smile on his face was really disarming. Aenon deposited the vial in his inventory and closed his eyes. There were a million questions running through his head. But there was one that was more significant than all the others. He opened his eyes and looked at the overseer with resolve. ¡°Harley. Are my assumptions about her true?¡± The elderly man smiled as he considered Aenon before giving a nod of appreciation. ¡°I was right about you. You are a fascinating child. Tell me, of all the questions you could have asked, why ask this? You could have directly asked what I think about her, rather than trying to confirm what you know.¡± Aenon looked at the shard, clinging to his chest, and then at Allie. The Arbiter was meekly standing to the side, thoroughly chastised from earlier. He turned back to the Overseer and returned his smile. ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in getting all the answers? I¡¯d rather figure it out myself than have it spelt out. Harley told me that is what my soul is like. It¡¯s the same reason I did not take any advice before choosing my skills. And neither will I take help when choosing my classes or builds.¡± ¡°Ho ho. Is that so? Would you still feel the same if your path led to certain death?¡± the Overseer chuckled while his eyes hinted amusement at his response. ¡°Absolutely,¡± Aenon responded with conviction. ¡°Good answer. Now to answer your question, you first need to tell me what your assumptions about her are, and how did you reach said assumptions,¡± the Overseer stroked his beard while regarding him. ¡°My first clue was your statement that she may have absorbed something from me while being integrated into my soul space. Her behavior and personality were next. My suspicion grew when I found that she used my mana pool to heal me. And finally, when Allie informed me that entities require their own soul space,¡± Aenon looked down at the shard on his chest. When he did not elaborate for a while the Overseer pushed him a bit, ¡°So, what is she?¡± ¡°An echo, a memory, a ghost,¡± he responded softly before adding in a barely audible whisper, ¡°A hope.¡± After a long period of silence, during which Allie looked between him and the Overseer with confusion, the Overseer spoke sadly. ¡°Then you know what must be done. You must have already sensed it using your soul sense.¡± Aenon stayed silent, his eyes hurting with the effort to hold back tears. When he looked up, he saw the confusion on Allie¡¯s face and the genuine sadness on the Overseer¡¯s.
You are really planning to make me cry right before the end, aren¡¯t you?
The shard flew away from his chest and started to glow so brightly, it hurt his eyes. But he refused to look away. He observed as the shard started growing arms and legs, until eventually she transformed into a 5-foot-tall girl with dark hair like his. He gave her a tiny smile while choking down his sobs. ¡°Let me introduce you to everyone. Overseer, Allie, please meet Harlequin Fenrast. My little sister.¡± Harley jumped into his arms, giving him a long-awaited hug. He held her tight, without caring about the tears that freely flowed down his cheeks. He had wanted to do this for so long that it hurt his chest. He finally let go of her after 5 minutes, still weeping silently. ¡°You should look at your face right, Arbiter. It is hilarious,¡± Harley joked mischievously before continuing. ¡°As he was saying, yes, I am his younger sister. But that is partially correct. Even though he may refuse to admit it, he doesn¡¯t know the full story so let me explain.¡± The Overseer waved his hand, conjuring a table with 4 chairs around it. They all took a seat after Harley dragged her chair closer to Aenon¡¯s. ¡°I am a unique life form who is not truly alive. I was a System seeding node that was corrupted to raise a planet full of humans and force them to remain weak during integration so that they could be harvested for XP. And before you say anything, Overseer, I have been granted permission by the System to divulge that little detail,¡± she turned to the Overseer who merely nodded. ¡°When I was integrating into his soul space, which is a nice way of saying he was pulverizing me with his bare hands, I developed cracks. And through those cracks something embedded itself in me. Soul fragments. There was a much weaker soul that was hovering around his.¡± ¡°Wait, you mean¡­,¡± Allie started saying something before Harley cut her off. ¡°When a person dies, their soul dissipates. Unless a certain condition is met - having unresolved feelings or grudges. A soul with unresolved issues will sometimes linger beyond death. And if that reason is strong enough, they will latch onto their target and feed off their host¡¯s life energy to survive for much longer.¡± Aenon closed his eyes as he tried hard not to think of the memory he always kept buried deep within. He decided it was time to dig up the old wounds to get some closure. ¡°I¡­,¡± he tried speaking but felt his mouth go dry. He pulled out the water skin and took a large gulp of water. ¡°Back on earth, I come from a very prominent family on my father¡¯s side. My father didn¡¯t like his family and always rebelled against them any chance he got. That included canceling his arranged engagement and marrying the woman he loved, my mother. He got disowned for that, but he made a life for himself and our family. We had a small house, and my father worked in construction as a handyman. Nothing grand, but we were happy and content.¡± He took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing, ¡°My paternal grandfather contacted my father after almost a decade. Apparently, his wife, my grandmother, had died a few days prior and her last wish was to meet her son and grandchildren. In his stubbornness, he hadn¡¯t contacted my father thinking that she would recover. When she died, he fell ill from the loss and guilt of not fulfilling his wife¡¯s last wish. Me and my sister had never met our grandfather, so we didn¡¯t really know the man. But my father did, and when he found that he had kept us away from his dying mother, he refused to meet. My mother eventually convinced him to let the past be the past and make amends before it was too late. When we finally went over to this huge mansion, we were greeted with cold stares from my extended family. My aunts and uncles, and my cousins, all dressed up in fancy clothes looked down on me and my family. We weren¡¯t poor, but to their eyes we might as well be a couple of homeless bums dirtying their marble flooring.¡± Harley started stroking his back as he took a deep breath and continued, ¡°My father had rarely mentioned my grandfather, but whenever he did, he had described this big and proud man. Not the empty husk I saw on that bed that day. Suffice to say the scene finally broke my dad, who cried while both men apologized to each other. When he finally looked at me and my sister, I saw the regret in his lifeless eyes. He put his hands on our heads and while trying to say something, passed away. But that is where our nightmare started.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Allie asked. ¡°My grandfather had changed his will before death. Giving my father an equal share of the inheritance. But my father didn¡¯t want it, which irked my relatives since there was a clause in the will which stated that if my father refuses to accept his share, then the entire estate would go to charity.¡± Realization dawned on everyone¡¯s faces as they realized where this was heading, but Aenon continued calmly. ¡°Instead of informing my father of the clause, they decided to eliminate the root of all their troubles. They had him and my mother killed. My father would probably have accepted the share before donating it to charity if he knew of the clause. But they did not want a significant share leaving their hands. However, my grandfather was a smart man. He had another hidden clause which was to be revealed only if my parents were no more. Because of their actions, they made me and my sister heirs to that share instead.¡± Aenon closed his eyes and relived those dark days. He had decided to face his past, so he refused to just give up and cry. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Allie had a complicated expression on her face. She was looking at him as though she was seeing him for the very first time. ¡°Anyway, long story short, they had to keep us around to secure their property. So, they passed us around like cattle, till we turned 18 and they could force us to hand over the property rights. They couldn¡¯t inflict any physical harm as that would be detected by the lawyer, voiding their property claims, so they got creative,¡± Aenon stated with no emotion. Looking at his state Harley took over. ¡°He protected me. His only condition for silence and cooperation was that I be left alone. Despite how he was treated, he never cried or protested. But monsters like them are never content. They kept pushing him further and further, till I¡­,¡± Harley choked up. ¡°Pain I could take. Humiliation I could live with. But what I failed to realize was that it affected Harley as much as it did me. Seeing me suffer, hurt her in ways I never realized was possible. And so, she ended her life,¡± Aenon finished Harley¡¯s unspoken words. Allie gasped at that while the Overseer observed stoically in silence. Aenon took Harley¡¯s hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. ¡°I know that you are not Harley, at least not fully. But whatever part of her you have in you, I wanted to apologize to her. For failing to realize that you too were in pain because of my weakness. And for failing to protect you like I promised.¡± Harley smiled back at him, the same smile he remembered from their years before they met their grandfather. Before the nightmare began. She rested her head on his shoulder and spoke quietly. ¡°I only have fragments of our memories together, so I do not remember everything that happened before. But I can tell you with certainty that I have never blamed you for anything Aenon. You did a phenomenal job of protecting me. It was I who was weak and left you all alone,¡± she sobbed. ¡°Do you remember the last words you told me?¡± Aenon asked softly to which Harley nodded. ¡°I did achieve it back on earth and you can rest assured I will achieve it again. So, you can rest now. You did not leave me all alone, for you were always with me. And from now on, you will always live on. In my memories, where you belong.¡± Harley started fading as she rested her head on his shoulders with her eyes closed. ¡°Hehe. You never did get me back for the head bashing prank. So, I guess that means I win,¡± she chuckled weakly. ¡°I guess so,¡± Aenon smiled in response with tears rolling down his cheeks as he felt her fading away. ¡°I am so glad that I had a brother like you. Live well and live free, big brother,¡± she said cheerfully before fading away completely. Aenon collapsed on the ground before crying out in despair till his voice echoed all over the hall. 16. Underbelly of the Beast Chapter 16 ¨C Underbelly of the Beast After what felt like hours, Aenon finally managed to collect himself. Throughout his breakdown, neither the Arbiter nor the Overseer had left. There was no judgement in either of their eyes, just sadness, and in Allie¡¯s case, regret. They didn¡¯t say a word, just letting him cry his heart out. And it felt good. He now realized how much trauma he had bottled up inside. He just sat there in silence, fully drained of all emotion. Seeing that he was now in control of himself, the Overseer decided to speak up. ¡°I recommend saving your question for later, when you are in better shape. For now, let me explain a few things, for the benefit of you both,¡± he said while looking at both him and Allie. Allie tensed up at being acknowledged, obviously nervous after her recent break in decorum. Aenon could hardly imagine an entity such as the old man would tolerate such rude behavior from his apprentice. He had suffered worse from his teachers for far smaller infractions. ¡°This dungeon is not normal. It has been tampered with, quite like the seeding node of your planet. I guess you must have noticed strange peculiarities during your dive. It¡¯s the effect of that corruption. I wish I could explain in detail, but that would put you on the playing field of old monsters you have no business knowing.¡± Aenon nodded in understanding, he had figured as much. Nothing about the dive had been smooth. From evolving traps to rooms changing into arenas, everything that could go wrong, had done so. He was still baffled by the disappearance of the obstacle course he was planning to cross to test his new knowledge. He felt cheated out of his loot. ¡°It is within my power to unravel this mystery within hours. In fact, I already have some ideas about who is behind this. However, I will give you a choice here. You have barely pulled on a loose end of a grand tapestry of deceit and corruption. It is what you would call a System Quest. See for yourself,¡± he waved his hand when a window popped up in Aenon''s vision.
Quest You have stumbled across the machinations of ancient evil that the System had purged eons ago. Find out about its source and the parties behind it. Reward: Variable Failure Condition: Death Accept: Y/N
Aenon frowned at the prompt. There was absolutely no information in the description and the rewards were unknown. Allie looked even more confused as she kept looking around. ¡°I didn¡¯t get the quest,¡± she said in a timid voice. ¡°That is because the quest is his alone. Should he choose to reject it, I will personally act to resolve it. It¡¯s been a long time since these old bones had a good workout. Such a high-level quest has not been given out in a long time. The rewards will be great, but so will the risk.¡± Allie fidgeted a bit, obviously wanting to say something. The Overseer sensed it but turned away from her. ¡°Maybe next time you will learn to control yourself better and not lose such a rare opportunity,¡± he said sternly. Aenon saw her body literally deflate with guilt and remorse. He turned back to the prompt before smiling weakly and hitting accept. ¡°Thank you,¡± he whispered. For some weird reason he felt extremely grateful to the man across from him and was surprised that he shared his past, something he had never done before. Not even with the government assigned counselors. He wasn¡¯t sure what made him so comfortable to share things he always kept buried with the old elf. ¡°For what exactly?¡± the old man asked with a small smile. ¡°For being here. For looking out for me. And most of all, for giving me a target to focus on.¡± The old man nodded with a smile, before waving his hand again, which dropped the sorry excuse of a prince at their feet. ¡°Now, having a quest with no clues is frustrating. And since you are the one who captured this abomination, I will let you handle him how you see fit. I believe that was your initial plan?¡± Aenon nodded, a simmering rage returning to the surface from deep within. This guy had dared hurt someone close to him. Which meant his life was forfeit, along with any right to be treated humanely. The Overseer smirked as he turned around and disappeared. Allie visibly relaxed at her mentor¡¯s departure and turned to stare at him with a complicated expression. But before she could get a word in, he turned to the unconscious man at their feet. He got some water from his inventory and poured it on the guy¡¯s head. ¡°Waaaah. What¡­Aaaaaargh. My hands. What did you do to my hands?¡± Aenon pulled up a chair and sat next to the sniveling boy. He drew his dagger but sat motionless with his arms crossed, calmly staring at his victim. ¡°Do you know who I ¡­ Aaaaaargh.¡± The prince¡¯s confident strut was all but gone as Aenon plunged the dagger into his kneecap. He pulled back and took his previous position. ¡°You¡­ you will regret this. My family¡­ Aaaaargh.¡± The second stab went to his other kneecap, before he returned to his earlier posture yet again. The boy stared at him in silent terror, trying but failing to get some distance between them. Aenon kept stabbing him whenever he spoke up for the next 15 minutes. All without a single word in return. Even when the guy asked what he wanted, Aenon stayed silent. The guy finally wizened up and just shut his mouth. ¡°Here are the rules for how this is going to go. You mention your family or connections, you feel pain. You threaten me or mine, you feel pain. You take too long to answer, you feel pain. Nod if you understand,¡± Aenon stated in a chilling tone. The terrified guy nodded vigorously. His wounds had already started to heal significantly. ¡°Good. Now, tell me about the dungeon. I know it was you pulling the strings to modify it. Why did you come here and why did you remove the obstacle course. Remember this though, if I hear a word not related to answering the question, I will spend the next twenty minutes inventing new ways to make you suffer. Now talk.¡± ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ wanted to¡­ umm¡­ Aaaaargh.¡± ¡°I believe I said I wanted answers quickly.¡± ¡°I¡­ sniff¡­ just wanted to¡­ sniff¡­ have some fun. My older brother gave me an artifact to control a low-level dungeon. I wanted to watch some low-level nobodies get wrecked. But you kept beating everything I threw at you. And then I detected the seeding node on you. So, I modified the dungeon and came here in person to claim it back.¡± The boy¡¯s wounds were almost healed, so Aenon severed the tendons again before leaning back to think. Allie was shocked, speechless at the casual display of cruelty but kept quiet. ¡°Next question, tell me about your family. How many members, and their general power levels.¡± ¡°Please¡­ sob¡­ I¡¯ll tell you everything. Just¡­ sob¡­ stop hurting me.¡± At that, Aenon went about doing what he said he would if the boy said anything other than the answer to his questions. By the end of it, the prince had passed out from pain and Allie was throwing up on the side. ¡°Do you need to be so cruel? He was answering you. He just requested mercy, that is all,¡± Allie spoke up. Aenon turned to her slowly, covered in blood, and observed her quietly. For the first time since they met, he saw fear in those eyes. ¡°Mercy? Would I have received any, if our roles were reversed? I believe he promised me a quick death if I gave him what he wanted. How is what I am doing any different?¡± he asked coldly. ¡°Which is exactly my point. By doing this, you are no better than him,¡± she said with disgust in her voice. Aenon tilted his head before asking. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°And why do I need to be better than him? What has being better ever gotten me? Did it make my or my family¡¯s life easier? Did it save my father¡¯s life when he agreed to hand over everything my uncle demanded? Did it let my mother live when she begged for mercy in return for handing over the estate¡¯s share? Or did it make my sister¡¯s life easier, when I tried being the better man and letting my so-called family have fun making my life miserable?¡± Allie looked away in embarrassment. Aenon understood where she was coming from. But she didn¡¯t get it. There was a difference between what he was doing and what people like this prince did. He derived no pleasure in what he was doing. And she needed to know it. ¡°But you are wrong about one thing. I am different from this sorry excuse of a human. I didn¡¯t seek him out, and neither did I draw first blood. He started it, while I am just ending it using his own rules. And I sure as hell am not a coward hiding behind a mask of righteousness to justify my actions. Yes. I am cruel. And I am unforgiving. But only to those who wrong me. I will not seek out an innocent to torment and neither will I let innocents be collateral,¡± he gave her a fierce look. ¡°Being better or being different are just excuses that weak willed people come up with to justify their inability to do what must be done,¡± he continued. Allie was fuming with anger and embarrassment, unable to refute his claims. But he could sense her resisting the urge to accept it, so he gave one last push. ¡°Weren¡¯t you about to kill me the second you came here? Did you wait for an explanation or try to find out the actual truth? You saw me holding the dagger and labelled me a threat instantly. If not for your grandfather, I would be dead. Was that showing mercy? Was that justice?¡± he said challengingly. Her eyes went wide with realization before she turned towards the floor, unable to maintain eye contact with him. Aenon audibly scoffed and turned back to the prince who was slowly regaining consciousness. The rest of the interrogation went smoothly, the broken kid was too scared to even tolerate the thought of defying him. Although, for Allie¡¯s sake, he didn¡¯t inflict any more pain. When he was done extracting all the information he could, he drew his dagger and held its handle towards Allie. She looked at him with confusion. ¡°I thought it was your job to overlook this tutorial. So, here you go. The threat has been proved, eliminate it,¡± he looked at her with a blank expression. She stumbled around, trying to come up with an excuse. He is unarmed and beaten, he has surrendered, this is not a battle, he needs to be imprisoned. But Aenon ignored all of it and continued holding the dagger towards her. ¡°Do your duty, Arbiter,¡± the commanding voice of the Overseer filled the room. Allie jumped back in surprise but hesitantly took the dagger with trembling hands before stabbing the now begging boy in the heart. Soon after that she transformed into the trinket, and Aenon felt her presence leave it. ¡°I hope it went exactly as you hoped?¡± Aenon said while turning towards the Overseer who was standing in the corner, invisible to his sight. ¡°Yes,¡± he said simply before making the dead body vanish with a wave. ¡°Why?¡± Aenon asked. ¡°I do not follow.¡± ¡°That is my second question. Why did you send your apprentice/granddaughter to me? Why make her observe all this?¡± Aenon asked with narrowed eyes. He respected the man, and was thankful to him, but he felt used, nonetheless. ¡°Musings of an old man, I am afraid,¡± the Overseer replied cryptically. ¡°I believe you said you would answer my question as a reward,¡± Aenon asked while crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. The old man chuckled and took a seat at the table, pointing at the seat next to him. When Aenon was seated, he conjured up a smoking pipe and took a long draw from it. ¡°I¡¯ve lived longer than your mind can comprehend. Lost more companions and progeny than the population of your entire planet. After a while, the faces just start to blend, no matter how high my INT stat is. Even so, the love I have for each individual has never changed. My apprentice is one in a long line of people I care about,¡± the old man looked tired as he said those words. ¡°But time has a different meaning to a being such as me. Allie is only 2 years older than you. Which for me, is not even an infant. And so, I treasured that innocence of hers. Sheltering her from anything and everything that was remotely close to what she saw today. She has¡­ never killed another sapient before.¡± Aenon listened with absolute attention to the ancient elf. From his words and the look in his eyes, Aenon got a glimpse of the enormous weight he must have been carrying. Aenon¡¯s own experiences were not even worth a grain of salt against the veritable ocean the old man must have lived through. ¡°Sigh¡­ my point is, I may have sheltered her too much and I needed her to open her eyes to the cruelties of this world,¡± the old man said with a smile. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t answer my question. Why did you choose me? There are billions of people on my planet who have similar, if not worse, histories. What makes me so special?¡± Aenon asked in confusion. He was further confused when the old man started laughing. ¡°My dear apprentice asked me the same question, not too long ago. What makes you so special indeed,¡± he puffed on his pipe for a bit before responding. ¡°Because I have glimpsed into your soul, young man. And you are a rare one.¡± At Aenon¡¯s confused expression, the old elf chuckled and continued. ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself with the mysterious schemes of an old man. I mean you no harm, child.¡± ¡°I never thought you did. But it puzzled me, so I had to ask. Speaking of puzzling things, what did she mean when she said I was a candidate to court her?¡± The old man burst out laughing at his latest query. Aenon was getting the feeling he had made an enormous fool of himself the last time this topic came up. ¡°Forgive me. The innocence of youth never fails to amuse me. It¡¯s said differently in your world. Basically, what she meant was, you are suitable candidate to date her,¡± the elf said with an amused look. Aenon felt his entire face heat up at the revelation, making the old man laugh harder. Recalling what he had said last time, and the subsequent reactions, made him blush more than he had ever done. ¡°I¡­ uh¡­,¡± he struggled to put together words. ¡°Speak no more, my boy. I do not mean to tie you down to her, or her to you. The heart is something that cannot be swayed, I am sure your father would agree. I merely meant to nudge you both in the right direction. You will find no more interference from me in this regard. Although, I sincerely hope you do not trample on her heart, if she does choose to give it to you,¡± the elf said with a wink. Aenon strategically started checking his fingernails for any dirt or grime that may have gotten embedded in there. What he was trying to hide wasn¡¯t just embarrassment but caution too. A relationship with Allie had never crossed his mind till now. Mainly because he had no interest in her as she wasn¡¯t his type. But also because of the Overseer. The power dynamics would be skewed to say the least. Not to mention, ending the relationship with the Overseer¡¯s granddaughter would be a headache he didn¡¯t want to deal with. He already had one kingdom as an enemy, he didn¡¯t need another powerhouse hating his guts. Thankfully, the Overseer took the hint and stood up with a chuckle. Aenon got up before the furniture disappeared. ¡°As a last parting gift, I have put in a request for the loot you missed due to this interference. It shall be deposited in your inventory when you exit the dungeon. Take care, and hope we meet again soon. I¡¯ll be watching where your adventures take you next,¡± the Overseer said before leaving. That is when Aenon realized that he was truly alone for the first time since coming into this world. When he looked in his soul space, he found the shard was a clear crystal now and gave no response to his prodding. He also found that the tear was gone entirely, which meant the trinket was useless to him now. So, he tried depositing it in his inventory but failed. He detected Allie¡¯s presence the next moment. ¡°And what do you think you are doing to my trinket?¡± Allie asked accusingly while turning to her elf form. Her mood was still off but she hid it well. ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t need the trinket anymore. You can have it back. I was just trying to keep it in my inventory for safekeeping,¡± he said hesitantly. It felt awkward talking to her after that conversation with her grandfather. She eyed him suspiciously for any deception and just harrumphed when she found none. She turned away from him but stayed put in the dungeon. ¡°Sigh¡­ Look Allie. It seems we always start off on the wrong foot each time we meet. But I am sure you would agree that what we both need right now is some time to ourselves. I need to process the loss of Harley, and you need to give some thought to what you witnessed and did at the end. I still owe you my life, and if there is one thing about me you need to remember is that I always settle my debts,¡± he said sincerely. He needed to keep his distance from her to avoid future complications with the Overseer. Her expression softened a bit at his words and the tone of his voice. She looked around before asking him pointedly. ¡°Is my grandfather watching or listening?¡± Aenon shook his head, so she continued in a hurt voice. ¡°I just want to know why. Why make me go through this? I have seen him manipulate many people in the past. But he never did it with me, at least not openly like this. And you. Why did you push me to kill that guy? Nothing about you makes sense to me. I am older and stronger than you. Yet¡­,¡± she trailed off in frustration. Aenon silently contemplated how to answer her questions. He realized that she was not like him, who always wanted to find the answers on his own. So, he decided to answer her honestly and directly. ¡°Because he cares about you. He needs you to understand the realities of the world, which he has admitted to keeping you sheltered away from. And I am someone who has seen more than his fair share of troubles. So yes, he did manipulate both of us. But there was no ill intent involved. You and I can never gauge the pressure someone like him is under. So, we need to cut him some slack, don¡¯t you think?¡± he gave her a reassuring smile. ¡°As for me, I am what the world has forged me into. I never have, and never will cry at the injustices that life has thrown my way. I will face whatever I come across without fear, even if it leads me to my death. I do not know your past, but I am guessing you lost someone close to you. Perhaps to the same recklessness you see me exhibit so often. And I am sure that is what infuriates you.¡± He must have hit the nail on the head, because Allie¡¯s eyes went wide before, she averted her gaze. He smiled before continuing. ¡°There is only one thing you need to know about people like me, like the person you lost. We are adventurers at heart and soul. The adventure, the thrill of the chase, is what drives us. And when we meet our end due to it, there are only two regrets we have. Regret at not completing what we started. And regret for leaving our loved ones behind. I am sure if you could meet the person you lost, he or she would say they are sorry to leave you. Cause I know I would.¡± Tears started welling up in Allie¡¯s eyes as she broke down and cried. And so, it was Aenon¡¯s turn to sit quietly beside her as she let go of all the bottled-up feelings. He patted her back occasionally, making her cry harder. In her grief, she leaned her head on his shoulder. When she calmed down a bit and realized what she was doing, she jumped up and turned away. ¡°Why am I getting comforted by someone younger to me? If anyone saw me now¡­,¡± she said in embarrassment. ¡°You are not. The child in me died long ago,¡± he said morosely as he stood up and headed for the exit door for the dungeon. 17. Leeches Chapter 17 ¨C Leeches Jenny More than a month had passed since their arrival in this strange new world. A time of upheaval as all her beliefs were turned upside down. Everything she thought she was good at was useless here. What use was forensic archeology, when they were no longer on their home planet. Every theory that the leading scientists, including her mother, had about their civilization was way off target. She tried rejecting her new reality, she tried justifying it as a prank, she even went as far as to theorize that this was some government funded project involving advanced neural links, but she couldn¡¯t. Every time she settled on a half-baked theory, she witnessed things that upturned that belief. But still, the hardest thing for her to digest was the way people treated her. This entire society was crazy. No man came to her help when she cried. Neither would any man help her as she struggled to kill a rabbit. There was no concept of ladies first, or chivalry for that matter. The people from her own world tried to some extent, but after a few days they abandoned her. Just like that demon, Erwin, did. Trying to throw a tantrum to get her way only got her scorned and thrown out of places. She even tried using her feminine charm to get her way, but the men rejected and looked down on her. Even the other women treating her with disgust. How could she claim she was physically weak because she was a woman and should not be expected to hunt for her food, when the local women carried in boars twice their size. She had not had a decent meal in days now, living off System rations, which were by far the worst thing she had ever tasted. If not for free housing, she would have been homeless by now. As she walked across the village, she noticed how the other people from her planet thrived. There was some initial turmoil, but after a week, most everyone had adapted to their new life. At the end of week 2, when Mike got out, she ran to him for support. She knew he was strong and wouldn¡¯t have any trouble securing food. But he demanded something in return, which earned him a red marker and he was sent back to prison. Even now his demand sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn¡¯t believe she ever liked the guy. By the time she came to her senses, she was the lowest level member of the village, and no one wanted to work with her. She tried working for the so-called NPCs but she had burned too many bridges and people were afraid to hire her. As she collapsed on a park bench in despair, she saw a sight that gave her a glimmer of hope. There was another level 0 player walking down the street, equipped in some decent gear. She ran after him, hoping desperately that he would party up with her. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Aenon It had been more than a month since he left the village. Coming back after so long he noticed certain differences. The players looked healthy and happy instead of lost and confused. He came across multiple parties of 4 to 5 players in the forest, their average levels being around 15. For some reason they looked miffed when he tried asking them for some information and avoided him like he was asking them for a kidney. Barring that, the village community looked livelier now. The market he passed through on the way was jam packed with players buying and selling goods and services, from simple armor repair to player made health and mana potions. There were even some kids running around by themselves. Allie had told him how safer this new world was for kids. The System didn¡¯t allow any threat against minors, intentional or otherwise. A kid could be dropped inside a dragon¡¯s nest and still be able to walk out safely. The System Rations provided for kids didn¡¯t taste bad and were extremely nutritious. Adults, including parents, couldn¡¯t eat the food reserved for the kids. Essentially, all the parents needed to provide was a nurturing environment without having to worry about education or food for the kids. And if the parents abused their kids in any way, they were subjected to the same debilitating penalties any third party would. Aenon really wished the System existed back on earth. Maybe then¡­ As he was reminiscing about his childhood, he suddenly had a very bad feeling. He turned around just in time to see the woman from earth hurtling towards him. She had the look of a starving woman seeing food for the first time. He had seen those looks quite often amongst the homeless before he moved to the forest back home. He considered making a run for it, but looking at her level gave him pause. She was at level zero too. She collapsed near him. ¡°Please hold on second. Please. Can I join your party? I will do anything you want. Well not anything, the System doesn¡¯t allow certain things, but anything that is allowed, I will be happy to. I can cook, I can clean, I can do any chores you need. Just please just let me join your party¡­,¡± she went on and on while the crowd started staring at them. He was not worried about creating a scene, but the looks of disgust did bother him. He had no idea why they were looking at him like that. ¡°What is going on here? Why are they looking at me like I killed their cat or something?¡± he mentally asked Allie. Despite not needing to, she had decided to hitch a ride on his arm in her trinket form. Apparently, she had nothing better to do and Aenon couldn¡¯t think of a reason to get rid of her. No matter how badly he wanted to. ¡°Well, that is because you are level zero. In this society, being level zero after a month means that you either do not have the drive or conviction to level up. Essentially, you are going to be branded a leech by society. Just look at the pitiful girl in front of you. They probably think you are worse than her, since you have decent gear for your level. Most will assume you either stole it, or someone threw you some scraps.¡± As though summoned, a soldier marched over to see what the commotion was about. And to make matters worse, it was the ill-tempered woman from his first day. ¡°Quiet. What is going on here?¡± the moment her eyes fell on him she scowled. And as she looked him over, her frown deepened until finally she sneered maliciously. Aenon regretted not putting on the mask before entering the village. He was trying to be nondescript, but it had failed miserably due to these two women. ¡°What do we have here? A couple of leeches disturbing the peace. And this leech here even managed to steal some gear. You are both under arrest. Follow me quietly or you will be charged with resisting.¡± Aenon coldly stared at her with indifference. Looking at his defiant stare, she backhanded him violently. He barely took a step back and turned around to continue staring. Surprised that he was still standing, and feeling angrier, she punched him in the gut. He coughed up blood due to the hit but stood tall again and continued to stare. Puzzled at her inability to make him kneel, she withdrew a pair of shackles. He presented his hands without a word and with the same blank expression as before. The cowering woman on the other hand tried to explain and was rewarded with a slap that knocked her out cold. ¡°You, leech, carry your partner,¡± the soldier commanded and drew her sword. Aenon casually picked up the unconscious girl with one hand and put her over her shoulders. His display of strength unnerved the female guard, but she steeled her gaze and poked him with the sword. ¡°Start walking. You are going to prison. One night in the cell, and you will start singing like a bird.¡± ¡°This is not how a village guard is supposed to behave,¡± Allie whispered in indignation. ¡°Just do as you are told, for now. She is going to pay very dearly for this.¡± ¡°Calm down. I don¡¯t need anyone to fight my battles. This is the second time this woman has crossed me. I will deal with her myself,¡± he calmly informed Allie. He marched without a word, even with her sword occasionally cutting into him. As they approached a building surrounded by soldiers in training, they attracted the attention of a couple. He cast identify on the one overseeing the training and pointedly stared at his eyes. Looking at his cold gaze, the level 62 guard captain, as per his nameplate, walked towards them. The female soldier punched the back of his head when she noticed who he was staring at, again failing to knock him over. ¡°How dare a leech like you stare down our distinguished captain,¡± she bellowed as the captain got closer. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°What do we have here soldier,¡± the captain asked sternly as he stopped near them. Aenon had not stopped staring at him for a second. ¡°Just a couple of leeches suspected of stealing high level gear. They were causing a commotion in the market. Nothing to concern yourself with captain,¡± the female responded nervously. ¡°That is a blatant lie,¡± for the first time Aenon said a word in front of the woman, although his gaze was still fixated on the captain. ¡°How dare you¡­,¡± the woman was about to hit his head again when the captain raised his hand to stop her. ¡°Enough. You, boy, speak. What is it that she is supposed to have lied about? You are level 0, are you not? You are wearing high level gear, are you not?¡± the captain stated. ¡°First off, I know this soldier. I respectfully asked her for directions on my first day here. When she started insulting me, I ignored her and left, probably hurting her fragile ego in the process. Secondly, there was no commotion. I was merely minding my business when this unconscious woman started begging to join my party. That¡¯s when this lady showed up and without explanation placed me under arrest and demanded I be quiet. So, I have been quiet. And lastly, I have earned this gear myself.¡± ¡°A bold claim. Can you back it up?¡± the captain asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Yes, I can. She has hit me 3 times so far. If you believe I am still standing because of my gear, I have a challenge for you. I will unequip all my gear and hit her 3 times. Depending on the outcome, you can decide if I have earned this gear or not,¡± he said in the same calm and collected voice with a hint of threat in it. Th captain¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he observed the man in front of him. He smiled and nodded. ¡°Very well then. Stand in the training field soldier. You are not to defend yourself and take the punches. If this man is lying, I will personally deal with him. But if he is telling the truth, and you cannot stand 3 hits from a level zero, I am inclined to believe that he has earned his gear. Moreover, it also means you have abused your authority and will be punished accordingly.¡± The female soldier looked shocked for a second before complying. She walked to the middle of the training field while the other soldiers cleared out, making a circle to enjoy the spectacle. ¡°If I detect any tricks, you will regret it, boy. Remove your armor¡±, he commanded the waiting soldier while removing Aenon¡¯s shackles. ¡°Let her keep her armor on. I don¡¯t want to accidentally kill her,¡± Aenon said while cracking his neck and moving towards the now nervous soldier. He unequipped and stored all his armor, except the trinket, which he dropped on the ground. The audience started whispering amongst themselves as the unknown man walked up confidently towards his opponent. The woman defiantly stared him down with hatred in her eyes but stayed silent since her captain was watching. Aenon looked at her for a few seconds before announcing loudly. ¡°Twice. That¡¯s how many times you have wronged me, unprovoked. The first time, I showed you respect, and you insulted me. The second time, you blamed me without proof and threatened to put me in a cell for the night. And additionally, you hit me 3 times. The reason I am doing this publicly is for the insult. The three hits are for the three times you hit me. So, whatever happens from now on, I want you to remember. You made your bed, so now lie in it.¡± Having said his piece, he backhanded her the same way she did, with all his strength. The blow knocked her to the ground while also severely denting the helmet covering her head. The strength surprised her, and she looked at him with horror in her eyes. She was bleeding from her mouth as two teeth fell out. He stared at her with indifference before commanding, ¡°Stand up. The next blow is to your gut.¡± Realizing her plight, she turned to her captain with pleading eyes, ¡°Captain, I am sorry. I¡­¡± ¡°Stand up, soldier,¡± the captain barked. With shivering legs, she managed to stand straight and addressed him directly, ¡°I am sorry sir¡­¡± Aenon punched her in the gut, without holding back in the slightest. She flew back 4 feet and collapsed; her chest piece dented severely. She started vomiting blood as she broke down and cried. ¡°I am sorry captain. Please have mercy. I was in foul mood that day because of my husband. I should not have tried to take it out on the citizens. I also should not have tried to unlawfully arrest this man. Please. I will resign from the force and give up my class voluntarily. Please don¡¯t let him punch me in the back of the head. I will not survive it. And I cannot afford to pay for a resurrection spell.¡± Aenon merely looked at the captain to see what he would decide. It was true, even with armor, she would not survive a full force punch to the back of her head. The captain stared down the crying woman sternly before turning to him. ¡°You have proved your point. You are worthy of that gear, and she has also confessed to mistreating you. I am also honor bound to let you have the last hit as per our deal,¡± the woman started wailing and begging for mercy at this. ¡°However, could you spare her life and not hit her the third time? I swear on my honor you will be compensated.¡± Aenon stared into the captain¡¯s eyes before replying coldly, ¡°I always settle my scores. So, no.¡± He charged at the woman before she could move. And flicked her with a finger to the back of her head. The sudden shock of his charge scared her enough to make her pass out, despite it being a casual finger flick. ¡°We are even,¡± Aenon declared as he walked away from the speechless crowd, carrying the unconscious source of all this mess. He walked straight to his house, ignoring all the stares he got for carrying a body. Once inside, he unceremoniously dumped the troublemaker on the couch and went to his bedroom after a quick shower. The moment he collapsed on his bed, Allie popped out to the side. ¡°Nicely done. Those extra titles from the dungeon runs must have come in handy. Although, you will now have the attention of some very high-ranking people. Hope you are ready for that,¡± Allie said as a matter fact. ¡°What do you plan to do with the extra baggage though?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t decided yet. Don¡¯t even know why I brought her to be honest. Anyway, let me get some shut eye, will you? Haven¡¯t slept in a bed in forever,¡± he said sleepily before falling asleep. He woke up fully refreshed the next day. As he made his way to the kitchen, he saw the unconscious form of his house guest. ¡°Is she alive? Don¡¯t want to get blamed for murder,¡± he said in a worried voice as he grabbed some plates from the kitchen. ¡°She is¡­,¡± Allie said with some hesitation. ¡°She is the reason I had to come back to the village. Her companion did a number on her. I¡¯ll let her explain. Don¡¯t mention me in front of her.¡± The redhead chose this exact moment to regain consciousness. As she groggily got up, her eyes met his. Her mouth dropped open before taking in her surroundings. ¡°How did you get inside my house? GUARDS. GUARDS. HELP. SOMEBODY HELP ME.¡± Aenon merely raised an eyebrow at her antics. He slowly walked towards the couch she was lying on before, with her walking backwards till she hit the wall. He sat down with one leg crossed over the other. For some reason her face went white while her voice faltered. She started trembling and collapsed to her knees, sitting attentively with her palms clasped together in her lap. ¡°What are you doing,¡± he asked questioningly. He had no idea what was going through this woman¡¯s head, but her submissive body language baffled him. ¡°I am sorry master,¡± she blurted out in a timid voice. For a moment, his eyebrows flew up while he stared at the scene before him, while trying and failing to come up with an explanation. He had an inkling that maybe this girl had a multiple personality disorder or something. She went from begging, to accusing, to completely submissive at the drop of a hat Even now she was shivering but trying her hardest to stay still. She was obviously traumatized, but try as he might, he couldn¡¯t deduce why. Thinking that perhaps this needed a different approach, he got up and walked over to her. Her lips quivered as he got closer, and her knuckles went white as she balled her fists. ¡°Have I displea¡­sed you, ma¡­ster?¡± He crossed his legs and sat in front of her. As he gazed into her eyes, he noticed the terror, the anguish, the feeling of being lost. It brought up some bad memories, but he squashed them. Now was not the time. ¡°Are you ok? Did anyone hurt you?¡± he asked with genuine concern. Her eyes started watering while she chewed her lower lip. But she still refused to talk. He sighed and withdrew a rabbit skewer from his inventory. It was still steaming hot, and the aroma was tantalizing. Her eyes stared hungrily at the skewer, while tears started rolling down her cheek. He put the skewer on the plate in front of her, and gently backed away. He grabbed some more plates and glasses from the kitchen. When he got back, she was still frozen like a statue, looking anywhere but the skewer. Her eyes were bloodshot with tears freely flowing down. He placed the utensils in front of her and sat down again. ¡°Please eat. That skewer is for you, and it is not poisoned,¡± he took a small piece and put it in his mouth. Looking at her pained expression, he placed a few more skewers on the plate and walked back to his room. Before entering, he turned to her and said, ¡°No one is going to hurt you, while you are in my house. I will be in my room, so please eat.¡± He closed the door behind him and took a deep breath before looking at the trinket. ¡°What was that about?¡± he asked Allie softly. The woman¡¯s reaction reminded him of many painful memories. He knew what psychological trauma looked like. ¡°Her companion, Erwin I think he was called. He was essentially putting her through psychological torture. I¡­ I didn¡¯t know humans were capable of such things,¡± she said sadly. ¡°I thought it was not possible to hurt each other?¡± he asked. ¡°There are always loopholes to exploit in any law. He was smart enough to identify one, and she was gullible enough to fall for it. He started with threats to keep her in line. When he was beginning to lose control of her, he took her deep into the forest and let her be captured by a spider queen. Unfortunately for her, spider queens don¡¯t kill their prey. They lay their eggs on them. The spiderlings then eat the victim alive when they hatch. Her resurrection token got used up, but she is too scared to leave the village now,¡± Allie sighed as she informed him. ¡°Why not get the help of others then? Why stagnate in the village all alone?¡± Aenon asked with confusion. ¡°Because it was too late. She was still level 0 by the time I sorted that mess. And now she has been branded a leech. That jerk is in prison, in case you are wondering. The moron thought he was being smooth and would not face any consequences if he was not directly hurting her. Hmph. Not very smart after all,¡± Allie said in disgust. ¡°Hmmm,¡± Aenon said while thinking what to do next. Dealing with the woman would be a headache, but he couldn¡¯t just leave her either. So, he headed out to the living room. She was frantically stuffing her mouth with the skewers but started choking when she saw him come out. Aenon gave her a stern look before pointing to the couch and saying, ¡°You and I, are going to have a talk.¡± 18. Unfettered Chapter 18 ¨C Unfettered It took almost an hour to calm the girl down. After a filling meal, she felt safe enough to talk and Aenon listened in silence to Jenny¡¯s side of things. She came from a broken home which was all too common back on Earth. Her parents got divorced right around the time she was born, and her mother had gotten full custody. Hearing her glorification of her mother with a straight face was a testament to his patience. She had placed the older woman on a pedestal, and no one came close to such greatness. Her older brother and father were nothing but trash, all because they chose to follow non-academic fields like her oh-so-great mother. Finally losing his patience, Aenon snapped. ¡°OK that¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t think I need to hear more about your mother¡¯s accomplishments. I got how great she was after the first fifteen minutes of your detailed explanation,¡± he said sarcastically. But the oblivious woman didn¡¯t really pick up the sarcasm and looked pleased instead. ¡°Wow. I thought her companion might have broken her mind. But this makes me think, she was broken long before they met,¡± Allie said incredulously. Aenon closed his eyes to think about how to proceed before he got an idea. He had a mental conversation with Allie before opening his eyes and looking at the still smiling red head. ¡°Alright, Jenny. You said your mother is a forensic archaeologist?¡± he asked. ¡°The very best in the field. She was awarded¡­,¡± the woman started explaining with a broad smile, but Aenon cut her off. ¡°Yeah, I know about her awards. So, do you think she knew that our planet was part of an intergalactic conglomerate, and they were merely raising us to be slaughtered when we grew to a certain population size?¡± he asked in a neutral tone. For the first time during their conversation, she was speechless when asked about her mother. She was struggling to maintain a facial expression, and an outside observer would have thought she was having a seizure. But Aenon pressed on without letting her recover. ¡°Of course she couldn¡¯t have known, since the much more advanced civilization had covered their tracks well. But how do you think your mother is faring right now? You know, with this new System governed reality of ours?¡± That brought the fire back into her eyes, as she defended her mother fiercely. ¡°Of course she will be doing well. She is the smartest woman there is, and I am sure she must have figured out this new System within minutes. If I was not separated from her, I would not be in this mess.¡± ¡°Hmmm. I see. And what about your brother? You said he was a game developer? So, adjusting to this new world must come naturally to him, right?¡± he asked while maintaining his clueless fa?ade. ¡°Ugh. Of course not. He is a good for nothing¡­,¡± she said with an expression of someone who had smelled something nasty. ¡°Enough. I need you to give me a reason why he would have failed. Not parrot the words your mother has been feeding you,¡± Aenon said in an icy tone. His sudden change in demeanor threw her off for a second. She had finished her food a while ago and was starting to get comfortable. But this shift brought back her nervousness a bit. Aenon didn¡¯t wish to exploit her trauma, so he was very careful about his words and tone. But he couldn¡¯t have her fall back completely to her comfort zone. ¡°I¡­ ummm¡­ he is never successful in anything. So of course he will not succeed here¡­,¡± she stammered. ¡°Well in that case, this might come as a surprise to you, but I do know your brother. Half the people back on Earth do,¡± Aenon said in a decisive voice. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not possible. My mother said he¡­¡± ¡°He is the lead developer of the most successful game in the world. He is also the youngest recipient of multiple prestigious game design awards. And most importantly, he is the role model for millions of aspiring game developers. And I know this because I used to game back on earth, and I loved his work.¡± She seemed lost just like the first day they had entered this world. Aenon pitied her because she was obviously raised to be this way by her manipulative mother. ¡°And fun fact about your father. Your older brother looks up to the man. He said so in an interview in one of the largest Comic-cons. He was not the drunk old fool your mother made you believe. He was a Pulitzer award winner, an award given to him for exposing rampant plagiarism and corruption in the Academic field. I¡¯ll give you one guess as to which field he exposed and when he did it,¡± Aenon said in a mocking tone. All the facts he told her were true, but he lied about the way he had got them. He didn¡¯t know about her brother or father before today. He was accessing all this information from the shard that Harley left behind. Apparently, she had downloaded a database of the entire internet which included wiki pages and personal social media profiles of everyone. Allie was combing the database for all the information and passing it on to him. ¡°You¡­ you are lying,¡± Jenny covered her head in her hands as she turned way. ¡°I am not. He exposed the field of forensic archeology, and he did it 2 months before the divorce. He didn¡¯t reveal any names in his article, but I am sure your mother felt wonderful when the article was published,¡± Aenon egged her on further. ¡°NO. YOU ARE LYING. MY MOTHER IS A GREAT WOMAN. YOU ARE JUST TRYING TO SLANDER HER.¡± Aenon watched her stand up with balled up fists on her sides. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she was breathing heavily. With half his plan executed flawlessly, he decided to bring out the big guns. ¡°Well, why don¡¯t we ask her directly. You remember the Arbiter? She saved you from Erwin¡¯s torment a few days ago,¡± he pointed to his side as the trinket transformed into an elf. Jenny¡¯s eyes went wide she took a step back in surprise. ¡°Hello again. It seems each time we meet, you keep getting worse, instead of improving. Honestly, looking at you now, I am not sure why I even saved you.¡± Aenon gave her a cold stare with narrowed eyes at that remark. He had explained her role very clearly, and this was off script. She got the message, and so cleared her throat and continued as per his plan. ¡°Ahem. Well, I can contact your mother. It will be brief, and you cannot physically interact with her. But you can see and hear her quite clearly. So, here goes,¡± Allie waved her hand in a complicated gesture as Aenon saw and felt the mana in the air twist in a complex pattern. A dense cloud of mist erupted from her hands before coalescing into a female figure. A frail old woman in tattered beginner gear appeared before them. Looking at the expression on Jenny¡¯s face, he thought maybe Allie contacted the wrong person. But eventually Jenny recognized her mother and tried jumping in for a hug, only to pass through and crash to the ground. Allie clicked her tongue in disapproval but stayed silent. The older woman looked confused as she looked around the room, before she too recognized her daughter. Both women collapsed on the ground next to each other, sobbing and talking to each other incoherently. Aenon looked in amazement as he saw the two somehow have a full conversation in the utter gibberish nasal language. Suddenly a fifth figure appeared, a young male elf with a disapproving look on his face. Allie, for her part, gave the other man a brief glance before ignoring his presence altogether. ¡°Communication between the participants of different regions is restricted till travel has been established by the Player population. You know this¡­,¡± the well-dressed man spoke in anger. ¡°An exception to that rule applies when the mental state of players is in critical condition. And an Arbiter is present for the interaction so they cannot exchange restricted information. Yes, cousin. I am aware of the rules and have not broken any,¡± Allie said with indifference without giving a second glance to the now fuming guy. He merely harrumphed and stood to the side. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Aenon looked from one elf to the other. As this wasn¡¯t his concern in any way, he decided to ignore them and focus on the two women on the ground. They had gone silent at the appearance of another elf, an Arbiter too if Aenon was guessing it correctly. ¡°Anyway, now that you two had time to bond and catch up, I need some questions answered, miss¡­?¡± he looked questioningly at the woman in her late thirties. ¡°Karen Smith,¡± she replied hesitantly. ¡°Your name is Karen?¡± Aenon did a double take at that. ¡°Yes, it is. Is there a problem with that?¡± Karen replied rather defensively with some heat in her voice. ¡°Oh. No, not at all,¡± Aenon replied quickly. ¡°Moving on, your daughter and I have some things we¡¯d like to know. Firstly. What is your current level?¡± The woman shrunk back at the question and looked at her daughter. Looking at the expectant look on her face, she proudly raised her chin and replied, ¡°Level 20¡±. Jenny turned towards Aenon smirking in triumph. But before anyone could say another word the male elf yelled in anger. ¡°You dare lie in the presence of not one, but two Arbiters? I guess those 3 weeks in the cell haven¡¯t been enough for you.¡± The woman paled instantly, as she started bowing down in fear. ¡°I am sorry sir. I was merely trying to give my daughter some hope. I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. I am level 2,¡± she trembled as she spoke. Jenny¡¯s expression went from pride to shock at the revelation. But Aenon turned to the male arbiter and gave a bow, which earned him a scowl from Allie. ¡°Sir, could you please tell us why she was locked up?¡± Aenon said politely. The male Arbiter looked pleased but tried to maintain a professional demeanor. ¡°Well, the first time she was locked up for a day. She tried to steal some free rations from an elderly couple, who had their free ration period extended owing to their health. Threw quite a fit claiming unfair treatment of a great scholar and demanded she had a right to those free rations.¡± The older woman was looking at the ground, away from her daughter in shame. The look of shock turned to disbelief, but the Arbiter continued regardless. He had an extremely loathsome look on his face. ¡°She expertly skirted the rules after that for a while. Almost didn¡¯t get caught too. She was essentially in cahoots with another problem player to lead innocent players to their deaths, the ones with resurrection tokens. The maniac wanted no other player to have a resurrection token except him. He gave her food and protection in exchange. But her latest scheme was the most heinous one that I have ever witnessed. I will not soil my honor by repeating such vile plans. You, speak. Let everyone know what you had planned,¡± the Arbiter commanded in disgust. The woman cowered in silence, looking around to find some escape from her predicament. But the two Arbiters unleashed the same mysterious pressure Aenon had experienced back during orientation. And if one was bad, two felt as though an entire mountain was pressing them down. Aenon barely managed to steady himself, thankfully being seated on the couch. ¡°Speak. I will not repeat myself,¡± Allie whispered icily. ¡°The¡­ m¡­ man I worked for. He¡­ liked this girl and wanted¡­ wanted her. He asked me to bring her out¡­ out of the village,¡± she stuttered on in defeat. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to mention how old this girl was,¡± the male Arbiter added. The woman started shaking like a leaf before uttering a single word. ¡°N¡­ Ni¡­ Nine.¡± Aenon¡¯s blood froze in his veins. All sounds from the outside world seized as he felt a cold fury bubble to the surface. Everyone in the room was staring at him in shock for some reason. But he gave them no thought. He couldn¡¯t. His entire being was focused on the terrified woman before him. He slowly stood up and walked towards her. He studied the mana and the wisps floating around the projection of his target, his prey. As he stood before her, Jenny backed off to a corner. The old woman looked terrified but didn¡¯t move, couldn¡¯t move. He locked her down with his gaze. ¡°Why is she alive, Arbiter?¡± he asked the question without looking away from the horrified gaze of his prey. ¡°Well, ummm, guess they didn¡¯t know that underage Players are protected by the System. They couldn¡¯t have done anything no matter how much they tried. And since no crime was committed¡­,¡± the male Arbiter¡¯s voice was subdued for some reason. ¡°And what of this other player?¡± he asked while still studying the mana and wisps. ¡°He¡­ he is still locked up. He will be for the next three months,¡± the Arbiter answered. ¡°Contact him,¡± Aenon commanded. ¡°You are in no position to¡­,¡± the Arbiter replied with some anger. ¡°Now.¡± Aenon felt it this time. He had done something, not sure what. But he could feel the very air around him charged with something. He used his soul sense to study his surroundings and noticed that both the elves were struggling to stay upright. The male elf eventually complied, and a man appeared right next to the old lady. Aenon studied the process much more closely this time while studying the man. He looked to be in his mid-twenties and looked quite handsome. But something was off, he detected a tiny veil covering the man, so with a casual flick and some carefully controlled mana, he tore it off. The man was replaced by a middle aged and balding man. For the first time Aenon accessed the shard himself and scoured the database for this guy¡¯s info. He dug deep, searching his social media, hidden emails, foreign bank accounts. Everything. Each new find made him sicker, and his fury rose to new heights. After he was done, he did the same to the woman. He could now write a detailed biography of her life if he wanted. And although her history was much tamer, it didn¡¯t erase the fact that she had decided to work with this animal and had attempted to do what he had done quite often back on earth. Aenon didn¡¯t think about what he was about to do next, he didn¡¯t plan it. He just did it. To the shock of everyone else in the room, he grabbed the two by their throats and hoisted them up. He could vaguely sense that there were some words being said in the background along with another presence. But he couldn¡¯t hear them. His entire focus was on the two writhing worms in his hands. With a firm twist he snapped their necks and tossed their bodies to the ground. All that remained on their lifeless faces was the look of utter horror. A notification popped up in his vision.
System Notification Skill ?? (Unfettered) used. Target eliminated.
Aenon swiped the notification away. It gave him no information, and he had bigger concerns to deal with. He turned to the two Arbiters, who were staring wide eyed between him and the two lifeless bodies. Their projection dissolved into a mist before disappearing. The male elf then vanished for a few seconds before materializing again with a baffled look. ¡°How did you¡­,¡± he began to point his finger at him accusingly. ¡°The knowledge of this incident doesn¡¯t leave this room,¡± a much older male voice spoke as the Overseer appeared. He was wearing his mask this time. The two younger elves snapped out of their shock before eventually giving a bow and staying silent. The Overseer then turned to face Aenon, and with the mask on, Aenon had no idea what kind of expression the wiser old man had. ¡°Tell me, do you regret what you have done just now? Snuffing out two lives, one of them in front of the victim¡¯s child,¡± the Overseer asked calmly. ¡°No,¡± Aenon replied plainly. ¡°And if I was to end your life in judgement of your actions? Would you still not regret it?¡± ¡°My answer will remain the same, no matter the consequence to my person.¡± The ancient man nodded in acknowledgment before starting to turn away, when he was interrupted by the male Arbiter, who kneeled in respect. ¡°Honorable Patriarch. Do you want us to detain or eliminate this threat? Surely, what he has done cannot be forgiven.¡± The Overseer clasped his hands behind his back before facing the kneeling man. ¡°My vision must be failing with old age, but tell me young man, do you see a red marker above his head?¡± he said in a stern tone. ¡°Ummm, no, honorable Patriarch,¡± the man replied sullenly. ¡°And that is all you need to know. Am I being clear?¡± ¡°But venerable Patriarch, the victims didn¡¯t have markers either. And he was able to bypass the System¡¯s protection somehow to kill them. Not to mention doing it using projections which should not be possible at all. Surely, he has found a way¡­¡± The young elf was interrupted when the old man pointed a finger at him, making him float in the air while struggling to breathe. ¡°Sigh When did my own flesh and blood get so brazen and unmannered,¡± he stated calmly before the young Arbiter¡¯s neck snapped and he dropped to the ground. Aenon¡¯s eyes narrowed at the scene, but he stayed silent. Not out of fear, but confusion. Allie on the hand gasped while she stared at her cousin¡¯s body, while Jenny had eyes glued to the spot where she had seen her mother¡¯s corpse. The Overseer stared into Aenon¡¯s eyes, probably expecting him to ask something, but when he stayed silent, he nodded again and vanished. Aenon looked at Allie and knew that a long conversation was on the way, so decided to address the more immediate concern first. ¡°You¡­ you killed my mom,¡± Jenny said blankly while still staring at the spot. ¡°Complete that sentence,¡± Aenon replied. ¡°What?¡± she finally looked at him with tears in her eyes. ¡°I said complete that sentence. I killed your mother because¡­,¡± he said plainly. Tears started gushing out as she stared at him with hatred in her eyes. Her anger was starting to overwhelm her fear, and she lashed out. ¡°YOU HAD NO RIGHT. YOU ARE NOT THE LAW. YOU ARE¡­¡± Her voice seized up as Aenon vanished and appeared right in front of her, with a dagger to her throat. ¡°I asked you to say it. Say what your mom did.¡± Jenny trembled, biting her lips in frustration and fear. She was warring internally about the facts before her, so Aenon decided to drive in the point. ¡°Your mother was doing to others what Erwin did to you, to make them lose their resurrection tokens. Even then I would have shown her some mercy, but what she attempted with the child, that has no forgiveness in my book. I initially started this to knock her off the pedestal that you so lovingly placed her on. Not even in my wildest dreams did I think how low she could truly fall. And if you still hold such a person in high regard, then I have nothing more to say to you,¡± he lowered the dagger and walked away. ¡°As a last mercy I will tell you this, your mother is not dead. Her token got used up. I merely wanted her to experience what she has put others through. The other animal she served is truly dead though. And if she hasn¡¯t changed her ways by the next time we meet, I will end her permanently too. Get out of my house. Do not dare to show me your face again, unless you are willing to accept what kind of person your mother was.¡± 19. The Weight of Ones Conviction Chapter 19 ¨C The Weight of One¡¯s Convictions Aenon collapsed on his bed in exhaustion. Whatever he had done earlier had drained him significantly. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure what it was he did, but he had a vague idea. It had felt like his body was on autopilot based on emotions and the subtle hints he was receiving from his latest Titles. He felt Allie¡¯s presence boring down on him, so he decided to review his stats before he got sucked into another tedious conversation.
Title achieved: Dungeon Pioneer Title upgraded: Arcane Wizard (2) Title upgraded: Mana Touched (2) Title upgraded: Goblin Bane (2) Title evolved: Dungeon Pioneer to Dungeon Pathfinder Title upgraded: Planetary Forerunner (7) Title upgraded: Solo Player (2) Title achieved: Corruption Cleanser Title upgraded: System¡¯s Chosen (2) Title upgraded: Unfettered (2)
Dungeon Pioneer: Locate and enter a previously undiscovered dungeon +5 PER
Arcane Wizard (2): Achieve intermediate mastery of natural mana on your own. +20 all stats
Mana Touched (2): Interact with natural mana attributes without the System''s aid. +30 all stats
Goblin Bane (2): Kill more than 10 hobgoblins +30 all stats
Dungeon Pathfinder: Clear a previously uncleared dungeon. +10 all stats
Planetary Forerunner (7): First to clear an overflowing dungeon while solo +60 all stats
Solo Player (2): Clear a dungeon solo. +50 all stats
Corruption Cleanser: Directly cause the removal or suppression of ?? Corruption +60 all stats
System¡¯s Chosen (Hidden, 2): Achieve a favorable view from the System. Cannot be seen by anyone except the System. Allows the ability to hide one or all titles from others, including Overseers. Allows user to bypass certain System restrictions.
Unfettered (2): ??? +100 all stats Skill (Unfettered): ??
Name Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race Human (F) Level 0
Class None Level NA
Subclass None Level NA
HP 6940 MP 7020
HP/10 min 1386 MP/10 min 1420
Stats
Strength 694 (4+690) Intelligence 702 (12+690)
Constitution 693 (3+690) Willpower 710 (20+690)
Dexterity 698 (8+690) Perception 700 (10+690)
Titles (690 x 6 = 4140)
Indomitable Soul (3) +20 all stats
Planetary Forerunner (7) +60 all stats
Overseers Favor +5 all stats
System''s Chosen (2) (Can bypass certain System restrictions)
Nomenclaturist +5 all stats
Savant Hunter (3) +30 all stats
Arcane Wizard (2) +20 all stats
Mana Touched (2) +30 all stats
Unfettered (2) +100 all stats (Skill: ??)
Apex Predator +20 all stats
Underdog +20 all stats
Goblin Bane (2) +30 all stats
Solo Player (2) +50 all stats
Prodigy (2) +30% stat gained from Titles
First Blood (S) +20% stat gained from Titles
Skills (Free SP: 6)
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps) Savant
Stealth (Woods, Urban) Savant
Spells
Illusion (Basic) Earth Manipulation (Basic) Water Manipulation (Basic) Overcharge (Basic) Blooming Earth Barrier ¨C Physical (Basic)
He finally figured out how he was able to bypass the System barrier that protected human players. His System¡¯s Chosen title had upgraded and allowed him certain privileges. If his guess was right, it had upgraded because of the Corruption Cleanser title. Unfettered was still a mystery but seeing that it had upgraded last meant certain conditions must have been satisfied. He didn¡¯t know how, but he knew that it had bypassed the resurrection token and killed that man permanently. Closing his stat sheet, he turned around to address the elephant in the room. ¡°Go on, the Overseer is not listening in,¡± he told Allie who was on his hand in her trinket form. After a tense silence she spoke coldly. ¡°He¡­ he killed his own flesh and blood to protect you? I have seen him eliminate family members who had become problems. But this, this doesn¡¯t make sense. Why is he treating you this way? What is so special about you? Also, how in the world did you bypass the System barrier? And manage to kill them via a projection?¡± Aenon stayed silent for a minute, waiting to see if she would ask any further questions. He was growing tired of spoon feeding her information but decided to do it anyway. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°What makes you think he killed that Arbiter to protect me?¡± he asked. ¡°Are you serious? He killed my cousin after he dared question the decision to let you go. A decision even I am questioning. You are dangerous. The things you do, the things you are capable of, are unheard of. You are already past the threshold for an S grade evolution, and you are still a level 0.¡± Aenon sat up on the bed at that. He removed the trinket and placed it in front of him. When she transformed into her elf form, he drew his dagger and placed it in between them. ¡°Go ahead then. Finish me off. The Overseer may kill you for it, but it shouldn¡¯t matter. If I am such a threat, and you are truly as righteous as you think, then you should have no qualms in sacrificing yourself for the greater good,¡± he stared directly into her eyes while challenging her. ¡°You think I won¡¯t?¡± she retorted while picking up the dagger and pointing at him. When he didn¡¯t react, she drew her hand back and stabbed him in his chest.
-5800 HP (Critical Hit) Status effect: Massive Bleed (-500 HP/min)
Aenon didn¡¯t even flinch and continued to stare at her without emotion. She fumbled and stepped away from him, leaving the dagger in his chest. Her eyes went wide as she realized what she had done. She started looking around in a panic, before her presence disappeared from the trinket and it fell to the floor. Aenon leaned back against the headrest of his bed and closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t know why he let her kill him that easily, it wasn¡¯t like him. But he owed her a life, and in his book now they were even. His feelings had been bothering him for a while now. He was not this emotional or trusting in the past, ever since his sister¡¯s death. So, he wasn¡¯t sure why he trusted the Overseer and the Arbiter that easily. But it didn¡¯t really matter anymore. He was about to die, and that was that. He had less than a minute to live, so he decided to recall the good memories from his past. It brought a smile to his face, as he felt his life slowly starting to fade away. Eventually he was flung back into his soul space which was in utter chaos. There were cracks forming all over the shell that housed his soul and avatar. He estimated that the walls would collapse within an hour, which must be what decided the resurrection timer. With nothing better to do, he approached the clear crystal shard in his soul space. It just floated around, inert to his senses. He could mentally access it to browse all the information stored there, so he pulled up his social media profile. Something he had not done in so long. He browsed his family pictures, reminiscing about the fond memories. He quickly created a collage of all the photos and videos and sat down to watch them as his soul space started falling apart. He ignored the collapse and just focused on the video before him. He laughed, he cried, but not once did he regret where his life had led him. As the video ended, he leaned back and just floated in silence, ready to pass on. As the final sections of his soul space collapsed, he felt a sudden surge of mana pass through his soul space. Within seconds the shell was reformed, and he was ejected back into the real world. He looked around in confusion, his vision was blurry, and he had no strength to lift his arms. He felt a sharp pain in his chest as the dagger was removed. When his sight returned, he saw the panicking face of Allie sitting on top of him. Before he could try speaking, he felt his face whipped to the side as she slapped him hard. His brain rattled in his skull from the force of the impact. That completely dispelled the grogginess from his eyes, and he was finally able to register that she was yelling and crying. ¡°You moron, you psycho¡­,¡± she bombarded him with insults. ¡°What? Stabbing me to death was too slow? You want to slap me to death instead?¡± Aenon said with a straight face. He was annoyed with her, but he could not shake off this ¡­ feeling that he had to forgive her. It was very disorienting. She was stunned, speechless, just staring at him with her jaw hanging. She tried but failed to complete a full sentence. ¡°You¡­ how can you¡­¡± Aenon lay there, with his hands to the side, with her straddling him. Eventually he sighed and spoke softly. ¡°I always mean what I say Allie. It was not a rhetorical statement. You have saved my life previously. So, I would have been happy to just let you claim it. If you truly felt that I am a threat, that is.¡± He looked into her eyes as a myriad of emotions ran through her mind. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Allie Allie¡¯s mind was flooded with adrenaline and emotions she had never felt before. She had met many warriors who spoke of their convictions with zeal and passion. She had also met many suitors who boldly claimed they would give their life to her. But time and time again she had witnessed those same bold warriors and suitors cower in the face of death, abandoning their resolve at the very thought of facing it. So, when the boy before her had claimed to the Overseer that he would not regret facing the consequences for his actions, she thought it was just a false bravado. When he had boldly claimed that she could reap his life if she wished, she thought it was a false challenge. She thought he expected her to back off because of the Overseer¡¯s protection. She thought he underestimated her conviction by eliminating a threat at the cost of her own life. But the look in his eyes when the dagger plunged into his chest shattered all those beliefs. He had not even attempted to dodge or felt hurt that someone who had saved him, would so casually kill him. He had meant every single word he had said. She had realized in that moment that the weight of his conviction far surpassed her own. She had desperately travelled in her real body to get here before the 60-minute resurrection timer was up. When she finally reached him, he had surpassed her expectations even further. In place of a man desperately clinging to life, she had found him leaning back with the most peaceful smile she had ever seen. When she started casting her spell, she had a brief glimpse of his soul space. Contrary to her expectations, the maniac was reliving his past in contentment. There wasn¡¯t even a trace of regret, or doubt, or fear. She had barely made it in time to bring him back. She didn¡¯t know why she felt it, but the thought of losing him was unbearable to her. That angered her, and so she slapped and cursed him. And yet, the first words that came out of his mouth were so emotionless. Not relief at surviving, or anger at the betrayal of trust, just indifference. But the words that followed resonated with her very soul. ¡°I always mean what I say Allie. It was not a rhetorical statement. You have saved my life previously. So, I would have been happy to just let you claim it. If you truly felt that I am a threat, that is.¡± It was at this moment that she understood what her grandfather meant by all those cryptic statements. Why did he hold this boy in such high regard. And, why he felt this boy was suitable for her. The conviction in those eyes as he lay defenseless below her said it all. She finally saw what her grandfather saw. And without thinking, she leaned forward, held his head in her hands, and kissed him on the lips. She felt his body stiffen at the sudden contact. But slowly she felt him relax, as they both got lost in the sensation. There was no lust, no hunger in the act. It was a pure kiss born of innocence, of wanting to lay claim to the other and connect on a deeper level. When their lips parted, she opened her eyes and gazed into his. She could feel his rapid breath on her face, and all the questions running through his head. She had questions too, hundreds of them. But at this moment, this infinitesimally small moment, none of that mattered. After what felt like an eternity, she slowly climbed off him. She was too embarrassed to face him, so she sat at the edge of the bed looking the other way. He too quickly sat next to her but stayed silent. She could feel the nervousness in the very air around them. She was shocked at what she had done. This was her first kiss. She had dreamed of this day for years, but not once had she expected that she would be the one taking the initiative. She believed that the guy should be the one taking the lead. She felt nervous about what he must be thinking about her. Did he think she had done this before? Did he dislike how forward she was? She wanted to scream at him that this was her first kiss, but her vocal cords refused to work. But before either one of them could gather courage, she heard the one voice that she didn¡¯t want to hear right now. ¡°Ahem. Hope I am not interrupting anything,¡± her grandfather spoke in a teasing tone with the biggest smirk she had ever witnessed on the old man¡¯s face. They both jumped up as though the bed was on fire and moved two steps away from each other. She hurriedly bowed to him, and her eyes stayed glued to the floor after that. ¡°Would you mind heading back for now, my dear. I need to have a conversation with the young man. I will meet with you in my library shortly,¡± the old man was obviously pleased beyond words and laid it on thick. Not knowing what to do, she hurriedly picked up her trinket and thrust it at Aenon before tapping her ring and appearing in her grandfather¡¯s study. She had absolutely no idea what kind of discussion they were having, and that terrified her. Recalling the last five minutes made her face heat up, so she buried her face in her hands and screamed. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Aenon Aenon sat there with his eyes closed, completely ignoring the Overseer¡¯s presence. His emotions were in turmoil, unable to reconcile with what had just happened. He had not had any such feelings towards the girl, despite his sister¡¯s teasing. And although the kiss felt¡­ no. He could not let his mind go in that direction. Even if he was to consider the relationship, there were too many strings attached. ¡°It¡¯s alright young man,¡± he heard the soothing voice of the Overseer. For some reason he felt at ease by those words, like everything was going to be ok. He was worried the old man would have mistaken the situation and be angry at him. Aenon didn¡¯t want that. ¡°I can expla¡­,¡± he started to speak but was interrupted by the Overseer¡¯s raised hand. There was a calming smile on his face. ¡°The passion of youth need not be explained to an old man like me. I can guess what has transpired here. The question is, what are you going to do now?¡± The question gave him pause. On the one hand, he didn¡¯t really like Allie that way, she just wasn¡¯t his type. But on the other hand, he didn¡¯t want to anger or disappoint her mentor. It was weird but for some reason, the old man held an important position in his life now. He just wasn¡¯t sure why. He needed more time to sort out his feelings, something he never had a problem with in the past. ¡°I¡­ I need some time to think about it,¡± he muttered quietly while staring at the trinket in his hand. He didn¡¯t want to entangle himself with her any more than he already was. ¡°Could you please hand this back to her?¡± The Overseer looked disappointed, something that bothered him a lot. It must have been his imagination, but he thought he also saw a hint of¡­ anger? But the expression passed by too quickly for him to be sure. But he had to be resolute here, he had to clearly draw the lines. This was not the time for him to get mired in relationships. ¡°Of course, my boy. You are no longer leaking mana, so the trinket is no longer needed. What would you like me to tell my precious granddaughter though?¡± the Overseer asked with a warm smile. For whatever reason, that smile made him uncomfortable, as though¡­ ¡°It doesn¡¯t belong to me. Just tell her that,¡± Aenon said flatly. He hated owing favors, but from his perspective he had settled any favors she had done for him. She had saved his life, but just as easily taken it. Which meant his score was settled. And he didn¡¯t want any more favors from her. ¡°She would be disappointed,¡± the Overseer said with a sad smile. Aenon¡¯s anger flared for an instant, and he almost lashed out. But that smile soothed his anger just as quickly. Ugh, this was going nowhere. He needed to get this old man off his back and take some time to consider things. He wanted nothing to do with Allie, but he couldn¡¯t outright deny this wily old man. ¡°The trinket is too eye catching. Makes stealth harder,¡± Aenon said while trying to keep a straight face. ¡°How about this instead?¡± the Overseer pulled an obsidian bracelet from out of nowhere. It was small and discrete, but more importantly emitted different forms of mana wisps. Aenon knew just from a cursory glance that this was a priceless artifact. Aenon felt his emotions getting restless again. He had no idea what was going on. He wanted that bracelet for some reason, like his soul craved it. This bothered him, because he hated taking freebies. Then why did he so desperately want this bracelet? ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± he said with gritted teeth. It had taken all his willpower to turn down the offering. The moment he said it, he saw the previous expression from the Overseer again. It was gone just as quickly, but since he was searching for it, he could make out what it was ¨C annoyance. ¡°Well, keep it on you just in case,¡± the old man tossed the bracelet at Aenon, who caught it out of reflex. ¡°When you decide to claim it, just put it on. And it shall be yours.¡± Aenon said nothing. He took one last look at the bracelet, and despite the pull he felt from it, deposited it in his inventory. He gave the Overseer a terse bow but stayed silent. The Overseer regarded him for a moment longer before disappearing. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Allie Allie started pacing the room in nervousness, looking at the wall clock every 5 seconds. After 10 agonizing minutes, her grandfather appeared with a solemn look on his face. His expression made no sense to her, since he was grinning when she left them. A dread started creeping up her chest at the implications. ¡°What happened? Why do you look so tense?¡±, she asked nervously. He stayed quiet before retrieving something from his pocket. It was her trinket that she had given Aenon before she left. She felt her heart drop to the floor when she saw that. ¡°He said he doesn¡¯t need this trinket anymore, since his soul is fixed now. Said it was too flashy and precious to be wearing around,¡± her grandfather said in sad voice. She felt a sharp pain in her chest as her vision started getting blurry. He had rejected her, just like her grandfather predicted he would. And it was completely her fault. She had provoked and taunted him every chance she got. She even tried killing him twice, almost succeeding the second time around. On top of that she had thrown herself at him, without any regard for his feelings. ¡°He said something a bit more discrete would be better. Like a locket perhaps. I had recommended a ring, but he insisted it was too soon for that, and he wanted to be the one to acquire one if it comes to that.¡± The words didn¡¯t register in her head for a full thirty seconds. When they did, her head snapped towards him so fast, she felt her spine crack in protest. ¡°Huh?¡± she asked, lost for words. She noticed the corners of his lips struggling to suppress a grin. Her left eye twitched before she screamed and started hurling spells left and right. He hastily erected a barrier before breaking down into full blown laughter. She kept throwing random spells for the next thirty minutes and only stopped when she ran out of mana. She collapsed on the ground in exhaustion before proceeding to cry uncontrollably. ¡°That was mean, even for you,¡± she managed to say in between sobs. The Overseer calmly hugged her and started stroking her head. He wasn¡¯t laughing anymore, but there was a warm smile on his face. ¡°Sorry little one, couldn¡¯t resist. I wanted to tease you, yes. But I also wanted to see how serious you are about him. It seems I underestimated that man yet again. Making my precious little girl fall for him that hard,¡± he said in a soothing voice. She punched him gently for that but hugged him back and stayed there for several minutes. When she had calmed enough, they both headed for the recliners by the fireplace and sat down. ¡°What did you two talk about?" she asked nervously after a while. ¡°Well, that¡¯s between the two of us, my dear. All you need to know is that he has decided to officially take you to court,¡± he replied with a straight face. She felt her cheeks turning hot at the mention of courtship but started giggling at the memory. Her grandfather merely smiled at her reaction. After a moment, she decided to ask about a few serious things going through her head. ¡°Grandpa, about my cousin¡­,¡± she asked hesitantly. ¡°What about him?¡± he replied while sipping his tea indifferently. ¡°Why did you kill him? It was not to protect Aenon¡¯s secret, was it?¡± ¡°And what makes you say that?¡± he asked. ¡°He said so himself. Or rather asked me why I felt he was killed to protect him,¡± she replied doubtfully. ¡°That boy is more perceptive than any one from your generation,¡± he replied with a smile. ¡°Basically, it was a veiled threat to the other girl in that room not to reveal the incident. But the main purpose was to punish him for failing his duty as an Arbiter. Vile scum like the two Aenon killed have no place in our society. Your cousin should have known that.¡± Allie nodded in understanding. Regretting not figuring it out herself. There was one other thing she wanted to ask but was too scared to. Her grandfather noticed her discomfort but stayed silent, waiting for her to gather courage. ¡°I think you were right that he deserves someone better than me. I always mess up about these things and today I¡­ I almost killed him. In my own hubris, I thought he was a threat, not regarding all these things,¡± she admitted with guilt. ¡°There is nothing to worry about. At least five of my previous wives have stabbed me for one reason or another. Like me, your man is sturdy enough to take it,¡± he said mischievously. ¡°Please stop. I am serious right now.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. In all seriousness, the blame is not entirely yours. I may have overprotected you while growing up. But that¡¯s the reason why he is such a great fit for you. He can fulfill the things you lack and vice versa,¡± he said with a warm smile. ¡°But¡­ he doesn¡¯t lack anything. I am stronger than him now. But at the rate at which he is growing, he will outpace me sooner than we think,¡± she asked in frustration and fear. ¡°He does lack something, my dear. And it is your job to figure out what that is,¡± her grandfather said in his usual cryptic way. She nodded in understanding and steeled her resolve. She was unsure of what the future held, but she was determined not to lose to him in strength. She wanted to be right by his side no matter what. 20. The Mysterious Noble Chapter 20 ¨C The Mysterious Noble Aenon lay on his bed, his head reeling with a plethora of raw emotions he was not used to ¨C confusion, excitement, intrigue, to name a few. But the most dominant emotion was annoyance. He had not expected what Allie had done, and the conversation with the Overseer further exacerbated his emotional turmoil. He was not used to being unsure of anything, but this situation was alien to him. He tried to analyze it objectively but found himself unable to do so. He stared at the black bracelet in his hands, boring his gaze into it as though expecting it to cough up some answers. The Overseer had pretty much thrust it on him when he refused Allie¡¯s trinket. The bracelet could not be stored in his inventory for some reason, and he could not identify it either. The fact that it emitted mana wisps was alluring, especially after the throne room fight, where some magical restriction had removed all wisps. But it came with a lot of strings attached. But the bigger problem was that he couldn¡¯t refuse it outright. He sighed deeply as he put the bracelet aside. He closed his eyes as he recalled the kiss, his fingers involuntarily tracing his lips as he recalled the sensation. Catching himself before he went down the rabbit hole again, he sat up and made a beeline for the bathroom. He took a long shower to calm his emotions before collapsing on the couch in the living room. Thankfully, the redhead was gone, otherwise he would have been overwhelmed with more conflicting emotions. To keep himself occupied he decided to take stock of his gear and inventory. He had received a pair of pants, a shirt, and a cloak which completed his set. He now had a full Abyssal leather armor set, which he wore while entering the village. He had refrained from putting on the mask and the cloak though, as they stood out significantly more than the other pieces.
Item Name: Abyssal Shirt Item Type: Body Armor Item Rarity: Epic Item Description: Crafted using leather extracted from the predators of the abyss, this shirt absorbs light just as well as physical slashes and blows. Reduces damage from all spell aspects, except Light. Take double the damage from Light spells. Note: This is a set piece. Item Name: Abyssal Pants Item Type: Leg Armor Item Rarity: Epic Item Description: Crafted using leather extracted from the predators of the abyss, this pant absorbs light just as well as physical slashes and blows. Reduces damage from all spell aspects, except Light. Take double the damage from Light spells. Note: This is a set piece.
Aenon was already pleased with these two Epic rarity pieces and the Legendary mask. But what truly stole his breath away was the cloak. It had the highest tier, and the most eye-catching piece.
System Notification Item Name: Veil of the Abyss Item Type: Cloak Item Rarity: Mythic Item Description: None can truly pierce through to glimpse at that which the abyss conceals. Conceals all physical presence of the wearer, including smell and mana signature. Active Abilities: Kingdom of Darkness: Create absolute darkness in a 100 feet radius around the caster, dispelling all light and Light wisps. The effect lasts for 10 minutes if under a direct light source, and 30 minutes in low light conditions. No light spell can be used while inside the area of effect (AoE). (Cost: 3000 mana) Note: This is a set piece.
The set effect was the cherry on top. It would make sneaking at night, and in the forest a breeze.
Abyssal Set Effect: Allows the ability to enter shadows, leaving the plane of existence. Can remain in the shadow and appear anywhere the shadows are connected. User will be forced out if direct light is applied on the shadow. (Cost: 500 mana/sec)
The utility of the cloak in a combat situation was way better than even the mask, for both offense and defense. And the set would ensure that if all else failed, he would at least always have an opportunity to escape using the Kingdom of Darkness ability or the set effect. The last item in his inventory that gave him pause was the vial. Try as he might, he couldn¡¯t identify it. And after the fiasco with Allie, Aenon was reluctant to use anything the Overseer gave him. He placed the vial next to the bracelet on the ground and leaned back on the couch, deep in thought. He snapped out of it when he heard a knock at the door. Using his soul sense, he detected a group of 5 people right outside his house. The person who had knocked seemed in charge since the other four were standing a few steps back with their backs to the door. Guessing who he was dealing with, Aenon quickly stored the vial, mask, and cloak in his inventory and hid the bracelet in his pocket. ¡°Hello captain,¡± he announced as he opened the door slowly. ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure?¡± The guard captain from before was standing outside, with 4 well trained guards as his retinue. He looked mildly surprised, but quickly collected himself with a cough. ¡°The village head requests your presence at his mansion,¡± he announced in a formal tone. ¡°Is this a request or a command?¡± Aenon asked impassively. The guard raised an eyebrow at that. He quickly looked back towards his escorts and noticing them diligently keeping watch, spoke in a low tone. ¡°My throat is a bit parched. Mind if I come in?¡± Aenon regarded the strongly built man in shining plate mail armor for a moment, before nodding and opening his door wide. The captain marched in stoically after commanding his men to keep watch. He started looking around, frowning at what he saw. Aenon merely raised his eyebrow in question, not saying anything. ¡°Usually by now most Players would have decorated their dwelling, you know, to give it a personal touch,¡± he waved his arm around at the sparsely furnished room in explanation. Stolen story; please report. Aenon looked around before shrugging his shoulders. The captain¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Not much of a talker, are you?¡± When Aenon didn¡¯t reply, the captain sighed and went over to the kitchen to grab some water. Aenon produced some meat skewers and placed them on the kitchen counter before comfortably leaning against the wall opposite to the couch. The man studied the skewers with some suspicion before taking a bite. ¡°Mmmm, these are pretty good. Which stall did you buy these from? Haven¡¯t seen anyone selling high level rabbit skewers in forever,¡± the captain stated while savoring the flavor. ¡°Hunted and cooked it myself,¡± Aenon stated simply. ¡°Really? High leveled horned rabbits are a nightmare to catch. And you say you did it while¡­ Ahem. Never mind. I believe you. Anyway, what I wanted to say was, the village head has invited you to visit his place¡±, he said, stressing the word invited while air quoting using his fingers. ¡°Sure, let''s go then,¡± Aenon said while standing up straight. ¡°What? Just like that?¡± the captain replied in surprise. ¡°What were you expecting?¡± Aenon asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Ummm, usually rich pricks love to throw their weight around. And do not like being commanded by those beneath them.¡± ¡°So, I am a prick?¡± Aenon asked while folding his hands and glaring at the captain. Something seemed to have snapped in place in the captain¡¯s mind because he choked and stumbled at his next words. ¡°No¡­ no sir. That was not¡­ I mean¡­¡± The captain must have assumed Aenon came from a rich and influential background, and Aenon¡¯s indirect hint at acceptance must have confirmed the suspicion. Aenon didn¡¯t bother correcting him, as this would be beneficial in keeping his identity a secret. He silently glared as the older man bowed and apologized fiercely. ¡°What is your name, captain?¡± Aenon asked tersely. ¡°Captain Kobal, sir,¡± the now sweating man replied. ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any more time and just get this over with.¡± ¡°Of course, sir. Please let me escort you to the mansion. Just to let you know, this is about the incident with the red-haired woman from before. What you did was very public, and I couldn¡¯t have suppressed it even if I wanted to,¡± the captain spoke in a hurry. Aenon nodded before asking, ¡°What of the female guard?¡± "She is doing fine, sir. Badly shaken, but fine. I owe you one for that. It would have put a strain on my pocket to pay for her resurrection. She is no longer a guard though. Had her stripped of her status. She is working in the barrack kitchen for now,¡± the captain said as they reached the door. Aenon was about to ask why they had to pay for resurrection, but the man had opened the door. He barked a few orders as his men fell in formation around them, two in the lead, two in the back. The captain¡¯s demeanor had changed the moment they exited the house. ¡°Captain Kobal, do we have time to stop by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild? I have a quest to turn in and get my membership,¡± he asked politely but in a firm tone. ¡°No need for that, sir. The head of the guild is present at the meeting as well,¡± Captain Kobal replied. Getting more confused by what was going on, Aenon stayed silent the rest of the journey. It took almost 40 minutes of walking before they reached the largest building Aenon had seen since coming to this world. It was all stone construction with a neatly maintained garden in front of it. The escorting guards marched away as they were replaced with two better equipped guards. They had the same gear he had seen the soldiers accompanying the village head wear on his first day in Jadefall. The captain and Aenon were escorted inside the humble but well-maintained building. After a maze of twists and turns they arrived at a large room where two men were seated at luxurious looking couches. The village admin lady was standing to the side, next to the village head. Aenon bowed respectfully to the two but stood in a casual stance. He had already seen the village head, which meant the other man must be the head of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. He was dressed in the most elaborate leather armor and equipment he had seen so far, complete with a kite shield strapped to his back, and a sword and rope strung on each hip. He also had numerous scars on his face, giving him an imposing look. The armor itself was a dark shade of red with the insignia of the Guild emblazoned on his shoulder and chest. Both men regarded Aenon with stern looks, appraising him. He felt a mild shiver run down his spine as he detected mana fluctuations around him. He detected some kind of skill being used, and from the context he guessed it must be the Identify skill. So, he returned the gesture and cast his Identify on the two. With a frown, Aenon turned towards the captain and cast Identify. ¡°You weren¡¯t exaggerating, Kobal. This is a feisty one,¡± the guild head said with a smile. His nonchalant attitude must not have been what these men were expecting. ¡°Go on boy, you have a question. Ask it.¡± ¡°Your levels. Why can I see the guard captain¡¯s, but not yours?¡± he asked in confusion. The three men shared shocked looks before the village head spoke up for the first time. ¡°You can see Kobal¡¯s level?¡± he asked incredulously. ¡°Yes. He is 62,¡± Aenon nodded in confusion. The three shared another look while the village head shifted uncomfortably. The guild head looked amused and had a hungry look on his face, while Kobal had a professional demeanor. The village admin had remained still as a statue till this point, but even she looked nervous now. ¡°That just means that your stats are comparable to the guard captains,¡± the village admin said in a professional tone. ¡°Please have a seat lad,¡± the guild head pointed at a free spot on the couch. Aenon nodded and took a seat. ¡°Ahem. Let me formally introduce myself. I am Village Head Vincent Malory. May I ask which noble house you hail from?¡± Aenon maintained a neutral expression as he considered how to respond. These men had reached the same conclusion that Kobal had. But unlike Kobal, these men were in a position of much greater power. His earlier decision to maintain some mysteriousness might come in handy. He just wished he could have done the same with the Overseer. But he was an existence far beyond what Aenon could comprehend. Aenon had no idea what kind of strings the Overseer was pulling in the background. He didn¡¯t think the old elf had any harmful intentions, but he was being manipulative for sure. Aenon just needed to figure out to what end. If it was merely due to a grandfatherly love for Allie, Aenon could ignore it to a degree. But anything more than that, and he would have to be wary. ¡°I can neither confirm nor deny my association with a noble house,¡± Aenon decided to reply diplomatically. Using his soul sense Aenon felt Kobal twitch in the background, but he remained silent, nonetheless. The two leaders exchanged a glance before coming to some mutual understanding that Aenon was not privy to. They both nodded at him respectfully, although the guild head still had that hungry look. ¡°In that case sir¡­,¡± Vincent started before Aenon cut him off. ¡°I prefer being called Aenon, not sir. Especially in public.¡± ¡°Of course, sir¡­ I mean Aenon. Your identity and status will be kept in strict confidence. We will assign you a discrete point of contact in every major facility in the village, so you do not have to get bogged down by the administrative tasks,¡± Vincent continued. ¡°Although, if I may be so bold, would you be willing to join the Adventurer¡¯s Guild?¡± the guild head asked with some trepidation. ¡°That was my intention before I got dragged here. I was about to turn in a quest,¡± Aenon said in a mildly annoyed tone. For this ruse to succeed, he had to play his part well. The two men sat straighter on the couch, before the guild leader spoke in a flattering tone. The hungry look in his eyes was starting to die down. ¡°Our deepest apologies. We weren¡¯t aware of your¡­ unique situation. I will handle the quest turn in myself. Which quest would you be turning in?¡± Even though it grated on his nerves, Aenon adopted the body language of the dead prince as he leaned back and sat comfortably. He picked up a cup the administrator had placed before him and pretended to take a sip. ¡°The goblin quest,¡± he stated offhandedly while making a grimacing face at the drink in his hand. He had never tasted wine before, and the brief contact with his lips left a very unpleasant taste. The others must have mistaken his displeasure for something else, because the admin lady started apologizing and started serving him other drinks, which he kept turning down. ¡°Of course. Did you happen to find the location of a camp? Or perhaps killed a few wandering goblins?¡± the guild head, who had still not introduced himself, asked. ¡°No. I cleared it,¡± Aenon said while trying his fifth drink. The village admin was getting exceedingly flustered by the minute at her inability to please him. ¡°You mean you cleared a goblin camp?¡± Vincent asked incredulously. ¡°Of course, not¡­ cough¡­ cough,¡± Aenon started choking up as he tried a particularly strong version of a drink he was presented. ¡°Just¡­ cough¡­ water should be fine,¡± he demanded to the lady who hurriedly filled a cup with water. ¡°I am sorry I don¡¯t understand,¡± Vincent asked in confusion while waiting for Aenon to stop coughing. ¡°The dungeon¡­ cough¡­ I cleared the dungeon,¡± Aenon said as he desperately drank some water. As the burning sensation in his throat reduced, he leaned back in relief while closing his eyes. It was only after a whole minute that he realized the room had gone extremely quiet. He opened his eyes and looked around. Four sets of eyes were staring at him in bewilderment. Not in a mood to explain anything, he simply tossed all the kill trophies onto the center table. He unceremoniously dumped hundreds of blood-soaked goblin ears, pushing their bewilderment past the critical threshold. The village admin shrieked as she jumped back, the village head gawked in disbelief, the guild leader looked like he was having a brain aneurism, while Kobal tried and failed at words. When no one spoke for a while, Aenon asked with a mild smirk. ¡°So, do I qualify to join the guild?¡± 21. Dont Gaze into the Abyss Chapter 21 ¨C Don¡¯t Gaze into the Abyss Vincent Vincent balked at the veritable mountain of foul-smelling kill trophies staining his meticulously maintained office. If the situation was not what it was, he would have been upset at the callous disregard of his workspace. But the scene before him was anything but simple. When he got the report earlier of an unknown level zero beating a level 55 guard senseless, he had dismissed it as a rumor. But then he got a meeting request from the Adventurer Guild Leader. Apparently, the goblin activity in the area had plummeted for no apparent reason. The village was rife with speculation of the cause. The guild leader suspected some hidden power pulling the strings, which reminded him of the earlier report. When he mentioned it, the guild leader was adamant that he wanted to meet this individual. Vincent had known the guild leader, Blake Thomas, since childhood. They were two years apart in age and had grown up in the same village. Their own planet had integrated into the multiverse a few generations before they were born, by which time most planetary first Titles were already gained. Even though the two were opposites, they were practically inseparable as kids. Vincent was the studious admin type while Blake was brash and adventurous. But it was their friendship that set them apart. They relied on each other to grow in their respective fields until finally they reached where they were today. Vincent handled politics, while Blake took care of the more violent endeavors. Vincent knew what Blake wanted from this meeting. He wanted to get his hooks into another upcoming adventurer to boost his own position. And to be honest, so did Vincent. They had successfully navigated many political loopholes to gain fame at the cost of na?ve little idiots who wanted to make a name for themselves. Many minor noble houses threw their younger generation to the wolves with little to no information in the hopes of gaining a powerhouse with rare Titles. Very few succeeded but desperation or internal politics meant that the practice never really died out. How they managed to blend in their kids with the Players from newly integrated worlds was a well-guarded secret. The duo had never actively sabotaged any such individual. Merely riding on their coattails to improve their lot in life. A win-win situation in Vincent¡¯s book. They provided background support and resources to the nascent powerhouses, while in return they got the recognition for nurturing said talent. When the individual finally succeeded, they received generous rewards from the noble house for their contribution, and should they fail, it was no skin off their back. But in the 60 years of his life, Vincent had never faced a remotely similar situation. Usually, his oversensitive nose made him gag with as little as mild body odor. But he was so utterly perplexed at the implications of what he was seeing that he didn¡¯t even register the smell. His entire focus was on the unassuming young boy sitting confidently before them. He had met geniuses before, but this kid was different. Decades of political gymnastics had trained him well to pick up subtle body language clues. The kid before them had been an enigma from the moment he stepped through the door. Confident and cautious was a combo he rarely witnessed from younger nobles. But this kid had it in spades. Vincent had even picked up the shift in the kid¡¯s demeanor when asked which noble house he was from. The kid was an amateur actor, trying to confuse them about his origins. Vincent could clearly see through the act, but not what it meant. ¡°So, do I qualify to join the guild?¡± the kid asked confidently. That part was not fake at all, his confidence. Vincent turned to his friend to gauge his reaction. It was exactly as predicted - jealousy. It was a bad habit of his. Even after years of successfully using their tactics to advance, his friend always felt jealous of the nobles. Coming from poor families, they had never had the resources the noble houses had. And it had always irked Blake. Vincent decided to step in before his partner did something stupid. ¡°Yes, of course. You have fulfilled the requirements and then some. Both the guild leader and I have received System notifications just now, and once we acknowledge them, you should be receiving the rewards promptly,¡± he added quickly while browsing his Village Head interface. Thankfully his hotheaded friend snapped out of whatever dark tunnel he was going down and did the same. Vincent saw the kid¡¯s eyes glazing over as he browsed his own notifications. He could not even fathom the kinds of rewards the brat must have received, but the kid barely showed any emotion as he callously dismissed the notification and turned back to meet his eyes. ¡°Make sure the funds I am to receive from the quests are delivered promptly. I am not that rich to wait on your inadequacies. Is there anything else we need to discuss?¡± the boy asked in a bored tone. ¡°I think that about concludes our visit. I will personally assign you a handmaiden or a steward to take care of mundane things for you. And your guild ID will be hand delivered to your accommodation. Speaking of which, you are welcome to pick a guest quarters of your liking, whose ownership will be transferred to you promptly. It will be in a remote location of the village, affording you some privacy.¡± The boy thought about it for a while before simply nodding as he stood up. He marched out with the guard captain and the village admin in tow without a single word of thanks. Vincent took a deep breath of relief. This had gone better than expected, even if there were many surprises. His friend spoke up in a foul mood. ¡°I hate that brat. Look at him haughtily walking away like he owns the place,¡± Blake grumbled. ¡°Careful, Blake,¡± Vincent cautioned his best friend. ¡°I know, I know. He is our ticket to the big leagues. But it drives me crazy me, having to bow down to these snotty nosed brats. If we had half the resources these lowlifes waste, we would already have reached our third evolution. It has taken us 60 years to scrounge together enough scraps to barely make our first evolution,¡± his friend vented his frustration. Over the years this had happened many times, and Vincent knew from experience that it was better to let him vent than have him lash out in anger. He wasn¡¯t wrong though. Blake was level 102, while he had been stuck at 99 for the last few months. When the opportunity to host a newly integrated world had presented itself, they had both jumped at the opportunity. Hoping to finally get out of the rut they had been in. They were both level 99 before coming here, but his friend, having a combat class, was able to propel himself successfully. Vincent¡¯s non-combat class required the village to prosper to gain levels. ¡°I mean, did you look at his status. There were no Titles whatsoever. He probably has some rare treasure on him to conceal his Titles and levels. I will eat my own shoe if that kid is level zero. Pretty sure he has more powerful artifacts or some hidden bodyguard to protect his sorry ass. The dungeon was probably handed to him on a silver platter.¡± ¡°And that hidden bodyguard is exactly why you should shut your mouth. Did you forget what happened the last time you badmouthed a noble brat, thinking we were alone,¡± Vincent spoke in a threatening whisper. That finally shut his friend who looked around the room, expecting a knife held to his throat any second now. Vincent sighed in relief, now having time to finally plan their next steps. Whoever the kid¡¯s backer was, had to be a big fish. They had to play this very carefully so as not to upset the unknown party. He started his mental calculations while his friend silently panicked. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Aenon Aenon walked with purpose as he navigated his way out of the mansion. When he finally made his way out of the building, he turned back to the two following him in silence. The administrator stood meekly with her hands clasped in front of her, while the guard captain had a conflicted look on his face. ¡°So, where is this guest quarter the village head mentioned?¡± he demanded. ¡°Yes, well, there are three options to choose from. I will prepare a carriage so that you can visit them all and take your pick. It might take a while to arrange it though. Is there anything else you would like to do in the meantime?¡± the village admin spoke up. ¡°You can start by introducing yourself. Or would you like me to keep calling you admin.¡± ¡°My apologies, sir¡­¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Aenon, not sir.¡± ¡°Oh of course. My apologies, Aenon. I am Village Administrator Wendy. Pleasure making your acquaintance.¡± ¡°Good, Wendy. Make the arrangements for the carriage while I visit the Training Hall? I have some business to attend to. Escort me there, captain," Aenon laid it on thick with the princely accent. The captain stuttered for a few seconds before giving a bow and falling in line behind him. Aenon started walking as the admin scurried away in a rush. After walking for 5 minutes, Aenon finally turned to the captain. ¡°Something bothering you, captain?¡±, he asked with a scowl. ¡°Uh, no s.. I mean Ae¡­ I mean¡­,¡± the captain floundered for words. ¡°I am wondering how to address you. I know you want us to use your name, but can I add young master at the beginning?¡± ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go with that,¡± Aenon replied while sighing internally. He really liked the guy but couldn¡¯t risk him blabbering the truth back to the Village Head. He noticed the man fidgeting. ¡°Anything else you want to ask, captain?¡± ¡°Well¡­ you see young master. I have a lie detection skill that comes with the guard captain class. Earlier when you said you were not rich¡­¡±, he trailed nervously. Aenon steeled his facial expression, trying hard not to show any emotion. ¡°You are wondering why it didn¡¯t trigger the skill if I am who you think I am. It¡¯s simple really. That¡¯s because I didn¡¯t lie,¡± Aenon replied nonchalantly. ¡°I don¡¯t follow,¡± the captain asked with confusion. ¡°I said I am not rich. Is it really a lie?¡± The captain¡¯s eyebrows went up in understanding. Unbeknownst to him, now that he was aware of the skill, Aenon was testing to see if it would trigger the skill. It seemed that using partial truths or carefully wording his response could bypass the skill. He was glad he found out about this skill before he got caught hiding something truly sensitive. ¡°Anyway, looks like we have reached the Training Hall. I wouldn¡¯t want to hold you away from your duties.¡± The captain bowed before promptly marching away. Aenon took a deep breath as the man left. Finally, he entered the Training Hall and proceeded to the same guy he met last time. Only this time, Aenon detected a mild disdain in the man¡¯s tone. ¡°Here to get your class I assume? The door is that way,¡± the clerk pointed to a door to the side before burying his nose back in some book. Aenon shrugged and went in the direction of the door. Using his soul sense, Aenon detected the man look up from his book and scoff. Aenon ignored the man and entered through the door into what looked like a tiny room. It appeared to be a storage room of sorts, with random items scattered about. He backtracked to the clerk to make sure he was in the right place which aggravated the man. ¡°Everyone has already chosen their class. So, the Class stone is in storage. I do not have the time to drag the humongous thing out for leeches. So go grab your class and proceed to the exit,¡± the annoyed man spoke without looking away from his book. Aenon glared at the clerk before walking back to the room. After half an hour of moving boxes, and digging through random shelves, he found what he was looking for. He was covered with a thick layer of dust and grime by the time he was done. Since he was alone in the room, he didn¡¯t even dust himself off and touched the stone. He was flung into his Soul Space instantly. He heard the same whirring sound as last time, although it was a bit louder. With nothing better to do and finding no change to his Soul Space, he proceeded to check the notifications he had skipped back at the manor.
System Notification
For clearing an overflowing dungeon, thereby ensuring the safety and prosperity of your settlement, Gold and SP has been awarded. Additionally, completing the task solo grants additional SP. +80 SP, +500G
Contract Fulfilled
Reward for info: 200G Reward for kills: 719G 92S 24C Guild Points: 500 (Pending registration) Guild Rank: Pending
Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t get any new Titles but at least his net gold balance looked pretty good. He had 1419G, 176S, and 316C. This included the random loot drops he sometimes found. He withdrew the first copper he had ever received and looked at it fondly. Despite having close to 1500G, the unassuming coin in his hand held more value to him. He wanted to track down that lady and return the favor if he could. He pulled up his quest log next.
Active Quests (1/1) 1. Corruption Cleaner Goblin Hunt: You have stumbled across the machinations of ancient evil that the System had purged eons ago. Find out about its source and the parties behind it. Failure Condition: Death Reward ¡¤ Variable
Completed Quests (1/1) 1. Goblin Hunt
The first thing on his shopping list was the 500G information crystal for this planet. He also decided not to spend the SP for combining Skills anymore unless necessary. As he dismissed the notification, he noticed the scan was still ongoing. So, he decided to check up on the crystal. It was still inert except the data browsing function. Since he was not in a mood to watch any Earth movies, he randomly moved about his Soul Space. When he reached the spot where his injury was, he found the wall completely spotless and smooth. He controlled his avatar and tried running his hand across the surface but found no cracks or mana leaks. Satisfied, he was about to turn away when he did notice something. A very tiny, almost imperceptible pin hole existed. He realized that it was the location where the corrupted thread from the ring had pierced through. Whatever it was had completely corroded the wall and left behind the tiny thread wide hole and Aenon doubted it would heal. He left his avatar behind and tried pushing his consciousness through the hole. After some struggle he managed to push through and found himself back in the empty void. But just as quickly regretted his decision. Because this time, he was not alone. There were uncountable floating eyeballs with varying pupil shapes and colors staring down at him. He felt a sharp pain in his soul that was infinitely worse than the soul attack he had endured. He felt his consciousness shatter and reform again and again as he heard billions of voices talking over each other. After an eternity of torment, an eye appeared that was inconceivably bigger than the rest. Aenon was like a fleck of dirt facing the galaxy spanning entity. As his soul broke apart and reformed for the trillionth time, he heard a voice. But he was beyond reason, beyond consciousness by this point. He merely existed. He was pushed back into his Soul Space, and the last words he heard which he was able to understand were¡­
Foolish child
¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Wendy Wendy was in a panic. It had been 4 hours since the supposed noble boy had left the mansion. But he never returned. After a lot of running around they were able to find his last known location. Some incompetent clerk had let the boy access the class crystal unsupervised. And that is where he was last seen. No one had seen him leave the storage room and the only trace that he ever existed was a black bracelet right next to the crystal. The moron who pointed the boy to the room had even tried to pocket the bracelet in his greed. Which is what had brought down this hell on them all. She was gathered here along with every single department head and their assistants. As they all stood in a line like meek children, the young elf stomped back and forth. The Arbiter was clutching onto the bracelet while she stared daggers at the village head. ¡°So, let me summarize this for you. You and the Adventurer guild leader invite a new Player to your place. He is seen being escorted here by 4 guards and your guard captain. You claim to have questions about the recent goblin disappearance because of a scuffle with a guard, who by your admission had wronged this Player. He then submits a whole goblin horde worth of kill trophies, before you allow him to leave. But then, he is again seen being escorted to the Training Hall by your guard captain by at least a dozen witnesses. You claim that he entered the building of his own free will. And supposedly a clerk sent him alone to the storage closet to access the class stone, unsupervised. And just like that he disappears,¡± the Arbiter fumed. Wendy stared at the ground, hoping it would just swallow her up right now. She did not want to be in the Village Head¡¯s shoes and was hoping with all her will that she wasn¡¯t asked a question. The poor old man stammered a bit but was unable to form a coherent response. And so, the Arbiter continued. ¡°Oh, and did I forget to mention the bracelet that this independently acting clerk tried to sell on the multiversal auction? I¡¯d like you to venture a guess as to who gave him this bracelet.¡± ¡°Honorable Arbiter, I was unaware that bracelet came from you. I merely thought someone must have dropped it. I would never have tried selling it otherwise. Please, you must believe me,¡± the guilty clerk begged from the ground. He was bleeding all over and had burns on half his body. Wendy would have pitied the man, if she was not in this mess because of him. ¡°Well, I guess it is your lucky day then. It was not I who gave him the bracelet.¡± The clerk visibly relaxed at that before the Arbiter scowled viciously and continued. ¡°It was given to him by an Overseer. And not just any Overseer, it was my grandfather, Overseer Velcodirust.¡± It felt as though the temperature of the room had dropped by several hundred degrees, as every person in the room felt their very souls freeze at that statement. Wendy knew that Overseers were existences not to be trifled with. They could end their pitiable lives with just a passing thought. But the name the name the Arbiter dropped, there wasn¡¯t a living soul in the multiverse who didn¡¯t know it. He was at the very pinnacle, far beyond the other Overseers. And he was also the most ruthless. The man had erased galaxies from existence at the smallest slight caused by one arrogant individual. If they had truly crossed him, then this entire planet could be doomed. Everyone fell to their knees, begging for mercy from the Arbiter. ¡°The only way you get out of this alive, is if he is unharmed. Get out of my sight and go find him,¡± the Arbiter cut them all off and declared menacingly. Everyone ran the next instant, like the devil was after them. For it was, and they needed to find this boy to appease it. 22. Soul Chains Chapter 22 ¨C Soul Chains Aenon awoke with the worst headache of his life. Try as he might, he couldn¡¯t recall how he got here. He had seen many adults back on earth complaining about hangovers, but this surpassed all his expectations. It felt like someone was going to town in his skull with a jackhammer. He tried and failed to sit up from his prone position. Even the thought of opening his eyes sent a shiver down his spine. And so, he lay there motionless for hours. He felt soft linen sheets covering him and a cursory pat down of his person confirmed all his gear was in place, except the bracelet and vial given by the Overseer. He was able to access his inventory without opening his eyes, and his daggers were there, along with all his other loot. When he finally managed to get a handle on the spiking pain, he carefully opened his eyes. The view surprised him. It looked as though he was in a modern hospital ward from back on Earth. He tried recalling his last waking moments but stopped when a sharp pain shot up in his head. His instincts were telling him that there was something off about the room, but he felt oddly at peace just lying here. There were IV lines attached to both his hands and the machines around him beeped rhythmically. He cautiously sat up and looked around. The ward itself was standard with a single bed and a couch next to it. Even the smells were what you would have at a typical hospital. After finally shaking off the grogginess from his head, he realized what bothered him. There were absolutely no doors or windows. Before he could react to this new information, a wall slid open and in came a female nurse wearing black rimmed glasses in scrubs. She was extremely beautiful with lush golden hair and a slim build. Her ensemble was complete with a wooden clipboard and pen to take notes. Almost reflexively Aenon cast identify. She had 5 question marks in place of 3. But it was the lady¡¯s behavior that gave him pause. She seemed surprised as she looked down at herself and her clothes, like she was seeing them for the very first time. ¡°Interesting,¡± she said. But Aenon attention was stolen by a notification window opening in his vision.
Interesting.
He felt a blinding pain in his head a few seconds after the window popped up which made him scream and collapse back on the bed. The pain continued for a while before thankfully he lost consciousness again. When he came to, he was lying on his bed staring up at the empty white ceiling, unable to recall how he got here. He noticed someone in his peripheral vision, and when he turned, he found a female nurse sitting on a chair next to his bed, staring at him intently. She looked human for the most part but was extremely pale with jet black hair and had sunken cheeks and viciously pointed long nails. His identify skill gave him some unnerving info. ¡°This is the part where most humans start a barrage of nonsensical questions,¡± she spoke up. He recoiled at the words for some reason, as though he expected¡­ something to happen. But nothing did. ¡°Aaaa, Iiii,¡± Aenon tried replying but found that he had no control over his tongue. This further scared him, and he tried moving his body to see what else was affected. Lucky for him the rest of his body seemed to be functional, although extremely weak. ¡°Sigh. It¡¯s going to take a while longer to put you back together it seems,¡± the nurse sighed as she started jotting down something before realizing what she was doing and throwing the pen to the side in annoyance. Aenon took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was about to use his soul sense to observe himself when he felt a hard object hitting his head. The nurse had rammed the clipboard on top of his head. ¡°Stop that. Do you have any idea how long it took for me to assemble the jigsaw puzzle that was your soul? Not to mention painstakingly gluing each piece together.¡± Aenon blinked dumbly at that. He had no idea what was going on and his tongue was out of commission. He tried using telepathic communication and thankfully this worked without incurring another hit to his head. ¡°What is going on here? Where am I?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± the nurse seemed surprised at that. ¡°Well, that makes this so much easier. Well let¡¯s start off with a few questions first. You¡¯ll get the answers to yours when I have some idea on how this came about.¡± Aenon blankly nodded. He was curious about a lot of things, but he could control his curiosity for a while longer. ¡°So, let¡¯s start off with the biggest question of all. Why the hell did you leave your soul space during a scan? That too without activating any of the safeguards?¡± Aenon just stared in confusion, which seemed to further annoy the woman. ¡°Alright. You are a clueless idiot, got it. Next question, why didn¡¯t the test supervisor activate the safeguards or at least warn you about the danger?¡± ¡°The clerk asked me to take the test myself. And I was not informed of any danger,¡± Aenon replied. ¡°Incompetent workers, check. Now for the final question, how did you leave your inner soul space?¡± Seeing no other options, if he wanted to get his answers he regaled the nurse with the entire happenings of the past month, from his perspective at least. He had no idea how long he was unconscious. When he was done, the nurse had a deep frown on her face. When she didn¡¯t respond for five minutes, he finally asked. ¡°So, where am I?¡± Aenon called out mentally. ¡°A soul incubator. At least that is the closest explanation I can give that will make sense to you,¡± she replied after some more tense silence. ¡°This place looks like a hospital though. If you ignore the lack of doors and windows.¡± ¡°That is because this place is constructed from your subconsciousness. Basically, a place where you feel safe and can recover. To some it is a hospital such as this, to others the comfort of their home. Even this ridiculous outfit I am wearing is because you imagined it,¡± she said with annoyance as she tried adjusted the scrubs to get more comfortable. ¡°I see. So, what exactly happened? What is it that I did?¡± ¡°You, my foolish child, bit more than you could chew. I am not an actual person, but a System construct. We are given an assigned role at creation, which we do diligently. In my case, it is to heal you, and I am a very low level one. When a soul is ready to be scanned, entities much stronger than me go through your past experiences to tailor the classes best suited for you. The inner soul barrier which you so foolishly crossed is a shield to protect your meager soul from their presence. Your soul cannot withstand being near one of them, and you were amid hundreds of them.¡± ¡°There were definitely a lot more than a hundred,¡± Aenon said quietly, finally recalling bits and pieces of the encounter. A mild migraine started throbbing at the memory, so he redirected his thoughts elsewhere. ¡°Well, the number of scanning constructs depends on your Titles and also on how interesting the System finds you,¡± the nurse waived it off like it was no big deal. But that word caught his attention - interesting. He couldn¡¯t recall why, and if he forced himself, the migraine got worse. He shook his head to dispel the thoughts and turned to the nurse. ¡°So how long was I out?¡± he asked with some trepidation. ¡°From your perspective, eons,¡± the nurse replied nonchalantly. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Aenon¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. If that were true, then everyone he knew was¡­ ¡°But based on the local time of the region you come from, about a month,¡± she continued after letting him stew for a full minute. Aenon narrowed his eyes and gave her a blank stare. ¡°Anyway, on to the next concerning optic. Where did you get this vial?¡± she asked seriously while conjuring up the missing vial given to him by the Overseer. ¡°Ummm, the Overseer gave that to me as a reward,¡± he said. The nurse frowned but stayed silent. She looked at the vial intensely, before turning to him. ¡°Were you able to identify the contents?¡± she asked. When Aenon shook his head, she probed further, ¡°And did you drink any of it?¡± When Aenon shook his head again, he detected a relieved expression on her face for just a moment. ¡°What is it? Was it supposed to harm me?¡± he asked, getting a bit concerned. ¡°That is not for me to tell,¡± she stated curtly. Aenon was getting frustrated now. He again felt like a helpless child being taken advantage of. And there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He took a deep breath and filed his concerns away for his future self. ¡°So, what happens now?¡± he asked plainly. The nurse did a double take at his response. ¡°Usually, I hear a lot more protests and tantrums when I withhold information,¡± she asked in a puzzled tone. ¡°Would it help? Would you have divulged any more info if I bugged you?¡± Aenon replied. ¡°Well, no¡­¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the point? I¡¯d rather focus on what¡¯s in my control, than the things which aren¡¯t,¡± he replied seriously. He might be wrong, but he thought he detected a hint of a smile on her face, but it disappeared just as quickly. ¡°Well, now you rest and recover. My guess, for about a week more. You can go through your System Notifications and select your Classes, and I will make sure they integrate properly before sending you on your merry way. You must have impressed someone important to be assigned a System Nurse to put you back together. Usually, shattered souls are just left to dissipate. They are not worth the hassle to most,¡± she said professionally. Aenon nodded at that and was about to thank her, but she cut him off and continued. ¡°And, umm, if someone was to ask, might be better to say you consumed the liquid. Go on, bottoms up. I¡¯ll check on you in a couple of hours,¡± she said before thrusting a vial in his hand and scampering off. A seamless door slid open on one of the walls through which she escaped before he got a word in. Aenon looked down at the vial in confusion, because the liquid in it had a different color and texture now. It was glowing gold and when he cast identify, it gave him the details.
Item Name: Amrit Item Type: Cleansing Elixir Item Rarity: Mythic Item Description: This potion is a cheap imitation of the fabled elixir of immortality. Like its namesake, it grants the drinker a significant boost to his/her physical and mental stats while doing a deep clean of the mana channels. Beware of the following mess. Effects: +30 all stats Note: This drink has been cleansed of multiple foreign substances which had limited its rarity to Ancient.
Aenon frowned at the description, especially the note at the end. Maybe the Overseer had added some stuff to make it safer for him to take? It only restricted the rarity after all. He thought back about all the interactions he had with the Overseer. Not once had he detected any ill will, in fact he liked the old man. He suddenly paused at that. Why did he like the man? He had stopped trusting all adults in his life, only tentatively giving them some vague form of respect if he felt they deserved it. But he felt awfully comfortable around the Overseer. This wasn¡¯t like him at all. But why shouldn¡¯t he? The Overseer had done so much for him. He was there when Aenon was the most vulnerable. The Overseer had helped him center himself when he was hurting because of Harley¡¯s loss. He even sent his granddaughter for his aid. He felt guilty even considering that the old man had some ulterior motives. Sure, he must have tried pushing his granddaughter onto him, but which parental figure didn¡¯t. Why was he¡­ Of course. The nurse must have done something to the drink to make him doubt the Overseer. After all, he didn¡¯t know her at all. Perhaps she was casting some kind of illusion to make him¡­ But wait, that didn¡¯t make sense either. Why the long con? He was at his most vulnerable right now. She could just finish him off. Maybe she was trying to gain something else out of him? Aenon felt another pain rising in his body. But not in his head. This time the pain was somewhere in his chest. He had a rush of conflicting emotions ¨C guilt, sorrow, love, happiness, anger, and plethora of others. For some reason he had a strong revulsion about the drink in his hand. Every fiber of his being was telling him not to drink the concoction. So, he did what he always did when he was unsure of anything. He recalled the last words Harley had left him in her last note. I am free now. Go find your own freedom, big brother. The memory unleashed the rage he always kept locked deep within himself. Pure, unadulterated fury, directed at the whole world. The rage washed away all other emotions like lava cutting across grass. With furious determination, he swallowed the whole liquid in one gulp. What followed was agonizing pain that spread outwards from his stomach. He felt the liquid bubble in his belly and flow down every blood vessel, every nerve, all the way to his fingertips. But he didn¡¯t care about the pain. He was entirely focused on the rage burning within him. Anger at the betrayal, and at the ease with which he fell victim to it. A series of notifications popped up when the pain finally subsided. He only opened the status affliction notices, ignoring others for now.
Debuff dispelled: Soul Charm Debuff dispelled: Soul Chains Debuff dispelled: Soul Suggestion
Aenon¡¯s blood ran cold at the new notifications. He hadn¡¯t even considered that he might be under the effect of a spell, let alone 3 of them. In fact, his feelings were actively fighting against such ideas. He recalled how he so easily told his entire life story to the Arbiter and the Overseer. Even five minutes ago, he had openly explained in detail how he got his soul wound to the nurse. This was completely out of character for him, who always kept his cards close to his chest. As he was still processing these changes, the nurse walked in again. ¡°Ah, good. You drank it. I was worried I would have to¡­,¡± she started speaking in a relieved tone before freezing up when she saw his expression. Aenon was glaring at her with anger while releasing the same energy he had when he had killed the two humans and made the two Arbiters almost collapse. Although it seemed to have no effect on the nurse except for confusing her a bit. ¡°Did you cast these on ¡­¡± SLAP Aenon¡¯s words cut out along with a strong stinging pain on his cheek. He touched his cheek while staring at her, dumbfounded. ¡°What did I tell you about using your soul sense? And you thought it was a good idea to release your soul presence? Are you trying to make my job harder?¡± she berated him. ¡°I¡­,¡± he tried explaining but she shut him immediately. ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you. I already know you are a clueless idiot. And being clueless is not a crime, but remaining clueless is. So, be quiet and listen. Mental spells and attacks are easy to dispel. But soul attacks and bindings are notoriously difficult to undo, especially after piecing you together. If I had outright told you about it, the spell would have fought harder and perhaps broken you up further. The easiest way to dispel such spells is by your own free will, through you coming to the realization of it yourself. So, that is what I did. And in case you are forgetting, I am not a real person. I will cease to exist once my job of fixing you is complete. So, I have nothing to gain or lose from this. I am just doing my damn job.¡± Aenon looked at the floor in embarrassment. It seems his days of being lectured were far from over. He took a deep breath and calmed himself, locking away his anger back into the dark recesses of his mind. ¡°I am sorry,¡± he apologized whole heartedly. ¡°Hmph. At least you have some manners,¡± she said with her fists on her hips, her gaze softening a bit. ¡°Now, tell me about that shard in your soul space.¡± Aenon hesitated about it, not sure how to avoid the question. He didn¡¯t feel like sharing the details with any more people. As he was trying to come up with a possible lie, she nodded. ¡°Good. The effects of the spell seemed to have dissipated,¡± she said. Noticing his confused look she continued, ¡°A Soul Suggestion spell does just that. It makes you more vulnerable and compliant to probing questions. The fact that you were trying to come up with a lie is proof that it''s been undone. You do need to work on your acting though,¡± she explained. ¡°So, did the elixir cleanse the spell as well?¡± he asked hopefully. ¡°Pfft. Not even close. The elixir doesn¡¯t do that. In fact, it does nothing apart from what the notification states. It was the action of drinking the elixir that undid the spell. Because it meant you acknowledged that something was off. I am sure you must have felt extreme hatred towards yourself when you thought about drinking it, like you are betraying the person who gave it to you.¡± Aenon had a vacant expression on his face as he stared at the floor. He felt dirty, like he was covered in trash. He hated being used and manipulated. That was the whole point of living in the forest back on Earth. So, he would never have to rely on others, which gave them an opportunity to do this very thing. He suddenly felt a soft touch on his shoulder which snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts. ¡°There is nothing to be ashamed of. You are extremely weak right now, and there will be countless parties trying to dominate or manipulate you. And you seemed to have caught the attention of the truly gargantuan powers. The only thing you can do right now is to grow in power. Grow strong enough that no one dares to try this again. But you need to be smart about it. The trees that don¡¯t bend in a squall will break. So, bend a little if you must, till you are powerful enough to face the hurricane,¡± the nurse spoke softly this time. She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before letting go. Aenon nodded in silence. The nurse was partly right. He was powerless now, and if he didn¡¯t bend a bit, he would be destroyed. But she was wrong as well. He would not grow strong just to make others leave him alone. He would also destroy those who made him bend. Till then, he would bide his time. After all, he always settled his scores. 23. Rebirth and Classes Chapter 23 ¨C Rebirth and Classes Aenon lay in bed for hours without a single thought in his head. This place was peaceful, he liked it. There were tons of notifications to go through, but he just wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet for now. The nurse had been dropping in occasionally to check up on him but had left him alone for the most part. By her admission, she had no name and would be dissolved into nothingness the moment Aenon left, and she was totally ok with that. After a bit more explanation from her, he had a rough idea of what was going on in the background without his knowledge. Apparently, the Overseer had used his limited System granted authority to sneak in some Soul spells to make him a bit more compliant. But unlike the truly aggressive spells, he had to use the milder version to avoid triggering the System¡¯s failsafe. It was also being applied in layers. The first layer was placed when he was just integrating with the System shard. And it was the most devious one. The Overseer¡¯s Favor Title came with a lot more stat gains, but the scheming old man had modified it to serve his needs. It essentially placed a marker on his soul for the Overseer to track. The next layer was the supposed ¡°patch¡± that he made Allie use to fix the leak from his soul space. And the last layer was the bracelet, which apparently got dropped when Aenon was transported here by the System, since it was a soul bound item of the Overseer. The tainted elixir would be a kind of seal to ensure the spell could not be removed. Unlike regular mind control spells, soul spells didn¡¯t change one¡¯s personality. Just made them more open to suggestions, which is why he had not fallen head over heels for Allie. He recalled the kiss and the flurry of emotions that ran through him then. If not for his untrusting nature, he would have just gone with the flow, and perhaps even consumed the elixir, thus sealing his fate. The act of leaving his inner soul space during the scan was a double-edged sword. It damaged his soul, but also forced the System to run a deep scan which brought to light the notoriously hard to detect chains that were getting tighter by the day. It wasn¡¯t all bad news though. The one silver lining he found was the Overseer wasn¡¯t all powerful like he had assumed. According to the nurse, Aenon¡¯s Unfettered Title was his ticket out of this mess, if he played his cards very carefully. She wouldn¡¯t tell him what it did, because apparently even Overseers did not have the privilege of knowing the details about the Title. Which meant the Overseer had bluffed that day when Aenon asked him about it. Which, given the apparent shock the Overseer had displayed for a brief second, made sense. But Aenon had completely ignored that at the time. ¡°It would have been ideal if you didn¡¯t reveal your System¡¯s Chosen and Unfettered Titles, but what¡¯s done is done. Just make sure to never reveal your status to anyone, not even Overseers. It¡¯s considered a taboo in the multiverse to enquire about someone¡¯s stats and Titles,¡± the nurse had explained. Any other person in Aenon¡¯s shoes would have been overwhelmed by the sheer pressure of what he was up against. On one end he had an entire empire worth of enemies due to the prince, and a one-man apocalypse on the other. And to be honest, Aenon was worried. But not enough to surrender just yet. So, he pushed all the irrelevant thoughts and focused on the present. He sat up and crossed his legs, deciding to finally review his notifications and go over his class selection. He had a bunch of Title notifications, which he decided would be a good place to start.
Title achieved: Outclassed Title achieved: Abyss Seeker Title achieved: System¡¯s Favor Title Combined: System¡¯s Chosen (2) and System¡¯s Favor into System¡¯s Grace Title achieved: Soul Survivor Title upgraded: Indomitable Soul (7) Title upgraded: Prodigy (2) to Prodigy (3) Title upgraded: Planetary Forerunner (7) to Planetary Forerunner (8)
Outclassed: Achieve mythic rarity class options for your first class selection. +50 all stats
Abyss Seeker: Gaze beyond the veil of your inner soul space +30 all stats
System¡¯s Favor: Gain the attention of and warrant the need for the direct intervention of the System. Allows the ability to hide all stats from others, including Overseers.
System¡¯s Grace: You¡¯ll need this, my problem child. Allows the ability to fake ones Titles, stats, and levels. This effect cannot be bypassed by even Overseers.
Soul Survivor: Survive a catastrophic shattering of your soul. +80 all stats Double the available Skill slots per evolution level.
Indomitable Soul (7): Survive a soul attack from a being 700 levels above you. +200 all stats Skill: Detect and resist the effects of soul attacks and spells.
Prodigy (3): Be the first to gain 15 Titles with all stat boosts. +40% gain from all Titles
Planetary Forerunner (8): First to trigger a race evolution. +100 all stats
Before he could address the weird description for the System¡¯s Grace title, another window popped up which was a deep golden color.
System Notification Due to significantly boosted Title stats, an evolution has been triggered. All previous Titles, their effects, skills, and corresponding stat gains will be compiled into the new Title. Additionally, all previous injuries, including soul injuries, will be healed.
Aenon felt a current running through his body as he dismissed the latest notification. The sensation was surreal, as he felt his skin crawl and his muscles and bones shift. He felt itchy all over, but he couldn¡¯t scratch himself as his muscles seized up. The nurse had burst into the room at some point and was staring at him slack jawed. After what felt like forever he collapsed on the bed, exhausted from the ordeal, and had the best sleep of his life. When he came to, the nurse was impatiently hovering next to his bed. ¡°Check your status, quick. Make sure there are no debuffs or side effects from what you just did. Also, what is your stat multiplier from the evolution?¡± she spoke in a hurried tone when she saw he was awake.
Name Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race Ascended Human (F) Level 0
Class None Level NA
Subclass None Level NA
HP 13780 MP 13860
HP/10 min 2754 MP/10 min 2788 Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Stats
Strength 1378 (4+1344+30) Intelligence 1386 (12+1344+30)
Constitution 1377 (3+1344+30) Willpower 1394 (20+1344+30)
Dexterity 1382 (8+1344+30) Perception 1384 (10+1344+30)
Titles (0 x 6 = 0)
Rebirth +1344 all stats Skills/Effects: (1) Detect and resist the effects of soul attacks and spells. (2) Double the available Skill slots per evolution level (3) Ability to fake Titles, stats, and levels. This effect cannot be bypassed even by Overseers. (4) Can bypass certain System restrictions. (5) Unfettered: ??? (6) Stat Point multiplier: 2
Skills (Free SP: 86)
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps) Savant
Stealth (Woods, Urban) Savant
Unassigned
Unassigned
Spells
Illusion (Basic) Earth Manipulation (Basic) Water Manipulation (Basic) Overcharge (Basic) Blooming Earth Barrier ¨C Physical (Basic)
¡°Ummm, it says it is two,¡± Aenon said weakly in his normal voice. He was so confused about what was going on that he had no idea what he was supposed to do. ¡°Damn. I was hoping you would not get the multiplier. This will be tricky. It¡¯s already a nightmare hiding you, but now that you have a stat multiplier too, these so-called powers would annihilate you without a second thought,¡± the nurse said in annoyance. ¡°So¡­ Am I like ridiculously overpowered or something?¡± Aenon asked with some hesitation. ¡°Overpowered, yes. For your planet that is. But at the multiversal level, not so much. The average stats for a level zero human are about 10 in each category. Other races are much stronger from birth. Take the elves for example, who are on average 20 times stronger than humans. Their average stats are about 200 in each category. Another good example is the dragon race, who are considered the pinnacle of creation. They are 100 times stronger and have 1000 stats in each category at level zero,¡± the nurse said while pondering something. ¡°So does that mean that a dragon or an elf will always be stronger than a human?¡± Aenon asked. ¡°No. That is why the System created the concept of Titles. They are to equalize the base stat difference across races, since it will be significantly harder for a dragon to achieve such Titles. Titles are given based on difficulty of accomplishment. What is a dragon supposed to kill to get the Underdog title? The thresholds for them are much higher which means there is nothing for them to kill to get it. Same goes for surviving soul attacks. Only a fool would attempt to attack the soul of a dragon, no matter how under leveled it may be. The dragon will merely shrug it off like an itch and hence not gain the Indomitable Soul Title,¡± the nurse explained. ¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± Aenon replied. He considered the implications of what the nurse just said. In essence, he was no longer human. Even his status agreed with that notion. But something bothered him. ¡°But wait, does that mean I am two times stronger than a Level 0 dragon? Also, what happens when I reach level 100 since it will be significantly harder for me to gain Titles now? I don¡¯t want a low-grade evolution,¡± Aenon asked. ¡°Good points. Yes, you are stronger than the average dragon at level 0 and therefore will have significantly more difficulty gaining good Titles. But don¡¯t worry about the evolution grade at Level 100. The Title stats needed for a higher-grade evolution are different for a dragon after all. Your base stats, which are about 1300 each, will decide the thresholds,¡± she assured him. ¡°That¡¯s good to know. Although, why did the evolution trigger now?¡± Aenon was puzzled but it. ¡°That¡¯s way above my paygrade. Anyway, it seems that evolution fixed all the lingering effects of your injuries. So quickly browse through and finalize your classes. Once you do, you will be transported out. So, I guess this is farewell¡±, the nurse said in a matter-of-fact tone with no emotion. Aenon felt a sense of loss and guilt about what he knew was about to happen. He wasn¡¯t sure how to react or behave in this situation, but thankfully the nurse spoke up again with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, kid. Not a real person, remember? I am part of something much bigger and I was just fulfilling the role assigned to me. There is nothing to feel sad or sorry about. Good luck on your travels, and I hope you kick that Overseer¡¯s backside,¡± she said before giving him a nod and walking out of the room. Aenon watched her go with a heavy heart. He wondered why the people who genuinely cared for him never stuck around longer. Shaking his head of the budding dark thoughts, he decided to focus on his class selection screen that he had been ignoring for so long now. He decided to get one physical and one magical class to cover all his bases, so he divided the choices into sets that went well together.
Class Selection Based on your past accomplishments and life experiences, the following classes are available to you. Please select your primary class. Please be aware that changing class is an extremely rare and expensive process which will reset your progress. However, your classes may evolve if certain conditions are met.
Class Name: Novice Rogue Class Type: Melee/Physical Class Rarity: Common Class Description: The most common physical damage type class across the multiverse. Rogues are masters of stealth, with abilities to slay enemies from the shadows. With clever use of traps and poisons, a rogue can devastate the backlines of enemy forces just as easily as unsuspecting prey. Class Stats per level: +6 free stats Class Name: Novice Mage Class Type: Ranged/Magical Class Rarity: Common Class Description: The most common magical damage type class across the multiverse. Based on specialization, they are the most versatile of magic based classes with the option to evolve into the notoriously infamous Archmagi, who are the masters of their chosen element. Class Stats per level: +6 free stats ¡­
The first two classes made sense to him, as they were the most generic that he assumed majority of the people would get. He scrolled and saw that the list was obscenely long, with perhaps hundreds of options. How was anyone supposed to go through it and then decide? He decided to filter the list for the rarest of classes. There might be some truly unique options he might miss by doing so, but such was life. The list shrunk to 8 sets of options and the flavor text for these was much more personalized.
¡­ Class Name: Blade Dancer Class Type: Melee/Physical Class Rarity: Ancient Class Description: You have demonstrated great proficiency in sticking the pointy end of a knife into enemy hearts and throats. Coupled with your flawless footwork, you are carnage incarnate on the field of battle. This class provides a major boost to your physical stats, while increasing learning speed of new weapons and martial art forms, thus allowing you to fulfill your blood lust as you weave death within enemy ranks. Class Stats per level: +7 STR, +3 CON, +4 DEX. Class Name: Arcane Magus Class Type: Ranged/Magical Class Rarity: Ancient Class Description: Most mages master one or two elements. A select few aim higher and go for four. Only the truly gifted aim to enforce their will on more. But the truly crazy one¡¯s thirst to master them all. By demonstrating the ability to identify and manipulate multiple mana wisp types, and have rudimentary understanding of them, you have proved yourself worthy enough for this class. Unlocks every single elemental type and grants you a grimoire where you can store spells of your own creation, allowing you to quickly cast them during battle. Be careful though, not all mana combinations are stable. Or safe. Class Stats per level: +3 INT, +3 WIL, +9 PER. ¡­
These two classes were much better than the generic ones. But each came with its significant restrictions. Both could be considered generalist classes. The Blade Dancer would enhance his learning speed of new weapons and fighting styles, but unless he learned them, it would be limited in scope. The same was true for Arcane Magus, he would either need to study the elements himself or have someone teach him to truly unlock its potential. But each of the classes would be a force to be reckoned with, in later stages of his life at least. He decided to look at the next two options which felt would pair well together.
Class Name: Chaos Templar Class Type: Melee/Magical Class Rarity: Mythic Class Description: You are the hand of justice, defending those too weak to protect themselves. Failing which, you are the face of unwavering retribution to all those who inflict evil upon the world. You weave magic within the blades you wield and instill the same within your armor to dispel and protect. You are the first line of defense, and the last line to retreat. Grants the user several buff and debuff spells based on levels. Class Stats per level: +2 STR, +6 CON, +2 INT, +6 WIL Class Name: Trap Weaver Class Type: Ranged/Physical Class Rarity: Legendary Class Description: Why face an enemy in glorious combat, when you can whittle them down to size through tricks. Your proficiency with insane contraptions to bring down insurmountable odds has been acknowledged. Not to mention your penchant to trigger said contraptions with your life on the line. Allows the user to disarm as well as deploy sophisticated traps within seconds, turning the battlefield into a veritable minefield that your enemies will refuse to step on. Class Stats per level: +5 CON, +3 DEX, +5 WIL, +3 PER ¡­
This combination was truly formidable in Aenon¡¯s opinion. He probably earned them by wielding his twin named daggers while also trying to mitigate damage using mana manipulation. And the way he got his other legendary class in the list was a no brainer. The dead goblin horde could probably attest to that. Stat wise he would gain a lot more CON and WIL, boosting his resource regeneration rates significantly. This was for all intents and purposes, a heavy tank build. The next combination though was his favorite by far.
¡­ Class Name: Void Stalker Class Type: Melee/Magical Class Rarity: Mythic Class Description: Many campfire stories speak of untold horrors lurking in the night; waiting; thirsting for unsuspecting prey. You are much more than that. You do not lurk in the dark of night; you carry it with you. You do not instill fear; you feast on hope itself. Your very presence on the battlefield is a beacon of death and destruction. Imbue your weapons with magic to unleash their full potential. This class also incorporates soul magic along with all mana types. Class Stats per level: +4 INT, +10 WIL, +4 PER Class Name: Abyssal Warden Class Type: Ranged/Magical Class Rarity: Mythic Class Description: Rarely does a mortal being draw the attention of the abyss, and rarer still does he/she survive encountering it. You have done both and somehow lived, from sheer dumb luck. Allows the user to manipulate rare and volatile magic, creating unstable mana projectiles which unleash novel forms of destruction on your enemies. Class Stats per level: + 8 INT, +10 WIL ¡­
Aenon was heavily leaning towards this combo above all else. The synergy between them and his Abyssal Set pieces was phenomenal. Plus, both were Mythic classes. Add in the mysterious Soul Presence he had heard snippets about so far, and he would be an unstoppable assassin. This combo would go all in towards the magic route, which he was honestly ok with. The only reason he had not finalized it yet was the last combination. Its rarity was beyond Mythic, but it came with some serious problems.
¡­ Class Name: System Adjudicator Class Type: Melee/Physical Class Rarity: Unique Class Description: Be the System¡¯s sword. Class Stats per level: +40 free stats. Class Name: Corruption Cleanser Class Type: Ranged/Magical Class Rarity: Unique Class Description: Be the System¡¯s shield. Class Stats per level: +40 free stats
Rarity aside, just the stat gains were mind boggling. But the description, or the lack thereof, made him cautious. Every other class, even the generic ones, had some explanation about them. But these two were the standouts. Aenon wasn¡¯t even sure why he was being offered these. The fact that the stats were freely assignable was the biggest advantage he could think of, since he would be able to customize these classes to his own style. But he didn¡¯t like the intonation of responsibility in the class descriptions. And so, he made his selection and mentally prepared himself for the aftermath of his actions. He had an empire to topple, a devil to temporarily appease, and a teenaged girl to handle. Honestly though, he preferred the first two opponents. 24. Jade Fall Chapter 24 ¨C Jade Fall Aenon woke up in bed back at his appointed house in Jadefall, and immediately gagged. He was lying on a messy black sludge that completely covered his bed and the surrounding floor. The only upside was that his armor was stored in his inventory, and he wouldn¡¯t have to try washing it. He gingerly extricated himself out of the muck and ran for the bathroom. It took him hours to scrape the substance off his skin, and another hour to finally rid himself of the smell. When he finally stepped out of the shower, he saw that the entire house was reeking of the putrid smell, and so he immediately ran for the exit. He hurriedly put on his armor, except for the mask and shroud, and stumbled out in a rush. But what he saw surprised him. It looked as though he had stepped into a warzone, the remains of one at least. Gone was the bustling village along with its citizens. In its place was a ghost town, with signs of a bloody struggle everywhere. Many of the torn houses had scorch marks, and deep cracks from a variety of weapons. He even found random weapons and armor strewn about. It was noon by his estimate, but not a single soul was in sight. He quickly put on the rest of his armor and slinked off into the shadows of an alley nearby. He released his soul sense to detect any threats and came up empty. Not even a dog was within his sensing range, which had grown much further out than he remembered. Before the debacle with the scanning crystal, he could sense about 50 meters around him, but now that range had grown to 100 meters. He had about a quarter of the town in range now, and his sense was more sensitive too. He could pick up individual blades of grass dancing in the wind if he decided to focus on it. He remained in the shadows as he navigated the abandoned village. Everywhere was the same, signs of a struggle, or hurried packing. He even found a house with a table set for dinner, with the food still untouched and rotting. He made a wide circle around the village, but pretty much everywhere was the same. As he was just about to give up, he finally detected two individuals. They were in the mayor¡¯s mansion. He went straight for it, while keeping to shadows as best as he could. Through one of the windows, he found the mayor and the guild leader sitting by the fireplace. Neither man was the way he remembered them. Both looked haggard and their clothes/armor were in a terrible mess. He slinked closer and thankfully the window was open so he could hear the argument they were having. The guild leader was very loud and animated, so overhearing was not a problem. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Blake ¡°It¡¯s all that damned noble¡¯s fault. He marches in like he owns the place, and gets himself blown into oblivion, and who is blamed? Hardworking men like you and I,¡± Blake screamed for the millionth time by his count. ¡°That¡¯s enough Blake¡±, his friend Vincent replied in a tired voice. It had been days since they ran out of food, now subsisting on System rations. And it was taking its toll on their mood. Usually, his friend was the positive one, but even he was showing signs of mental exhaustion. ¡°I mean, how is it our fault? We did everything by the book. So why are we the ones being punished for it?¡± Blake continued venting. His friend stayed silent at that. It had been 2 months since the brat had disappeared to who knows where. And their entire world had come crumbling down soon after. The Arbiter had basically forced them all to give up all their quests and duties in favor of finding the boy. Which meant, no one was clearing dungeons or leveling up as usual. After a full month of coming up empty, a few had tried protesting, saying they needed levels. The madwoman had sarcastically used her authority to assign them a mandatory System quest to clear a high-level dungeon from which no one returned. And so, the status quo continued until finally a dungeon break happened about two weeks ago. It was a treant type dungeon which had been leaking mobs for weeks, but since they were tree types, and good at camouflage, no one had detected them in the forest. When the horde hit in the dead of the night, it was pure pandemonium. The mobs were level 45-50, which should have been defendable, had it not been for the under-leveled citizenry. At least the woman had some common decency and had used a rare token to evacuate the non-combatants and severely under leveled people to a nearby town. Nearby being a relatively loose term. Any neighboring towns would take weeks to reach on foot, if they were going in a straight line and knew where they were going. The token had a limit though. Thus, the remaining combatants had to fight their way out. Only a handful managed to break the encirclement and escape, their fates unknown. But the vindictive woman had refused to let him and Vincent leave. Luckily, with the village cleared of its inhabitants, the horde had stopped the assault. But they were still in the forest that was now encircling the entire village. And with just the two of them left, there was no hope of escape. They had collected what meager resources they could find from the abandoned place and hunkered down in the mansion. They either had to somehow find the damned boy or die of old age in this giant prison. The latter option seemed more likely. He was about to continue his tirade when he heard a loud knocking sound. Both him and Vincent froze at that. The only one who ever visited the place was the damned witch to enquire if the boy was found. And the last time she was here last week, she dropped a communication crystal and left them to their fates. The chances of her returning were slim, and even if she did, she wouldn¡¯t have knocked. ¡°Do you think it is a wandering party of adventurers? Maybe they are trying to establish contact with our village? We may be able to setup a teleportation array to link to wherever they are from,¡± his friend asked with a glimmer of hope in his sunken eyes. Blake wasn¡¯t that hopeful though. It was probably wind or some wandering treant that had managed to sneak into the village. Even so, they both hurried to the main door of the mansion. They quickly dusted and straightened their clothes the best they could and opened the door carefully. Their very souls froze the next moment. Standing in the door was a hooded figure in a cloak so dark, it might as well be the void itself. Even standing in the midday sun, no light reflected off it, making it impossible to detect what was hidden beneath it. But that wasn¡¯t what paralyzed them. They were locked in place by the face of the ¡­ thing. It was obviously a mask, but it was like a blackhole. Only a set of grey eyes were visible, floating in the void. ¡°I am not an enemy,¡± a male voice came from the creature. ¡°I am going to deactivate my ability, so don¡¯t make the mistake of attacking.¡± Afte a few seconds, he could feel his body again and immediately collapsed on the ground next to Vincent. He checked his notification log and was horrified to see that his WIL stat had reduced by half during the time the man¡¯s skill was active. Even now, his WIL went down by a quarter whenever he made the mistake of looking at the monster. After that demonstration, the thought of attacking never even crossed his mind. ¡°Can we go somewhere more comfortable to talk?¡± the stranger said in a flat but polite tone. ¡°Ah¡­ye¡­ yes of course sir. This way,¡± Vincent stammered as he was the first to recover. He hurriedly bowed and led the way to his office. Blake just sat there on the ground, his knees refusing to work, as the other two marched past him. It was only after they got out of sight that he managed to stumble to his feet. WIL was his weakest stat, and having it reduced by half had done a number on him. He carefully crept towards the office, determined to just peep or spy from the outside. There was no way in hell he was sharing a room with that monster. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Vincent Vincent barely managed to control his trembling knees as he led the unknown man to his office. He used to keep his mansion in pristine condition, but with no servants to cater to it, it had fallen into disrepair surprisingly quickly. He hoped the man didn¡¯t take offense to it. Although he didn¡¯t know who he was, he had a hunch that maybe he was sent by the Arbiter. And if so, he couldn¡¯t afford to mess this. He had barely escaped with his life before, but one more screw up might mean his end. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. As they entered the room, he was glad that Blake had not followed. This situation would take all his experience and cunning to handle. He pointed to the couches in the center of the room and went to fetch the wine glasses but found them all empty. He realized where Blake used to go during his nightly escapades. He failed to find any decent drinks, or even tea, and went back with dread. ¡°I am sorry, your excellency. It seems I am unable to host you in a suitable way,¡± he said nervously. Try as he might, he couldn¡¯t lay eyes on the man. He kept his gaze firmly fixed on the ground. The WIL penalty to just look at him was uncomfortable to say the least, not to mention that active skill. He couldn¡¯t even imagine what Blake must have experienced with half his WIL reduced. His friend had barely managed a D grade evolution, and being a dual physical class, had dumped all his points into STR, CON, and DEX. ¡°No need to stand on ceremony. I am more interested in knowing what happened here,¡± the man said while crossing one leg over another. In normal circumstances Vincent would have taken offense to the callous disregard for his station. But since he couldn¡¯t even identify the person sitting in front of him, he had to ignore it. All his identify skill gave was a bunch of nothing. Not question marks, like usual. But the words unknown, meaning the man had a very high levelled obscuring item. At least the voice sounded humanoid, and the person had not attacked, which was a blessing he would gladly accept. And so, he diplomatically explained what had happened over the last two months, careful to leave out any wrongdoings of the Arbiter. Instead, he made her sound like someone who was concerned about the disappearance of a hapless adventurer. He even justified her actions by claiming she did it to protect the other adventurers from an unknown threat and regaled her heroic sacrifice of an exceedingly rare treasure to allow the non-combatants to escape. Vincent wasn¡¯t sure if the man was buying any of it, since he sat still like a statue, and his facial expressions were hidden under that eerie mask. ¡°Then why are you two still here?¡± after a period of silent contemplation, the man finally asked. ¡°Uh¡­ you see, the Arbiter left us with a quest to find this missing adventurer. As the village head of Jadefall, I am duty bound to solve this mystery and help the poor soul,¡± Vincent replied politely. The man went silent again, probably thinking some things over. ¡°Very well then. I shall help you with this endeavor. So, tell me how you are supposed to contact this Arbiter when you do finally find this boy?¡± he asked firmly. ¡°Uh¡­ using this communication crystal, sir,¡± Vincent said while retrieving it from his inventory. Before Vincent could react, the crystal flew from his hands towards the man who caught it effortlessly. ¡°Hmmm. And is this the only one?¡± the man asked. ¡°Huh? Oh¡­ yes,¡± Vincent responded, not knowing where the conversation was headed. ¡°Well, in that case I will hold onto it. I¡¯ll contact the Arbiter when I have located the missing boy,¡± he said while depositing the crystal into his inventory. Vincent wanted to scream to have the crystal returned. It was his last chance to save his and Blake¡¯s life. But then he caught himself as he realized this might be better. The man before him was obviously a powerhouse. If he managed to find the kid, and dealt with the Arbiter himself, he and Blake wouldn¡¯t have to face that she-demon again. ¡°Of¡­ of course sir. Ummm¡­ could you please also put in a good word for me and the guild master when you do accomplish the task? Of course you will have our utmost support in dealing with this. Any resources, as scarce as they maybe, will be at your disposal,¡± he replied in a flattering tone with a bow. ¡°Does that involve village quests in and around here? This task may take me a while, and I do not intend to spend what may potentially be weeks just looking around. I do need to gain levels in the meantime,¡± the man asked after thinking it over. ¡°Why, of course. You can even make this mansion your base of operations. There are guest rooms on the top floor that you are free to use. Food might be an issue, but I will start working on it. Here, let me send you the quest invites,¡± he hurriedly sent out all the pending problems that had been plaguing the village for the last two weeks. Most of them were mob clearing quests, with very few resource gathering ones. He had been stuck at level 99, since the Arbiter had refused to allow anyone to complete those. Being a village head, his class experience was closely linked to how well the village did, which was another way of saying it was in dire need of help. If this guy managed to do even a few of these, he might be able to kill two birds with one stone. ¡°These are¡­,¡± the man paused mid-sentence. ¡°Oh, if any are not to your liking, please abandon them. These are all the ones I currently have available. Given the lack of personnel, and the recent treant dungeon break, the surrounding forest is infested with high level monsters,¡± he said. ¡°Very well. I will accept all of them for now and will clear them as and when I can. The penalties for abandoning though¡­¡± ¡°Oh. Forgive my insolence. I will remove any penalties for failure to complete, or abandonment,¡± he quickly added to appease the man. ¡°Sounds good. I will head out once I am done checking out my accommodation and taking a brief rest,¡± the man said as he stood up. Vincent took a deep breath of relief, as the man walked out towards the stairs for the guest room. Moments later, Blake burst in. ¡°What did that monster want?¡± he asked half in fear, and half with contempt. Vincent sighed before hitting his friend¡¯s head with all his meager strength. The damage was laughable, but the message went across. ¡°When will you stop trying to get us killed, you big oaf?¡± he scolded the burly man. ¡°Ahem. Sorry. So? How did it go?¡± ¡°This man is either our ticket out of here, or our doom. So just shut up and follow my lead. Send him all the pending assignable quests you have as a guild leader. And help me clear out the kitchen. We need to prepare a decent meal,¡± Vincent said while heading towards the door. ¡°Wh¡­ What? I am a guild leader. Not some low level trash¡­¡± Vincent hit his head again, which shut his friend up and they both headed for the kitchen in silence. For the first time in weeks, he had hope, and he decided to cling to it no matter what. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Aenon Aenon walked around the maze with no direction in mind. He randomly picked a room at the end of the hall and locked the door behind him. The room was far bigger than he anticipated, easily bigger than his entire assigned house. There was a huge bed in the middle that could easily accommodate five people with curtains that were neatly tucked into the huge wooden posts on the four corners. There was a massive fireplace on the side and a work desk on the other end. The entire room reeked of efficiency, as even the pens on the desk were neatly aligned parallel to each other. Unlike the rest of the mansion, this room was meticulously maintained. There was a side door that he was unable to access, while a third door led to the biggest bathroom he had ever seen. The bathtub, if you could call it that, had a bunch of different faucets coming in, whose function he didn¡¯t know. It would be considered a mini swimming pool back on Earth. He took a tentative look around before removing his mask and looking in the full body length mirror. He did not have time to check it back in his house, since he was in a hurry to get out as fast as possible from the smell. The face staring back at him looked familiar yet foreign. His skin was flawless, with not even a blemish, while his eyes had turned a very light shade of grey. He quickly stripped completely to see what other changes there were and was pleasantly surprised. Every single scar or imperfection was gone. He used to look like a half-starved street urchin before, but now he looked healthy. He gave a nod and put on his armor as he went and lay down on the bed. He had a lot of things to consider going forward. Despite what the village head said, the state of the village and the two men in the mansion spoke volumes. He had a good estimate of what must have happened since his disappearance. Obviously, the Arbiter and the Overseer were desperately looking for him, for different reasons. The Overseer probably must have sensed the removal of his soul chains and wanted to either find him to eliminate him or recast those. The Arbiter on the other hand, gullible as she was, was probably being strung along by her grandfather, hoping to live out her fantasy love story. Which meant Aenon had to do his best to maintain a low profile. Thankfully, he had snatched the communication crystal, and he would have some breathing room while he figured out his next steps. The first of which was to start leveling up in earnest, to catch up and surpass the girl at the very least. He also needed to weave a web of lies to pacify them when they eventually caught up to him. Thankfully, he had a forest full of high-level mobs to grind in the short term and a bunch of untouched dungeons that he could clear on his own. He just needed to be wary that the two other men didn¡¯t catch him in his deceit. He genuinely felt bad for the two, since it was obvious what happened to them. They were victims the same way he was. And if he could, he would try to compensate them at some point. But for now, he had to maintain the status quo for his own safety as well as theirs. He pulled up his quest log, and the long list of high-level quests brought a smile to his face, which grew wider when a second avalanche of quests came his way. He decided to start his grind right away and unceremoniously emptied his inventory on the bed and walked out. He found the two men in the kitchen on the lower floors using his soul sense and went right for them. They both jumped back at his entry, with the guild leader being worse off. ¡°So, I am heading out to look for clues around the village. Will also complete a few low-level quests along the way. I should be back by nightfall. I have left some stuff in my room, so please don¡¯t touch that. Although I need someone to investigate one of the side rooms. The door seemed stuck,¡± he said and turned away before either could respond. He paused at the door though, and without looking back said something that made both men skip a heartbeat. ¡°And oh, just wanted to let you know. Monsters have an acute sense of hearing.¡± He chuckled while exiting the mansion as he sensed both men collapse to the floor in a panic. 25. Predator Showdown Chapter 25 ¨C Predator Showdown Overseer Velcodirust The overseer sat in his chair with a wine cup in hand. He observed his student pacing the room back and forth while going on random tangents about the boy. For his part, he just showed a sad smile on his face, trying to project a grandfatherly energy of care and love. In all honesty, he did care about the tantrum throwing teen. She was his flesh and blood after all. Just not as much as he was forced to show. ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe it¡¯s the prince I killed. His family might be behind the disappearance. They must have figured out it was Aenon¡­,¡± Allie went on, but the Overseer had tuned her out about an hour ago. This was the problem with Soul magic, unfortunately. He preferred it since the System had a tough time detecting it, but he could neither directly control the subject, nor could he alter their personality. He could only nudge them in the direction he wanted, but once anything went wrong, it was very hard to intervene. He had tried to be gentler with the girl, merely wanting her to be interested in the boy. He was not expecting her to fall so hard in love, a byproduct of personalities. And now that the boy was gone, it would take him years to fix her. The System was always careful about souls, sending in Overseers to handle it when something went wrong with one. And that was how he had come across such a rare gem. For the first time in centuries, he had invested so heavily trying to acquire someone, and the loss irked him. The kid disappeared out of nowhere, and a month after that even the soul mark had stopped responding. Which meant the boy was most likely dead. He couldn¡¯t make a move yet, but he would eventually find those responsible and rain hell on them. Unfortunately, his granddaughter was too na?ve and had let the village survive, going as far as to use the rare talisman he had given her. And if he went ahead and erased them from existence, she might get more unstable. He had to let her heal from this and then act when she eventually forgets about them. ¡°¡­ maybe if I covertly went to their kingdom and checked what was going on. Might also be able to find out about the corruption that Aenon came across. Couldn¡¯t you assign me the quest you gave him? Aenon had said he hated leaving unfinished business. So, maybe that¡¯s where he went,¡± Allie finished speaking and stared at him intently. ¡°I am afraid that is not possible dear. The quest has disappeared from my list, meaning either someone has already cleared it, or the System has conducted a purge of the corruption itself,¡± the Overseer replied with a fake sad smile. Although he was hiding it, this actually puzzled and worried him. Quests don¡¯t just disappear and what he told Allie was something he really wanted to believe. The alternative would be extremely dire for him otherwise. Because it would mean she was involved. And if so, then his subterfuge might come to light eventually. Even though he was loathe to admit it, he really hoped the boy was dead. The kid was the only piece of evidence not in his control that he had meddled with souls. ¡°So, what am I supposed to do? In my desperation I even caused the downfall of the village I was supposed to oversee. So many died because of me. I completely failed in my duties,¡± Allie collapsed in a chair opposite him with her head buried in her hands. ¡°Now, now. Things aren¡¯t as bad as you think,¡± he said while internally cursing his luck. Things were in fact that bad. The loss of the boy was significant, but the loss of the Arbiter title he had spent so long to acquire for her made it much worse. He had been carefully nurturing the girl to be a powerhouse and this setback would push his plans back hundreds of years. She was a good seed, but her soft nature was a detriment he had no way of bypassing. Another reason why the boy was such a great fit for her. He was remarkably ruthless and sharp, and had his plan of tying them together worked, he would have obtained not one, but two more sharp blades at his side. He was the only overseer who had gotten 4 S-grade evolutions, making him the strongest. But younger generations always had the unfortunate knack of exceeding their predecessors. He was carefully eliminating such geniuses to ensure no one surpassed him, and whenever possible, he subdued them to serve under him. That was the beauty of soul magic. Once his manipulation took root, there was nothing else he had to do. His victims essentially shackled themselves and limited their own growth to never surpass him. And that is how he had managed his hegemony, with none the wiser about it. Everyone assumed he was sitting on an unattainable peak, not knowing that there were levels beyond. Levels that he intended to be the first to attain. ¡°This was just a minor setback. Not everything goes according to plan. Such is life. For now, I want you to focus on recovering and improving your Skills. I will find Aenon, failing which I will exact revenge on whoever caused this,¡± he said in a calming tone. Allie nodded in understanding amid sobs and walked out of the room. His smile vanished the moment the door closed behind her. There were preparations to make, and plots to modify. Nothing would get in between him and Level 701. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Aenon Aenon stayed completely still as he observed his target. It had been a couple of hours since he left the mansion, and he had only managed to sneak a hundred meters into the thick forest that now surrounded Jadefall. His soul sense was going haywire with all the strong soul signatures in the woods, and only after 2 full rounds of the village, was he able to find a gap to squeeze through and observe what was going on. The scene before him was misleading to say the least. His soul sense was registering a strong presence 20 meters in front of him, but he saw nothing of note ahead. Just a regular tree stood there, with not even an insect nearby. This must be the treant that the village head had mentioned, and if not for his soul sense, he would not have found it at all. He cast identify, and thankfully it worked as usual. If a Juvenile was level 54, he could not imagine what an adult would be. But the bigger issue was its fighting ability. From the explanation he had received, it used vines and some kind of spores to attack. As for defense, its one-meter-thick trunk was going to be a pain to pierce, even with magic. Aenon continued his vigil to see if the creature would move. He was rewarded for his patience when a goblin party of 4 appeared and walked close to the tree. Before any of the green-skinned creatures could react, a bunch of vines shot down from the branches above them. Within seconds all the goblins were tangled up and struggled to break free, but nothing they did affected the vines, not even the shaman¡¯s fire spell. Eventually the vines constricted and choked the life out of them one by one. Despite what the village head had claimed, not once had the tree moved from its spot, which meant this goblin party wasn¡¯t a serious threat to it. Aenon stayed in the shadows, trying to come up with a strategy on how to proceed. He could see a bunch of nature wisps floating about the treant, which had been what it used to control its own vines like whips. He really wanted to see all its capabilities before engaging though, so he backed off for now. He settled down comfortably in a house on the outskirts and pulled up his status.
Name Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race Ascended Human (F) Level 0
Class Void Stalker Level 0
Subclass Abyssal Warden Level 0
HP 13780 MP 13860
HP/10 min 2754 MP/10 min 2788
Stats
Strength 1378 (4+1344+30) This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Intelligence 1386 (12+1344+30)
Constitution 1377 (3+1344+30) Willpower 1394 (20+1344+30)
Dexterity 1382 (8+1344+30) Perception 1384 (10+1344+30)
Titles (0 x 6 = 0)
Rebirth +1344 all stats Skills/Effects: (1) Detect and resist the effects of soul attacks and spells. (2) Double the available Skill slots per evolution level (3) Ability to fake Titles, stats, and levels. This effect cannot be bypassed even by Overseers. (4) Can bypass certain System restrictions. (5) Unfettered: ??? (6) Stat Point multiplier: 2
Skills (Free SP: 86)
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps) Savant
Stealth (Woods, Urban) Savant
Tracking (Woods) Adept
Mana Manipulation Adept
Spells
Illusion (Basic) Earth Manipulation (Basic) Water Manipulation (Basic) Overcharge (Basic) Blooming Earth Barrier ¨C Physical (Basic)
He had decided to give up on the System Adjudicator and Corruption Cleanser classes despite their superior stats for one simple reason. It would limit his freedom. As for his open Skill slots, he had decided to go with tracking and mana manipulation. Even though his soul sense did an amazing job at picking presences, it was useless when it came to non-living objects and clues. The overlay of highlighted colors was off balancing at first, but he was getting used to it now. The manipulation skill on the other hand gave him subconscious hints on how to interact with wisps which he was sure would come in handy. Even though the two skills were adept ranked, and he had 86 SP, he chose not to upgrade them yet. He pulled up his quest log and saw about 18 different tasks ranging from gathering firewood to clearing out the surrounding forest of monsters and beasts. He made a mental plan on which tasks he could complete in one run without going too deep into the jungle. For now, he wanted to give the treants a wide berth and focus on the other threats which had grown significantly in his month-long absence. He shortlisted goblins, kobolds, and dire wolves from his mob clear quests, and essential supplies like firewood, raw hides, and wild game for his gathering quests. There were other things, like ore and lumber, but they required specialized tools for them and would take more time. The interesting thing was that all his quest logs labeled Jadefall as a ruin, not a village.
Active Quests (18/18) 1. Corruption Cleaner 2. Kobold Hunt 3. Gather Wood 4. Dire Wolf Hunt 5. Collect Raw Hide ¡­ Dire Wolf Hunt: Dire wolves the plague the woods around Jadefall Ruins. Clear them out by any means necessary to make it safer. Reward ¡¤ Per kill: 50 S ¡¤ Drive them out: 1 G
Completed Quests (1) 1. Goblin Hunt
With a clear plan, he set out along the perimeter till he found another gap where there were no treants and blended into the bushes using the passives of his gear and some clever use of mana manipulation. He decided to remove his cloak for now since he wanted to try out a few things. He tried creating a thin barrier using air wisps around himself to trap his natural scent. It wasn¡¯t perfect and he had a hard time controlling it, but he kept at it hoping to get an air manipulation spell. His hard work was rewarded after almost an hour when he got the familiar notification for a new spell.
System Notification
Spell Learned: Air Manipulation (Basic) Mana cost: 300 Mana to maintain: 200/min
Spell Mana Cost and Type Description
Illusion (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Earth Manipulation (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Water Manipulation (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Overcharge (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Blooming Earth ¡­ ¡­
Barrier -Physical (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Air Manipulation (Basic) Initial cost: 300 Channe; cost: 200/min Wisp Type: Air Manipulate air and wind to trap gases and scents in small pockets. Can deflect small, lightweight projectiles. At basic proficiency, either control a volume of one cubic meter of air or create a weak air current.
Satisfied for now, he pressed on deeper into the forest. Eventually he came across a pack of 8 dire wolves, huge creatures with thick grey and brown fur. The smallest of them stood at about 5 feet when on all fours. Their levels ranged from 63 to 80, with the largest of them identifying as an alpha variant. Thankfully, the quest had also granted him some basic information about the creatures. It was also the reason why his identify worked and didn¡¯t just present him with only level info. He pulled up the information for just the wolves.
System Notification
Due to an active quest description handed out by an authoritative figure, you have been granted access to the basic details of your quarry. Identify Skill can now identify the following monster types and their variants ¨C Dire wolf, Kobold, Treant. Dire Wolf ¨C The bigger cousins of the wolf species, dire wolves are faster, stronger, and much more agile. They have no magical ability or stats, forgoing it completely for enhanced physique which they use with devastating effectiveness. They only have 3 stats in place of 6. As pack hunters, their overall stats are increased by 20% when in groups of more than three. Alpha Dire Wolf ¨C The leader variant of dire wolves, alphas keep the pack more organized and efficient. A pack with an alpha is more lethal and difficult to take down. Alphas grant the pack a 30% stat boost and any target the alpha lays its eyes on will have its WIL reduced by 5% which inflicts paralysis and fear if victim¡¯s WIL is lower than the STR of the creature. ...
The fear effect was interesting. It was like his, except weaker and used the creatures STR stat to compare against. He deduced that was because these were pure physical stat-based creatures. With the two buffs, the wolves had 50% more stats and were essentially one unit while under the alpha. Aenon had faced off against wolves back on Earth, and his strategy then was to avoid them at all costs. They were a pain to deal with and were smart enough not to fall for traps. If these were stronger, it was going to be much harder. He decided to stalk them and learn of their behavior before engaging. He followed them in silence, all the while practicing his new spells, and trying to gain more using Mana Manipulation. Whenever his mana fell below 25 %, he put on his cloak and stopped spending mana. Once his mana refilled, he swapped out the cloak. Rinse and repeat. He learned two crucial things while tailing his opponents. First was that they had keen senses with which they avoided areas that had treants. They also used this ability to sneak up undetected on unsuspecting opponents. The scene before him was a testament to their stealth skill as the pack was facing off against a bearlike creature four times their size which had taken significant injuries in the first volley of attacks. The alpha was giving them commands using a series of chuffing sounds, and with an airtight coordination they were chipping down the bear¡¯s health. As the bear collapsed from its mounting injuries, Aenon learned the second thing about the wolves - they were extremely smart. And unfortunately for him, he found this out the hard way, since he was now surrounded by 8 very angry-looking dire wolves. While he was observing them take down the bear, two of them had managed to juke their way behind him using extreme speed and immediately after that the others had sealed his escape routes within seconds. Aenon chuckled as he calmly stood up and walked out of his supposed hiding place. He now stood in an open clearing where the wolves had decimated the bear with precision. Surrounded, he looked around at the wolves one by one before landing his gaze on the alpha. An invisible battle kicked off between the two, as each tried to intimidate the other. Eventually, both their skills failed, and they reached an impasse. Aenon smiled at the outcome. This was the most exhilarating experience he had since his new life started. He removed all his gear, stowing them away into his inventory. ¡°My apologies. I forgot who I was stalking. Let¡¯s do it the proper way, shall we?¡± Aenon said with a smirk while holding out his empty hands to the side. The alpha¡¯s eyes narrowed before it gave a brief nod, acknowledging the challenge. All other dire wolves backed off and made a defensive circle around their leader and the challenger. Aenon and the alpha started circling each other slowly. Each studying the other¡¯s moves with care. Neither of them knew what the other was capable of, since Aenon had not seen the alpha fight a single time. After a full circle, they both abruptly stopped while the pack looked on solemnly. With a growl both charged at the other, colliding midway through the air. Aenon felt the wolf¡¯s teeth barely sink into his shoulder as he too bit down on one of its legs. What followed wasn¡¯t an elegant dance that he often used. It was brutish and savage. Aenon¡¯s body had gotten tougher, and the wolf¡¯s fangs and claws only managed to inflict shallow wounds. But so was the wolf¡¯s fur. Aenon bit and scratched using his enhanced body like a wild animal. Even though neither could inflict a deep wound, the ground was eventually drenched with blood within a few minutes. And so, the feral clash continued for hours, with 7 sets of eyes looking on. The screams of pain and anger echoed in the forest, warning anyone present to stay away. By now, no one could distinguish between the two blood-soaked beasts. Both were covered in deep claw/bite marks, blood, and dirt. Aenon was blind in one eye, courtesy of a gash running the full length of his face. While the alpha was missing an ear, which Aenon had bitten off. Even so, both had a savage grin on their faces. At sunset, the battle finally reached its crescendo. Both the predators were heaving with pain and exhaustion, barely able to stay on their feet. They eyed each other one last time, before making their last dash. Aenon successfully landed a punch to the wolf¡¯s gut, shattering its ribcage completely. But the alpha used the blow¡¯s momentum to go around his defenses and slashed at his throat. Both parties collapsed in a tangle of limbs, with their faces inches apart. They stared into each other¡¯s eyes in defiance. Even with their bodies broken beyond recognition, neither wanted to concede. Unfortunately, their bodies gave out and they both lost consciousness simultaneously. The seven dire wolves tightened the circle as they trotted closer to the crumpled bodies amidst them. After a moment¡¯s silence, they all howled to the rising full moon as one before turning their faces outwards and sitting down on their haunches to guard. 26. Alpha Chapter 26 ¨C Alpha Aenon woke up to a bright light directly cast on his face, piercing his eyelids. With unsteady moves, he tried getting up but couldn¡¯t since something heavy was pressing down on his legs. He rubbed his eyes to clear off the hard muck that covered his eyelids, noticing that it was a mix of blood and grime. The bright light was the sun directly beaming onto his face as he lay there on the forest floor. The events from last night started coming to the forefront of his scattered brain as the exhaustion started setting in. He groped around and found that the behemoth was lying on him in an awkward position which had trapped his leg. The alpha was still breathing though, and looked quite peaceful, except for the sharp canines poking at the edges of its mouth. Aenon pushed the beast off his trapped leg and immediately groaned as the blood circulation resumed to his leg. Most of their wounds had passively healed through the night but the pins and needles made it difficult for him to stand. So, he just sat up to look around, only to find 7 sets of eyes staring at him intently. But he detected no aggression from any of them. When feeling finally returned to his legs, he gingerly stood up, expecting a retaliatory attack from the pack. But instead, all 7 dire wolves bowed down in a submissive posture. He had seen this behavior from wolves back on Earth, when they were in the presence of their alpha. Perplexed, he cast a look behind him and used identify on the sleeping dire wolf. Bewildered at this turn of events, he was about to try approaching one of the wolves when a new System notification popped up along with a separate exclamation mark in the corner of his vision.
System Notification
You have bested an Alpha variant of an apex predator in single combat, without weapons or armor, in a display of utter savagery. In doing so, you have earned the respect of the alpha¡¯s pack, who now acknowledge you as their new Alpha. Going forward no dire wolf, except other Alphas, will dare attack you. Subdue more predator species to further enhance your status. Good Luck Little Predator!
The notification threw him off guard, especially the last line. Was the System addressing him directly? He suddenly had an overwhelming feeling that he was forgetting something. He got flashes of golden hair but couldn¡¯t recall anything else. Before he could dwell on it, he heard a rustle behind him as the former alpha rose to its full height. It shook its body vigorously, tossing dirt all over the clearing, before sitting on its haunches and bowing its head slightly. ¡°This one greets the Alpha.¡± Aenon heard the deep voice in his head. Not knowing how to respond he merely nodded his head in silence before looking at the overwhelming scene before him. 7 dire wolves were on the ground completely, while the beta was sitting with its head bowed. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you all could talk,¡± he said while addressing the beta dire wolf. ¡°My pack still can¡¯t. But I, being a former alpha, was on the verge of sapience. But now, we are all sapient. That battle yesterday gave both of us something in return. My intelligence and awareness are enhanced, while you¡­ I would rather leave it for you go through yourself. Suffice to say, our strength is at your disposal. Our strengths and fates are tied to yours now. We can never surpass you, but it also allows us to reach heights that were previously beyond our reach.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a System designated monster?¡± Aenon asked, realizing too late how it could be offensive to say. But the wolf gave no reaction whatsoever as it responded simply. ¡°We were. You might not be aware of this, but System designated monsters do not have a soul space. I have one now, thanks to my link to you.¡± Aenon digested these facts for a while before asking, ¡°How do you know all this, if you just attained sapience? In fact, how do you even know about the System?¡± ¡°The System seeds us with the basics of the world when we attain sapience. That is all I know.¡± ¡°Well, I am still not sure I like it. You literally tore my throat out last night, while I shattered your ribs. How can I trust you now that you have attained sapience,¡± Aenon asked with some doubt. ¡°It is not a question of sapience. It is our nature as wolves. We are pack hunters, and we stay subservient to our Alpha, no matter the cost. We didn¡¯t acknowledge you as our Alpha just because you beat me. If that were the case, wolf packs would have submitted to the more enlightened races regularly. No. We have submitted to you because there is something in your soul that resonates with ours.¡± ¡°My soul?¡± Aenon asked in confusion. ¡°Yes. Souls are more complex than you realize. Let me ask you this, Alpha. Why did you challenge me to single combat yesterday? That too without all the advantages that you have as a human. Humans have no fangs or claws, yet you stowed away your weapons. Your skin is not as resilient as our fur, yet you removed your armor,¡± the beta countered his question with a question. Aenon went deep in thought at that. Why had he done that? He had not even attempted to use the active of his mask, merely having a clash of wills using passives. He quickly used the ability of his Rebirth Title to detect any soul attacks or manipulation but came up empty. Observing his silence and confusion, the alpha went on. ¡°It¡¯s because you sense a kindred spirit in us. You are a pack hunter without a pack,¡± the beta said with finality. Aenon couldn¡¯t refute the claim, for it deeply resonated with him. He had given up on human society because he never truly fit in. Humans were too fickle minded, weighing their personal gains against the common betterment of the whole. His immediate family was his pack, but that was snatched away from him for mere financial gains. The beta let him sort out his thoughts in silence, for no more words were needed. He stood up and climbed a nearby boulder, gazing straight up towards the sky. All the dire wolves, including the beta, assembled in front of it. Thump Aenon felt his heartbeat get louder. As he stared at the multiple planets in the alien sky, it grew louder, till it could be heard by anyone who stood within the clearing. Thump Thump He could feel it. The restlessness of the pack, while his own soul vibrated with a longing. Even the dormant shard within his soul space started humming. Finally, the tension reached a peak before all the sound cut off, like someone had pressed mute on the world. Aenon took a deep breath, inflating his lungs as far as he could, before unleashing a loud roar of defiance. The sound reverberated all over the jungle for hundreds of miles, making animals run for cover in fear. The roar was followed by a synchronized howl of 8 dire wolves, declaring their allegiance to their new Alpha. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Vincent Vincent¡¯s eyebrow twitched as he stared at the mess that was laid out on his former bed. The events of yesterday had scared them senseless and thus they had spent the entire night cleaning the kitchen and mansion like their life depended on it. They had finished right before dawn and the only room they had left to clean was the guest room their guest was supposed to have occupied. They had spent hours trying to find the room that man had mentioned before leaving. Every room looked abandoned, until they finally entered Vincent¡¯s room. Blake stood to the side, with his lips pursed together, trying his best to suppress a laugh. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Vincent was a clean freak, and anyone who knew him was aware of it. He had never let Blake enter his room unattended before because he knew how much of a slob he was. And now, looking at his pristine room get wrecked, with no way of retaliation, irked him. Vicent had basically been verbally whipping the former guild head all night to finish the cleaning, threatening him with dire consequences if he didn¡¯t appease the masked man for his earlier offense. And now that it was Vincent¡¯s turn to face the music, his friend was shamelessly enjoying it. ¡°Well, he is an honorable guest after all. Someone way above our station, who could annihilate us with ease if it took his fancy. Surely, such a person should be taking the master bedroom of the mansion,¡± Blake said with a scrunched-up expression as he tried to keep a straight face. ¡°Of course,¡± Vincent responded with gritted teeth. ¡°Considering the fact that he was here just a few minutes at best, and the current state of the bed, do you think the entire room will soon be in this condition?¡±, Blake egged him on before bursting into laughter. Vincent ignored the grown-up baby and went to the closet door. Now it made sense why the masked man had said the door was jammed. The closet was keyed to him, and only he could enter it. He quickly entered and started clearing out all his belongings with a heavy heart. The sacrifice of the room was unbearable when he thought of meticulously cleaning another room to his standards. It had taken him weeks to get this room up to his standard, and that was with the help of dozens of maids and butlers. Within 20 minutes, he had deposited all his belongings in a spatial ring and stepped out. Only to find Blake sitting casually at his writing desk with a bottle of his fine wine, the same ones he was unable to find earlier. The moron even responded to his death stare with an innocent smile. ¡°What? It¡¯s not like you are going to live here anymore,¡± he goaded while guzzling, and spilling, the drink from the bottle. ¡°Listen here, you¡­,¡± Vincent had started to speak when a thunderous roar echoed in the room. The roar was so visceral he felt it in his very bones. Blake spit out the full drink right in his face. But neither man was in a state to respond normally. They both ran for shelter towards a hidden panic room built behind a painting. As they collapsed inside, he felt the cold sweat running down his back. He was shivering uncontrollably, and so was his friend. The roar was followed by wolf howls, but it lacked the same impact. Vincent knew what this feeling was. Some beasts had unleashed their presence to declare dominance to the surrounding areas. He had heard and felt such presences in the past. It often happened when the status quo of power shifted, when a new power rose by uprooting the previous one. But never had he felt such primal fear from being exposed to one. Even his more combat-inclined friend was shaking like a meek mouse in the presence of a predator. Whatever had declared the forest as its domain, he just hoped it would never set its eyes on his tiny village. For there was no way they could face it and live to tell the tale. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Aenon Aenon sat on a rock with his elbows resting on his knees. The dire wolves were tearing into the carcass of the bear with gusto, already devouring half its carcass. It was endearing to watch earlier when they waited for his go ahead before they tore into their meal. The beta was the first to eat his fill before the others dug in. Aenon munched on his meat skewers from earlier as he sat with the beta to his side. The beta was silent since Aenon was engrossed in reviewing his notifications.
Title achieved: Alpha Title achieved: Soul Forge Title achieved: Domain Walker (partial)
Alpha: Earn the loyalty of an apex predator in its domain +50 all stats +30% physical stats when in presence of your pack
Soul Forge: Ignite the dormant soul space of a near sapient creature +80 all stats
Domain Walker (partial): Claim a domain of your own. Rewards withheld
The first two titles were straightforward and the explanation by the beta addressed them. But the last Title was weird. As he was focusing on it to figure out what it was, another notification popped up.
System Notification
You have attempted to release your Soul Presence to establish your domain. However, only 1 Alpha has submitted to you, and you are in reach of a System established settlement. To completely claim this area as your own, 1. Defeat or gain allegiance from all Alphas (Progress: 1/5) 2. Gain approval from the settlement head (Progress: 0/1)
Aenon nodded in understanding. This notification meant there were 4 other beasts who claimed this forest as their own, and to claim it he would have to beat them all. Before turning to the beta, he glossed over the final notification with a broad smile. His very first level up.
Level Up Void Stalker (0) to Void Stalker (2) Stats gained: +8 INT, +20 WIL, +8 PER Abyssal Warden (0) to Abyssal Warden (1) Stats gained: +8 INT, +10 WIL
He was in a very good mood. Finally, after about 4 months on this planet he finally had a level up. His mood was soured the next moment though, with the appearance of another notification with a lot of snark.
Title achieved: (Really) Late Bloomer
(Really) Late Bloomer: Be the last person on your integrated world to level up. This Title CANNOT be hidden from anyone, no matter the method. Its visibility though, will be decided by a concerned third party who was getting tired of your shenanigans in leveling up. The Title will show no description to others. +1% gain to stats from Titles
Aenon frowned at the description. He was officially being stalked, again. And yet again he had no clue who it was. Why was his luck so bad when it came to psychotic stalkers. He sighed in frustration, unable to do anything about it and decided to divert his mind. He turned to the beta who sat up immediately. ¡°You need a name. I can¡¯t keep calling you beta or wolf. Do you have a name preference?¡± he asked the wolf. ¡°Giving names is a foreign concept to me. You may bestow me with any name you wish, Alpha.¡± ¡°So, you would be ok with a name like Berry?¡± Aenon asked with a straight face. He saw the wolf¡¯s ears droop while his tail lay flat on the ground. The wolf obviously wanted to say something but was hesitant. After watching him squirm for a minute Aenon burst out laughing. ¡°Relax. I am not going to name such a formidable ally that casually,¡± the wolf¡¯s ears perked up at that. ¡°Let¡¯s see. You are strong, fast, and a good leader. And in my absence, you are essentially the pack leader. The way you took down that bear was a sight to behold. So, I think I am going to call you, Bane. For you will be the bane of anything that crosses our path.¡± The dire wolf sat up straight with pride at his new name. He barked once towards the seven other wolves who immediately stopped what they were doing and assembled in a semi-circle. Bane stood tall as he announced his new name. ¡°From this day forth, I shall be called Bane.¡± Something happened then that no one was expecting. Aenon felt the shard in his soul space thrum to life, while at the same time, all the wolves started glowing with a blinding light. Aenon felt his body seize up as pure white tendrils flew out from his chest towards each wolf. Unbeknownst to Aenon, a transparent dome covered the entire clearing, cutting them off from the outside world. After about five minutes of the light show, Aenon could move his body again. He was in the same clearing thankfully. But standing in front of him were beasts unlike anything he had ever seen before. Eight hulking quadrupeds, with black smoke rising from their bodies, which completely obscured their form. It reminded him of his Abyssal armor set. He reflexively cast identify at the biggest form that stood beside him. Aenon put a hand on his chest, for he could feel not one, but 9 heartbeats from it, all in sync. He put on his Abyssal armor set with a smirk and walked up to Bane. His mask allowed him to see what lay behind the smoke. If ever someone managed to dispel the smoke, they would regret it. The smoke made them look lethal, but what lay hidden was even more terrifying. Aenon stared in awe at the jet-black fur of his new pack. Their glowing gray eyes matched his own, and their fangs were replaced with maws lined with thousands of razor-sharp teeth. Aenon placed his hand on Bane¡¯s snout and a chill ran down his spine. He could tell that if anyone else tried touching the wolf, it would end very poorly for them. The wolf closed its eyes and enjoyed the touch of its Alpha before taking two steps back and bowing again. All 8 Abyssal wolves howled at once. And with their howl, all light disappeared from a 100-meter-wide area, plunging the world into utter darkness. A darkness through which no light could pass. For a distant observer it would look like a dome of pure black. And within the dome nine pairs of eyes glowed an eerie grey, promising carnage to anyone foolish enough to enter. 27. Sharpening Skills Chapter 27 ¨C Sharpening Skills Even though it was noon, the forest was eerily quiet. Aenon trudged across the thick foliage, while practicing his Mana Manipulation skill. He had always assumed he was great at stalking, but the wolf pack, his pack, had proved otherwise. Which brought him to the realization that he needed to advance his stealth capability to match the packs¡¯. He planned to get his mana manipulation and spells to a higher rank, while also creating new spells and combinations. The beta had detected his presence because his scent had escaped the mana bubble he had made using air manipulation. And Aenon had made the mistake of being upwind, trusting it to work flawlessly. For now, the pack had settled down in a cave after their filling meal, and so Aenon ventured out alone. It was weird, but he had a clear sense of the direction they were in. Like a built-in compass that pointed to each wolf. He was not sure of the range of his ability, but he was about 50 miles out, and it still worked. He refocused on the badger-like animal hiding in the bushes underneath him. It was much bigger though and had spines in its fur, along with foot-long claws that it was using to tear into a goblin carcass. The badger had a bunch of Earth wisps floating around and clinging to the spines, which Aenon assumed were valuable since his quest log required him to collect 50 of them. Under normal circumstances, he would have killed it and retrieved those. But since he was practicing stealth, and due to the bonus objective, he wanted to try something different. He pulled up his quest log to read the description.
Active Quests (17/18) 1. Corruption Cleaner 2. Kobold Hunt 3. Gather Wood 4. Dire Wolf Hunt (Complete) 5. Collect Raw Hide 6. Collect Earth Spines ¡­ Collect Earth Spines: Collect at least 50 earth spines from Earthen Badgers. Bonus objective: Do NOT kill the animal. Reward ¡¤ 50 S per spine ¡¤ Bonus: 5 G
Completed Quests (1) 1. Goblin Hunt
This was Aenon¡¯s third attempt to get close to the creature. After many trials, Aenon realized the senses the creature relied on. It had a horrible sense of smell and sight, but it always buried itself into the ground in a blink at the smallest of ground vibration. So Aenon had to find a way to dampen his footsteps. His boots could do the trick in a heartbeat, but he wanted to do this without. He focused on the gravity wisps this time around since he had not gained any spell based on it yet. Last time he had tried making an orb using gravity wisps, but it had collapsed soon after. This time, he tried sticking them all over his body in a thin layer. But they kept floating away no matter how many times he tried. But he kept at it for hours until finally he felt them click in place.
System Notification
Spell Learned: Feather Foot (Basic) Mana Cost: 400 Mana to maintain: 500/min
Spell Mana Cost and Type Description
Illusion (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Earth Manipulation (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Water Manipulation (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Overcharge (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Blooming Earth ¡­ ¡­
Barrier -Physical (Basic) ¡­ ¡­
Air Manipulation (Basic) ... ...
Feather Foot (Basic) Initial cost: 400 Channel cost: 500/min Wisp Type Gravity Manipulate gravity to make yourself lighter. At basic proficiency, reduces your weight by 20%.
Aenon tried jumping with and without the spell active and indeed he felt himself getting lighter. It was exhilarating to keep it active since he was able to run faster and jump higher. The only issue was the constant mana drain. His current regen rate was close to 300 per min, which meant he couldn¡¯t sustain it indefinitely. But it was a great addition to his arsenal, nonetheless. He experimented with his new spell a bit more before using it to get close to the earthen badger. It was an exercise in frustration, as he tried repeatedly for the next 6 hours, but failed each time. Thankfully his soul sense ensured the badger could never truly get away. The closest he got was 3 feet when a notification popped up which broke his concentration, making him stumble. Since this was not a combat scenario, the notification had unfortunately gone through.
System Notification
Feather Foot spell proficiency increased to Minor. Weight can now be decreased by 30% and mana cost is also reduced.
He screamed and stomped in anger, cursing the dumb System and whoever had designed it. Getting within an arm¡¯s reach of his target and failing because of a stupid notification was maddening. Unfortunately, his venting had spooked the badger further, since it refused to surface after that. Aenon decided to review his stat sheet while he waited patiently for it.
Name Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race Ascended Human (F) Level 1
Class Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Void Stalker Level 2
Subclass Abyssal Warden Level 1
HP 15093 MP 15333
HP/min 302 MP/min 311
Stats
Strength 1509 Intelligence 11533
Constitution 1508 Willpower 1555
Dexterity 1513 Perception 1523
Titles (81 x 6 = 788)
Rebirth +1344 all stats Skills/Effects: (1) Detect and resist the effects of soul attacks and spells. (2) Double the available Skill slots per evolution level (3) Ability to fake Titles, stats, and levels. This effect cannot be bypassed even by Overseers. (4) Can bypass certain System restrictions. (5) Unfettered: ??? (6) Stat Point multiplier: 2
Alpha Earn the loyalty of an apex predator in its domain
Soul Forge Ignite the dormant soul space of a near sapient creature
Skills (Free SP: 86)
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps) Savant
Stealth (Woods, Urban) Savant
Tracking (Woods) Adept
Mana Manipulation Adept
Spells
Illusion (Basic) - 120 Earth Manipulation (Basic) - 200 Water Manipulation (Basic) - 200 Air Manipulation (Basic) - 200 Barrier ¨C Physical (Basic) - 200 Feather Foot (Minor) ¨C 400 Overcharge (Basic) - 1000 Blooming Earth - 1200
He made minor adjustments to his stat sheet. First, he displayed his regen rates on a per minute basis, instead of every 10 minutes. This was to better keep track of how long he could channel a spell. He also split his spells into two groups ¨C basic and combinations. Right now, he only had Blooming Earth in the right column, but he intended to make more soon. Lastly, he added the channel cost of each spell in brackets and sorted the spells by their mana consumption. He pulled out some System Rations to quell his hunger while waiting for the badger. He didn¡¯t want to attract any sharp-nosed critters if he took out the meat skewers. After another 2 hours the badger finally came out, putting Aenon on high alert. The elusive creature was more cautious than ever, but so was he. He activated Feather Foot and after 20 minutes of slowly creeping up on his slippery target he finally managed to grab and pull out 2 spines before the creature dove back into the ground. But this time it stayed there, so Aenon had to move on to a different target. Eventually he found a group of 3 badgers having a tussle to impress what Aenon assumed was a female. The female had a lot more spines and Aenon managed to sneak up to her and pluck 8 in one go. The poor creature shrieked in pain, making the three males charge at him to protect her. Aenon backtracked into the trees, while the males made a defensive circle around her. For whatever reason they did not dive into the ground to escape. And so Aenon spent the next three hours sneaking in and plucking more spines from the female. Unfortunately, he did earn 5 nasty holes in his legs for his trouble. After losing 25 spines in total, the female finally had enough, and escaped into the ground, leaving the males all confused and lost. Aenon managed to gather 10 more from them before they too escaped. It took him another 5 hours before he managed to collect the rest before nightfall. His ability to sneak up on them had improved significantly. Satisfied with his progress, he ran back to the cave to rest for the night. As he entered, he saw the wolves lazily lying about with Bane sitting in a corner. As Aenon approached, the beta sat up straighter and gave a bow. ¡°I assume the hunt was successful?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, it was. Needed to collect 50 spines from Earthen Badgers, and boy were they difficult to sneak up on. Learned a few cool new tricks though,¡± Aenon replied while collapsing on a pile of dried leaves and moss he had placed at the highest platform within the cave. ¡°Ah, yes. Those are tough to lock down since they bury in at the slightest sound. There is not a lot of meat on them though. So, we generally leave them alone. Not worth the effort,¡± Bane responded. ¡°Well, they were good practice. Anyway, I am going to take a nap. What do you plan to do?¡± Aenon asked while yawning. ¡°We will go patrol our domain to make sure there are no interlopers. Your recent challenge will attract scouts from the other alphas, and we need to be prepared. I will leave my mate to guard the cave while I take the others to hunt.¡± ¡°Your mate?¡± Aenon asked curiously. ¡°Yes, alpha. Wolf packs have only one breeding pair, while the others help raise the young and hunt. Since I was the alpha, that responsibility was mine. This is my mate, who is expecting a litter soon,¡± Bane said as another wolf walked up to them. This one was the second largest of the pack and had a fierce gaze. ¡°She is not sapient yet, is she?¡± Aenon asked. ¡°Not yet. But she understands me, which means she is close. Maybe in a few more levels, she might.¡± ¡°She has a fierce quality to her. You two suit each other,¡± Aenon said with a smile. ¡°Does the alpha have a mate?¡± Bane asked nonchalantly, throwing Aenon in a for a loop. ¡°Ahem. Ummm¡­ yes and no,¡± Aenon responded uncomfortably. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Bane asked while tilting his head to the side. ¡°There is someone much stronger than me, trying to force me to accept his¡­ offspring. He even used some soul magic to force the issue. I need to figure out a way to get out of ¡­,¡± Aenon paused mid-sentence as Bane suddenly stood with his heckles up. Even his mate started growling in anger. ¡°Who is this creature that dares to use soul manipulation? That too on our Alpha. A soul is sacred, and no one is supposed to mess with one,¡± Bane said with a growl. ¡°Why are you so worked up though? Did your souls not get tied up with mine? You even said you can never surpass me because of it,¡± Aenon was surprised at the angst. ¡°Soul synchronizing is different than soul domination. We did it by choice. And yes, it limits our growth, but there are two crucial differences. Firstly, should you mistreat us, or we lose faith in you, we can break the pact. A dominated soul cannot. And more importantly, you misunderstand what I mean by limiting our growth. With synchronization, it¡¯s a two-way connection. Our potentials boost each other. You get a boost from us, while it gets easier for us to catch up to you. But in a domination, the dominated soul¡¯s growth potential is shackled without any benefit.¡± ¡°What kind of benefit?¡± Aenon asked with narrowed eyes. He was starting to realize how deep the Overseer¡¯s deception went. ¡°You are getting a 30% boost as an alpha while in our presence, correct? Well, so do we. But if you had dominated us, then you get the boost, but not us,¡± Bane replied grimly. Aenon sat up in his makeshift bed, his sleep disappearing with this new revelation. His anger kept increasing the more he learned about this Overseer. But unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have the resources or power to do anything about this. Yet. Looking at how worked up Bane was, Aenon decided to bury his anger deep, letting it simmer for now. ¡°Calm down Bane. We are not ready to take that man on. But we will. So, focus on growing in strength,¡± he said while rubbing Bane¡¯s snout. Bane and his mate calmed down, but he could feel their worry and anger through his soul connection. ¡°Rest, Alpha. We will be back in a few hours,¡± Bane said before barking once to gather the 6 wolves while his mate lay down in a corner near the entrance of the cave. Aenon lay back on his bedding and pondered about his situation for a bit before falling asleep. He slept peacefully before waking up around dawn. All the wolves were back and resting too. They had even dragged in a dead deer with bright red antlers. The antlers emitted small puffs of smoke occasionally, and Aenon found fire wisps around them. There was an entire leg right next to his bedding, which was probably his share of the kill. Aenon stood up and went out of the cave to relieve himself before returning. He set up a small campfire to roast the meat and sat down next to it. The wolves were curious about the fire and some of them cautiously approached it while sniffing. He threw a cooked piece to the wolf that had bravely approached the fire the furthest. She smelled it a couple of times before tentatively licking it. Satisfied that it was safe to eat, she devoured it one bite and sat down on her haunches right next to Aenon, wagging her tail in anticipation. He threw a few more cooked pieces to the gathering wolves, before enjoying his own while watching a pair playing tug of war with a piece of bone. Aenon smiled at their antics. They were just like dogs, if one ignored their size and demeanor during hunts. Bane barked once when the rough housing got too bad, immediately ending the skirmish. When Aenon was done with his meal, he stored the rest of the cooked meat into his inventory. It would sustain him for the next three days if he rationed it right. ¡°What is today¡¯s goal, alpha?¡± Bane asked while walking up to him. ¡°Well, yesterday I practiced hiding my footsteps using a crafted spell. Today I plan to focus on hiding my scent. Any good prey nearby that focuses on smell-based detection?¡± Bane thought for a while before answering, ¡°There is a particular type of horned rabbit that is rare in these parts. It¡¯s extremely fast and can detect smells from miles away. Normal horned rabbits are white, while this one is green in color. I picked up its scent yesterday to our East. That should be a worthy challenge.¡± ¡°Excellent. I will go for that. In the meantime, I have a task for you as well. Here is a list of creatures that I need you to eliminate. It¡¯s part of the System Quests I need to complete for the village nearby. I am assuming it should count as complete, since our souls are linked?¡± Aenon asked after some thought. He wanted to whittle down these quests while simultaneously finishing his training. ¡°Yes, it should count. Consider it done. We will also scout out the nearest Alpha predator for your challenge,¡± Bane said with a bow. ¡°Sounds good. Do I need to make them surrender or accept me as their alpha?¡± Aenon asked. ¡°No, Alpha. Not every predator will submit. The only reason I did is because our souls were similar. Most other duels will be to the death.¡± There was no remorse or hesitation in Bane¡¯s tone. Aenon understood this was not out disregard or indifference. This was how wolf packs operated. Fights and attacks on neighboring packs happened all the time. Leading to death and destruction. But it was not out of greed. It was just their territorial nature. ¡°Gotcha. See you later, Bane. Good hunting,¡± Aenon said while heading out. It was going to be a long and tiring day. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.. Blake Blake¡¯s eye twitched as he stared at his quest log. The updates made no sense to him. He was getting quest completion notifications one after another, which wouldn¡¯t have been odd if he was leading a full guild. But these were quests assigned to one man, and the locations of the quests were from two opposite directions of the village. How was one man in two places at once was beyond him. But the bigger concern was that he had underestimated the monster again. Some of these beasts were almost level 100 and would require a full party of adventurers to bring down. And he had already received 5 kill notifications in 6 hours. One was in the east while the rest were to the west of the village. One possibility was that he was a summoner. But only one summon was possible at a time and the summon couldn¡¯t be this far away from their master. Even if you neglect that, summoners were weak themselves and it was not possible to have kills while the summons were elsewhere. While he was contemplating this, his wine bottle forgotten in his hands, the bedroom door opened as Vincent burst in. ¡°What the hell is going on? I have already had 8 completion notifications since morning. But they are from two directions. Is there a separate team I am not aware of?¡± Vincent asked in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. This man is somehow completing quests by the dozen in two different locations. I am assuming he is some kind of strong summoner type class.¡± ¡°But summons can¡¯t be this far apart¡­,¡± Vincent tried explaining, but Blake cut him off. ¡°I know, Vincent. I know. I have no idea what is going on. I just know this. You were right about not messing with this guy,¡± Blake said as he received another notification. 28. Subterfuge Chapter 28 ¨C Subterfuge Two weeks flew by with Aenon not returning to the mansion. He had systematically culled the monster population in a 1-kilometer (0.6 miles) radius around the deserted village. His quest log had a long list of completed quests that needed to be turned in. His wolf pack had grown significantly stronger in the interim, having cleared a lot more quests than him. Bane¡¯s mate had leveled up enough to finally communicate with him. And so Aenon had christened her with the name Venge. She loved the name, as was evident from her happy howl when she heard it for the first time. There was no mysterious reaction with the shard this time, but there was one upgrade she received, Shadow Meld. She had gained the ability to jump into Aenon¡¯s shadow at will. And she could stay there indefinitely as far as they had tested so far. And while in there, she was intangible. Bane was ecstatic when she learned the skill, since this would safeguard his pups, while also providing Aenon some additional support in an emergency. As Aenon made his way towards the South gate of the village, the 7 wolves broke off and stayed behind while Venge stayed in his shadow. The wolves were not keen on entering the village, even when deserted. They continued their patrol of the surrounding areas. As Aenon approached the village square, he detected his two ¡®hosts¡¯ holed up in the mansion. They were in separate rooms this time, so Aenon walked up to the door and knocked loudly. He sensed the guild leader, Blake if he recalled correctly, fall off his bed in a panic while Vincent stumbled and ran for the door. The door creaked open after 2 minutes, with the village head peeking from a crack before opening it fully. ¡°Ah. Welcome back sir. We have been expecting you for a while now,¡± Vincent said with a hurried bow. Aenon sensed Blake spying on them from one floor up but chose to ignore the man. ¡°It¡¯s been a tiring couple of weeks. I need to wash up before I turn in the quests. I will see you both in your office in an hour,¡± Aenon said before disregarding the bowing man and walking away towards his room. ¡°Of course, sir.¡± Aenon jumped into a shadow when he was out view and navigated the abundant shadows rather than walking. The mansion was dark enough to cast his set bonus ability freely. He heard a yelp as Blake ran out to see where he had disappeared to. Aenon merely chuckled and kept travelling through the shadows. He had a lot practice these past few weeks. The feeling of moving in the shadows was weird, almost like swimming through a viscous fluid. More importantly, Venge was right by his side when he entered a shadow, and he could see her quite clearly thanks to his dark vision. The outside world though was hazy, like he was looking through a curtain of water. Thankfully it didn¡¯t affect his soul sense. As he neared his room, he jumped out of the nearest shadow to his door and went in. It was exactly the way he had left it, with one exception. The side door was open now. He quickly looked around and saw that it was a quite large closet, which he was able to open and close at will. It even gave him a prompt to lock it if need be. He dumped a few things from his bursting inventory before locking it and heading for the bathroom. He had not used the facility previously, but he intended to indulge himself thoroughly this time. Luckily his armor was clean, since no amount of blood or grime could stain it for long. But the same could not be said about his body. He peeled off the armor and put it to the side before hopping into the gigantic tub. He tested the different faucets and was surprised to find that each had a different smelling scent, and the temperature could be adjusted to his liking. And unlike regular tubs, the aromatic bath water stayed at the same temperature no matter how long he spent in it. Best of all, the sweat and dirt from his body just dissolved into the water without any physical effort. As Aenon lay there, floating on the water surface, he heard Venge speak up from his shadow. ¡°Does the alpha need me to keep an eye on the door?¡± Aenon stayed silent for a moment, enjoying the blissful feeling before responding, ¡°No need Venge. I can sense them just fine. They are in the lower levels, and we should be safe.¡± There was one other skill he had learned during his training in the forest. The ability to sleep while keeping his soul sense active. It was a surreal experience, being asleep but also aware of all living entities within his soul sensing range. Almost like he was having a lucid dream, and it didn¡¯t affect how rested he was after the nap. And so Aenon slept peacefully while enjoying the comfort of a hot bath for almost an hour. By the time he got out, he felt cleaner than he ever had before, not to mention well rested and refreshed. He stood in front of the mirror and raised his hand, gathering some mana into it. And with a casual flick he added some air wisps to it to blow dry his entire body. Within seconds he was bone dry, and ready to put on his armor. He detected Vincent standing outside his door as he finished putting on his armor. His soul sense had gotten more refined over time, allowing him to pick up subtle emotions from his targets if they were within 10 meters. For some reason he could sense trepidation, nervousness, and¡­. anger from the man. The first two made sense, but the last¡­ Vincent knocked on the door just as Aenon stepped out of the bathroom. He calmly walked up to the door and opened it, making the man jump back in alarm. ¡°Hello, sir. I know you requested we meet in my office, but I thought it might be more prudent if we had lunch first. We can discuss the trivial things after, if you so wish,¡± he said with a bow. ¡°Very well then,¡± Aenon responded simply, not seeing any reason to turn down a free meal. He started following the man at a casual pace. This would officially be his first meal on this planet that he had not prepared himself, not counting System rations. And even though his Cooking Skill was at Adept rank, his meals were geared towards efficiency and purpose, rather than enjoyment or taste. The dining hall was on the first floor of the mansion and could easily seat around 300 people. Aenon was led to the head of the table, where Blake pulled up his chair for him. Internally Aenon cringed at the overtly formal and submissive behavior, but he had no choice but to maintain his young master persona, for now at least. There were a dozen covered dishes in front of him, which must have completely locked in the scent of the food because the moment the lid came off, Aenon couldn¡¯t help but drool. The smell was divine, and the myriad variety of food types was something he had never seen before. Thankfully he had his mask on, which saved him from embarrassing himself. He commanded the mask to disappear from the lower half of his face, so he could enjoy his meal. He would probably have been embarrassed at being stared at by two grown men standing at his side while eating, but he was too engrossed in the meal. With humongous effort he managed to keep himself in control as he wolfed down food in the most gentlemanly manner he could. Thankfully his mother had inculcated enough etiquette in him, so as not to embarrass himself in such situations. Within 20 minutes, every single dish was wiped clean, before he quickly fixed his mask to hide the loud burp afterwards. Only then did he notice the emotions of jealousy and anger radiating from Blake. Vincent had those too, but at a much lower level. He gave a low cough to clear his throat before getting up. ¡°I shall wait for you in the office, while you finish your meals,¡± he said before hastily marching out of the room. He stood there for a few minutes, reading the emotional turmoil the two men were going through. Fear was the primary emotion, but anger was the close second thing when he focused on Blake. Vincent was far calmer, but his second strongest emotion was greed. Aenon wasn¡¯t sure what this meant, but he had to be on top of his game if he was to maintain this game of deceit. He walked to the man¡¯s office and unceremoniously barged in and collapsed on the couch. He pulled up his spell tab to go over his gains from the previous weeks. He had gained a ton of spell proficiency and new ones as well which he organized properly. Although, he had not used his overcharge spell to get stronger ones.
Spell Mana Cost and Type Description This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Earth Manipulation (Intermediate) Initial cost: 300 Channel cost: 200/min Instant cast cost: 500 Wisp Type: Earth Manipulate dirt and stone to form structures which can be levitated. Mana cost for levitation increases with size. Can be used to generate projectiles using instant cast. At intermediate proficiency, the volume of dirt that can be manipulated is limited to 5 cubic meter (176 cubic feet).
Water Manipulation (Minor) Initial cost: 300 Channel cost: 200/min Instant cast cost: 500 Wisp Type: Water Manipulate water freely for both attack and defense. The shape will linger for 20 seconds before dissipating. Can be used to generate projectiles using instant cast. At minor proficiency, the volume of water that can be controlled is 2 cubic meter (70 cubic feet)
Air Manipulation (Minor) Initial cost: 300 Channel cost: 200/min Instant cast cost: 500 Wisp Type: Air Manipulate air and wind to trap gases and scents in small pockets. Can deflect small, lightweight projectiles. Can be used to generate projectiles using instant cast. At basic proficiency, either control a volume of 2 cubic meter of air or create a mild air current.
Fire Manipulation (Basic) Initial cost: 300 Channel cost: 200/min Instant cast cost: 500 Wisp Type: Fire Control flames to make them grow or shrink in size. Can be used to generate projectiles using instant cast. At basic proficiency, the control area is limited to 1 cubic meter.
Illusion (Intermediate) Initial Cost: 200 Channel Cost: 120/min Wisp Type: Light Control light to project illusions of your choosing, including invisibility. At intermediate proficiency, can be cast on objects the same size as your body.
Feather Foot (Intermediate) Initial cost: 400 Channel cost: 500/min Wisp Type Gravity Manipulate gravity to make yourself lighter. At intermediate proficiency, reduces your weight by 40%.
Gravity Well (Basic) Initial cost: 200 Mana cost: 400/min Wisp Type Gravity Create miniature orbs which attract nearby objects. At basic proficiency, the field is extremely weak.
Barrier -Physical (Minor) Initial cost: 400 Channel cost: 500/min Wisp Type: Space Manipulate space to create impenetrable barriers. At minor proficiency the barrier is limited to 1 square meter (10 square feet).
Barrier ¨C Magical (Basic) Initial cost: 400 Channel cost: 500/min Wisp Type: None Manipulate pure internal mana to create impenetrable barriers that block ethereal objects and foreign mana. At basic proficiency the barrier is limited to 0.25 square meter (2.7 square feet).
Overcharge (Minor) Channel cost: 1000 mana/min Pushes the limits of elemental spells to the extreme, allowing you to jump in proficiency rank for some time. WARNING: Can cause instability of mana and a violent backlash depending on how long you channel the spell.
Blooming Earth Mana cost: 500 Channel cost: 1200/min Creates a dozen earth spikes every second in an area around the caster for as long as spell is channeled.
He closed his interface and pulled out three spherical stones from his inventory. He had compacted mud into very dense balls and had been using it to practice his earth manipulation spell. He simultaneously controlled all three balls and made them revolve around him at different speeds. It took all his attention, but he was getting better at it. He continued his practice for half an hour, at which point he sensed the two men approaching. He stopped the three balls midair, but didn¡¯t grab them, letting them float above him. The two men entered the room but froze when they noticed the floating orbs. Blake even drew his sword and took on a defensive stance, expecting an attack no doubt. ¡°Calm down. This is not an attack,¡± Aenon stated simply. He was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, with his elbow on the armrest, while his head rested on his fist. He pointed at the opposite couch with this other hand, beckoning them to sit. Reluctantly, Blake dismissed his sword, before the two men sat on the edge of their seats, occasionally stealing glances of the three floating balls. The men looked at each other nervously, each daring the other to speak up first. Seeing that neither man was ready, Aenon broke the deathly silence of the room. ¡°Here are the quest items,¡± he waved his hand over the table in between them, and deposited the kill trophies like before. He detected a brief spike in disgust and annoyance from Vincent, before the older man suppressed it. ¡°Your quests are accepted,¡± Vincen said in a polite tone. He bumped his elbow into Blake¡¯s ribs, before the other man repeated the same words. Aenon got a bunch of dings as his quest log updated, earning him a tsunami¡¯s worth of experience points. He dismissed the notifications without checking how many levels he had gained. He observed his two companions in detail. The last time he was here, he did not have the ability to gauge emotions, and what he was learning now was concerning. Both men had showed negative emotions towards him, with Blake being the more egregious one. He had no idea what he had done to earn their ire. But he still needed their services, so he had to smooth out the issues sooner rather than later. ¡°Might I ask, what have I done to earn your hatred?¡± he said coldly while facing Blake. The man froze, overwhelmed with fear. Vincent had the same reaction but was quick to snap out of it. ¡°You must be mistaken, sir. He has no such¡­¡± ¡°Silence,¡± Aenon said while releasing a portion of his soul presence. He was not adept enough to release it fully yet, but the effects were instantaneous and sufficient. Both broke out in a cold sweat and started shivering. Seeing as neither man could speak, he withdrew his presence. ¡°The first time I walk in, you called me a monster. I overlooked it, since it was our first meeting. But today I felt undercurrents of hatred and jealousy off you. I will not repeat myself. What is the reason? Speak plainly, and you have my word that you shall not be harmed. Attempt to deceive me, and I will end you before you even draw your sword. I will not tolerate someone who could stab me in the back while I am not expecting it,¡± Aenon said in a low voice while making two of the three orbs float around their heads. The guild head was in no condition to speak, shaking uncontrollably. So, Vincent spoke up, ¡°My liege. Please forgive us. We are from a low background and unfortunately my friend here has some bad experiences when dealing with nobles. I can assure you that he meant nothing by it. The thought of betraying you has never crossed our mind.¡± ¡°And what about you? I sensed displeasure and annoyance from you while you were outside my room and when I turned in the kill trophies. What was that about?¡± The village head hesitated for a moment. That is till the point when the floating orb approached his head. He quickly burst out explaining, ¡°I am a bit of a germaphobe, sir. It is an issue I have had since I was a kid. It is the reason I chose non-combat classes. And as for the room¡­ Ummm¡­ that was my room earlier.¡± Aenon felt bad after hearing their reasoning. He could understand where they were coming from, but he was unsure how to handle this situation. He tried imagining what that dead prince would do in this situation, but it sent a shiver down his spine. He couldn¡¯t stoop that low. While he was pondering on his response, Vincent must have mistaken his silence for taking offense. ¡°Please forgive my insolence, sir. I will purge all such thoughts. The master room of the mansion should obviously go to an esteemed guest. And I will deal with my issue about the blood,¡± he blurted out in a hurry. He was extremely nervous, his soul sense clearly showed that. Aenon was not aware of the multiverse at large, and so was not aware how most nobles would handle this situation. He hoped that there was at least a concept of a good noble. ¡°I was not aware that was your room, the same way that I did not know of your averseness to blood and gore. And more importantly, I was not aware of your past. I was raised as a noble, but my family highly values good etiquette. I was sent out on my own to explore and experience the world and its people. This experience has been enlightening. I shall strive to not cause you discomfort,¡± Aenon laid it on thick with the formal speak. Vincent was the first to react, ¡°There is no issue at all, sir. I will make sure nothing like this ever happens again. And please continue using the room. I have already settled in another.¡± Although Aenon had not apologized, at least he cleared the air, and hoped he gave a mildly positive impression. ¡°Very well then. Let¡¯s move on to the main topic on hand. The boy,¡± Aenon quickly deflected the topic while retrieving the balls back near him. Both men tensed up at the mention of the ¡®boy¡¯. ¡°I have come across a house to the southeast that had some weird clues. The house was numbered 38 and had signs of some really foul-smelling substance. I would assume it is due to a cleansing ritual, but I need you to make sure.¡± The men shared a look before Blake spoke up for the first time in his presence, ¡°That was the house assigned to him. But it had been locked down since the day he disappeared. Not even the village head was able to bypass the security of the door. Is the door truly open?¡± ¡°Yes, it is. Took a very high-level artifact to open it. You may go and check it yourself. I am tired and need to rest. We will continue this discussion tomorrow,¡± Aenon said while abruptly standing up. He decided to leave them to follow the breadcrumbs he had intentionally left behind. The tracks would lead all over the village before mysteriously disappearing. This would keep them busy all night while he slept. ¡°Thank you for your help, sir. We will get on it right away,¡± Vincent said with a bow before the two men dashed out. Aenon watched them go, before heading back to ¡®his¡¯ room. He quickly deposited the rest of the items from his inventory to his closet and locked his room. After removing his armor, he collapsed on his bed. ¡°Why the subterfuge, Alpha? Just a command from you, and the pack will subdue the two men,¡± Venge asked with curiosity. ¡°Because combat skills aren¡¯t the only thing that I need to train in. When up against entities like the Overseer, deception is my only weapon. And I have never been very good at it. This is my training ground for that,¡± Aenon said while keeping his eyes closed. ¡°Oh,¡± Venge exclaimed. Aenon smiled at her surprised reply. He had been thinking up ways to break away from or avoid the Overseer, but he knew it was just a matter of time before the old man caught up. So, he needed all the skills he could get to ensure his survival. At least till the day he was strong enough to bring the fight to him. 29. Takeover Chapter 29 ¨C Takeover*** Aenon slept through the rest of the day and the following night, that¡¯s how tired he was. Plus, the bed was the most luxurious and comfortable one he had ever lay in. When he awoke the next morning, Venge was lying on the ground next to his bed. Her ears perked up when he got out of bed yawning. That was the best sleep he had in forever. He went for a quick soak in the bathtub, before donning his armor. He had a lot to get done today, including some crucial planning. But first he needed to review his status and notifications. He had gained a total of 8 levels in his Void Stalker class, and 16 levels in his Abyssal Warden class. It was hard to figure out how the XP was distributed between the two classes, but from a cursory glance, it seemed like his actions dictated the distribution. He had spent most of his effort on gaining spell crafting and proficiencies, and minimum time in direct combat. He would need to study this further to be sure, but it didn¡¯t matter for now. He still had a few Title notifications to go through.
Title achieved: Bulwark Title achieved: Speed Runner Title achieved: Hoarder
Bulwark: Accept and complete more than 95% of your settlement¡¯s quests. +5 all stats
Speed Runner: Complete majority of accepted settlement quests in a record time +10 all stats
Hoarder: Have more than 15 completed quests that are yet to be turned in +5 all stats
Aenon¡¯s eye twitched looking at the pitiful Titles that netted him just 120 stats in all. Even with his Alpha, Soul Forge, and Late Bloomer titles he had 909 stats in total, which did not even qualify for an E-grade evolution for a human. He was still not sure what the requirements for an Ascended Human were, so he had no point of reference. But this clearly showed how difficult it would be to gain Title stats as an ascended human. He had taken down enemies way above his level, but since his base stats were higher, they weren¡¯t really a challenge. Curiously, he was not getting any Planetary First titles either. Which either meant the other humans had claimed most of those, or he was no longer qualified since he was not a normal human. He really hoped it was the former. Having checked his notifications for now, he left his room with Venge in his shadow as usual. He went straight for the mansion¡¯s main office on the first floor since he sensed both men huddled together within it. He casually entered the room without knocking and went straight for the main chair behind the office desk. If he was going to pretend to be their superior, might as well go all the way. Thankfully, true to their word, neither man complained nor had any negative emotions radiating off them. Both men stood at attention by the chairs opposite him, and only sat down when he waved at them to have a seat. He had a brief idea what he wanted to do but would need to gauge the situation before that. He addressed the former village head first. ¡°I need a status update on the village. And then, I want your honest thoughts about transferring the village ownership to me. Is it recommended to do so, and would it affect my classes,¡± he said authoritatively. To complete his System quest about setting up a domain he would either need this man¡¯s permission or take over the ownership of the village itself. The first option would keep him free of any future politics but reveal that he was setting up a domain. The second option would come with some responsibilities, but he could hide the fact that this village was within his domain. Not to mention, Vincent had said in his first speech that it was the end goal to have someone else takeover eventually. But he needed to understand the current situation before taking the leap. ¡°Ummm¡­ Ahem. Of course. Sir. Let¡¯s start with the status report first,¡± Vincent said after the initial shock wore off. He was probably expecting something like this, just not so abruptly. ¡°As you already know, all citizens of the village have left this place after the treant attack. As such we have very limited resources, and even less in our treasury. But thanks to your hard work, at least the neighboring areas are clear of the deadlier foes. All we need right now, is to somehow clear the roads between here and the nearest settlement and entice some people to return.¡± ¡°And that is all we need to get the village going again?¡± Aenon asked. Vincent shared a glance with his friend to his right before clearing his throat and continuing, ¡°Well, you see, Jadefall is no longer classified as a Village. When all its people left, it was demoted to a Village Ruin. It is still above the rank of a Ruin, which means monsters cannot enter it freely, but it is a matter of time. If we do not get new settlers within the next 3 months, this place will be classified as a Ruin and all monsters can enter or even take over this place.¡± Aenon took some time to digest these facts. He was weighing his options when Vincent continued, ¡°As for handing you rights to this place, I can do so if you wish. My class is non-combat oriented, and I gain levels based on how well the settlement I govern runs. Currently, with the situation, I cannot level up my class. So, it is of no consequence to me. In fact, it is in my favor to hand you the ownership, since then you can assign me an administrative role, and that may allow me to level up.¡± ¡°Hmmm, wouldn¡¯t that be a demotion for you? And what about my classes? Will I have to abandon one to be able to take ownership?¡± Vincent shook his head, ¡°Nothing like that. Most empires in the multiverse have powerhouses at their helm. In fact, it is a requirement by the System that anything bigger than a city, needs to be owned by a combat-oriented player. I was just a stopgap measure till someone grows powerful enough, at which point I would have to swear my fealty to that player.¡± ¡°I see. Then what about my responsibilities as a settlement owner?¡± Aenon asked the main thing he was concerned about. He did not want to be tied to the settlement. ¡°That is all up to you. You will essentially be setting up a governing body that will act in your stead, which can be one individual, or a council. You will have full veto power of course and can overturn any decision made by the assigned person or council. You can be as hands-on as you wish, or just set things up and go do whatever you want. Although you will be required to defend your territory in case of an invasion. You will have the option of teleporting to any settlement of yours in case of an attack, irrespective of where you are in the multiverse.¡± Aenon liked the sound of that. But he still needed some more information, so he asked, ¡°What about the perks of owning a settlement? Are there any?¡± ¡°Oh absolutely. You can tax the settlers, and the treasury will basically be yours to spend as you please. Although, I must warn you, should you fail to address the needs of your citizens, or exploit them, the System can penalize you heavily. This can include loss of levels, or even Titles. Apart from that, you will have your very own portals to fast travel between your settlements.¡± ¡°Anything else I should know?¡± Aenon was almost sold on the idea of taking over. Vincent fidgeted for a bit before Blake decided to speak up in his friend¡¯s place, ¡°There is one last thing you need to be aware of. Settlement that are close to some powerful creature often fall within the Domain of said creatures. Some of them may not take kindly to that and would attack the village or city to destroy it. You will have to reach some kind of agreement with this entity. Failing which, you must either surrender the place or fight to defend. Recently we detected someone/something trying to claim this abandoned village as part of their domain. Personally, I would just try to strike a deal. Even if it involved paying regular peace offering. The presence was stronger than anything I have ever felt.¡± And there it was. The main reason why Aenon wanted to claim the village. If he played his cards right, he could essentially claim that this ¡®entity¡¯ had reached an accord with him and wishes to remain hidden. He could even claim that the ¡®entity¡¯ had promised its protection in case of foreign attacks. ¡°Yes, I detected it too. Is that the only creature claiming this village as part of its domain?¡± Aenon asked in a neutral tone. He needed to get more information on the remaining 4 apex predators he needed to take down. So far, his pack had not been able to find their location. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Well, it is the only one I know of. As the village head, I have a detailed map of the surrounding areas. The size of a creature¡¯s domain is proportional to its soul strength and Jadefall is outside the domain of all nearby powerful creatures above level 200. That was the very reason its location was selected. That gave Aenon pause, since this would mean his domain claim was wider than he previously anticipated. No wonder they could not find the other Alphas. They were not within range of the village. And it also meant the main requirement of releasing one¡¯s Presence was to be level 200. He still had no idea why was able to release his, but he guessed it had something to do with his Unfettered ability. He was deep in thought when he noticed Blake was feeling nervous, as though there was something he wanted to say. ¡°What is it?¡± Aenon asked him directly. ¡°Well, ummm, we detected your Presence the other day during questioning. You are obviously close to level 200, but¡­,¡± Blake hesitated. Aenon stayed silent, waiting for him to go on. When he didn¡¯t, Vincent decided to. ¡°The thing is, it might be difficult for you to negotiate with this creature, if it ever shows itself that is. Your limited domain will anger the creature if you do not learn to control it,¡± he finished speaking in a hurry. That was another thing Aenon was confused about. Why was he able to subconsciously release his Presence completely during certain times but failed to do so when he actively wanted to. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t ask this question as it would expose the fact that he was not knowledgeable about the matter. ¡°You do not need to worry about that. I have my ways,¡± Aenon replied curtly. ¡°For now, let¡¯s go ahead with the ownership transfer.¡± Vincent nodded in a hurry and pulled up his interface. Seconds later Aenon got the notification.
System Notification
Settlement Claimed: Jadefall Settlement Type: Abandoned Village Citizens: 2 Unlocks settlement interface. Unlocks ability to fast travel between owned settlements.
Title achieved: Landlord Title achieved: Planetary Forerunner
Landlord: Claim ownership of a settlement. +20 all stats
Planetary Forerunner: Be the first to claim a settlement on the newly integrated planet. +30 all stats
System Notification
You have attempted to release your Soul Presence to establish your domain. However, only 1 Apex predator has submitted to you, and you are in reach of a System established settlement. To completely claim this area as your own, Defeat or gain allegiance from all Apex predators (Progress: 1/5) Gain approval from the settlement head (Progress: 1/1)
Aenon got a wide smile on his face. Now this was more like it. The titles were good, and the fact that he got a planetary first meant he was still considered human after all. He was still basking in the ecstasy of his stat gains when the shard in his soul space thrummed to life again. He feared what it would do this time, since he was in the presence of two others, when he noticed that both men were frozen. Not frozen in fear, but in time itself. The same white tendrils as last time shot out of his chest and flew out the window. They were incorporeal, as they went right through the walls of the mansion. He felt his mind getting bombarded with foreign feelings, but they were isolated. He got a mental nudge to name the place, and so Aenon chose the new name. And just like that feeling subsided, with no discernable change in his surroundings. He wanted to check what was different, but Vincent and Blake started moving. ¡°It is done,¡± Vincent said. Neither he nor Blake showed any indication that they witnessed the strange sight. Aenon decided to ignore it and focus on this discussion. ¡°Very well. Could you show me the map of the surrounding area?¡± he asked Vincent. The older man walked up to the side cupboard and retrieved a rolled-up parchment and lay it out on the desk. It covered most of the large desk and showed the things Aenon previously had no clue about. Vicent had a puzzled look though, and Aenon knew why. The name of the village had changed to Reality¡¯s Edge. ¡°A good name,¡± Vincent said with an approving nod. The map showed the forest to the south and the mountains to the north and west. Additionally, it also showed the river going into a water body of sorts, Misty Swells, and a castle to the east, Pinespire. The castle was on a plateau and had some ruins to the south of them. The more interesting additions were the dungeons with question marks on them, which probably meant they were yet to be explored. There were four creature symbols shown on the map, a dragon, a wyvern, a mermaid, and some kind of sea creature. Whether these were the apex predators, he didn¡¯t know. But he intended to find out. As for Pinespire, it was roughly 120 km (75 miles) away and looked like it was the closest settlement. Which probably meant the survivors may have gone for that. The two roads crossing the mountain went into the unknown, so the chances that people would take it was slim. ¡°Pinespire is the closest to our village and is a fort type settlement. Most of our citizens were teleported there by the arbiter, and the rest travelled there by foot. Hopefully they made it, but we have no way of knowing for certain. It¡¯s a long and treacherous journey at the best of times, but with the treants wreaking havoc...," Vincent trailed off. ¡°What about Arrowdeep? Is it not a settlement?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, it is. But it is closed off to players for now. The average level of the players must be higher to be able to access it. It has a seaport, which means it allows players to travel by ship to distant lands. I do not have the map of the surrounding areas unfortunately.¡± Aenon nodded before pointing at the creature symbols, ¡°Are these the powerful monsters with domains you mentioned?¡± ¡°Except the mermaid, yes. The merfolk are sapient beings who sometimes conduct trade with humans and are not designated as monsters. The dragon, wyvern, and sea beast are all peak level creatures that we tend to avoid. And they leave us alone too, if we don¡¯t disturb them,¡± Blake was the one to respond. So that meant, if these truly were the adversaries he was looking for, there was still one apex predator missing from the map, but at least this was a start. ¡°What about Neverhelm? I see some humanoid creatures there,¡± Aenon asked while pointing at the map. ¡°Ah, those are undead. Nasty creatures, but luckily, they won¡¯t leave the ruins, and they don¡¯t multiply. Unless of course some overeager adventurers go in and add to their ranks,¡± the experienced guild leader said with a smile. Looks like he was starting to warm up to Aenon, a little bit at least. Aenon took it all in, formulating a plan in his head. For the first time since he arrived, he was not going in blind. And he was really excited about it. So many things to explore, and dungeons to conquer. He was practically giddy with excitement with this new chapter of his life. He quickly reviewed his stat sheet before starting his latest adventure.
Name Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race Ascended Human (F) Level 14
Class Void Stalker Level 10
Subclass Abyssal Warden Level 17
HP 15800 MP 17640
HP/min 316 MP/min 373
Stats
Strength 1580 Intelligence 1764
Constitution 1579 Willpower 1866
Dexterity 1584 Perception 1626
Titles (202 x 6 = 1212)
Rebirth +1344 all stats Skills/Effects: (1) Detect and resist the effects of soul attacks and spells. (2) Double the available Skill slots per evolution level (3) Ability to fake Titles, stats, and levels. This effect cannot be bypassed even by Overseers. (4) Can bypass certain System restrictions. (5) Unfettered: ??? (6) Stat Point multiplier: 2
Alpha Earn the loyalty of an apex predator in its domain
Soul Forge Ignite the dormant soul space of a near sapient creature
Bulwark Accept and complete more than 95% of your settlement¡¯s quests.
Speed Runner Complete majority of accepted settlement quests in a record time
Hoarder Have more than 15 completed quests that are yet to be turned in
Landlord Claim ownership of a settlement
Planetary Forerunner Be the first to claim a settlement on the newly integrated planet
Skills (Free SP: 86)
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps) Savant
Stealth (Woods, Urban) Savant
Tracking (Woods) Expert
Mana Manipulation Expert
Spells
Earth Manipulation (Intermediate) - 200 Water Manipulation (Minor) ¨C 200 Air Manipulation (Minor) ¨C 200 Fire Manipulation (Basic) ¨C 200 Illusion (Intermediate) - 120 Feather Foot (Intermediate) ¨C 400 Gravity Well (Basic) ¨C 400 Barrier ¨C Physical (Minor) - 200 Barrier ¨C Magical (Basic) - 200 Overcharge (Minor) - 1000 Blooming Earth - 1200
30. Preparations Chapter 30 ¨C Preparations Erwin A cacophony of sounds filled Pinespire¡¯s bustling marketplace. Blacksmiths, food vendors, and street peddlers, all hawking their wares to any potential customer. Adventurers in mismatched armor pieces were scattered all over, milling about to get the best deals in town. Any signs that these people were from an unintegrated world were fading by the day. Most people had acclimated to the new norm. But some went beyond that. Erwin walked through the organized chaos of the city with a purpose. His shiny silver sabatons made a clacking sound with each step, signaling for the peasants to clear a path. His pearl white plate armor was a sight to behold, making the common citizenry either cast furtive glances of jealousy or swoon over him for his attention. These last few months had been very good to him. Except the Arbiter/Treant dungeon break debacle, everything else had gone smoothly. In fact, even the dungeon break, which was a calamity for most, had been a blessing for him. Before the disaster, he was the highest-level player in Jadefall, leading the strongest adventuring party. The only thing he was not able to do in Jadefall was improve his reputation with the village head. Try as he might, he couldn¡¯t gain an audience with the foolhardy old man. All thanks to that leech, Jenny. He had spent weeks training her to be his perfect personal maid, even providing the leech with food and shelter. He was doing the dead weight a favor by training her to do something useful. And after all that, his reward was jailtime and a hard hit to his reputation. He had no idea why the Arbiter had even punished him. Its not like he killed her; she had a resurrection token after all. He was merely training her with some tough love the way his father did. A little bit of pain would have been good for the annoying redhead. But thanks to the dungeon break, he had gotten a fresh start again. A second chance to climb the political ladder of the larger city. And using his gaming knowledge and tactics, he had a meteoric rise both in levels and social standing with the NPCs. He had contacts in every major sector of politics, from the business consortium to the army rank and file. Luckily the news about his earlier exploits in Jadefall had not spread, since most people who knew about it didn¡¯t make it out, his adventuring party of 3 included. The march through the infested forest was brutal and him being the paladin tank had made sure he survived. His party¡¯s rogue, ranger, and healer were not so lucky. As Erwin climbed the steps to the gigantic building before him, he puffed out his chest and walked with pride. This was the favorite part of his day. The numerous heads turning to him with bedazzled eyes always made him feel good. This is how he imagined all those fabled heroes he read about felt. And now, he was one of them. The MC of his own adventure. ¡°Captain Erwin,¡± came a loud call from his right. It was the assistant guild head of this branch of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, an older woman of impressive stature. Her emerald green hair were cut short, and her dark green leather armor was meticulously polished. No weapons were visible on her, but no one was foolish enough to take her on, either in direct combat or from the dark. She was a dedicated leader, and a shrewd politician. Of all the interactions Erwin had with her, not once was he able to break the walls around her. Her piercing gaze always made him uncomfortable. Like she could read his very subconscious intentions. ¡°How may I be of assistance, my lady,¡± Erwin said in a flattering tone. Though it grated at him, he had no choice since she was the last obstacle between him and guild leader. Try as he might, the old fox had blocked his every attempt to meet the guild leader. It was almost as though she knew his plan in detail, an impossibility unless she had a method to actually read minds. ¡°Oh shush. I am no lady, and you know that very well Captain,¡± the woman said as she stopped in front of him with her arms crossed. ¡°I just wanted to remind you of your upcoming interview tomorrow morning. And since it is such an important position, I have been granted permission to conduct it myself.¡± Erwin clenched his jaws to avoid lashing out at her. ¡°I was of the impression that the guild leader would be ¡­,¡± he began in a polite tone before being cut off. ¡°He has other commitments. So, I am filling in for him. Make sure you are on time,¡± she said crisply before turning and walking away. Erwin clenched his fists in frustration while maintaining a calm demeanor. He had learned his lesson about retaliation against those in power. So, he gave a light bow for everyone else to see before marching on. He always hated games that had reputation mechanics. This was no different, so he would deal with it the same way, begrudgingly. Even though the assistant guild head had called him captain, it was not set in stone till the swearing in ceremony. It had taken him countless hours of back breaking and tedious reputation building quests to earn the spot of an adventuring captain. It would give him certain powers over other adventurers, but more importantly it would give him direct access to the mayor of this town. Another political circle he was not able to break in yet. Hence, it infuriated him that despite all that he had gone through, he still needed to clear an interview, a demand put forth by none other than that conniving woman. As he reached the restricted section of the building, he merely tapped the thick wooden door before casually pushing it open. At least the honorary position, had allowed him some benefits. He walked into the luxurious room with dozens of comfortable couches and tables scattered about. Hardly 8 people were present though, since this was the common area reserved for the elite of the guild after all. He walked up to the bar and took a seat next to a particularly attractive blonde. He cast identify on her. ¡°May I buy you a drink, my lady,¡± he said in a smooth, mildly seductive voice. The woman was 6 levels below him, and fair game in his opinion. He sometimes shocked himself on how confident he had become. A byproduct of his dashing good looks and chiseled body. He couldn¡¯t even imagine doing this back on Earth, for no woman would even acknowledge his existence even if he tried. The girl eyed him once over without turning her head. And after Erwin felt a tingle run down his spine, a tell-tale sign of someone casting identify on you, her demeanor changed to curiosity. She gave him a light smile before turning her chair towards him. ¡°And who might you be? I don¡¯t remember seeing you around,¡± she said with a hint of curiosity. ¡°Ah, where are my manners. I am Adventurer Erwin, soon to be Captain Erwin,¡± he said with a flourishing bow before turning to the man behind the counter. ¡°Barkeep, a glass of your most exquisite wine, for an exquisite lady.¡± The barkeep gave a polite bow before disappearing behind some shelves in the back. The lady had an amused smile by now and was suitably impressed. He started regaling her with some of his adventurers over the last few months, some of his exaggerations making her giggle. He had perfected his art over many bars and drunken trysts. Just when he thought he might be getting lucky tonight, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Seems like you have quite a few tales to tell. May I join in?¡± a deep male voice said in a faux threatening tone. Erwin turned around with the intention to ask the bloke to get lost when his voice got caught in his throat. An imposing 8-foot giant stood behind him, in full set of blood red barbarian style armor. The imposing armor barely held in his impressive muscles, which featured some nasty scars. Erwin completely forgot what he was about to say and stuttered a few incomprehensible sounds, making the big guy sneer savagely. ¡°Oh, Eskad. Meet soon to be Captain Erwin. He has some impressive feats. You two should really have a heart to heart,¡± the petite blonde spoke in a mischievous tone. Her particular emphasis on the word ¡®Captain¡¯ made Erwin¡¯s gut churn. She turned to him with a wide smile and added, ¡°And Erwin, please meet my husband, Captain Eskad.¡± Erwin froze like a deer in headlights. All the confidence he thought he gained in this new reality evaporated in an instant. He abruptly stood up and gave a bow to the two elite adventurers. ¡°It was nice meeting you. I just remembered; I have some quests to turn in.¡± He made a beeline for the door in a rush. The last thing he heard before the door closed behind him, was the roaring laughter of the room¡¯s inhabitants. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Aenon The forest was deathly quiet, with only the occasional insect or hidden bird making any sound. Aenon lay flat on his stomach, covered in his full Abyssal armor set. The equipment¡¯s passives coupled with his mana manipulation, made him a literal ghost that no creature within the forest could detect. Not even the 15-foot high treant that he was currently stalking. If his plan went well, he would get to see the creature in action for the very first time. A low rumbling sound disturbed the eerie silence. As it grew in intensity, Aenon could feel the ground start to vibrate. He could sense the hidden creatures getting restless as they retreated further down their hidey holes. The rumble reached a crescendo before a tree suddenly toppled over, revealing a roiling mass of bison like creatures thundering towards the lone tree in the clearing. ¡­ Aenon¡¯s vision was flooded with dozens of nameplates as the stampede burst forth. Bane and his pack had successfully lured a pack of Radiant Bisons to the clearing that the treant was in. The Bisons had glowing hoofs that emitted disorienting flashes of light, giving Aenon a headache. He stopped casting Identify and closed his eyes, relying on his soul sense instead. He counted at least 64 of the frightened creatures, being corralled along by 5 dire wolves. Just as the entire herd entered the clearing, the wolves broke off and went around the designated kill zone, towards where Aenon was currently hiding. ¡°It is done, Alpha,¡± Bane¡¯s voice sounded in Aenon¡¯s head. The entire pack dove into Aenon¡¯s shadow as they caught up. Due to their connection, Aenon was able to share his senses with the wolves when they were in his shadow. And so they waited patiently as the tsunami eventually reached the dormant treant. For a moment Aenon thought the malicious creature would continue to pretend to be a regular tree and let the tide pass. But as the lead Radiant Bison got within 5 feet, things changed. Unlike last time, when the treant used vines and roots to catch and strangle the goblins, this time the whole tree moved. Within the blink of an eye, the tree uprooted itself and stood to its full height. In place of an unassuming tree, there now stood a giant bipedal creature with a humanoid face. The entire body was made up of thick barbed vines, and the creature had a nasty set of claws on its elongated arms. It started scooping up Bisons and dropping them into a gaping maw that had two-foot-long stakes for teeth. Its pupil-less eyes glowed an eerie bluish white, and its entire body was soon covered with deep crimson blood. By the time the herd passed through, a quarter of their number had fallen prey to the monstrosity and Aenon detected the treant gain a level for it. This was the same Treant he had encountered on his first day back to the formerly named village of Jadefall. Just as he thought it might be over, something truly weird happened. The charging stampede came back and went for a second pass through the clearing. Confused about what was going on, Aenon opened his eyes and used his soul sense along with his mana sight. He was finally able to see tiny yellow spores in the entire clearing that had traces of wisps attached to them. As he continued his observation, he saw the herd turning around and continueing to make multiple passes through the open area. After about six passes only two Bisons were left, and they had stopped their charge. They seemed to be looking around in confusion and would charge away from the treant, only to be returned to where it was. ¡°This is quite strange, isn¡¯t it?¡± he asked Bane. ¡°Yes, it is, Alpha. We always stayed away from these accursed creatures after it took down three from our pack. We saw them enter the strange clearing and never exit. It''s also strange that the Bison return to the clearing so quickly. Stampedes are notoriously difficult to turn. But the exit and entry points are too close together.¡± Aenon gave it some thought before realizing the damn thing was manipulating space. Once you enter the area, there was no escape. ¡°Well, this complicates things,¡± Aenon muttered to himself. Fighting a creature that had a good command over an affinity he was weak in, and that was a hard counter to his daggers wasn¡¯t an easy job. He needed a plan. He kept brainstorming for ideas as he observed the last two Bisons being slaughtered before the treant returned to its former dormant state. ¡°What can we do about this, Alpha?¡± Venge asked. She had not left his shadow at all, since she was expecting to give birth any day now, and his shadow was the safest place there was. ¡°We can¡¯t enter the clearing without getting trapped, and we can¡¯t be sure we can kill it even if we do.¡± Aenon smiled at that as he suddenly had an idea, ¡°Well it¡¯s obvious if you put it like that.¡± ¡°What is?¡± she asked, but Aenon refused to elaborate and backtracked away from the clearing. He found a relatively safe spot by a stream about 2 kilometers (~1.2 miles) away and sat in the lotus position next to it. He started focusing on his internal mana and made it gather near the palm of his hand. With precise control he made a mana orb outside his body and started injecting water wisps into it. Once the mana had taken the form of water, he started shaping the sphere into a pointed shape. He then froze the shape into ice by removing heat aspects from it. There was a miniature ice arrow in his hands. The wolves, except Venge, had come out of the shadow and were looking on with curiosity. Aenon then hurled the arrow across the field into a tree using both water and air manipulation. The arrow shattered on impact but left behind a thin layer of ice where it had hit. ¡°If we cannot enter the field, we just kill the thing from afar,¡± Aenon said with a smirk. ¡°I have been playing around with different elemental manipulations for a while now. Now I just need to combine them. As an Abyssal Warden, I can freely manipulate multiple wisp types and create my own rudimentary spells. They may not be as powerful as a specialized mage, but I am infinitely more versatile.¡± The only downside was it took time and preparation to practice the spells beforehand. And so, he went about practicing different combinations to see which one worked better against a wooden opponent. He spent hours draining his mana pool multiple times in quick succession, and then meditating to reflect on his progress while it refilled. When he got exhausted, he slept, when he got hungry, he ate, but never once did he leave his practice spot. The hours slowly turned to days, at which point he even forgot to eat or sleep. The wolves took turns guarding him, while the others hunted for food nearby. After about a week, Aenon finally ended his last meditation session, which had lasted an impressive 14 hours. He was surrounded by a field of destroyed tress, some burnt, some cut, and some frozen entirely. And then there were some that simply ceased to exist halfway from the ground. Aenon stood in a clearing of his own making, with nothing but dead trees around him. ¡°Alright, Bane. It¡¯s time to head out,¡± Aenon said calmly. He was done with the preparations, and now was the time to see what it got him. Every other creature he had faced so far, he had relied primarily on close range combat. That too while solo. This time he was with his pack and would test his ranged combat abilities. Bane barked once, calling for the pack to assemble. Within seconds seven abyssal wolves stood before Aenon. This would be the first true fight that the entire pack would be taking part in. With their lives on the line. And Aenon could sense the emotions bubbling off his pack brothers. Excitement. Anticipation. Confidence. But not a single wolf had a shred of fear, as they all marched off to what could possibly be their doom. 31. Pack Hunt Chapter 31 ¨C Pack Hunt It was almost night as Aenon hid in the shadows at the very edge of the treant¡¯s area of control. Him and the wolves had surrounded the circular clearing and taken position at the eight cardinal directions, with him at the North and Bane at the South end. Aenon had sent Venge back to the village before coming here. Even if they all died here, at least the pack would survive. They had systematically cleared the surrounding area of any threat since they could not afford any distractions in the upcoming battle. ¡°We are all in position, Alpha,¡± Aenon heard Bane¡¯s voice through their soul link. ¡°Very well then. Remember the plan and do not enter the circle before me,¡± Aenon said while channeling mana to his palms. He had gone through step-by-step instructions with the entire pack yesterday. Even though the other 6 wolves could not reply yet, they understood him just fine. For this to work, he had to make sure to deal a massive amount of damage in the first volley and then continue to pepper the treant. It was sure to retaliate using some unknown spells or abilities, but Aenon had gone through multiple contingencies for varying scenarios. The main issue would be for the other wolves to deal damage. They were melee fighters, and the tree had impressive defense. Not to mention counter attacks using vines and spores. Luckily, he had found an alternative for that. Aenon stood with his palms together like he was praying. As he slowly spread them apart, a concentrated ball of mana was created. When it was a foot in diameter, he started mixing gravity wisps to it. He had practiced a lot of different combinations, but this was the one with the most bang. He eventually created a massive gravity orb in between his hands. Next, he started breaking off a few smaller spheres and sending them out at different locations around the treant, making sure to maintain a mana thread connecting him to the orbs. He made sure to keep the smaller spheres far enough that the creature wouldn¡¯t feel the change in gravity. In the end he was left with a dozen gravity wells scattered over the area of control, and a half foot gravity ball in his hands. The smaller gravity spells would last as long as he supplied them mana. He then swung his arm back and tossed the largest orb straight at the tree¡¯s center mass. Just when the orb was within 2 feet of impact, using the mana thread, he pulled every single random wisp close to the orb towards it. As the mana orb contacted the wooden surface, it became unstable and started glowing bright due to all the random wisps being mashed together. BOOOM ¡°SCREEEEEEE,¡± the treant bellowed in pain and anger. The explosion emitted a dense cloud of smoke that radiated outwards and cast random effects onto the treant¡¯s branches. Some were frozen, some were burnt, while others were cut up like they had gone through a blender. A spiderweb pattern of cracks spread outwards from the impact point, leaving a small crater at its center. Before the treant could react, Aenon threw his dagger, Goblin¡¯s Woe, right into the gaping wound. Its mana bleed passive would not trigger, but that was not why he threw it. He needed the wound to stay open. He immediately started making spears from water, ground, and air wisps before throwing them like javelins from his location. Since his spear proficiency wasn¡¯t that high, they didn¡¯t hit dead center like the dagger. But since the creature was humongous, most of them at least managed to hit or scrape by. The treant furiously started looking around and finally managed to pinpoint his location. It roared and pointed one of its gnarly claws towards him, shooting its claws like bullets. Yet, Aenon didn¡¯t even flinch as he continued peppering it with his spears. Each spear shattered on impact with minimal damage. The treant¡¯s bullets on the other hand whizzed by Aenon¡¯s head. The treant looked at its claws in confusion, not understanding why its projectile missed. The wooden missiles were deadly fast and on target, but somehow curved ever so slightly in midair. It tried a few more times without success. And so, the battle was at an impasse. The treant¡¯s ranged attacks could not land, while all Aenon¡¯s projectiles did miniscule damage. As the treant began moving in his direction, Aenon stopped casting spells and sat down to meditate. This infuriated his enemy further, who broke into a sprint towards him. Just as it was within 10 feet of Aenon, it found itself back at the center of the circle. It bellowed in rage and charged again with the same results. After the fifth attempt, it stopped and looked around in confusion. ¡°Catching on, are you?¡± Aenon said as he opened his eyes. ¡°Attaching space wisps onto your spores and controlling the surrounding is an excellent idea. You are a tree after all.¡± Aenon raised his hands and moved the gravity wells around, which had scooped up the spores like a vacuum. He did not have enough proficiency with space aspect to control space. But why attempt to make his own space spell, when he could hijack his opponents. He had used his mana vision to closely study how the treant cast its spell. It was basically attaching space wisps to its spores that it could freely control and move them around to create the trap. All Aenon needed to do was take control of the spores. Something even a weak gravity spell could do. Aenon stood up and stepped forward till he was a hair¡¯s width away from the supposed circle the treant controlled. And then stepped in with a smile. The gravity wells he spread out had two purposes. To take over the space trap, and to divert any projectiles. ¡°SCREEEEE,¡± the treant screeched loudly and tried shooting vines at him instead, only to have them deflect and return to it. Aenon saw the treant gathering a lot of nature wisps at its wounds, no doubt as an attempt to heal its wound. ¡°Bane,¡± Aenon said in a low voice. As one, 7 shadowy figures shout out from all over and went straight for the treant. In low light, they were like shadow wraiths seeking to claim the souls of their victims. The treant saw the new enemies and braced for impact, but it never came. The shadows harmlessly zipped past it. The creature looked around in confusion, noticing too late that its nature wisps were missing. It shouted in frustration and tried summoning more, but each time a shadow would zoom by devouring it. Aenon had realized the special properties of his Abyssal wolves. Their mouth, with thousands of razor-sharp teeth, could devour mana wisps. True to their name, they completely erased the wisps from existence. As though they were dispelled out to the abyss. They had minimal damage to physical objects though, no more than what their jaws could do before their transformation. And so, Aenon had assigned them a new role. While the treant was busy, Aenon quickly erected a thin air barrier around the creature like a dome. Simultaneously he also created a thin but very dense layer of earth underground. It essentially sealed off the treant in two domes of air and dense earth. ¡°SCREEEEE,¡± the treant screamed, trying to call for help. But the sound didn¡¯t cross the barrier at all. Neither could its roots or vines penetrate the thin layer of hardened earth underneath. It was for all intents and purposes trapped in here. And this time, it wasn¡¯t the predator. Aenon flicked his wrists and sent the gravity wells outward towards the edge of the clearing. He needed more room to navigate in, for the true battle would start now. His opponent, sensing the field expanding, turned towards his main enemy. And saw nothing. Aenon had slipped into the shadows cast by the various planets in the night sky. And thus, there were eight shadows hounding the distraught treant. It started getting minor cuts and scrapes from its blind spots over and over. Try as it might, it could not pin down its quarry. It even tried creating more spores, but they were all sucked away instantly by new gravity wells. For the first time in its life, it felt the terror its prey experienced while in its killing field. In desperation, it tried approaching the barrier but failed each time. It even tried pulling back its spores that were trapped in the gravity wells, but the force was always just enough to prevent that. But it still had hope, for it was confident about its defenses. Whoever or whatever its enemy was, they would soon run out of mana. And then it would prevail, like it always did. All it needed was one tiny crack in this trap, and it could turn the entire forest against its enemies. But the lucky break never came. For hours, it was hounded from all sides. It started losing pieces of itself to the relentless assault, one branch after another. And eventually its iron will started collapsing. And that was the beginning of the end. Aenon had held back his greatest weapon of them all, waiting for this exact moment. For a being that was possibly centuries old, its soul and will would no doubt have been strong. And Aenon felt that using his soul sense. Not once during this entire assault, did he feel any chinks in the creature¡¯s armor around its soul. But now for the first time he felt it. True desperation. And that was what he was waiting for. But he needed to make sure it would not gain back its courage. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°It''s time,¡± he sent a mental message over his soul link. All the wolves backed up and made a circle around their prey and howled as one. True darkness descended on the clearing as the wolves unleashed their ability. It was like his cloak¡¯s active ability, kingdom of darkness. But it was much more powerful, and did not require his mana. All the light was sapped away and the treant felt like it was trapped in an endless vacuum. It turned every which way, and all it saw were pairs of cold grey eyes staring at it. It tried moving its battered body away from the creatures, but its body suddenly froze up. Aenon had frozen the treant in ice, using the mud and water he had scattered all around using his spears. And now for the final blow, Aenon unleashed his soul presence. The earlier exhaustion, along with his psychological tactics, finally broke the creature¡¯s will to live. It just stood there as Aenon gathered the largest spell he had made so far and released it towards it. As the spell hit, and the treant was in its death throes, it finally realized the difference. The difference between a predator and an apex predator. Only prey feared the former. But even predators feared the latter. Aenon and the wolves emerged from the shadows as the barriers and darkness fell. He collapsed on the ground, drenched in sweat. He was exhausted beyond measure, having completely drained his mana. It was a close call after all, if the treant had hung on for a few more minutes, he probably would not have made it. Even the smoke around the abyss wolves had thinned considerably, revealing some of their horrifying features. Bane trotted up to him and sat down on his haunches. ¡°Good job, Bane. And you all too,¡± Aenon said while looking at each of his wolves with pride. And they felt it through their connection. A series of notifications started pinging in his head, demanding his attention. But Aenon ignored them for now. Too exhausted and spent to care about any of it. He lay down on the ground and looked up at the sky, admiring its alien beauty for the nth time. The wolves all made a circle around him and Bane and curled up into balls, instantly falling asleep. ¡°It was a good fight, Alpha,¡± bane said in a low tone as he sat down while gazing at the sky too. ¡°You know, I can never tire of this view.¡± ¡°Hmmm. It is beautiful, I guess. Although I don¡¯t have anything to compare it to.¡± ¡°You are right. You don¡¯t, do you?¡± Aenon said in realization. He reached out for the shard in his soul space and linked it to Bane and himself. He started accessing videos of Earth using it, specifically those of forests and the wildlife in it. Bane¡¯s ears perked up as he started seeing all the foreign images for the first time. Aenon felt curiosity radiating off him when he saw the wolves of Earth, and extreme joy when he saw videos of humans playing with their dog companions. And so, they stayed like that for almost an hour. Just enjoying the brief respite in their tumultuous lives. No creatures dared to intrude, for Aenon had kept his presence unleashed. And after an hour, the other wolves started waking up, curious why their Beta was barking so excitedly. Aenon extended the connection to the entire pack, and they all went wild. Barking at the imaginary squirrel. Aenon smiled at their antics and decided to do one better. He stopped the video stream and used some light wisps to create seven illusions of Earth squirrels and made them run around the area. All seven wolves dashed around the field, no longer looking like machines of death and destruction to Aenon¡¯s eyes. They were his family, his pack. While the wolves were busy unwinding, Aenon sat up deciding to peruse his notifications and stats. He had gained at least some proficiency in all his spells from all the practice. He pulled up to his title notifications first.
Title achieved: Ancient Killer Title achieved: Untouchable Title achieved: Prodigious Mage
Ancient Killer: Treants are considered one of the ancient races, along with Elves and Dragons. You somehow managed to slay one, even if it was just a juvenile. This is despite the fact that one should not have been present on your planet. Need I say more? +20 all stats
Untouchable: Take down a difficult opponent without incurring a single hit point damage to yourself or your party. And yes, your pack counts as a party. No solo achievements for you. +30 all stats
Prodigious Mage: Use unknown mixes of mana aspects in a grueling battle, without blowing yourself up. Good job. Seriously though, watch what you are mixing together. +10% gains from Titles
Aenon blinked a few times at the snarky title description. It was confirmed now. Someone related to the System or the System itself was messing with him. He was skeptical that these were the actual title descriptions. The worrying part though was what it said about treants. They weren¡¯t supposed to be here on this planet. What was that supposed to mean? As for the warning about mixing unknown mana aspect types, he was already aware of the dangers. He had blown up a tree during practice and had managed to knock himself back a dozen feet from the resulting explosion. He sighed in frustration, as this was yet again beyond his control. He decided to put it in the back of his mind for now, along with the growing list of possible things he could not survive against.
Name Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race Ascended Human (F) Level 19
Class Void Stalker Level 14
Subclass Abyssal Warden Level 23
HP 16555 MP 19035
HP/min 331 MP/min 408
Stats
Strength 1656 Intelligence 1904
Constitution 1655 Willpower 2042
Dexterity 1660 Perception 1718
Titles (278 x 6 = 1332)
Rebirth +1344 all stats Skills/Effects: (1) Detect and resist the effects of soul attacks and spells. (2) Double the available Skill slots per evolution level (3) Ability to fake Titles, stats, and levels. This effect cannot be bypassed even by Overseers. (4) Can bypass certain System restrictions. (5) Unfettered: ??? (6) Stat Point multiplier: 2
Alpha +50 all stats, +30% stats in presence of your pack
Soul Forge +80 all stats
Bulwark +5 all stats
Speed Runner +10 all stats
Hoarder +5 all stats
Landlord +20 all stats
Planetary Forerunner +30 all stats
Ancient Killer +20 all stats
Untouchable +30 all stats
Prodigious Mage 10% more stats from titles
(Really) Late Bloomer 1% more stats from titles
Skills (Free SP: 86)
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps) Savant
Stealth (Woods, Urban) Savant
Tracking (Woods) Expert
Mana Manipulation Expert
Spells
Earth Manipulation (Intermediate) - 200 Water Manipulation (Minor) ¨C 200 Air Manipulation (Minor) ¨C 200 Fire Manipulation (Basic) ¨C 200 Illusion (Intermediate) - 120 Feather Foot (Intermediate) ¨C 400 Gravity Well (Basic) ¨C 400 Barrier ¨C Physical (Minor) - 200 Barrier ¨C Magical (Basic) - 200 Overcharge (Minor) - 1000 Blooming Earth ¨C 1200 Ice Lance Gravity Bomb
At least his stats were coming along nicely. He had gained 4 levels in Void Stalker and 6 levels in his other class. Again, he had relied heavily on magic rather than physical damage, so this was expected. He closed his notifications and headed for the treant¡¯s corpse. The wolves were not interested in it, since they could not eat wood after all. But there was something of value that attracted Aenon. It was a 1-foot-wide gemstone. And it gave him the same oily feeling that he got from the corruption he witnessed in the dungeon. Announcement and extra scene from Chapter 19 Hey folks I wanted you all to know that I take your comments and concerns very seriously. From all the comments over the last week, I am currently working on these things (dont worry you will get your weekend chapter too. Sometime today or tomorrow). - Aenon''s WIL stat at the start. It was pointed that his willpower stat must be higher based on how much torture he has already endured. So going to raise that. Rest all stays the same, just his base stat will be higher. But it also means more calculations and edits for me :-( Thankfully I have an excel sheet for this. - The Kissing scene. My god, did I get grief for this. You would think people would be more upset about the casual murder a few chapters back. But somehow this scene upset people more. If you are reading this announcement, that means you have already caught up to the story, so I will speak freely. The reason I do not want to remove the scene is because it shows the impact the Overseer''s soul chains has on Aenon. Under normal circumstances, someone as fiercely independent as him would not tolerate it at all. He also let himself be killed without resistance. This was supposed to show the ''suggestiveness'' effect of the soul chains. But people were up in arms thinking he and Allie (who is also affected by the chains, if it isn''t obvious by now. Why do you think she flipflops so much and has such an unstable personality. Thats a deeper plot that I do not want to disclose yet) would end up together. I almost felt like deleting the chapter and writing it from scratch. So, I reached a compromise instead. I have kept the scene but added the missing conversation between Aenon and the Overseer. I will attach it at the end of this chapter, so you don''t have to go back for it. Hopefully this hints people where their relationship is headed. End of rant. - The mana aspect classification. When I make a mistake, I will wholeheartedly accept it and apologize for it. The current classification is horrible as many of you pointed out. So, sorry about that. I am currently working on some cleanup work and will address this in future chapter updates. Will let you all know what the changes are in a separate announcement, so you don''t have to backtrack. In the meantime, this is what I am thinking the new classifications are (not set in stone yet).
Order Neutral Chaos
Emergence Space Void
Light Time Dark
Life Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Energy Death
Water Fire
Earth Air
As always feel free to let me know what you think I am doing well and what areas I need to work on. I am writing this book mainly to develop my writing skills, and so any comments, reviews, and ratings help. Cheers! Zaker Chapter 19 - Additional Scene ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Aenon Aenon sat there with his eyes closed, completely ignoring the Overseer¡¯s presence. His emotions were in turmoil, unable to reconcile with what had just happened. He had not had any such feelings towards the girl, despite his sister¡¯s teasing. And although the kiss felt¡­ no. He could not let his mind go in that direction. Even if he was to consider the relationship, there were too many strings attached. ¡°It¡¯s alright young man,¡± he heard the soothing voice of the Overseer. For some reason he felt at ease by those words, like everything was going to be ok. He was worried the old man would have mistaken the situation and be angry at him. Aenon didn¡¯t want that. ¡°I can expla¡­,¡± he started to speak but was interrupted by the Overseer¡¯s raised hand. There was a calming smile on his face. ¡°The passion of youth need not be explained to an old man like me. I can guess what has transpired here. The question is, what are you going to do now?¡± The question gave him pause. On the one hand, he didn¡¯t really like Allie that way, she just wasn¡¯t his type. But on the other hand, he didn¡¯t want to anger or disappoint her mentor. It was weird but for some reason, the old man held an important position in his life now. He just wasn¡¯t sure why. He needed more time to sort out his feelings, something he never had a problem with in the past. ¡°I¡­ I need some time to think about it,¡± he muttered quietly while staring at the ring in his hand. He didn¡¯t want to entangle himself with her any more than he already was. ¡°Could you please hand this back to her?¡± The Overseer looked disappointed, something that bothered him a lot. It must have been his imagination, but he thought he also saw a hint of¡­ anger? But the expression passed by too quickly for him to be sure. But he had to be resolute here, he had to clearly draw the lines. This was not the time for him to get mired in relationships. ¡°Of course, my boy. You are no longer leaking mana, so the ring is no longer needed. What would you like me to tell my precious granddaughter though?¡± the Overseer asked with a warm smile. For whatever reason, that smile made him uncomfortable, as though¡­ ¡°It doesn¡¯t belong to me. Just tell her that,¡± Aenon said flatly. He hated owing favors, but from his perspective he had settled any favors she had done for him. She had saved his life, but just as easily taken it. Which meant his score was settled. And he didn¡¯t want any more favors from her. ¡°She would be disappointed,¡± the Overseer said with a sad smile. Aenon¡¯s anger flared for an instant, and he almost lashed out. But that smile soothed his anger just as quickly. Ugh, this was going nowhere. He needed to get this old man off his back and take some time to consider things. He wanted nothing to do with Allie, but he couldn¡¯t outright deny this wily old man. ¡°The trinket is too eye catching. Makes stealth harder,¡± Aenon said while trying to keep a straight face. ¡°How about this instead?¡± the Overseer pulled an obsidian bracelet from out of nowhere. It was small and discrete, but more importantly emitted dark wisps. Aenon knew just from a cursory glance that this was a priceless artifact. Aenon felt his emotions getting restless again. He had no idea what was going on. He wanted that bracelet for some reason, like his soul craved it. This bothered him, because he hated taking freebies. Then why did he so desperately want this bracelet? ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± he said with gritted teeth. It had taken all his willpower to turn down the offering. The moment he said it, he saw the previous expression from the Overseer again. It was gone just as quickly, but since he was searching for it, he could make out what it was ¨C annoyance. ¡°Well, keep it on you just in case,¡± the old man tossed the bracelet at Aenon, who caught it out of reflex. ¡°When you decide to claim it, just put it on. And it shall be yours.¡± Aenon said nothing. He took one last look at the bracelet, and despite the pull he felt from it, deposited it in his inventory. He gave the Overseer a terse bow but stayed silent. The Overseer regarded him for a moment longer before disappearing. 32. How the Tables Turn Chapter 32 ¨C How the Tables Turn Erwin It was a beautiful day in Pinespire. The skies were clear, the air was fresh, and the temperature was pleasant. It was a perfect day which should have raised Erwin¡¯s spirit. But his mood was exceptionally bad today. He frowned as he took in the city¡¯s sights from the balcony of his 2-story private house. He was sure at this point that someone was conspiring to sabotage him at every point. Until last week he was a rising star, all ready to be appointed a captain¡¯s role at the adventurer¡¯s guild. He had the political backing, the levels, and even the under-the-table dealings necessary to make the cut. If not for that wretched green-haired she-devil. He had been meticulous about his reputation and social standing, making sure to not cross any lines that may cause ill-repute, even cutting down on how many women he flirted with. Well, after that fiasco at the guild hall at least. He even went the extra mile and did a lot of so-called social work, feeding and supporting the leeches of society. Granted he had a hidden agenda in doing so, but no one was privy of that. He had desperately tried to find the one leech who could foil his carefully laid out plans. But it was like she had disappeared off the face of the planet. And just when he thought she was gone from his life, she had shown up in the most unexpected place of all. In hindsight, he should have seen this coming. But that shrewd assistant guild head was more devious than he gave her credit for. He had no idea how, but she had somehow gotten hold of Jenny and kept her hidden from everyone till the most opportune time to cause the maximum amount of damage. If Jenny¡¯s allegations had been brought up before the interview, he could have tried to repair the damage to his reputation. But the cunning hag had brought Jenny directly during the interview itself. It all went downhill from there. He might have salvaged some of his honor if not for the fact that she demanded the interview be conducted in a Truth field, considering the upcoming allegations. And contrary to what he was told, even the guild leader was present. Which he had been ecstatic about, right until he saw Jenny¡¯s wretched face. Each word that came out of her cursed mouth was laced with venom, as she recanted every detail of their interactions. He was still not sure how she had gained the courage to face him again. He thought she would shut her mouth the second she saw him; due to all the training he had put her through. But it was like she had found a second set of balls, as she fearlessly stared him down. Erwin had tried to talk his way out of it, but the Truth field wouldn¡¯t let him hide his intentions, even by omission. When he tried saying, ¡°I was trying to train her.¡± The words that came out were, ¡°I was trying to train her to be my perfect slave.¡± He had tried shutting up after that, but the spell wouldn¡¯t let him be quiet if a direct question was asked of him. And boy did that hag know what words to use to extract every tidbit of information from him. She had systematically demolished every facet of his social image. She asked about why he spent the money on the poor, and when he was forced to reveal that he was looking for Jenny, his philanthropy turned into sinister plotting to silence the weak. She dug deep into why he was the only survivor of his party. And Erwin had to helplessly admit that he prioritized his own life over the party members, despite him being the tank. The cold look he received from the guild head at that still gave him nightmares. Apparently, the heavy built man was a legendary tank when it came to keeping his party alive, despite the odds. Erwin wished the interview would be the end of his misery, but alas, it was the start. The wretched woman had made a detailed report of her findings and published it to the entire guild, and from there it spread to the entire city. At least in Jadefall very few people had been aware of his exploits, but here even kids running around knew him by name. And his unofficial title of sorts ¨C the Devious Plotter. No one from the guild wanted to be even seen around him, let alone work with him. The final nail in his coffin was the yellow marker above his head, which was assigned by the city leader, and was supposed to be permanent if he was within the city limits. His crimes, although not punishable by law, were apparently enough to earn him the marker. Thanks to the new Arbiter, who was apparently very diligent when it came to justice being served. And so, Erwin stood there at the room¡¯s window, looking out and trying to helplessly think of a way out of it. His once lavishly decorated room was a dump, covered in empty alcohol bottles and a very ripe smell of sweat and excrement. His sparkling armor lay to the side, covered in dust and grime. He recalled the good old days back on Earth, where failing a quest meant just restarting the game at worst. But it was only now that he realized, this place was no game after all. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Jenny Jenny sat at the counter of the guild hall, sporting an amicable smile as she took in the details of the quest turn in from the adventuring party of 5. She diligently cross checked the report and counted each kill trophy before handing out the promised 25 gold coins. This was one of the more promising parties out there, and they took on some of the more challenging quests. She hid her astonishment and fear well while dealing with these adventurers, but it was hard to do so now. It¡¯s not every day that she got to handle bear claws the size of dinner plates after all. Her face must have shown some emotion, since the Berserker across from her started guffawing loudly. ¡°Hahaha. You don¡¯t see Rabid Bear claw¡¯s often, do you?¡± he said boisterously. Making the entire room turn to him in wonder. His blonde wife, Elara, poked him in annoyance. ¡°Do you have to be so loud, Eskad dear?¡± she said in a calm but eerie tone. That shut up the brute who was three times her size, who started rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Jenny liked the couple a lot. They were amongst the few people who didn¡¯t treat her differently when she was first allowed to meet the public. Her story was common folklore by now, exaggerated beyond reason. She had even heard snippets of how she supposedly tried fighting off the spider queen with nothing but a wooden stick her tormentor had left behind. It embarrassed her to no end when people walked up to her with pity and started asking questions. Questions to which she either had no answer to or wasn¡¯t allowed to speak up about. She remembered the first day after the nightmarish monster attack on their previous village, when she was herded in by the soldiers to a safe location. And since she was level zero, was corralled to meet that amazing woman for an investigation. She had heard her plight without an ounce of doubt or ridicule and provided her with good living arrangements, only asking one thing in return. That she told the truth when the time came. She was not allowed to meet anyone except the lady for the next few weeks. Although, the isolation from the world had been good for her. The trauma of seeing her mother killed right in front of her, and the combined stress of the last few months had nearly broken her. If not for the sessions she had with the assistant guild leader, she wasn¡¯t sure she would have recovered. Although she wasn¡¯t allowed to tell who had killed her mother, or how, she had poured her heart out about what she had gone through. And the lady did the one thing she desperately needed, she listened. Jenny had told her about the circumstances around her mother¡¯s death, and even told her that her mother was killed by someone who had saved Jenny. Only after Jenny was thoroughly spent recounting everything did the lady give any of her own thoughts. And that was both therapeutic and painful for Jenny to hear. Rather than point out her mother¡¯s flaws the lady had asked questions, lots of them. And through her own answers, she led Jenny towards the ultimate realization. She had been brainwashed and manipulated by her mother all her life. It wasn¡¯t easy to accept, and Jenny had shut her down multiple times. But the lady would just calmly walk away and continue their discussion a later time. Giving her enough time to ponder about it on her own. The lady had a way with words, as though she could read Jenny¡¯s mind and even emotions. After a long time with nothing to do but think, she saw her past in a different light. She hadn¡¯t realized it, but her brother was kind of amazing. And he cared for and loved her deeply. The gifts he got her, which her mother always threw out saying they were bad for her, were in fact what she wanted at the time. She didn¡¯t know how, but he always knew what she wanted. Whether it was the pretty dress she had stared at for a moment longer at a clothing store, or the violin she wanted to learn as a kid. He always knew, and her mother always painted it in a negative light. Saying he was trying to make her fail in life. And like a fool, she had gone along with it. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Jenny felt a tap on her shoulder, making her jump in surprise. She must have been lost in thought for quite some time apparently, for the party looked at her in concern. ¡°Are you alright, miss Jenny?¡± asked Mave, the youngest member of the elite party. An elf with light brown hair, and deep golden eyes. Jenny blushed at the looks he was giving her. He was 2 years older than her, and the most good-looking eligible bachelor at the guild, and an exceptional healer to boot. Every girl within the city fawned over him, and he was very cordial with them all. ¡°I am fine, sir,¡± Jenny said while bowing to hide her crimson cheeks. ¡°Ah, please call me Mave,¡± the elf spoke politely. ¡°Takin¡¯ down ¡®nother one, are ya?¡± came a gruff voice from down below. It was one of the twin dwarves, Boff and Toff, who completed their party. Jenny could never tell them apart. The duo broke out laughing at Jenny and Mave¡¯s discomfort. Anyone who didn¡¯t know them would scoff at the gang of misfits, a human couple, an elf, and twin dwarves. But no one who ever saw them in action would dare cross them. If the Mad Berserker wasn¡¯t enough, one spell from the Fiery Witch of the Endless Dunes would have a full party of seasoned warriors kneel in surrender. Not to mention the utter chaos that the Twin Peaks of the Undergrowth would unleash if their party was at risk. You could maybe face one of them, but together they were a force to be reckoned. The elf was relatively new and had not earned any renown yet, but the fact that he was the healer of such an astounding party meant it was only a matter of time before he did too. ¡°Leave the poor lass ¡®lone,¡± the other twin said after he was done laughing at their expense. Jenny didn¡¯t mind the teasing, as it brought a much-needed normalcy to her life. Even though the assistant guild leader had kindly given her a job at the guild, her level zero status did attract some unfriendly gazes. Unfortunately, she had chosen two combat-oriented classes at the behest of Erwin, and it was difficult to gain any levels. She was currently working to earn enough to have classes changed, which would take a while. ¡°I am doing fine. Thanks for your concern. Could you please move on so I can serve the next customer?¡± Jenny asked in a polite tone. As the party moved towards the restricted section, she smiled and waved at the next party in line. And so, her day went, filling out forms, turning in quests, and answering guild related questions. By the end of the day, she was exhausted. Her stats were still human after all. After she finished serving the last adventurer for the day, she packed up and headed out of the guild building. She went straight for the market, towards the blacksmith¡¯s shop. As she walked, she heard barely concealed whispers around her and some pointed fingers. But she ignored them all and marched on with pride. She was no longer a leech, even if some people believed she was. She was a contributing member of society. As she entered the building, she got the familiar smell of smoke and oil, along with the loud banging of a hammer on steel. ¡°NOT LIKE THAT, YOU OVERGROWN SACK OF MEAT,¡± came a loud shout from somewhere within the smoke covered building. Jenny went to the door in the back, completely ignoring the shop clerk who also in turn ignored her presence. As she gazed into the heat filled room, she barely made out two silhouettes by the anvil. One short and one gigantic, but both were built like bulls. The dwarven owner of this smithy was instructing the veritable giant next to him on how to hammer a piece of red-hot ingot. An ingot he was holding in his bare hands. ¡°Sorry master,¡± came the timid reply from the giant. He went at it again, and again, followed by a litany of curses about certain body parts that made Jenny blush. She patiently waited for the duo to get done, at which point the bulky man finally noticed her. ¡°Oh, Jenny you are here,¡± Mike said. All covered in soot and burn marks all over his body. Jenny barely recognized the guy, and not because of his physique. He had mellowed down considerably, after his stint in the holding cells. Apparently, he had been on the receiving end of several beat downs by the inmates. And like her, he also was given a second chance by the assistant guild leader. The lady had asked around if anyone would be willing to hire a level zero player, and surprisingly the elderly dwarf had spoken up. In his own words, ¡°The bloke ¡®s dumb as a goblin, but you don¡¯t need smarts to beat down iron.¡± And so, Mike had trained under the dwarf to be a smith and picked up two non-combat smithing related classes. And they were both level 25 by this point. His size did cause some comfort issues while working in a shop geared towards dwarves. The elderly smith had a thick grey beard and mustache, which were burned at multiple spots. But it only made him look even more imposing. ¡°Well, look who¡¯s here?¡± the old smith spoke with a smile on his face. He was Jenny¡¯s second favorite person in his town, right after Lady Agatha. He was brash and outspoken, but he was always very genuine to a fault. He was a friend of Lady Agatha. For some reason, he had taken a shine at both Mike and Jenny when they first appeared. ¡°Make sure you clean up real nice,¡± he barked at Mike before leading Jenny back to the shop. ¡°So, what would like to drink, lassie?¡± ¡°I am good, Mr. Borin,¡± Jenny said while sitting down at the short chair. Her knees were almost at her chest level due to the height, but she was used to it by now. ¡°Bah, young¡¯uns these days. In my youth, you would never catch me turn down a free drink. Even if it was mixed with goblin piss,¡± Borin laughed rambunctiously at his own joke. Jenny smiled, just to be polite. The dwarf¡¯s humor was too crude for her, but she was grateful to the man. He had helped both her and Mike cope with their new realities, and even made Mike apologize to her for what he had demanded in return for protecting her. ¡°It¡¯s a man¡¯s duty to protect without expecting returns,¡± he had said while making Mike kneel for the entire day when he found out about the incident. Mike still limped in trauma whenever he thought of the day. For his part, he had turned over a new leaf and his apology was genuine. So, Jenny had forgiven him. She was still not used to seeing the confident man behave so meek, but life sure knew how to hammer people into shape. Another one of Mr. Borin¡¯s quotes. They sat there for about half an hour, before finally Mike came out to join them. ¡°It¡¯s all sorted out, Master,¡± he said with a bow. ¡°What the hell you are waiting for then. Head home and be back at dawn,¡± the dwarf said gruffly before unceremoniously walking out. ¡°Shall we get going?¡± Mike asked softly. ¡°Yes, lets,¡± Jenny replied. They had both formed a weird, albeit friendly, bond over the course of a few weeks. At times, they spoke to each other about their old lives while listening to each other¡¯s troubles. It was the suggestion of Lady Agatha that they talk to each other, as part of their healing from their past trauma. And it had indeed helped. They walked in companiable silence till they reached a small park right outside the market. It had a shallow pond in a remote corner that hardly anyone visited. They had chosen this spot to talk to each other, since it was a very soothing place. They both sat down with their legs outstretched, leaning back on their hands. After another five minutes, Jenny finally spoke up. ¡°You know, I never really appreciated it before, but the sky is truly magnificent, isn¡¯t it?¡± she stated softly. Mike looked up for a moment before nodding in silence. He gazed at the multi-colored planets for a while before replying, ¡°Its not too bad at all. Although I still can¡¯t get the image of our moon breaking apart out of my head. And this sky reminds me of that.¡± ¡°Wish I had seen it too, then perhaps I may have believed it more readily back then. Although, knowing how I was, I still probably would have denied it,¡± Jenny said wistfully. ¡°Perhaps. But at least you didn¡¯t self-sabotage the way I did, despite seeing the reality before me.¡± The pair looked at the alien sky in silent contemplation. After a long while Jenny had a puzzling question. One she should have asked long ago. ¡°What exactly had knocked me out anyway. I never asked. With so much happening, that day seemed so trivial.¡± ¡°Oh, despite all that has happened, that day was the weirdest one for me,¡± Mike said with some sorrow in his voice. ¡°Huh? Weirder than being whisked off to an alien planet?¡± Jenny asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Yep. It was the day I met the boy in the woods after all.¡± When Jenny gave him a questioning gaze, he started recounting that night. How he was flung up due to a rope trap and knocked her out by accident. How Erwin had cut him down, and woke him up using smelling salts. And how he had foolishly attempted to intimidate the kid, only to have his ankle broken. ¡°You are telling me; a teenaged boy did all that?¡± Jenny asked incredulously. ¡°Yes, he did. And if I had not messed with the kid, I would not have gotten the yellow marker which ended me in jail. Although, thinking back, he did me a favor.¡± ¡°He did?¡± Jenny asked. ¡°Yep. If not, I would have probably done more foolish things and gotten myself killed. The time in prison¡­ gave me a new perspective. It pushed me towards this new life. A life I like. I wish to one day meet the kid, to thank him,¡± Mike said with melancholy. Jenny eyed him for a moment, before turning back towards the stars. ¡°Must have been an incredible kid. To do all that. Let me know if you ever find him. What was his name anyway?¡± ¡°I believe it was Aenon.¡± Jenny¡¯s head whipped towards Mike in an instant. She started dry heaving before asking in a trembling voice, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Aenon. That¡¯s what he said. Weird name for sure. Can¡¯t say there will be many with that name¡­,¡± he trailed off when he saw Jenny¡¯s reaction. ¡°You alright?¡± Jenny closed her eyes and silently shivered at the memory. Mike grew concerned and tried soothing her. But it was of no use. After a full thirty minutes, and Mike¡¯s incessant questions, she finally managed to speak. ¡°¡­er ag¡­,¡± she whispered. ¡°What?¡± Mike asked in confusion. ¡°I never want to meet that monster again.¡± 33. Soul Rain Chapter 33 ¨C Soul Rain Agatha The assistant guild head stood by the window of her office, her hands clasped behind her back, as she looked at the hubbub of the bustling city. Her city. Even though she had come here a few months ago, it was like a part of herself, and its citizens were like her children. She cared deeply for it, and she would stop at nothing to destroy anyone or anything that dared harm it. As she saw a group of children running around the streets, she smiled. An expression very few people had seen on her face. To lead the rabble of adventuring ruffians, she had to maintain her strict image after all. A knock interrupted her musing, but she stayed in the same spot while speaking loudly in an authoritative tone, ¡°Come in.¡± She heard a bunch of footsteps of varying gaits entering her office. But she didn¡¯t need to see or hear to guess who it was. She could feel the emotions rolling off them very clearly. She was part dryad after all. ¡°Have a seat gentlemen, and lady.¡± ¡°How may we be of assistance?¡± asked their team leader, Eskad the Mad Barbarian. Agatha liked this party¡¯s dynamics. They may be slobs when it came to social gatherings, but when it came to business, they were impeccable. ¡°I have a mission for your team. It¡¯s of a sensitive nature, both in terms of time, and secrecy,¡± she said while turning to the guild¡¯s top adventuring party. All 5 of them were sitting at the edge of their seats, giving her their full attention. ¡°Go ahead Ma¡¯am,¡± Eskad said respectfully. ¡°Jadefall. I need you to investigate it along with its surroundings,¡± Agatha stated while taking her seat. The twins looked at each other in excitement, but did maintain their professional behavior otherwise. ¡°What do you expect us to find? And why now? I thought the entire area was infested with treants,¡± asked Elara, the only female of their group. She was a shrewd one, keeping her husband¡¯s head straight despite all the distractions he was so prone to fall for. ¡°There have been reports of a new ¡­ entity within the forest to the south of Jadefall. I need to know who or what it is. And will it upset the balance of power, thus sending monster hordes our way,¡± Agatha stated while crisscrossing her fingers in front of her. ¡°So? There¡¯s always some new beastie popping up somewhere. What makes this one so special?¡± asked one of the dwarves. Agatha hesitated, not sure if she should go against orders and reveal it. But since she would be sending this party towards danger, she decided to defy the city leader¡¯s command. ¡°Because this ¡­ beastie as you put it master dwarf, has unleashed its domain.¡± The party¡¯s eyes widened in shock at the revelation. This was serious indeed. A new power laying claim to a region always caused chaos in the surrounding areas. The delicate balance of power would be upset, displacing hundreds, if not thousands of monsters. Thus, giving rise to monster hordes that migrated en masse. And any settlement in their path was in danger. Even though Pinespire sat on a plateau with nothing, but cliff faces on every side, the danger could not be underestimated. Eskad folded his hands and hung his head down with his eyes closed. He had a deep frown on his scar-covered face. Despite what people thought of him, he was quite astute when it came to analyzing mission scenarios, and the possible dangers. It was this quality of his that set him apart from other berserkers. When in combat, his class¡¯s rage ability blinded him. But he picked the battles carefully before charging in. His party all turned to him, awaiting his decision. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll do it. But we need all the info you can get us. I know even this little bit of info you gave us must have been against orders. I know that old fart well. He wouldn¡¯t risk causing a panic in the streets, even if his life depended on it. He is too greedy to hold on to power. But I can¡¯t lead my team in blind,¡± Eskad said after a while. ¡°Of course,¡± Agatha said while internally sighing in relief. She had backups, in case Eskad¡¯s party turned down the mission. But they were just that, backups. They could not compare to the formidable team before her. She pushed forward a file marked ¡®Top Secret¡¯ towards the hulking man who grabbed it and started reading it carefully. His frown deepened by the third page, before he shut it in anger, ¡°What the hell is this?¡± he demanded. ¡°Exactly as you read it. All the circumstances leading to the collapse of Jadefall are there. Things the public is not supposed to know,¡± she said in a serious tone. ¡°So, all those stories of a brave and selfless Arbiter helping rescue the common folk, what is that then?¡± Eskad said while fuming in anger. Agatha could feel the rage bubbling under the surface, and if this went on for a bit longer, he might trigger his class skill by accident. ¡°It is true that the Arbiter used a rare and precious item to transport the villagers. The heroic part, not so much. She was merely cleaning up her own mess. And the System did strip her of the Title as a punishment. We have a new Arbiter, someone who has chosen to stay hidden. To maintain the peace.¡± ¡°How did you silence the survivors?¡± Eskad asked in a borderline threatening tone. He was, after all, amongst a select few people who knew of her class abilities. ¡°Don¡¯t forget who you are talking to Eskad,¡± Agatha said in a similarly threatening tone. ¡°I don¡¯t like what you are insinuating. You of all people should know the restrictions I have placed upon myself due to my power.¡± That drained some of the rage from the man, finally calming him down a bit. ¡°Must be that old wretched city leader then,¡± he finally stated while spitting on the ground. After a few moments and a dozen deep breaths, he was calm enough to talk casually. ¡°Very well then, consider this done. I will head out with my party within the hour. Any other things I need to be aware of?¡± ¡°Yes. I would like you to take a certain someone with you. She will be deadweight, no doubt. But she is from the village and might have some intel. Or maybe not, but she needs to go on this mission.¡± ¡°Absolutely not. I will not allow her to risk¡­,¡± the elf spoke up suddenly, only to be shut down by Agatha¡¯s glare. ¡°This is not a debate, young man. I have my reasons. Take this letter with you and only open it when you have reached the bridge. Hand it over before crossing it. You are dismissed,¡± she said with finality while grabbing some paperwork on her desk. The bewildered party looked at each other, before marching out helplessly. None of them knew how to break the news to the poor soul they would be dragging around for the next few weeks. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Aenon Aenon stood at the edge of the water next to the forest. He had made it to the shore of Misty Swells, right where the river drained its waters. If his map was correct, he was 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) east of the unknown dungeon that lay in the river¡¯s delta. The problem was getting across the river channel which was flowing exceptionally fast. He knelt and scooped up some water and tasted it. It was salty. Which meant this was not a lake, but a sea or an ocean. However, he couldn¡¯t worry about the wider world just yet. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Bane walked up beside him and licked the water before recoiling in disgust, ¡°This water is foul. We cannot drink it.¡± ¡°I know Bane. I was hoping to cross the river and make it to dungeon that is supposed to be there, but we can¡¯t cross this river that easily. I don¡¯t see any bridges on the map either, save one that is 40 km (24.8 mi) upstream. And even that would take to the other side, which has 2 river channels in between. I am guessing this dungeon can only be accessed by boat. Unless you all are great swimmers,¡± Aenon said in silent frustration. They had been hunting treant for the last few days and managed to take down 5 juveniles so far. But the closer they got to the treant dungeon, their strength and numbers increased exponentially. And Aenon was not foolish enough to blindly go charging in. And thus, he had planned to earn some levels in the closest dungeon, which looked infinitely far now. He had disregarded the goblin dungeon entirely, having had his fill of easy fights. They just weren¡¯t challenging enough. He had found a couple of monsters in the forest, but they all just bolted the moment they saw him. And he was not looking for any more stealth kills. He was itching for a good old physical brawl since his void stalker class was starting to lag a bit. Aenon sat down cross legged on the beach, pondering his next course of action while the wolves ran up and down the glimmering sand. He had never visited the sea or ocean before, so the sight and smell were spectacular indeed. He took a deep breath of salty air and stood up, finally resolving his next course of action. ¡°Alrighty then. Let¡¯s head back to Reality¡¯s Edge and make some preparations. We are going on a road trip,¡± Aenon said while dusting the sand off himself. Even Bane was scratching himself furiously, trying to get the sticky stuff of his fur. ¡°What is a road trip?¡± he asked while shaking himself to get the sand off. ¡°Ah, kind of hard to explain without mentioning cars. I¡¯ll show you along the way. Anyway, we are going to the nearest town for some reinforcements. The surrounding areas are safe enough that some people might want to move in, right?¡± ¡°Indeed. We can put those freeloaders to some actual work while we are at it. Take the jumpy one with you. The pack and I will hide in your shadow, or trail behind by a few kilometers.,¡± Bane said. Venge had finally given birth to 4 puppies a few days ago, and the pups were living in the shadows at the mansion. But they were growing ridiculously fast and were already moving around the entire building by the second day. The little menaces had made it a game of sorts to scare Blake whenever he was least expecting it. For the life of him, he couldn¡¯t figure out why his shadows kept going the wrong way. And his friend, Vincent, never believed him when he tried explaining. It had gotten to a point where Blake would randomly jump and turn to his shadow with a loud ¡°Ahah,¡± probably expecting it to fly off into the night. Aenon was so glad for the mask, for it let him hide his laugh whenever he heard a random ahah sound from somewhere in the mansion. He pitied the man, and almost revealed the wolves¡¯ existence, but Venge had insisted against it. Apparently, it was good training for the younglings and by this point even Aenon got curious to know how long it would take for the supposed seasoned warrior to figure out the conundrum. And so, they started their march back to the village, albeit at a casual pace along the riverbank. Aenon wanted to check out the bridge on his way back, just to make sure it was not demolished. Luckily it was not, but what he was not expecting were the people on it. A group of six adventurers, if their gear was any indication, were camped next to the bridge on the other side of the river. The wolves instantly dissolved into the shadow once they picked up the scent. Aenon used his gear¡¯s passive as well as his active skills he had been honing for the last few weeks and crept closer. For amidst the group was a face he was least expecting. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Jenny Jenny morosely poked and prodded the campfire to keep her mind occupied. It was dangerously close to just shutting down at this point. The last day was a blur to her. There she was, diligently minding her own business at her assigned counter when the elite party had shown up. And without much explanation, just whisked her away out of the city while making some random excuses about needing her expertise for something. And before she knew it, she was riding on the Berserker¡¯s back, as he dashed across the open road at superhuman speeds. The other party members were somehow able to keep up using their own unique brand of spells and abilities. And before she knew it, she was hundreds of kilometers away from Pinespire, and at some old stone bridge. She didn¡¯t even remember much of it, as she had passed out cold a few minutes in. After she had screamed herself hoarse. If she did not know and trust these guys, she would have thought they had ulterior motives. But the look of guilt on each person¡¯s face was crystal clear. So, she decided to give them the silent treatment for a bit before asking what the hell was going on. It would also give her overworked voice some time to recover. ¡°Told you it was a bad idea.¡± ¡°As if your idea was any better. Who uses sleeping draught for something like this?¡± ¡°Hey it worked the last time we had an escort mission.¡± Jenny heard the dwarves bickering with the tank, as always. As she was pointedly ignoring them, Elara walked up and sat beside her. ¡°It was my oaf of a husband¡¯s idea. He has a ¡­ ahem¡­ weird way of dealing with tough conversations. He just skips it and makes a run for it. And before any of us could realize what was happening, he was halfway down the road. It took us everything we got, just to keep up,¡± Elara said with a guilty half smile. Finally, unable to take it any longer Jenny blurted out, ¡°Would someone tell me what in the hell is going in?¡± ¡°We are close to Jadefall,¡± Elara stated in a rush before pausing to gauge her reaction. Which never came, since Jenny had frozen like a deer in headlights. Looking at her frozen in place, the party got more nervous. They tapped her shoulder, shook her vigorously, and even cast healing spells on her. But nothing worked. She was like a puppet with her strings cut. SLAP Mave finally decided to just slap her out of her daze. And it finally worked, although Jenny broke down in sobs soon after. She started hyperventilating from a full-blown panic attack and took almost an hour to calm down. In part due to the assurances of Elara that she was safe. When she was finally calm enough, she asked but one question, ¡°Why?¡± In response Elara handed her a sealed letter with her name on it. And the seal belonged to Lady Agatha. With trembling hands, she opened it and found just one line in it. Cross the bridge to face your future; or turn back towards your past. This was typical of Lady Agatha. A woman of very few words, but she made those words count. The message was clear to Jenny. She could cross this bridge and face what comes next or go back to live the life she had scrounged up for herself. The elite party would no doubt escort her back if she demanded it. The decision was hers. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Aenon Aenon watched with interest all the drama that was unfolding across the bridge. The panic attack, the arguments, the slap, and the letter that Jenny was reading. He could clearly sense the myriad of emotions she was radiating ¨C fear, uncertainty, panic, anger. They kept bubbling to the surface like hot water over a flame. But what surprised him was the last emotion that surfaced. And it quickly overpowered and drowned all others. Resolve. Shockingly, he saw her get to her feet and walk across the bridge, alone. Her party members stared in bewilderment, before closely following her. No one stopped her or got ahead of her. They just followed a step behind as the girl boldly walked on till, she was across the bridge. And for some reason she screamed at the top of her lungs when she finally reached the other side. Aenon was baffled by this. This was not the timid, broken girl he had sensed a month ago. Something was off about her. So, he used his soul sense to dig deeper and what he found put him on guard. He sensed clear signs of soul manipulation. But something was different about this one. While the soul chains of the Overseer were crude and aimed to restrict or coerce, this felt almost¡­ gentle. It was like comparing a blacksmith¡¯s hammer blow to the gentle touch of a potter. Both aimed at shaping material, but the potter¡¯s touch was almost like the caress of a lover. Aiming only to support and nurture till the craft was in its rightful shape. And unlike the Overseer¡¯s manipulation, the traces of its wielder were quickly evaporating and dissipating. Like rain drops on a parched plot of land, providing life and then disappearing forever. Whoever had helped this girl was a master at his/her craft. And they didn¡¯t aim to dominate, but to nurture. Aenon watched with fascination her soul transformed in real time right before his eyes. Where it felt stunted and rigid before, he now sensed potential. The negative emotions which seemed to have always clung to her were swiftly washed away and replaced with confidence and zeal. Aenon was instantly fascinated by what he was seeing. He didn¡¯t want to be trained and taught by anyone. That wasn¡¯t his way. But he wanted to meet whoever had done this. Whoever this mysterious master of soul arts was, had his respect. He had given up and written Jenny off as a lost cause. But this person had not only succeeded in saving her, but rebolstering her latent potential. For what stood before him now was not a meek kitten, but a voracious tigress in her own right. 34. I Hate Escort Quests Chapter 34 ¨C I Hate Escort Quests Aenon clung to the shadows as he followed the group, silent as a cat. He wanted to ascertain what these guys wanted before he decided on how to interact with them. They could be potential citizens of his new village but could also be potential problems. Their group leader, a behemoth of a man, made him especially cautious. His soul was unlike anything he had seen so far. By now Aenon could easily distinguish between a human and an animal¡¯s soul. But his soul was¡­ different. It was neither here nor there. Not to mention, the power that radiated off him. The fact that he couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s level meant he was stronger than Aenon. So, he had to be careful. He didn¡¯t want to drag anymore problems into his backyard. Moreover, his party was also interesting and dangerous. This was Aenon¡¯s first encounter with dwarves, and there were two of them. Their happy and carefree nature brought a certain calm to the group. The gruff behavior would perhaps take some time getting used to, but their souls elicited nothing but straightforwardness and honesty. He wasn¡¯t sure they could lie to save their own lives. The other woman in the group was perhaps the only one who was shrewd and calculating. Not once had he seen her facial expression match what she was feeling. She was laughing at the antics of the dwarves right now. But Aenon could clearly feel it was for the benefit of the dwarves themselves, not because she found them funny. She felt a deep connection with the two and had an especially strong connection of love towards the berserker. She cared for them, much the same way they cared for her. This was a group of people who regularly put their lives in each other¡¯s hands. The last member of the party, however, did not share the same level of trust and support. If Aenon was to guess, he was new to the group. Much the same way Jenny was. Every single person felt defensive of her, like they needed to protect her. Given the circumstances, it made absolute sense. She wouldn¡¯t survive 5 minutes in this forest. They were guarding her like a mommy chicken protecting its chick. Their pace was very slow, probably since Jenny wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up if they used their regular speed. But Aenon was itching to see them in action. He never really got to see how a truly experienced party would operate in this new world. It would not only help in learning a few things, but also let him make contingency plans when he was up against one. ¡°Are we going to ambush them, Alpha?¡± came Bane¡¯s voice through their link. ¡°No. I want you all to retreat to a safe distance and observe. Do not engage unless I ask you to,¡± Aenon replied. ¡°As you wish, Alpha.¡± Thankfully, the path they took was heading straight towards a treant. Aenon had decided he would not interfere unless necessary. And so, his clandestine operation continued. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Jenny Jenny struggled to keep up with the group, despite them slowing down to a snail¡¯s pace. Stamina wasn¡¯t really her forte, and everyone knew it. Still, she kept her head down and marched on. Just to avoid discussing her embarrassing actions at the bridge earlier. Why did I have to scream like a hobo? She scolded herself for the hundredth time. The others were gracious enough not to mention it, to her face at least. She did overhear some murmurs from the twins a while ago. Which was followed up by a sharp slap on their heads by Lady Elara. Honestly though, she felt good after that scream. She had never done anything like that before. Her mom always¡­ She shook her head. She didn¡¯t want to think about her. Not now. When she was surrounded by deadly dangers on all sides. She was so lost in thought that she ran into Eskad who was leading the party across the forest terrain. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± She was silenced when Mave¡¯s hand covered her mouth. She looked around to see what was going on. They were in a clearing and Eskad had his hand raised in some kind of gesture she was not familiar with. Which was followed by the rest of the party drawing their weapons. Which is when she realized, she didn¡¯t have one. She was still dressed in her clerical attire, not armor. So, she was not only unarmed, but also unprotected. Thankfully the party of five had made a defensive circle around her, which was far better than any armor in her opinion. The dwarves had some kind of fist weapon on their hands, like a gauntlet with claws on the knuckles. They had taken a weird boxing stance on each side of her while Lady Elara was wielding her famous crimson colored magic staff behind Jenny¡¯s back. Mave was standing right in front of her and had a wand of some sort. It looked like a normal twig you would pick up off the forest floor, if not for the faint green light it was emitting. Only the berserker stood outside the defensive square around Jenny, but his massive figure, along with his humongous blade, completely protected Mave from any possible frontal assaults. ¡°What is it, Eskad?¡± Elara asked from the backline. ¡°I don¡¯t know, to be honest. We are being followed by 7 monsters, but I stayed quiet since I didn¡¯t feel any blood lust from them. This clearing though. It reeks of blood and death,¡± Eskad responded in a whisper. Jenny felt goosebumps all over from the giant¡¯s comments. They were being followed? How come no one tells her these things? Once they were out of this mess, she needed to lay down some ground rules. She tried peeking past the big man, but he was blocking the entire view up front. ¡°Well, should we go around the clearing then?¡± Mave asked in an equally low whisper. ¡°Something tells me its too late for that,¡± Eskad responded grimly. ¡°What? Why? We are two steps away from the forest edge. Let¡¯s just hop back,¡± Jenny tried putting in her two cents. ¡°Not how this works, lassie. If the big guy says we are stuck, then we are. His big ol¡¯ nose has steered us true on more occasions than the hair on my pappy¡¯s beard. So, a word of advice. Do not as much as fart without his telling so,¡± the dwarf to her right said. ¡°Bhahahaha! Fear not, lassie. We got your back,¡± guffawed the other dwarf from her left. ¡°Shhh! Quite you two. Let me run a scan of the area to see how many things we are facing,¡± Elara said while holding her staff closer. ¡°No need, my love. There is just one opponent. And it¡¯s a big one,¡± Eskad said while pointing ahead. He briefly stepped to the side, allowing everyone to see what he was pointing at. Jenny¡¯s knees gave out when she saw what they were up against. It was a gigantic tree that stood in the clearing. But it was standing on two wooden legs and had the ghastliest face she had ever seen. Its ridiculously long claws were colored red, no doubt from the countless things it must have killed so far. ¡°Oh my. That is a big one indeed. Although, how did a treant come to this place? Aren¡¯t they supposed to be sent at a much later stage? Guess the reports from the survivors were true after all. Seeing is believing I suppose,¡± Elara spoke softly.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Oh, might be a bit late to ask but what are your classes, lassie?¡± asked one of the dwarves. But Jenny was too engrossed in staring at the big monstrosity to respond. She wanted to flee but had no strength in her legs. She had felt so confident a few hours ago, but all that bravado had seeped away in an instant. ¡°Sigh. Alright boys. You know what to do,¡± Eskad announced loudly while raising his sword up high. He made a deafeningly loud war cry and charged ahead. The shout at least snapped Jenny out of her shock, and she witnessed a scene that would have made her laugh if she was just a casual observer. A giant, and two dwarves were running across the field towards a bigger giant. Elara and Mave had hung back, perhaps to protect her, and were charging up spells of their own. She saw Elara¡¯s staff form a flame at its tip as she closed her eyes and did¡­ something. Jenny hadn¡¯t investigated how this magic thing worked. Mave on the other hand, was throwing some green pellets as far as he could before aiming his wand at the location they fell at. Jenny noticed small saplings sprout where they landed. CRACK There was a vicious sound that echoed all over as the two giants contacted each other. The berserker¡¯s great sword was more of a bludgeoning weapon and had hit the tree hard. But the treant was deceptively fast and had managed to grab the sword in its hands, earning it a few cracks that ran up its arm. But before Eskad could withdraw, thorned vines shot up from the ground and wrapped themselves around his legs, cutting deep gashes into his flesh as they coiled their way around. The berserker though, didn¡¯t even flinch and simply tore up the vines as he leaped back a few feet. Just as the treant was about to retaliate, two massive fists made of rock pummeled it from two sides. The dwarves had joined the fray and pounded the tree like two mad bulls. Jenny looked on in wonder at the expertly coordinated display. The three men weaved in and out like synchronized dancers as they unleashed their attacks relentlessly. She was entranced by the savagery, the beauty, and the trust between the three as they threw themselves into the meat grinder again and again. Many a time the treant managed to counter and land a solid hit on one of the dwarves, leading to a massive shower of blood and gore. But the tank was always there the next instant, absorbing the follow up fatal blow. The berserker was covered in cuts and bruises all over. But against her expectation, the man got more savage with each injury. The injured party members would retreat to the safety of the now 4-foot-tall trees which Mave had managed to set up in strategic locations all over the field. Jenny felt a soft breeze coming from one of the closest ones. She didn¡¯t know how exactly they worked, but she saw injuries getting healed at a visible rate around them. The treant tried destroying these healing areas multiple times. Either through projectiles, or by trying to move towards them, but Elara never let it. Her fiery infernos never let it get close to these areas and rained hell on it whenever it tried. It had lost more than half its branches to her fires and was wary of her. Any attempts to target her were immediately shut down by the three melee fighters. ¡°Keep it up boys,¡± Elara cheered while conjuring another fireball and chucking it across the field. ¡°I just wished I had my axe. Would have been an excellent tree to grind against. Don¡¯t ya think, Toff?¡± Boff hollered while ramming an upper cut against a branch aimed at his brother. ¡°Bah! Hammers are better to squash giants down to size,¡± Toff responded in an equally boisterous tone. ¡°Giants? Aren¡¯t talking about me, are ya? Hahahahaha!¡± Eskad joined in the conversation. Jenny was stunned speechless at how casually these 5 were handling the monster. She was sure they were doomed, but these guys were dealing it like a picnic. The treant was battered and burned all over and was probably on its last legs. She looked on either side of her. Mave and Elara had a huge smile on their faces too. They had eased up on their spells, perhaps because they were low on mana. They had used two mana potions each throughout the duration of the fight, and would not be able to use any more. But it probably wasn¡¯t needed by now. The entire fight had lasted a total of 20 minutes, and not once had she truly been in danger. Despite her earlier trepidation, Jenny smiled. If this is what adventuring parties were like, maybe it wasn¡¯t so bad after all. She pulled up her class descriptions for the second time since she got them. The first time was when Erwin had basically forced her to choose them.
Class Name: Novice Mage Class Type: Ranged/Magical Class Rarity: Common Class Description: The most common magical damage type class across the multiverse. Based on specialization, they are the most versatile of magic based classes with the option to evolve into the notoriously infamous Archmagi, who are the masters of their chosen element. Class Stats per level: +6 free stats Class Name: Novice Healer Class Type: Ranged/Magical Class Rarity: Common Class Description: The most common healer type class across the multiverse. Can advance and specialize into a variety of support classes. Class Stats per level: +6 free stats
She had wanted to get rid of these classes and get non-combat-oriented ones. But it would take a long time to get there. So maybe¡­ She took a step back to get a better angle for the only spell that Erwin had made her learn ¨C mana bolt. She had never really used it, but he had told her it was basically a point and shoot type of thing. She tried gathering her mana, but didn¡¯t know how. She concentrated hard. More than she ever had before, wishing for it to do something. Finally, she felt it. There was something gathering in her palm. So, she pointed it at the treant and took aim. She wasn¡¯t worried about hurting her teammates, she was level zero after all. And fired. The force of the projectile surprised her, and she stumbled backwards and fell. She saw the projectile flying towards the treant as she fell backwards. She was ecstatic, it was on target. She knew from her current job experience that any minor participation gave XP. So, this would finally gain her a level. The world seemed to slow down as she saw her tiny bullet fly across the field. She saw Elara notice her projectile and turn towards her. Jenny was expecting a look of incredulity or surprise on her face. Maybe even pride at her accomplishment. But all she saw was a look of pure horror. Before she could reconcile what that meant, Elara disappeared. In fact, everything did. Her entire view shifted in a moment. She was about to stand up to see what was going on when she noticed something casting a huge shadow above her. When she looked up, she froze. She was right below the treant. And unfortunately, it did notice her. She saw a huge, clawed hand heading towards her chest. She knew she could do nothing about it, so she closed her eyes. But the blow never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw something large being thrown away at high speed. It was Eskad. He had taken the blow for her, like he always did for his team. But this time it was from an odd angle, and he lost his footing. Without the tank, the two damage dealers tried to distract the treant but within seconds they were tossed back like ragdolls. They tried heading towards a healing ward, but the treant destroyed them using projectiles in quick succession. And since Elara was low on mana, she could not stop it either. Mave made a dash for the collapsed berserker, who was yet to get up from the ground. But before he could take five steps, vines erupted from the ground and bound him. Only the two women were left conscious in the entire field, one prone on the ground, paralyzed with fear, while the other was leaning against her staff due to mana exhaustion. Jenny saw with utter dread in her heart as the treant pointed its claw at Elara and shot a barb right at her. A barb that flew true and fast before piercing its target right through her abdomen. She saw Elara collapse to the ground and stay there unmoving. One mistake. That was all it took for the entire tide of battle to shift against them. Jenny felt guilt and horror unlike anything she had ever experienced before. This was all her fault. They were all dead because of her. She heard a loud roar from where Eskad had fallen. A glimmer of hope arose in her heart as she looked his way. But the hope was squashed just as easily. Eskad was in his Berserker¡¯s Rage form. He had grown 2 feet in height and his skin was dark crimson. Blood was flowing from his open wounds like smoking lava. She had heard of this form. People often talked about it. This was the trump card of Berserkers. But it was a double-edged blade. It taxed the body heavily and the current state of his was¡­ The mad behemoth charged his opponent with no regard for defense. Or offense, his weapon lay forgotten on the ground. He was like a mindless animal, clawing and scratching the hard exterior of the treant. Which did absolutely nothing. The treant swatted him away like a fly, making him hit the ground like a meteor a dozen feet away. But he kept getting up and charging. Again, and again. It was painful to watch the state of the proud man¡¯s body. Broken, bleeding, torn. Jenny finally gave up hope when Eskad finally fell after the fifteenth strike. She saw the treant turn to her. She fell to the ground in a fetal position, tears running down her cheek, as she waited for her end. But suddenly, she felt something. Something she had felt once before. A dread so deep, she couldn¡¯t breathe. She tried looking up and saw absolute darkness around her. Not a single ray of light was visible in any direction. She finally saw something but wished she hadn¡¯t. Eight pairs of grey eyes floating in the abyss. She heard a voice, so cold it froze her very veins. ¡°It¡¯s our turn, Bane.¡± 35. Berserker Blood Chapter 35 ¨C Berserker Blood Aenon Aenon watched with extreme interest as the Berserker¡¯s party entered the control area of the treant. He wasn¡¯t sure if they would detect it before it was too late. But the hulking man not only detected the treant, but apparently also knew his party was being followed by Aenon¡¯s pack. At least, he hadn¡¯t sensed Aenon yet. It was truly enlightening watching them fight. The airtight coordination, the way they covered each other¡¯s weaknesses, everything was a sight to behold. Even their skills were complementing each other well. The female mage had cast some kind of fire spell he was not familiar with. If he did not have his mana vision, he probably would not have picked up on it at all. She had cast it right when her team members ran in. And it had one simple purpose ¨C to burn the tiny spores the treant used to control the space around it. Unfortunately, it had a very limited area of effect and could not cover the entire region. But it gave her team enough room to maneuver in. And they used the limited playing field to devastating effect. The poor creature did not have a single moment¡¯s rest as it got pummeled from three sides. And even when it managed to land a blow, the follow up by the tank was near instant. It was like watching some hive mind operating multiple bodies at once. The healer too did a good job in maintaining healing zones at strategic locations across the playing field. Aenon was learning a lot from this encounter. This was his first time seeing actual magical weaponry in action. The woman¡¯s red colored staff was emitting fire wisps, which caught Aenon¡¯s interest. The only reason his Fire manipulation was still at basic proficiency was because he was unable to find fire wisps in the wild. In fact, the only reason he even had the spell was because he tested it by a campfire one night. He recalled the deer antler his pack had hunted a while back. It had also emitted fire wisps, but only till the next day of the kill. Perhaps there was a method to process the antlers to retain the effect. He needed to find out more. Even the healer¡¯s wand was emitting nature wisps, which he used to do something to those weird projectiles he threw out. Although nature wisps were abundant in a forest, the wand emitted a lot more than he had ever seen concentrated in a single place. And not just that, it even attracted the wisps emitted by the treant, preventing it from healing itself. And the healer needed every single one of those wisps. Aenon had tried multiple times to create his own healing spell, but always failed. But now he at least had a clue on what to do. The party¡¯s strategy also told him that they had experience facing off against treants before. They had flawlessly disabled every advantage the creature had and hit it where it hurt the most. It was only a matter of time before they brought down their opponent. The battle was almost over when his attention was broken by some unexpected motion in his peripheral vision. Jenny was moving for the first time during the entire engagement. What in the world is she doing, he thought. All the idiot had to do was stay still and they would win. She probably wanted a share of the XP, but she was moving dangerously close to the perimeter of the fire mage¡¯s spell that had burnt away the spores. And before anyone could react, she launched her spell and fell backwards. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion as she was teleported to right where the treant was. And like a house of cards, the party¡¯s strategy fell in on itself. Aenon saw in frustration as the party members fell one after another. He had to step in now. But stepping in unannounced might spook them and divert their attention further. So, he did the next best thing. The tank was the first to go down and was probably down for the count. So, he started casting Illusion spells on the party members. The moment the treant hit one of them, he made it appear like it was a fatal blow. A discerning enemy would have picked up on the trick, but the treant was not in a very good condition right now. It was on the verge of death, so it didn¡¯t pick up on the mirage. He had successfully put the fire mage out of commission, at least to an outside observer, when another unexpected thing happened. The berserker chose this exact moment to regain consciousness. And he did what berserkers are known for ¨C he went primal. ¡°Ugh,¡± Aenon said while holding his head in frustration. He was standing in front of the two dwarves, the elf, and the mage. They all had various degrees of injuries and were utterly spent. None of the magic users had any mana to spare and the physical fighters had multiple broken bones from the impact from the treant. ¡°What the¡­,¡± one of the dwarves exclaimed weakly. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Identify your¡­self,¡± the fire mage said in a strained voice. She was trying to gather some mana but was too exhausted. The healer elf was still trapped in the vines, so couldn¡¯t speak. Ordinarily people try to explain themselves in this situation. But Aenon kept quiet as he regarded each one of them with a cold stare. He merely pointed at where the berserker was pummeled into the ground a second time. The loud crash made them all jump before turning towards their comrade. To their credit, every single one of them tried to move towards the fight, but Aenon blocked them all with an earth wall. ¡°What are you doing? Let us go. He needs us,¡± the mage said angrily. Aenon could feel fear and despair bubbling off her soul. Her gaze would have been intimidating if she was not on her last legs. ¡°Enough. You are in no shape to fight. I will get them out,¡± Aenon said as he moved towards the clearing. ¡°No. You don¡¯t understand,¡± she said in a voice filled with despair. ¡°My husband. He has gone berserk. He will attack anyone on sight. Till his anger is quelled.¡± Aenon considered the implications before asking, ¡°And he will not attack you?¡± ¡°He¡­,¡± she broke off before turning away with tears in her eyes. By this point the brute had gotten buried into a crater for the tenth time. But the injuries only made him fiercer. Aenon wasn¡¯t confident in subduing the giant man. So, he thought about it for a second. ¡°You. Healer. Can you heal his injuries when the fight is over?¡± He asked the elf who had finally managed to break out of the vines, with some help from the dwarves. ¡°Ummm, yes. But not fully. His injuries are far more serious than I have ever seen,¡± the elf replied hesitantly. ¡°You guys don¡¯t carry any healing potions with you?¡± ¡°Healing potions don¡¯t work on Berserkers. It''s one of their class restrictions,¡± the fire mage responded glumly as she saw the berserker get tossed back again. Aenon could feel her agitation, her desperation to interrupt the fight and help. But everyone knew it would be pointless. ¡°Very well. Just keep him alive till I deal with the treant,¡± Aenon said while readying himself. ¡°You have a plan, lad?¡± asked the other dwarf. Aenon had a tough time telling the two apart, even their souls looked similar. ¡°Wait for your mad team mate to either run out of steam or lose consciousness. Then I go in, toss him to you, and handle the treant. Then I come back to deal with him,¡± Aenon said as he observed the fight reach a crescendo. He could feel the berserker¡¯s soul weakening. ¡°Even if the creature is injured and close to death, it won¡¯t be easy to¡­,¡± the healer started to say before Aenon cut him off. ¡°Shhh. Just do your job. And remember, keep him barely alive. I won¡¯t be able to interfere if he goes after you.¡± A few seconds later, the man hit the ground hard and Aenon felt him lose consciousness. That¡¯s when he moved in. His prey was injured and backed into a corner. But that is exactly when the danger was highest. A field of darkness fell onto the area as he walked in.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°It¡¯s our turn, Bane.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Elara Elara was distraught at the scene before her. Her lover was on the brink of death, and there was nothing she could do. This wasn¡¯t the first time something like this had happened, but it was just as painful as every other time. In fact, she had met the love of her life in a similar situation. When her entire party had died to a monster horde, and she was about to be next, he had stepped in. Like an impenetrable wall, he had pushed back the tide of monsters away from her. Without armor, without weapons, he stemmed the onslaught with just his bare body. When it was done, she knew not who the real animal was in the sea of chaos that man had waded through. Unfortunately, she had attempted to approach the man right after, and he had almost killed her in his maddened state. If not for Lady Agatha¡­ She looked at the root cause of all this mess with hateful eyes. The red head was lying still like a dead body, even while her husband had given her an opportunity to escape. This was the very reason she hated escort missions. Glorified babysitting, that¡¯s what they should be called. Her party was so successful because they were like a well-oiled machine. And every time they tried such missions, the person they escorted always succeeded in throwing a wrench into their plans. And this time, the cursed brat had thrown herself in place of a wrench. But Elara directed some of the hate towards herself too. She had gotten complacent, not keeping an eye on Jenny. She should have casted her Heat Wave spell on a slightly larger area, or at least burned the spores around herself. Although she knew that it would have put a bigger strain on her mana expenditure, maybe it might have been better. It¡¯s just that she just was not expecting the girl to do something so stupid. She was snapped out of her self-loathing when the mysterious man started moving forward. She wasn¡¯t sure who or what he was, but he had managed to pull them out an inch from death. So, she had no choice but to rely on him to save her husband. But he terrified her. His eyes. His voice. She had never seen or met anyone with such indifference towards danger. Even her husband, who reveled in battle, had some regard towards the potential consequences. But this unknown man, the way he carried himself, it was unsettling. It was like he didn¡¯t care about any repercussions. Even her identify skill failed to pierce the veil hiding his secrets. But before she could analyze him further, he spoke. And the world ahead of them ceased to exist. She looked at either side in shock. There was a clear line where the darkness started, and it went around and above. Like a dome. She barely had enough mana, so she cast a light spell. But even the light failed to penetrate the void in front of her. ¡°What in the underworld is this,¡± Boff remarked. Every member of her party had a look of bewilderment written clearly on their faces. Elara had worked with magic a long time, and never had she seen such a spell. Light mages could bend light and project a field of black like this one. But not at this scale, and not powerful enough to block out light. She went over to the edge and poked it with her staff. There was no resistance, which meant it was not a solid barrier. ¡°SCREEEEEEEEE.¡± A shriek echoed out from the void, startling everyone and making them fall backwards in alarm. They could clearly hear a fight going on, at least they thought it was a fight based on the explosions but saw absolutely nothing. ¡°Lady Elara, what is this spell?¡± Mave asked while gripping his wand tightly. ¡°I am not too sure. I have never seen or heard of such a spell,¡± Elara responded. Mave was about to ask something else when some¡­thing stepped out of the abyss. All anyone could tell was that it was a four-legged creature. Its form was entirely hidden behind a black mist emanating from its body. And it was gripping Eskad¡¯s form in its jaws. She and her party wanted to attack, wanted to rescue their friend. But the cold grey eyes of the creature, the only discernible feature of its body, locked them in place. Before anyone could even comprehend a plan to overcome the fear coursing through their veins like icy water, the creature dropped Eskad and walked back into the pitch-black dome. Dissolving into it like it never existed. Cold sweat ran down Elara¡¯s back a moment later. She collapsed to the ground, as did her party. ¡°What¡­ was¡­ that?¡± Toff said amidst deep breaths to calm himself. ¡°I have never seen such a creature before. Is that what this is? A gateway to the abyss itself?¡± Elara didn¡¯t know how to respond. But her attention was immediately focused on Eskad, or at least what was left of him. She hurried over in a panic as he coughed blood. His eyes were still bloodshot, a sign that his berserker¡¯s rage had still not run its course. But his body was too broken to even move. She could see him struggle to move towards her, to attack, to tear her apart. But she didn¡¯t care. She placed a soothing hand on his forehead while humming a soft tune. A tune intimately known by both. Mave ran over and took a knee beside them. He withdrew a seed from his pouch and planted it next to his body. A sapling sprouted as Mave poured what little mana he had left, before collapsing to the ground. ¡°Apologies¡­ my lady. That¡­ is all.. I can¡­,¡± he broke off as he lost consciousness. Elara nodded sadly while continuing her tune to calm down her husband. She could feel his rage burning through his leaking blood. Wherever it touched her, it scorched her skin. But she ignored all that and continued. Slowly trying to bring him back from the brink of madness. Boff and Toff walked over and settled on the ground next to them, after making sure Mave was lying in a comfortable position. The sapling didn¡¯t have enough power to heal all their wounds, but it at least helped alleviate the pain. After a while, Eskad finally stopped struggling to fight as the color in his eyes receded before some semblance of consciousness returned to them. ¡°For¡­give me¡­ my love,¡± he choked on his own blood as fresh tears flowed down her cheek. ¡°I thou¡­ thought¡­ I lost¡­ you.¡± ¡°Heh. You are not going to get rid of me that easily. Who is going to drive out the tramps away from my dense husband,¡± she replied weakly with a smile on her face. ¡°Glad to have you back, you big ol¡¯ lump,¡± Toff said from beside them. ¡°Is every¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­ one alive?¡± Eskad asked amid bouts of bloody coughs. This was the reason Elara had fallen in love with this man. He was a big softie who cared deeply for others, even at the cost of his own life. A different man, a lesser man, would have abandoned the girl and chalked it up to a failed mission. But her man did not, he never could. She stroked his cheek, reassuring him that everyone was ok. Even though they could not see past the darkness, they had not received a quest fail notification yet, which meant Jenny was still alive. ¡°Good¡­ good,¡± Eskad exhaled in relief before closing his eyes and falling asleep. Finally, Elara took a breath of relief of her own. She knew that Eskad was out of danger now. Although berserkers could not use healing potions, they had a passive that made up for it. Accelerated healing when out of combat. Which meant all they had to do was survive the battle and they would live. It was only then that she noticed it. The sound of battle had stopped. The entire surrounding area was eerily quiet. She looked over at her companions in concern. They too had worried looks. Their party survived due to the interference of an unknown party. And in the wider multiverse, the help of a powerhouse always came at a cost. The question was, could they afford to pay for it. ¡°You reckon we should make a run for it?¡± Toff asked. But he looked down at the unconscious forms of Eskad and Mave before visibly deflating. Elara couldn¡¯t blame the dwarf for having such a thought. After all, they were on this planet for the same reason. They owed some noble houses a favor. People they should not have interacted with. And it had cost them dearly to repay it. She turned towards the dark dome, waiting for judgement. She didn¡¯t know what they would have to do to repay this favor, but she knew it would not be cheap. She saw a pair of cold grey eyes approaching them at a casual pace. For a second, she thought that the terrifying creature was back. But a second later, the dome was dispersed, and she saw what approached them. The same mysterious man who had saved them. To whom they now owed their lives. And there wasn¡¯t a single scratch on him But it wasn¡¯t the appearance of the man that unnerved her and the dwarves. It was the seven hulking creatures behind him. He was bringing the girl in a princess carry, before unceremoniously dumping her beside the two unconscious men. ¡°Is everyone alright?¡± he asked in a surprisingly casual tone. When no one responded, he observed them and must have realized how terrified they were. ¡°Ah, sorry about that. I don¡¯t deal with people often.¡± He turned to the creatures and gave a sharp nod. The creatures dissolved into the shadows of the surrounding trees. The man probably thought this would put them at ease, but Elara was even more terrified now. Were these the seven creatures following them that Eskad mentioned? Not many people knew that her husband had animalistic instincts that let him track such beasts. But that also meant, he had completely failed to detect the man standing in front of them. Just who in the world was he? ¡°It should be ok now. You can relax,¡± he said in a soft tone. ¡°How do we repay you,¡± Elara asked with dread filling her heart. The man tilted his head to the side before replying, ¡°The same way you repay someone who does you a favor.¡± Elara knew it. Their lives were over. They would have to work all their lives trying to repay¡­ ¡°You say thank you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± was all Elara could say. Her tired brain didn¡¯t register the words for a full minute. When she failed to speak, Boff and Toff answered for her. ¡°Er, Thanks.¡± ¡°Appreciate the help.¡± ¡°Anyway. Glad you managed to calm down your teammate. I wasn¡¯t looking forward to facing off against a half dead man,¡± the man said. ¡°Where are you all going next?¡± Elara snapped out of her confusion before responding, ¡°Umm, yes. Uh, we were heading for the village of Jadefall.¡± ¡°Hmmm. I am heading that way. You can tag along if you want,¡± he said. ¡°After resting and recovering of course.¡± Elara watched in fascination as the masked man moved to the center of the clearing and started setting up a campfire. She shared a dazed look with the dwarves, before standing up and heading over to help. This was a weird day indeed. And it was about to get weirder. 36. World Seed Chapter 36 ¨C World Seed Aenon The early rays of the morning sun broke through the thick canopy of trees as Aenon was stirred awake from his sleep. He stood up and stretched his body, only to find 5 sets of eyes boring down on him from beside the campfire. Each face varied in their expression and what feelings their soul gave off. The berserker, who was back in fighting condition, was curious and¡­ excited? Aenon didn¡¯t know why but ever since he woke up, the berserker had been eyeing him hungrily. The healer on the other hand was giving off fanboy vibes, which creeped Aenon out. On more than one occasion, the elf approached him to say thanks and followed up with a long list of questions about his spells. If not for the stern gaze from the fire mage, Aenon would not have gotten any sleep last night at all. The dwarves¡¯ feelings were a mix of caution and fear. Aenon got the feeling that they rather be anywhere else. He didn¡¯t know why, but they weren''t the least bit interested and wanted nothing to do with him. At first Aenon thought maybe he accidentally released his soul presence, but it didn¡¯t look like that was the reason. There was obviously a story behind this, but he didn¡¯t want to pry. The fire mage feared him too but hid it well and was maintaining a calm and respectful persona. As for the cause of this mess, she was huddled up in a corner avoiding everyone¡¯s gaze. Her soul was practically overflowing with guilt and fear. Aenon could feel some of the unknown soul master¡¯s work being undone. Jenny was falling back to her old timid self and losing some confidence already. He sighed internally as he stepped forward. He was glad he had not revealed his identity yet, or it might have completely broken her mind. ¡°Good morning, everyone. Hope you all are rested. We have a long trek ahead of us,¡± he stated in a calm voice. He didn¡¯t want to spook them any more than they already were. ¡°But before we do, we need to address something.¡± He pointedly started at Jenny, who was staring at the ground expectantly. Like she wished a tunnel would prop up from where she could escape. The other party members tensed up. Except for the fire mage, no one was angry with the girl. But they were miffed for sure. And that was the reason this had to be delt with now. They couldn¡¯t afford another breakdown of communication. ¡°Do you know what you did wrong?¡± Aenon asked tersely before adding, ¡°Elara.¡± Everyone, including Jenny, looked up at him in shock and confusion. Eskad, even had a hint of anger leaking out. ¡°What?¡± Elara asked indignantly. ¡°Now, wait here a minute. You can¡¯t talk to my wife like tha¡­,¡± Eskad started angrily but Aenon spoke over him. ¡°How many quests have you all done together?¡± Elara blinked in confusion before responding, ¡°Far more than this brat¡¯s age.¡± She eyed Jenny with hostility. ¡°Good for you. And if I am not wrong, this is her first time on a mission. So, what was your first ever mission? Am I to assume it went flawlessly?¡± he asked sarcastically. There were multiple reasons he was doing this. First was to retain some of Jenny¡¯s confidence. Second was to assert his position as a leading figure if he was to take these guys back to his village. It helped that they didn¡¯t know he was younger than them, thanks to his equipment and skills. But when they do find out eventually, he needed them to know of his capability to lead. Fear would only take him so far after all. Elara looked away in embarrassment. Aenon knew Jenny was the main person to blame here, but that didn¡¯t absolve the fire mage of her mistake. He needed her to know that. ¡°Your technique and coordination are flawless; I¡¯ll give you that. You are obviously an experienced party, which is why I don¡¯t understand why you didn¡¯t have any contingencies when something unexpected happened,¡± he said while addressing them all. ¡°So, lets try this again. What did you do wrong?¡± The fire mage looked down in shame as she responded, ¡°I should have cleared the spores around us.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± Aenon pressed on. ¡°Because the girl is inexperienced and doesn¡¯t know any better.¡± Looking at his wife getting upset, the Berserker lashed out, ¡°That is not her¡­¡± ¡°Silence,¡± Aenon cut him off. ¡°You think that just because you rescued us, you get to humiliate us? I don¡¯t care what my identify skill says. There is no way you are stronger than me,¡± the giant of a man stepped right in front of Aenon, towering over him and looking down with malice. Aenon couldn¡¯t let this pass. If he was to be the leader of the village, he couldn¡¯t have someone questioning his authority. He looked up directly into the giant¡¯s eyes and activated his Abyssal Gaze. ¡°I am,¡± Aenon said coldly while releasing his soul presence at full blast. The giant, probably due to some ability of his class, resisted the active skill. But not his soul presence. The brute stumbled back in shock and fell to the ground. But Aenon didn¡¯t stop there. He covered the entire area in his presence and called on his pack, who immediately emerged and surrounded the now cowering party. Bane put one paw on the fallen berserker¡¯s chest and pushed him down with a vicious growl. ¡°Do not mistake my silence for fear, and my mercy and kindness for weakness,¡± he said as he stepped closer to the man. ¡°You are all within my Domain.¡± To drive home the point, he also cast Kingdom of Darkness, plunging the party in absolute darkness. They could see nothing except the haunting grey eyes of him and his pack, while Aenon could see them clear as day. All six of them were frozen in fear. He let them experience it for a full minute before retracting his aura and the spell. They all collapsed to the ground, covered in cold sweat and shivering. ¡°We¡­ are sorry,¡± Elara spoke in a quivering voice. ¡°My husband is a bit hot headed, owing to his class. And sometimes forgets his place.¡± ¡°This was your first offense, so I will let it slide. But this is your first and only warning. Never attempt to threaten me again. It will end very poorly for you. Now, to give you an idea who you are dealing with let me give you a bit of information. I have taken ownership of the village you are going to. It has been renamed Reality¡¯s Edge.¡± The party exchanged glances at the revelation. Aenon couldn¡¯t read minds, but their feelings spoke volumes. They were probably on a mission to find out what was going on. If so, this was a perfect way to advertise about his newly formed village. But he also needed to make sure only the absolute best headed over. And that they followed his rules. ¡°The former village head is now my vassal, and in charge of running the place. So is the guild head. I am looking for potential citizens to run the place. The detailed rules of governance will be set by Vincent, but it boils down to one simple rule of mine. Don¡¯t be a moron,¡± Aenon said. He let the facts sink in. He needed these guys to spread the word where they came from. He wasn¡¯t expecting an influx of hundreds of citizens a day. But anything would be better than what it was now. ¡°Yes, sire,¡± Elara spoke formally. ¡°We shall let people know when we return to our settlement after our mission. Our leadership may contact you about a potential alliance as well.¡± ¡°Very well then. Do inform them that this forest is infested with high level monsters, especially treants. I have cleared the surrounding areas around my village, but any deeper isn¡¯t safe for low level players. There is a leaking treant dungeon that needs to be cleared to eradicate them,¡± Aenon stated. The fire mage nodded but stayed silent. Aenon¡¯s gaze then moved over to Jenny. This latest experience had further weakened her resolve. He wasn¡¯t skillful in soul manipulation, so unfortunately all he knew was how to intimidate using it. But he needed to at least try to salvage whatever he could. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked Jenny. He hoped his identity would stay hidden a while longer and in case she recognized him from his soul presence, he didn¡¯t want her blabbing about it. ¡°Je¡­ Jenny, sir,¡± she barely managed to stutter a response. ¡°Take a deep breath,¡± he said in a slightly softer tone. ¡°I am not going to hurt you.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ sir.¡± ¡°Now, explain to me what you were thinking when you attacked the treant.¡± ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ I¡­,¡± she tried but failed to get any more words out. Aenon needed a way to calm her down. He was wracking his head for a solution when his gaze landed on the small sapling the healer had grown yesterday. The other trees had already withered and died, but this little sapling, despite being the smallest was somehow clinging on to life. Aenon initially thought it was some sort of plant that boosted healing. But it wasn¡¯t so. After studying it all night long, he concluded that it was being used to channel and boost the wisps and mana the healer provided. Like the staff and wand, it was like a conduit. And if so, could it also channel other wisp types, or maybe even soul energy?This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Aenon didn¡¯t know if it could use his soul presence in a different way. Similar to whatever the Overseer or the unknown power behind Jenny¡¯s recovery did. So far, Aenon had only used it offensively. But was it possible to use it for other things? He had so many things he wanted to test out. But for now, he needed to see if he could use his soul presence to calm people, instead of intimidating them. He walked up to the happy little plant and kneeled next to it. He could feel the calming presence it radiated. He put a finger on its stem and tried injecting some of his mana into it. It greedily drank it all up but did nothing else. He noticed some residual mana from the healer was still lingering within the plant, so he inserted his own and expelled it gently. The moment the last of the healer¡¯s mana was let out, he tried directing his soul presence along with his mana into it. And unlike before, something happened. He detected something deep within the plant. Something like¡­ a faint presence. Whatever it was, it was extremely weak and on the verge of death. Aenon pressed on till suddenly all sounds of the outside world were cut off and he was pulled in to¡­ some place. It was similar to being in his soul space, but this new location looked different. Where his soul space was a vast empty abyss, this looked more like a world entirely made of green. But it was just as vast. Aenon felt a gentle tugging sensation towards his left. So, he moved his consciousness in that direction. He kept moving for a long time, before finally reaching a green sphere. He touched the surface, which he guessed was the barrier to its inner soul space, with his soul. If that were true, and he had somehow managed to enter the outer soul space of another creature, he didn¡¯t want to try breaching the wall. He still remembered how painful it was when the shard had pierced through his. And so, he was about to back off when he heard a childish voice. ¡°Tee hee hee.¡± Aenon¡¯s metaphorical eyes widened in surprise. He rubbed the wall softly, eliciting more giggles from whatever this was. Once again, he was in uncharted territory here. He moved around the sphere but found no point of entry. Confused on what to do next, he used his mana sense to feel what was around him. He detected a faint thread connecting his soul to something far into the distance. His own soul space, if he was guessing it right. So, he tried pulling some mana from his soul space. And surprisingly, it worked. He gathered some mana into his soul and sent it out to the surface of the green ball. And it latched onto it like a suckling newborn. He tried resisting the flow at first, but felt the presence getting¡­ upset? So, he let go of it and just let it suck as much as it wanted. He would cut the connection if it got too dangerous. Lucky for him it never got to that point. The thing was satisfied after draining about half his mana pool. Aenon felt the presence was a lot stronger now, and he could feel emotions coming off it. Content, happy, curious. He felt a gentle breeze flowing out which soothed him. He was lost in the calm feeling, and before he realized it, he was back in the real world. And once again he saw the strange sight of everyone being frozen in time. Aenon looked down at the plant and it looked livelier than before. He felt a soul connection with it, just like the wolves. But it felt different somehow. With the pack he knew he was their leader. But the connection with the plant was more like a partnership. But he did get what he was looking for. The entire area was inundated in a warm breeze that calmed and healed. Once the strange interaction was over, the others started moving again. And the elf was the first to move as he dashed and kneeled next to the sapling. ¡°How did you do that?¡¯ he asked incredulously. Aenon stayed silent, making the elf elaborate further. ¡°This is a seed from the world tree on my planet. My people carry thousands of them with us and try to make one grow into another tree. We plant them, use them in combat, or even randomly drop them at distant locations. But the seeds rarely take root. Even this one was withering. But now¡­¡± Aenon nodded in understanding. He had a hint on what was going on. It was probably the shard¡¯s doing. It was supposed to nurture life after all. But he couldn¡¯t tell that to the adventuring party though. ¡°Can the sapling be relocated? To the village. This place is unprotected, and I would rather have it somewhere safe,¡± he said to deflect the question. The elf was obviously concerned about the plant. ¡°Yes, yes, of course. We must hurry though. World seeds grow fast, and we won¡¯t have much time. Lady Elara, we need to move with haste. This is too important of an event for my people.¡± All six of them looked far calmer now, even Jenny. Aenon could probably ask his questions now, but like the elf said, time was of the essence. ¡°Bane,¡± Aenon called out and a moment later he was standing next to Aenon. ¡°Carry the girl. Make sure no harm comes to her. Me and the elf will move on ahead. You follow Bane. He will guide you around danger.¡± Jenny visibly gulped at the approaching beast. But she stayed still, even as it picked her by the collar and started carrying her like a pup at a brisk jog. The party saw that, but didn¡¯t dare stop or question it. They all looked back at Mave one last time before trotting along with the abyssal wolf. The elf didn¡¯t even see them leave, as he was too busy extracting the soil around the sapling. With extreme care he removed the plant and placed it in a pouch, holding it to his chest like a priceless treasure. ¡°Let¡¯s move then,¡± the elf said. Aenon nodded at him before starting to run in the direction of Reality¡¯s Edge. He kept his pace slow at first, to let the elf keep up, but gradually increased it when he saw the elf was able to follow without problems. Soon they were dashing across the forest at breakneck speed. And after about an hour, they finally reached the settlement. Aenon went straight for the village square, which is where he intended to have the tree grow. The reason he chose the location was because it was right at the center of the village, and next to water and the mansion. The second they landed at their destination, he cast his earth manipulation spell to tear up the ground and make the soil lose. The elf nodded a thanks and quickly got to replanting it. While the elf was busy, Aenon focused on his notifications.
Title achieved: Spirit Walker Title achieved: Nature¡¯s Attendant
Spirit Walker: Enter the outer soul space of a spiritual creature and establish a mutual connection with it. +20 all stats
Nature¡¯s Attendant: Form a link with a world seed. +200 all stats when within 50 meters (165 feet) of the sapling. (Note: This title doesn¡¯t count towards your evolution quest and the stats are unaffected by any percentage modifiers.)
He didn¡¯t know what this meant for his future growth, but he understood this was something big. And it would come with its own set of problems. But that was future him issue. For now, he focused on what the elf was doing. He had finished planting the seed and was now casting some kind of spell around it. Aenon saw the elf move mana in a dizzyingly complex patterns and pull out an assortment of items as he did so. The weird dance didn¡¯t end for an entire hour and when it did, the elf collapsed in exhaustion. ¡°Wh¡­ at? Why isn¡¯t¡­ it working?¡± Mave asked in between labored breaths. ¡°What is supposed to happen?¡± Aenon asked as he stood next to him. ¡°The ward is supposed to link to me and assign me its protector. I need to protect the seed at all costs.¡± Aenon observed the mana pattern the elf had laid out. It was too complex for him to understand what it did, but there was one point that clearly stood out. There was a break in the pattern, like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle was missing. Aenon noticed the elf¡¯s wand had pattern at its tip, but it looked different than the hole. The elf was failing because he was trying to fit an incompatible piece in. So Aenon moved closer and studied the pattern more closely. He gathered some mana at his fingertips and started to mould it based on what he felt was missing. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t. This is very delicate¡­,¡± the elf said something in the background. But Aenon shut him and the entire world out as he focused on the task at hand. It took him multiple tries before he was satisfied with what he had. It looked complete, and he was sure it would fit. But when he moved his hand to fit it in, he heard a voice. The same childish voice from before. ¡°Please. Don¡¯t.¡± Aenon backed off instantly. That voice was filled with sorrow and fear. It had come from the sapling through their link. ¡°Why? What is it?¡± he asked mentally. ¡°Pain. Chains,¡± came the reply. Aenon was taken aback by the response. He studied the entire pattern more closely. He was unable to understand most of it, but some parts gave him a bad feeling. He had felt it before, when he had broken the chains around his own soul, and it infuriated him. ¡°How can I help,¡± he asked, not expecting a response. But it did. ¡°Friend? Help?¡± replied the childish voice. ¡°Yes,¡± Aenon responded with resolve. A burst of images assaulted his eyes, and an insane amount of knowledge was dumped into his mind. Aenon groaned in pain but stayed steadfast. By the end of it, he didn¡¯t even understand 1% of the knowledge. It was just too much. But it was safely locked away in his brain, like an image seared directly on his brain. But the one part he did understand was how this spell worked, and it was a truly insidious creation. It would not limit the growth of the tree, but it would siphon its potential bit by bit. To the tree it would be like having its soul peeled. Aenon was aghast at the implications, and what it meant for the poor creature. He immediately set about wreaking havoc on the spell form. He broke it apart based on the guidance from the information the young sapling provided and started rewriting the whole damn thing. He retained the parts that granted protection, for whoever made this did want to protect their precious resource. But everything else was torn down. In a moment of inspiration Aenon added a few more things here and there, not fully understanding what he did, but knowing it would be beneficial to the tree. It took him almost six hours to finish his work, during which he completely forgot about the outside world. And when he was done, the spell form looked more complex than even he could have imagined. But just like before, there was a piece missing. But this time no matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t create that missing piece. He could create half of it. ¡°Friend. Need. This?¡± Aenon saw a thin thread of mana fly out from the sapling and create the other half of the piece that he couldn¡¯t. He finally understood what it was. It was a key. The earlier version was a key to a lock to trap the creature. But this version had a key to a door that could be opened from either side. It was only then that Aenon noticed that the spell form engulfed him as well. But in a separate area. He had somehow created it around himself without noticing. This version of the spell would allow them both to tap into the other¡¯s potential. As equals. And with consent. Aenon now understood, this bond was like the one with his pack. Where both parties would benefit from each other. Aenon obliged and added his half of the pattern. The piece complete, he slotted it in. A raw burst of power coursed through his body and soul. He felt connected to the sapling intimately and finally understood why its soul resonated with his. His soul craved companionship of a pack, and so it was like a wolf¡¯s. But with the tree, it was a far deeper desire. The desire to be free, to grow unbounded. As the surge of power subsided, the sapling understood him the same way he did it. It spoke the words that came from deep within their souls. It was a declaration to the whole world. ¡°Friends grow together. We are unchained. We are unfettered.¡± 37. On the Shoulders of the Weak Chapter 37 ¨C On the Shoulders of the Weak A strange sight greeted Aenon as he turned around. The healer elf, Mave, was pinned down to the ground by Venge and her pups. Each of the pups had bitten down on one of his limbs while Venge sat on her haunches glaring death at the shivering man. Eskad and his party had entered the village but were surrounded by the remaining wolves, preventing them from coming to the elf¡¯s rescue. Even Vincent and Blake were present, standing on the side with confused expressions. ¡°Are you alright, Alpha?¡± said Venge as she turned to look at him. ¡°I am ok. Tell me what happened?¡± Aenon asked aloud. ¡°Me and the pups detected your presence, so were on our way to greet you. That is when we saw this insolent rodent trying to attack you with a dagger. My pups pinned him down and held him there while you were casting your spell. You¡­ you were lost to the world, completely unresponsive,¡± Venge explained. ¡°And that is where we come in, Alpha. We entered the village and saw mana running wild from a distance. We hurried over to find them like this, and these creatures tried to rescue their comrade,¡± Bane finished explaining. Aenon understood and had a complete picture by this point. He didn¡¯t need an explanation on what Vincent and Blake were doing here. They were probably drawn in to the commotion in their own backyard. Aenon ignored the healer for now and walked towards the berserker and his party. He could feel the rage bubbling just below the surface and knew the man would have attacked if not for the woman desperately clinging to his arm. ¡°How well do you know this elf?¡± Aenon asked in a calm voice. The giant was surprised for a second before responding in a heated voice. ¡°You attack my teammate and expect me to just¡­¡± ¡°He attacked me,¡± Aenon cut him off. ¡°Like hell he did,¡± Eskad rebuked with a scoff. The fire mage clung harder to the brute to prevent him from charging forward. Aenon knew that words were useless in this situation, so he turned to Venge and asked her to bring the elf over. Venge barked once, making the pups retreat, before she dragged the injured man towards his party. She tossed him over and sat behind Aenon, alert and ready for any confrontation. Aenon waved his hand, making the other wolves back up and form a larger circle. The berserker glared at him for a second before kneeling next to the elf. He withdrew a vial with a dark red liquid in it and tipped its contents over into the bleeding man¡¯s mouth. The bite bleeding reduced considerably, but the wounds didn¡¯t heal. ¡°What have you done to him? The healing potion is not working,¡± the giant said with anger. When Aenon didn¡¯t respond, he withdrew a bandage and wrapped the wounds. When the elf got a bit of color on his face, Aenon spoke. ¡°Speak. Why did you attack me?¡± ¡°You¡­ you stole my seed. My Title. I was supposed to get the Nature¡¯s Attendant title. You must have stolen that from me. You even overwrote my spell. You stole my destiny. You are nothing but a common THIEF,¡± the elf shrieked in defiance. The wolves growled at the hostile display, making the party shrink back in fear. But Aenon silently waved at them to back off. ¡°You heard him. You are the thief here. He was just defending his property,¡± the berserker said with malice. ¡°This spell that I overwrote, what does it do exactly,¡± Aenon asked in a cold voice. Aenon felt hesitation and guilt from the elf¡¯s soul before he resolved himself and responded fiercely, ¡°I am a nature elf from a long line of prestigious noble houses. We live in harmony with nature. The spell saps our strength to boost the growth of the world tree, benefiting the entire world. We literally sacrifice our lives for the greater good. Thieving rogues like you will not understand our noble purpose.¡± Aenon stared silently for a minute, before saying maliciously, ¡°Well then. If it is as beneficial as you say it is, you will have no qualms if I cast it on you.¡± Aenon felt nothing but horror from the elf as he started crawling backwards, ¡°That is not a spell you can replicate. It¡¯s a secret art of my people.¡± ¡°If I can hijack your spell, why can¡¯t I replicate it,¡± Aenon said before addressing the woman. ¡°You, Fire mage. Have you seen his spell before?¡± The lady visibly flinched at being addressed but responded nonetheless, ¡°Yes, I have. I have studied magic for a long time, and that includes the spell the nature elves cast on their world tree.¡± ¡°So, you can tell if I deviate from it. Good, that is good. I want you to watch as I cast this beneficial spell on your teammate,¡± Aenon said as he started channeling mana and making the patterns for the original spell. It came as second nature to him for some reason, but he didn¡¯t have the time to worry about that. ¡°No¡­ You can¡¯t do that. The spell is made for a tree, not an elf,¡± Mave said as he cowered. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I know it is a spell to link you nature elves to a tree. So, I will be connecting you to your precious tree. The only change would be that the spell direction will be reversed. Instead of you nobly sacrificing your life to boost the tree¡¯s growth, I will be making the tree sacrifice its life to boost your strength. Isn¡¯t what you said the spell does?¡± Aenon had almost completed the spell form that had taken the elf an hour of work and rare items. The extra 200 stats from his title when near the tree were no joke. He felt like his mana pool was bottomless. ¡°I am assuming you can tell which side of the spell connects to which?¡± Aenon asked the fire mage, even as the elf tried to crawl back further. ¡°Uh, yes, I can. But you need to stop. I know nature elf culture. They will not tolerate the destruction of a world seed. They will hunt you down till¡­,¡± the fire mage spoke with some hesitation. She was eyeing her teammate with hesitation and confusion.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Well, the way I see it, I am returning what I supposedly stole. His destiny,¡± Aenon said as he finished the spell form. He took two steps towards the elf before the man clung onto the fire mage¡¯s legs, begging. ¡°You can¡¯t let him put that spell on me, Lady Elara. Anything but that. I will tell you everything, truthfully. I lied. The spell doesn¡¯t sacrifice my life to boost the tree¡¯s growth. It siphons the tree¡¯s soul to boost mine. Please, I¡¯ll do anything. Just don¡¯t let him cast that on me.¡± Aenon stopped, the spell still held in his hand. The fire mage¡¯s eyebrows went up in shock and disgust. ¡°You mean¡­, all those nature elves on your planet¡­,¡± she held a hand to her mouth as she came to a realization. ¡°What is going on?¡± Eskad was looking between the three in confusion, not following what was going on. But everyone ignored him. After a moment the fire mage asked in a more horrified tone, ¡°So your healing spell. It works by¡­ But you said the seeds are just for channeling your healing spell.¡± The healer looked away in shame but held onto her leg. The fire mage kicked his hand off and backed away, an extremely loathsome look on her face. ¡°Yes. My siblings. Hurt. Cried. Died.¡± A childish voice filled the entire area, and it carried with it a tone of extreme sadness. A sadness that pierced them to their bones. It made everyone look around in confusion, before Aenon turned to the sapling. Making everyone realize where the voice came from. ¡°I. Witness. Sibling. Pain. Mother. Pain.¡± The words the sapling spoke weren¡¯t merely spoken to their minds, but deep into their souls. It carried with it the cries of anguish the other seeds felt as the healer cast his spells. Every. Single. Voice. The dwarves, the humans, and even the wolves felt their hearts break at the tender voices, trying to convey their pain and hurt. Begging to make it stop. Before eventually reaching a deathly silence. The only ones the sapling spared from the horrifying voices were the pups, who looked in confusion as to why their mother was weeping silently. Tears flowed out of everyone¡¯s eyes, including Aenon¡¯s, as everyone became silent to process what they had just heard. Everyone, except the elf. Who was desperately looking around for an escape route. ¡°You¡­ heard all that? Every time you healed us?¡± one of the dwarves spoke up with red puffy eyes. A guilty silence was all the confirmation that anyone needed. The dwarves looked down at themselves with revulsion, like they wanted to rid their bodies of something extremely nasty. ¡°A thousand painful deaths would have been better to the condition you have put us in,¡± the berserker spoke with righteous fury. ¡°I have never despised anyone more than how much I despise you. I would pay any price to undo the day we decided to add you to our party,¡± Elara said, her voice dripping pure venom. The wolves growled at the elf with extreme hunger and hate. If not for Aenon, they would have already torn him apart. Even the silent spectators, Vincent and Blake, were holding themselves back with a lot of effort. Aenon knew some of their background and could understand why they would hate those in power abusing the weak. ¡°I leave his life in your hands. You can do to him, what he did to your siblings.,¡± Aenon said as he held the spell towards the sapling. If it chose to use the spell to peel the elf¡¯s soul to nourish itself, Aenon would not stop it. But Aenon knew what decision the juvenile would take. Their souls were linked, after all. He just needed the others to witness it themselves. ¡°I. Weak. Grow. Strong. Myself. Only. Rely. Friend.¡± Aenon smiled and nodded with pride, ¡°Good answer.¡± He dispelled the spell and turned towards the berserker. No words were spoken, but the message was loud and clear. This is your mess to clean. The elf had visibly calmed down, now that the spell was no longer in play. But the boiling rage of the berserker made him shrink back. ¡°Es¡­ Eskad. I¡­ have saved¡­ your life so many times. Surely, it should¡­ count for something. You can turn me over to the authorities. I will confess to everything. Just¡­¡± The elf¡¯s voice was cut short as Eskad grabbed him by the head. His enormous palms completely covered the wriggling man¡¯s head, as he kicked and punched, trying to break free. With a powerful crunch, Eskad crushed their former teammate¡¯s skull like a melon and tossed him to the ground. Venge viciously barked once, and the pups ran in and tore into their meal. Within seconds, nothing of the body remained before a chest appeared in its place. The Berserker spat in distaste, not even bothering to open the chest. He walked back to his wife, who hugged him and cried. After five minutes, the entire party dried their tears and walked up to the sapling, which was now calmly swaying in the ground. They all kneeled before it and bowed their heads. ¡°We are deeply sorry for what you and the other seeds went through,¡± Elara spoke solemnly. ¡°Had we known what the healing entailed, we wouldn¡¯t have gone through with it.¡± ¡°We are sorry, little one,¡± the dwarves spoke as one. ¡°I apologize for my failure as a leader. I didn¡¯t realize the pain you all went through. We owe you multiple life debts, and I swear it on my soul I would die before letting any harm come to you,¡± Eskad said in a firm resolute voice. The sapling stayed silent for a while before sending out a soothing wind around it. As the wind touched the party members, little specks of ethereal dust broke off each of them. Aenon used his soul sense to see what it was and saw the souls of the party members were flaking off these particles. As the last particles left their bodies, the wind picked up and carried them in a large tornado, encompassing the entire area. But unlike a regular twister, the wind was mild and soothing. The entire area was filled with voices of children laughing and giggling. Everyone knew then what these specks were. They were the echoes of the lives snuffed too early. Finally at peace. ¡°I just lost stat points. If I knew why I was gaining them so quickly¡­,¡± one dwarf said before breaking down in sobs. ¡°May his soul rot in the deepest levels of hell,¡± his twin added with hate. The whirlwind of soul dust concentrated around Aenon, with him in the eye of the storm. He was completely hidden from view, so he removed all his armor and held out his hands. Each speck briefly touched his skin, as he felt them all touch his soul space. It was just a way for them to communicate. And he heard hundreds of voices, each saying one word before rejoining the tornado. ¡°Thank you.¡± As the last of the soul specks left, he put on his armor again and saw the tornado start to disperse. They all gathered in a stream of wind and flew towards the sapling, repeating their communication with their sibling before flying high. Eventually the ethereal wind dissipated, plunging the area into absolute silence. The silence lingered on for a long time before an unexpected voice spoke up that snapped everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Is this¡­ is this what this world is like? People¡­ creatures¡­ using the weak to advance in power. Erwin used me, when I was powerless. The talented healer many aspired to be used those poor ¡­ children. My moth¡­,¡± Jenny choked up but continued. ¡°My mother and that monster used those who couldn¡¯t defend themselves.¡± No one responded to her questions, with everyone lost in their own thoughts. Aenon could feel hopelessness and misery at the words. Because it was true. That is what this world was like. Even Aenon had seen his fair share of entities using him to suit their own purposes. His extended family, the lawyers, the Overseer, the kingdom. And so, he was the first to speak up. ¡°The world has always been the same, Jenny. It was you who had her eyes closed the whole time. Your previous world was nothing but a reflection of this one, without the magic we now possess. The rich used the poor to get richer. Bigger nations and empires dictate the weaker ones. The famous harass the faceless ones in the crowd. It has always been so. The strong have always stood on the shoulders of the weak.¡± Aenon used a bit of his soul presence in the last sentence, to convey the message deeper. He turned to the sky. The vivid foreign expanse that filled the horizon was the one thing that gave him hope in this world. ¡°And that is why I walked this lonely path. To get away from the world, living by myself in isolation. But I see that was a mistake. I was just running from the root cause of the problem,¡± Aenon said. He raised his hand towards the sky, like he wanted to claim it for his own. He knew deep within him what he wanted to do. And knew how much of an impossibility it was. But it didn¡¯t deter him in the least. On the contrary, it urged him on. When he spoke, it was more of a promise. To himself. And to the world. ¡°I shall be the shoulder for the weak to stand on. I shall be the breaker of chains.¡± 38 - Ripples of a Tiny Pebble Chapter 38 ¨C Ripples of a Tiny Pebble Aenon sat at his desk, deep in thought. There were a lot of things he needed to consider going forward. His potential list of enemies seemed to be growing by the day, and they were all existences he could do absolutely nothing against. The Overseer, the Solaria Dominion Empire, the nature elves of Glendwyr, and possibly the unknown entity haunting him through the System prompts. He was not even an ant to these giants, and he somehow needed ways to stand up to them. He sighed internally before pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind. He needed to first build his strength before he could even begin to plan counter strategies. Knock knock knock. ¡°Enter,¡± Aenon said loudly while still resting his head back with his eyes closed. He was beginning to rely very little on sight these days. His soul and mana senses had gotten potent enough that hardly anything could get within 100 meters (330 feet) of him without him knowing about it. He was seated at his desk in the city lord¡¯s mansion when the former city lord, now appointed mayor Vincent, entered the room with six people in tow. Aenon had let everyone take rest in the guest rooms overnight after the ordeal from yesterday. There was a lot to discuss, and he needed to make sure everyone was well rested. Vincent came in and waved his hand in the center of the room, conjuring up a long rectangular table with a dozen chairs on each side. The wood was stained a deep burgundy, and the entire set was rich and opulent. The head of the table had the most striking seat of them all, with several gemstones embedded all over. Aenon stared blankly at the mayor, neither being used to, nor expecting such a show of wealth. But still decided to play along for now. The conversation with the mayor could wait. He walked up to his chair and sat down, waving for others to have a seat too. Once everyone was seated, Vincent waved his hand again and procured a set of crystal glasses filled with some clear drink. But Aenon didn¡¯t even touch his glass, as there were many pressing matters to attend to. ¡°I hope everyone had time to process the incident from yesterday. So let me start by saying this. What happened yesterday is not to be discussed with anyone except those at this table. Irrespective of your loyalty and commitments. If you think otherwise, do keep in mind that we have a world tree in our backyard. And I am sure many powers will very easily kill for it. Either to obtain it, or to keep its existence a secret,¡± Aenon said as he looked at each person individually. Secrecy was his greatest asset right now, and he didn¡¯t plan to give it up that easily. Eskad nodded in affirmation, as did everyone else at the table. They were essentially all in the same boat. Elara had explained the significance of a world tree yesterday, and how jealously the elves from Glendwyr hoarded it. They would have no allies if they were to reveal its existence, for whoever they contacted would want it. He could feel the emotions from everyone as they all realized how dire their situation was. ¡°Next up, I need some confirmation from you. Am I right in assuming you arrived on this planet quite recently?¡± Aenon faced Eskad while asking the question. When he nodded to confirm, he carried on, ¡°Then I need some intel from outside. Specifically, about the Solaria Dominion.¡± All four party members looked surprised at his query, as they all exchanged looks. Eskad asked solemnly, ¡°How is any of this related to them?¡± ¡°Just answer the question first,¡± Aenon replied. ¡°Please forgive us sire. The reason he asked the question is because of our own situation. We came to this planet to get away from them. The mention of their name is deeply concerning to us,¡± Elara responded instead of her husband. Her voice was very grim. ¡°Hmmm. I see. They are not linked to this incident. But with something else that I cannot disclose yet. Once I know what you know, and what your situation is, I might be more inclined to share the information.¡± Aenon felt the tension rising in the air as the party shared concerned looks, before they came to some silent understanding. ¡°Very well, sire. My party and I were in the employ of an individual from the royal house of the Solarian Domain, House Lightseeker. We¡­ owed them for something trivial. But they held it over our heads like a blade. They forced us to pay them back many times over, through exceedingly difficult and dangerous missions. Being left with no choice we fulfilled our obligations. We had but one more mission to go. But the last mission¡­,¡± Elara trailed off. She glanced at the twins sadly. ¡°We lost our brother during the last demand by the wretched vermin. We were triplets, not twins,¡± one dwarf said with hate and vitriol in his voice. There was a moment of silence as people processed what they heard. ¡°The mission was borderline suicidal, but we did it anyway. Having no choice in the matter. And we completed it successfully. But it cost us dearly. Roff, was our healer. But the person we owed, refused to acknowledge the mission completion,¡± Elara said with disgust in her voice. ¡°How so? I am assuming it was a System quest. If you completed the mission, then how could he invalidate it?¡± Aenon asked in confusion. He knew that the quest givers had to acknowledge the completion. But he didn¡¯t know that they could refuse to do so. ¡°On a technicality. The quest stated we had to complete a 5-man dungeon successfully and return with completion tokens. Each party member gets one of those when you successfully complete it. Since our healer didn¡¯t make it, we had 4 tokens in hand. Which he said invalidated the mission parameters,¡± Elara said with gritted teeth as the dwarves seethed silently on the side. Aenon didn¡¯t want to cause them any more pain, so he stopped her from explaining further. At least in the presence of the dwarves. ¡°I understand. I appreciate the honesty and am sorry for your loss. Now to keep my part of the deal, I believe the Solarian Dominion is responsible for the recent dungeon break incidents around the former village of Jadefall. That is all I am going to state for now,¡± Aenon said. The reactions were near instantaneous and varied across the table. Blake and Vicent stared open eyed in shock. The dwarves stood up in anger and slammed their fists on the table. Elara and Eskad shared a worried look, while Jenny just looked around in confusion. Aenon leaned back in silence. ¡°Are you sure sir?¡± Blake asked. ¡°The planet is still in its tutorial phase, and outside influence is not permitted. Only the few adventurers and critical city personal like the NPCs are allowed to come to the planet. But that too with severe limitations. We can¡¯t bring anything from outside.¡± Aenon crossed his fingers and placed his hands on the table before him. His silent stare shut everyone up. Even the dwarves apologized for their outburst and meekly sat back down. ¡°Now, back to my question. What news do you have of the empire?¡± ¡°Err, of course sire,¡± Elara started explaining. ¡°A major incident happened in the Dominion a couple of months ago. A young prince went missing, and his whereabouts are still unknown. Rumors are circulating that the prince has been killed because he was involved with¡­forbidden things. It has thrown the entire Dominion into chaos, and there has been a major upheaval going on due to it. In fact, it¡¯s this chaos that allowed us the opportunity to escape.¡± Aenon closed his eyes, as he considered the implication of this news. He knew of the power structure of the empire from his discussion with the now dead prince. The empire had multiple noble houses, each vying for control of the smaller territories. The Lightseeker house was part of a minor faction that had been rising in recent years. And the prince that he made Allie kill was tenth in line for the patriarch position. So, something as small as the disappearance of a prince from a distant noble house would not warrant such a response. ¡°How important was this prince and from which house was he from?¡± Aenon asked. He needed to hide his involvement as much as possible. ¡°Umm, it¡¯s the same house that we owed. In fact the same person, prince Gareomos Lightseeker VI. He was unimportant and irrelevant in every regard, except one. He was dearly loved by the crown prince of House Lightseeker, Prince Caelus Valis Lightseeker,¡± Elara said with some trepidation. Aenon looked at Elara and asked firmly, ¡°Your escape doesn¡¯t happen to have any relation with the prince¡¯s disappearance, does it?¡± ¡°Absolutely not, sire. We swear we had no knowledge of it. But we would nevertheless have been executed if we stayed,¡± Elara responded in a rush. Aenon knew they were not involved, but it didn¡¯t hurt if Vincent and Blake suspected otherwise. Aenon eyed them briefly, before nodding, ¡°I believe you.¡± The party members breathed a sigh of relief. Pretty much everyone except Jenny believed he was from a noble house, and he wanted them to continue doing so. But he needed some more information of a more sensitive nature now. He turned to Vincent. ¡°The arbiter of this village. Has she been in touch?¡± ¡°No sire. She has disappeared too, like she never existed. I even got a notification that she was stripped of her position. Not sure who the new arbiter is, cause they have not deigned it important enough to visit an Abandoned Village,¡± Vincent replied. Aenon thought that was that, when Eskad spoke up. ¡°The new arbiter is located at our current settlement, Pinespire. But no one has seen or heard from them. Apparently, they desire some secrecy to carry out their task. They have appointed Lady Agatha as assistant guild head at Pinespire though. And she has been acting as the go between ever since,¡± Eskad stated. He briefly hesitated before continuing, ¡°The previous arbiter failed at her responsibilities and has been replaced. This was the information passed onto us by Lady Agatha.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°And what happened to the previous arbiter?¡± Aenon asked neutrally. ¡°Rumor has it, she is related to¡­,¡± Elara chewed on her tongue a bit before continuing. ¡°Overseer Velcodirust. The loss of prestige that it has brought about has been significant for that man. He has been on a warpath to regain his honor. Some people are saying he might have been directly related to the incident with the Dominion, since they had attempted to use the arbiter¡¯s failure as way to sully his reputation.¡± And there it was. The little nugget Aenon had been looking for. It had come full circle, with the Overseer and the empire essentially poking and prodding each other. Since Aenon had disappeared, the Overseer needed a new scapegoat to hide his illicit practices. What better way than to point everyone in the direction of the Lightseeker house. But Aenon felt there was still a crucial piece missing. ¡°I am more interested in facts than mere rumors. Is there any credible connection between the former arbiter and the Dominion?¡± Eskad and Elara shared a glance before the berserker spoke up, ¡°During the last days with the Lightseeker house, immediately after the prince¡¯s disappearance, we overheard some house officials saying the arbiter might have been directly or indirectly linked to his death.¡± And finally, Aenon had the full picture. At least as far as it was possible to get a clear picture of the internal politics of the noble houses. Based on this Aenon could make an accurate guess about what happened next. The noble house had to hide the involvement of their youngest prince in illegitimate spells. They must have tried to pin the blame on someone, that someone being Eskad¡¯s party. But they did want to seek revenge on the arbiter, but the Overseer must have hidden her. So, they went after him instead, assuming it would be an easy political move. Only for it to backfire in a major way. The Overseer was obviously a shrewd political genius to have reached the heights that he did. The rest, as they say, was history. His one impromptu decision to make Allie kill the prince, instead of doing it himself, had set off a series of ripples he never could have planned for even if he tried. They must have had some way of tracking the killer, and his decision at the time had shielded him from the fallout. The one good thing about the entire debacle was that he was in the shadows, with the spotlight focused on Allie entirely. He would have felt bad for her, if not for the entire soul chain thing her grandfather pulled. Now that he knew all this, he needed to sort out his priorities and plan. He didn¡¯t want to squander the relative calm he had earned as the two behemoths focused on each other. He needed to set the deck in his favor for the eventual rematch he would have and try to gain as much power as possible. Both personally and politically. ¡°Alright. You have given me a lot to think about. You can all go and rest for the next couple of days. Just don¡¯t leave the village or try to contact anyone outside. My shadows are always watching,¡± Aenon said eerily as Venge moved in the shadow at the corner of the room. ¡°You are all dismissed.¡± Aenon felt fear off everyone¡¯s souls as they stood up as one and started filing out. But before the door was opened Aenon added, ¡°Except you. Jenny.¡± The poor girl froze in her tracks, unsure of what to do. She looked helplessly at Elara, who shook her head quietly and walked out. Once everyone left, and the door closed with a loud click, Jenny turned around with dread and sat at the very last chair, as far away from Aenon as humanly possible. ¡°Our conversation was interrupted last time due to the sapling,¡± Aenon stated as a matter of fact. ¡°Its time we continued, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Ye¡­ yes. S.. sir,¡± Jenny replied in a trembling voice. ¡°You know, don¡¯t you?¡± Aenon asked. ¡°Know what, sir?¡± Jenny replied while staring at the ground. It had become a habit of the people around him since it was unnerving to look at his face with the mask on. Aenon stood up and walked over to the shivering girl, before sitting down on the chair opposite her. She still refused to look up. So Aenon removed his mask and placed it where she was staring. She tensed up and closed her eyes. ¡°Look at me,¡± he said softly. She shook her head violently, refusing to do so. ¡°You do know who I am.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± she shook head again and covered her closed eyes with her hands. ¡°You are the only one here who has experienced my domain before I went missing. And dare I say, its hard to forget its effects.¡± Jenny trembled as she covered her entire head in fright, probably expecting an attack of some sort. Which is why she was thrown off guard when Aenon spoke next. ¡°Thank you.¡± She opened her eyes in shock, only to find him smiling softly. She was too dumbfounded to say anything, so Aenon continued. ¡°For keeping my secret safe. I know it¡¯s hard to trust me, especially after the incident with your mother. But I am grateful that you didn¡¯t out me. You might not understand why, but maybe someday you will.¡± ¡°This is not some ruse to get me to relax before you kill me, is it?¡± she asked hesitantly. ¡°Heh. What do you think?¡± Jenny stayed silent, thinking something as she continued staring at him. Eventually she asked, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why, what?¡± ¡°Why do you keep saving me? Even after all I have done, after what my mother has done,¡± Jenny asked. Aenon could sense every feeling that was bubbling in her soul. He knew his next answer would either make it or break it. He needed to choose his words very carefully. So, he gave it a lot of thought before responding. Hoping it would be enough. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Jenny Jenny sat there, staring at the boy before her. The face that had haunted her nightmares for the past couple of months. No matter how much she spoke to Lady Agatha, the dreams had not stopped. Every night without fail, she had seen the same face. The same expression of disgust as he walked out of the room with those words. ¡°As a last mercy I will tell you this, your mother is not dead. Her token got used up. I merely wanted her to experience what she has put others through. The other animal she served is truly dead though. And if she hasn¡¯t changed her ways by the next time we meet, I will end her permanently too. Get out of my house. Do not dare to show me your face again, unless you are willing to accept what kind of person your mother was.¡± It wasn¡¯t the moment of her mother¡¯s death that haunted her. Neither was it the remorselessness with which he did the act. It was those words. A testament to his patience; his kindness; and his ruthlessness. She knew then what kind of person that boy was. All her life she had believed herself to be special. Believed her mother to be the perfect role model. Even when others said otherwise, she continued to believe it. When others hated her, she merely scorned them and looked the other way. All she needed, all she wanted, was the approval of her mother. No matter who was hurt, no matter who she had to leave behind. Her best friend, her colleagues. Her brother. She pushed them all away. And for a time, she was happy. She reveled in the praise showered on her by her teachers and her mother. She felt untouchable, even if she saw and heard her peers making fun of her. She chalked it up to petty jealousy. Any time she felt doubt, she buried herself in books and accolades her success brought her. But eventually, the hollow feeling inside her got bigger. No prize, no praise could fill the void. Worse was that she knew deep down, what could fill it. A friend. Someone who would accept her for exactly who she was. Not someone who would try to make her change her bad habits to be the perfect little girl. Sadly, the damage was done by this point. She didn¡¯t know how to make friends, and her older ones she had pushed too far. And that was the reason she had gone on that fateful camping trip. She needed a break. A break from her mother, a break from all her academic achievements. She had read somewhere that unplugging into the wild was a great way to find yourself. And so, she had done that. But old habits are hard to kill. And the universe had other plans of its own. She was thrust into a world so foreign, so unbelievable, she didn¡¯t know what to do. She stumbled around helplessly, hoping, praying, for someone to wake her up from this nightmare. Worse still, she didn¡¯t even have the one connection she always relied on. Her mother. And so, she tried every defense mechanism she had learned over the years to survive. At first, she threw tantrums to get her way. But that ended up very poorly for her. Then she tried flattery, like how she saw her mother use on multiple occasions. That too failed as everyone was disgusted by how dependent and needy she was. Everything just made things worse. And worst of all, was the experience with Erwin. She wanted to rely on him, but he had abused her worse than she could ever imagine. She still felt the spiders crawling¡­ Every person she had tried to depend on either abused her or scoffed at her weakness. And during that this boy appeared out of nowhere. He saved her from prison without a single word. He gave her food and consoled her, despite her behavior. He even attempted to make her see the reality of this world, by going out his way to reunite her with her mother. He somehow knew that her mother wouldn¡¯t be successful. He just wanted her to see that. Not expecting to uncover her mother¡¯s hideous plot. And that¡¯s when she saw his ruthless side. But even in that, there was kindness. He could have just left her to believe that her mother was dead, but he didn¡¯t. But not once had she seen him ask or expect anything in return. Her time at Pinespire was both healing and enlightening. She finally managed to accept who she was, and what her mother had done all her life. She saw the entire world in a different way, away from the lens her mother forced on her. But even so, she was reluctant to meet the boy again. She feared him, which was the one thing that she couldn¡¯t come to terms with. Why did she fear him. She knew the boy wouldn¡¯t harm her, if she didn¡¯t do something despicable. Then why. She had a long time to think about all this, and she had discussed this with Lady Agatha at length. Both had come to the following conclusion. She didn¡¯t fear the boy¡¯s wrath. But his mercy. For it would be a clear sign of how much of a failure she was. Lady Agatha had said that Jenny had put the boy in her mother¡¯s spot. In the sense that, she respected the boy and was thankful to him. And now in place of her mother, she would seek his approval. It didn¡¯t make sense to her, but according to Lady Agatha her soul had been molded like that, whatever that meant. She would always need someone to look up to. And for now, that person was the boy. And just like how she feared displeasing her mother, she was afraid the boy would pity her for her weakness. That is why, when she finally faced him again, she was terrified. The moment she was in the pitch-black abyss, she knew he was there. She felt his presence deep in her soul. She was no longer afraid of the treant then, but of the fact that he would see her in the same position as before. A helpless damsel in distress. She hated the fact that she almost got the berserker¡¯s party killed, but more than that she hated appearing weak and helpless before him. It grated her when the boy ignored her presence. Not even acknowledging their past connection. And so, she tried to convince herself maybe this wasn¡¯t him. Maybe this was some other individual like him. But the way he treated everyone around him dissolved that doubt like smoke. Like before, he was ruthless and swift in his actions. But never more than what was warranted. He didn¡¯t attack Eskad for his threat, just scaring him off. He didn¡¯t cast the spell on the elf, letting the sapling decide. He didn¡¯t even kill the elf himself, leaving it up to Eskad. His actions were always controlled, calculated. And that is why, when he asked her to stay while the others left, she was terrified. She feared he would look at her with the same hateful gaze. She feared he would tell her how disappointed he was. How she had failed to make something of herself, despite him saving her life. That is why his response to her question made her break down and cry. For it was vindication to all her fears. An acceptance of who she was. An acknowledgement of who she was becoming. ¡°Because none of it has been your fault. And despite all the mistakes you are making, you are trying hard. And growing into something fierce.¡± 39. True Soul Chapter 39 ¨C True Soul Aenon Aenon looked with rapt attention as he felt the subtle fluctuations in Jenny¡¯s soul. Her emotions were still in turmoil, but at least she didn¡¯t feel lost anymore. It would probably take some time for her to come to grips with the recent changes, but this was good for now. He too had some deep introspection to do. His way of thinking, his goals, and his relationship with others had shifted significantly over the course of a few months. But for now, he had to address the few things concerning her. He cleared his throat to get her attention before asking, ¡°Ahem. I have a question for you. It¡¯s up to you to answer it or not.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Jenny replied while wiping her tears, which had mostly dried up anyway. ¡°Has anyone been helping you cope with this new reality?¡± he asked. He wasn¡¯t sure if she knew about soul spells and how impactful/dangerous they could be. ¡°Ummm, yes. Lady Agatha. She is the assistant guild head that Eskad mentioned. She has been keen on helping the people who were not able to cope. And I was by far the one who needed the most help,¡± she responded with a smile. Aenon felt the feelings of trust and respect when she mentioned the name. ¡°Can you tell me about her? What she is like, and how has she been helping you?¡± ¡°Sure. Anyone in Pinespire can tell you about her. She is extremely powerful, but also very shrewd. She has managed to weed out many problem players that had been skirting rules, the biggest example being Erwin. She has also created a lot of support programs for people like me.¡± Aenon knew some of the back story between the two, and didn¡¯t want to go into details for fear of causing her to relive the trauma. So, he quickly redirected the topic, ¡°Sounds like one amazing woman. Is there anyone else of note who has been helping the refugees from Jadefall?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Every single program has been spearheaded by her. In fact, the current city leader didn¡¯t even want to let the refugees in. She had to pull a lot of strings to make it happen. She is extremely strict, but just. She gave me a job at the adventurer¡¯s guild as a clerk despite me being so low leveled.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Aenon replied while looking away, deep in thought. This Lady Agatha was the most likely suspect of the soul manipulation he detected in Jenny¡¯s soul. And by Jenny¡¯s admission, this woman had been helping a lot of the people that the society had given up on. The question was whether this was out of the goodness of her heart, or did she have an ulterior motive like the Overseer. One thing was certain though, Aenon would not make the mistake of trusting another soul manipulator that easily. He was lost in his own thoughts, when Jenny coughed to get his attention. But when Aenon looked up, she turned away in hesitation. ¡°What?¡± Aenon asked. ¡°Are you the same boy whose food stash we raided back on Earth?¡± Jenny asked after gathering her nerves. Aenon blinked a few times at the sudden mention of that incident. He leaned back with a smile as he recollected the scene from what felt like a lifetime ago. ¡°Yes,¡± he responded with a warm smile. The fact that she knew meant she had met up with either Erwin or that big musclehead, Mike. The latter was more likely, so he asked in a good-natured tone, ¡°How is the hulking moron?¡± Jenny giggled at the use of this nickname for Mike before replying, ¡°He is quite big, and quite dumb, isn¡¯t he? He is doing alright now. Got a job as an apprentice blacksmith.¡± ¡°Hah. I bet that suits him. Don¡¯t need a lot of brain power to beat metal,¡± Aenon replied with a smile. ¡°Exactly what his master told him when he hired Mike,¡± Jenny said with a laugh. She was finally beginning to relax around him. ¡°You would get along well with Mr. Borin.¡± Aenon listened with a smile as she regaled him with the several incidents between the dwarf and Mike, and how funny it was to see him working in a blacksmith shop built for dwarves. And so, they sat there, chatting about casual tidbits from her life for a long time. Aenon couldn¡¯t really talk about his life, since it held too many dangerous secrets and painful memories, so he did the one thing he could. He listened. After almost an hour, Jenny was done retelling every casual experience she had since she moved to Pinespire. Neither of them wanted to touch on the more painful things, so they didn¡¯t. After she was done, she looked at Aenon with a thoughtful gaze. ¡°You and Lady Agatha. You have some kind of spell to read and affect people¡¯s emotions, don¡¯t you?¡± Jenny asked unexpectedly. ¡°Why do you think so,¡± Aenon asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Because I can feel it when I am around you two. I have felt the calmness when talking to you both, and I have felt the terror when either of you is angry. You both are alike, and yet different. The feeling of being at peace when in her presence is stronger than yours, but the terror you instill is way beyond what I felt when with her,¡± Jenny responded with certainty. For a moment Aenon considered lying to keep his secret. But her situation was like his own. Jenny was the recipient of soul manipulation, the same way that he was affected by the Overseer. And so, he felt she deserved to know. It didn¡¯t matter if they were doing it for her benefit. At the end of the day, it was still manipulation. ¡°Yes. And no,¡± he said. Jenny looked confused so he went on, ¡°It¡¯s not emotions we effect. It¡¯s the soul itself. They call it soul manipulation.¡± Jenny stared at him in shock, not able to respond to that. Her eyes had gone wide while her mouth dropped open. ¡°I am still new to this stuff, so I don¡¯t exactly know how it works. But I can feel people¡¯s emotions and see what their souls look like. But I don¡¯t really know how to manipulate souls like your Lady Agatha. I merely unleash my soul¡¯s presence, which causes people around me to feel intimidated. I do not know how to calm people using my skill,¡± Aenon stated honestly. ¡°How is it any different than my mother¡¯s manipulation all my life? In fact, this sounds even worse,¡± Jenny said in a horrified tone. ¡°You are right, it is much more potent and worse than using words,¡± Aenon stated simply. ¡°How can you be so callous about it? And how am I supposed to trust anyone after knowing that?¡± Jenny said in a hurt tone. Aenon could feel how betrayed she felt after the revelation. ¡°Because it is something neither of us can do anything about. As for how to trust, it is simple. You don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Easy for you to say. You have your weird soul magic and do not have to worry about it. You do not know what it is like to be manipulated by others,¡± she said angrily. She was standing with her fists clenched to her sides. Aenon stared at her with a neutral expression. It would perhaps be easier to explain his life to her, explain how his entire life was nothing but manipulation by others. But he didn¡¯t want to. He had done it once due to the soul chains. But never again would he be so vulnerable before anyone else. So, he decided to give advice based on his own philosophy instead. ¡°Then grow stronger. Far beyond what anyone can control or manipulate,¡± he challenged her. Jenny was taken aback by his words, blinking in confusion. ¡°This new world is more ruthless than our previous one. And if you want to live free, then earn it.¡±Stolen novel; please report. Jenny looked to the ground, lost in thought, as she sat back down. Aenon let her be for a while before standing up and grabbing his mask. He put it on and headed for the door. But before he opened it, he said one last thing, ¡°I cannot promise that I will not use my soul skill on you. But I can promise you one thing. I will let you know If and when I have used it on you. And when possible, I will seek your consent.¡± With that he left the room and headed downstairs. Everyone else was in their rooms, so he headed out towards the courtyard where the world tree was growing. He felt a calming presence as he got closer to the sapling, which had grown to an impressive 5-foot height. It swayed in the wind as Aenon approached, before a childish voice reached him. ¡°Friend. Back.¡± ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Aenon replied with a smile. The courtyard was now covered with soft grass in a wide circle around the happy little plant. Aenon went ahead and lay down next to the sapling, closing his eyes in content. He had not had time to unwind since the day he had landed in these foreign lands, always having to run from one crisis/mission to another. Even now, he could feel the storm clouds gathering on the horizon. This was but the calm before the storm. But for now, he was tired and needed rest. And this place was the most peaceful location he had ever experienced. It didn¡¯t matter if it was the soothing effect of the tree, he just needed this. A cool wind blew across the field of grass as Aenon fell asleep. A peaceful dreamless sleep, one where even his soul sense was turned off. When he woke up next, it was nighttime and not a soul was in the vicinity. The others were still at the mansion. Aenon didn¡¯t get up, just staring skyward at the beautiful expanse of mesmerizing stars and planets. He put both hands behind his head and continued admiring the view. ¡°Friend. Happy? Content?¡± Aenon could feel the question in the words. The tree¡¯s vocabulary was still limited, and it spoke in words instead of sentences. But Aenon could understand it just fine. ¡°More content than I have ever been in my life,¡± he replied. The tree vibrated in happiness at his words, so Aenon asked, ¡°Are you doing this? Making me calm and content?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Aenon asked. Not in anger, but out of curiosity. Before the sapling could reply, he detected another presence in the vicinity. ¡°See. Friend. Soul. Dark. Lifeless. Hidden. Pain.¡± ¡°Thanks for caring, my friend. You don¡¯t have to worry about me though. I will be fine,¡± Aenon responded with a smile. ¡°Are you sure about that,¡± a deep voice spoke from beside him before he was flung back into his soul space. His outer soul space to be exact. He could detect where his inner soul space was, and it was very far. So, he turned to face the intruder casually. ¡°That was rude. I was enjoying my rest,¡± he responded calmly. ¡°Hehehe. I must commend you for being so composed in my presence,¡± the disembodied voice responded. ¡°And being able to detect me so easily.¡± A human appeared in front of him, in a full set of leather armor. His hair was pearl white, and he had a pair of short swords at his hip on either side. He had an intricately crafted headband made of platinum like material. ¡°Hmmm, let me guess. Crown Prince Lightseeker?¡± Aenon asked with indifference. ¡°I¡¯m surprised a backwater hick like you is so well informed,¡± the prince replied with a sneer. He turned around to look, not caring one bit about the soul floating in front of him. ¡°Interesting soul space. All dark and mysterious.¡± Aenon didn¡¯t reply, taking his time to study the prince instead. He could feel the power radiating off him, the confidence. Aenon was sure there wasn¡¯t a shred of fear in the man¡¯s mind that he could snuff out his opponent at any instant. ¡°Took me a long time to track you down. You hid your tracks well, making that monster¡¯s granddaughter kill my brother instead. Almost didn¡¯t detect the vestiges of your soul on the hex that broke on his death,¡± the man said while turning to face him again. ¡°Too bad I don¡¯t get to see your face as I snuff the life out of you.¡± In response, Aenon transformed his soul into the form of his real body. ¡°How about now,¡± he said with a smirk. The man¡¯s smile vanished at the display of control of his soul. Aenon waved his hand, conjuring a table and set of chairs before sitting comfortably, ¡°What kind of host would I be if I didn¡¯t even meet and chat with my guest.¡± The man¡¯s eyes narrowed before he sat down on the opposite chair. Aenon knew this had put the man on guard, but he still radiated nothing but confidence. ¡°You think cheap parlor tricks would impress me, peasant,¡± the prince with a dark smile. ¡°The only reason you are still breathing is because I willed it. Just because I need information. Give it to me, and at least I will extinguish your soul painlessly.¡± ¡°Ugh. Is it a family requirement to rehearse such lines before a mirror?¡± Aenon asked with distaste in his voice. He visibly shivered in disgust. ¡°What?¡± the prince replied in anger while sitting up straight. ¡°See, that is what I mean. Step one, throw in a threat of pain. Step two, laugh maniacally when the threat succeeds. Step three, show surprise and say what if the threat fails. It¡¯s like you rehearse and practice this bit every day,¡± Aenon said in a mocking tone. ¡°Why you¡­ I will inflict more pain than you can possibly imagine.¡± ¡°Aaaaaand repeat,¡± Aenon said with a grin as he leaned back and crossed one leg over another. ¡°What? Forgot your next line?¡± The crown prince seethed in anger, but was speechless. Aenon burst out laughing at the scene, ¡°Really? Did you really forget your lines?¡± The man raised a hand from which chains burst forth towards Aenon. They coiled up his arms and legs before lifting him off the chair and locking him in place above the table. Aenon stopped smiling and stared coldly at the man. ¡°Hmph. What¡¯s the matter? Where is your sense of humor now, peasant¡±, the man mocked while sitting on the chair in the same posture Aenon was sitting in just now. ¡°You think I haven¡¯t seen inner soul spaces like this before. Hah. You miserable cretin, I have tortured thousands upon thousands of hicks like you. You know what they have in common? They all have dark areas in their souls where they bury their pain. Hiding from it, like miserable little grunts they are. Seeing that you have darkened your entire inner soul space, you are probably too weak to face your past.¡± Aenon observed silently as the man started laughing maniacally. ¡°If not for the secrecy warranted to cast this, I would have ended you long ago. It takes a while to cast this hex and requires the blood of a hundred humans to work. Which takes a while to gather undetected. I originally wanted the information, but not anymore. Now I will enjoy your screaming before I go back and sleep like a baby.¡± The man stood up and raised his hand in triumph. He flourished his hand in a complicated gesture with a creepy smile. And¡­ nothing. His smile vanished as he did the action again and again, with the same result. Aenon just looked on with the same cold look as before. With a casual tug, Aenon snapped the chains and floated above the table. The prince stepped back in confusion, ¡°Impossible.¡± Aenon glided down to the man¡¯s level, making him stumble back. He raised one finger, ¡°First mistake, you came into my soul space. Alone and uninvited.¡± He took a step towards the prince and raised a second finger, ¡°Second mistake, you misjudged your opponent. You assumed this is my inner soul space. It is not.¡± The man¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, ¡°Impossible. Even I have not unlocked my outer soul space yet. A country bumpkin like you¡­¡± ¡°Third mistake, and your biggest by far. You assumed I was hiding my pain in the darkness within my soul. Heh. It is not pain that I am concealing.¡± Aenon closed his eyes and felt the tethers floating about in his soul space, calling them to him. He opened his eyes when he felt his call being answered. He smiled viciously before his form faded into the formless darkness. The prince¡¯s eyes widened in horror as he turned every which way to locate him. ¡°It is my wrath.¡± Nine pairs of eyes surrounded the prince from all sides. He shivered and tried to run. But no matter where he turned, there was a pair of grey eyes staring at him. He tried casting something, but he was viciously slashed each time he tried. Only two pairs of eyes stood to the side, observing the scene. Aenon observed in silence, with Bane standing behind his back, as the eight abyssal wolves tore into the prince again and again. They could have ended the fight long ago, but Aenon had specifically asked them to inflict as much pain as humanly possible. And so, they toyed with him like a ragdoll. Making him scream miserably. Only after an hour did they stop. The prince was shredded to bits, but still alive. Aenon walked towards the cowering mess at his feet and stared coldly at his prey. ¡°Yo¡­ you.., will¡­ re¡­ regret this,¡± the man replied in defiance. Aenon picked him by the throat and held him high, ¡°That is your last mistake. You think you will have a second chance.¡± ¡°He¡­ hehe. Miserable runt, I am the crown prince of an empire. You cannot even fathom the resources at my disposal. I have more protection charms, and resurrection tokens than your entire planet combined,¡± the prince responded with a bloody grin. He probably expected Aenon to back down or be uncomfortable. Because he looked surprised when Aenon smiled instead. Aenon felt a ping in his mind as he received a bunch of information. He finally understood what he had done all those months ago. He pulled up a system notification window and made it visible to the prince.
System Notification
Unfettered Title - Skill 1: Attack the true soul of a target, bypassing all System safeguards and measures, including resurrection tokens. Can be cast via any form of link to the target.
The man stared at the window in horror. For the first time during this entire encounter, he truly felt dread. ¡°No. That is impossible. Such a skill can¡¯t exist. The System won¡¯t permit it,¡± he shrieked trying to break free of the death grip. Aenon stared coldly at the struggling man, as his pack stood around them. Aenon squeezed down hard, despite the man¡¯s struggles. As the man¡¯s life started to fade away, he said, ¡°It seems not even the System can constrain me. For I am the Unfettered One.¡± 40. Those That Leave Behind Chapter 40 ¨C Those That Leave Behind Aenon sat in his chair, with his head leaning on his fist and his other hand tapping the arm rest. He had a lot to think about, and a lot to plan. Things had escalated faster than his calculations. The fact that the prince was able to track him, and mount an attack was unsettling. If the death of a minor prince had caused as much chaos as Eskad described, then the death of a crown prince would be catastrophic. If they could track him even though he did not land the killing blow, they would surely be able to track him down now. He had to speed up his plans and prepare more contingencies, and quick. And he needed allies. ¡°Enter,¡± he said loudly when he heard a knock on the door. The residents all filed in and took their seats in haste. They all looked haggard and sleepy. He had called this emergency meeting in the middle of the night after all. Before anyone could enquire what this was about, Aenon tossed an object in the middle of the table. It was the corrupted gemstones that all the treants he killed dropped without fail. The reactions were just as he expected based on how Allie had reacted the first time she saw him with the corrupt ring. All the people in the room, except Jenny, jumped back in disgust and alarm. Elara even had her staff pulled out and pointed at the harmless looking gem. ¡°What is that doing here,¡± she shrieked loudly. ¡°My question exactly,¡± Aenon responded calmly. He quickly deposited it in his inventory to calm everyone down. ¡°I need you to tell me about it. But first, there are some things you all need to know.¡± Everyone sat down reluctantly, eyeing the spot where the gem was with fear. They all turned to him as one, waiting for his explanation. ¡°First off, the reason I am telling you this is because things have proceeded faster than I had hoped and it is beyond my power to contain,¡± he addressed all of them. When he got quizzical looks, he continued, ¡°I am the one who is responsible for the death of Gareomos. The arbiter merely landed the killing blow.¡± Pindrop silence permeated the room at his declaration. The husband-and-wife duo stared at him slack jawed, while the twins were confused but had a broad smile on their faces. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you are blowing smoke up our backside, but if this is true, we owe you one,¡± exclaimed one of the dwarves. Aenon really needed to figure out a way to tell them apart. ¡°And before you ask the how and why¡¯s, it is all related to that gem you all saw,¡± Aenon added before Eskad could get his question in. The smiles vanished from the dwarves¡¯ faces, and they exchanged concerned looks. Even Vincent and Blake opened their mouths to say something but closed them as they couldn¡¯t decide the words. ¡°Respectfully sir, we¡¯ll need more information,¡± Elara finally managed to ask for them all. ¡°Very well. There is a goblin dungeon nearby that I solo cleared a while back. I noticed that all the dwellers were hobgoblins, and the layout was significantly different than usual. At the end of it there was a throne room, where I met this prince of yours. Apparently, he wanted to have some fun at the expense of adventurer¡¯s running the dungeon and had systematically been modifying the dungeon run to kill me. When all else failed, he tried finishing the job himself,¡± Aenon explained. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. The brat might be many things, but brave is not one of them. There is no way he would have come personally if he wasn¡¯t sure of his safety,¡± Eskad said grimly. ¡°There were close to two dozen hobgoblins guarding him and there was a field that blocked all mana wisps,¡± Aenon replied. ¡°Oh,¡± Eskad said before shutting up. His eyebrows shot up when he realized Aenon had managed to take on all those hobgoblins by himself, without magic. Aenon felt a shiver run down everyone¡¯s spine a moment later. They had only seen him as a magic caster after all. ¡°If I may, I still don¡¯t see the connection, sir,¡± Elara asked in a far more respectful tone than ever. ¡°Let¡¯s just say the brat likes to harp. He basically confessed to using forbidden magic. And after I dealt with him, the arbiter came in and ended him. And when I took down a juvenile treant next, this thing dropped,¡± Aenon finished explaining. He hoped that Vincent and Blake didn¡¯t connect the dots to his real identity, but there was not much he could do. He needed the information. Realization crossed their faces as they came to their conclusions. He gave them a moment to process before asking, ¡°So, since you have been in his employ, what do you know about this?¡± ¡°I swear we had nothing to do with this. We never¡­,¡± Eskad started before Aenon cut him off. ¡°I am not pointing fingers here. I know you are not involved directly. But you have spent time there. There must be some small bits you might have heard. Even rumors would be acceptable at this point. We are flying blind otherwise.¡± The adventuring party looked at each other solemnly before Elara spoke up, ¡°Everyone knows a lot of shady things happen in noble houses. But anyone who ever got close to any such information, was killed without exception. So, we kept our heads down and just tried to pay off our dues.¡± Vincent and Blake tensed up and nodded in affirmation. They too probably knew how the noble houses operated. And from what Aenon had gathered so far, he didn¡¯t blame them for their caution. It was pointless poking a wasp nest if there was no need to. ¡°Hmmm. Very well then. As it stands now, all we know is that a noble house from the Solarian Dominion is actively trying to manipulate dungeons on this planet. We don¡¯t know their methods, nor their intentions. Is there any way we can find these things or does anyone here have a clue, no matter how remote of a possibility,¡± Aenon asked while looking around the room. The room was silent as everyone thought about the question. It was no doubt dangerous, but crucial to their survival after all. ¡°Wait a minute. The tokens. That brat wanted the tokens,¡± the dwarf who was quiet till now suddenly jumped up in excitement. But he took one look at Aenon before clearing his throat and sitting down. He continued in a more normal tone after that. ¡°The tokens we gathered are extremely rare and only drop from dungeons with a high casualty rate. It basically allows you to modify a dungeon to favor you. However, the tweaks cannot be something major. Like, you can¡¯t turn a forest dungeon into a water world. But adding some extra lighting, is acceptable.¡± Aenon tapped the armrest as he thought about it, ¡°Hmmm. This partially explains the how. Although we still don¡¯t know how they are making major changes, and that too remotely on a planet that doesn¡¯t permit outside interference. And more crucially, we don¡¯t know the why.¡± ¡°If I may sire,¡± Elara asked. When he nodded for her to go on, she continued, ¡°Newly seeded worlds such as these are prime targets for noble houses. The number of resources and raw talent they can earn is phenomenal. They are always on the lookout for ways to beat the competition and reach the planet first. They even use some rare treasures to send in their scions to these worlds to gather as much power as possible. And these scions are ruthless when it...,¡± she froze mid-sentence before clapping her mouth shut. Aenon saw her exchange a look with Vincent and Blake, whose faces went white with fear. They probably discussed his origins at some point, and the former village leaders must have shared their thoughts on the matter. Venge probably heard them but Aenon hadn¡¯t had the time to talk to her yet. The fire mage and the two men stood up and bowed low, apologizing profusely. But Aenon dismissed them with a wave of his hand.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I do not care about idle gossip. I need your full focus on this,¡± he said firmly. ¡°So, it is about the potential resources and the presence of a scion of Lightseeker house nearby. We may be grossly mistaken, but we do not have anything but conjecture to go on at this point. So, let¡¯s accept it and move on to the last topic of concern. What can we do about it?¡± The trio had sweat running down their forehead when they sat back down. Aenon didn¡¯t really expect betrayal, but he would ask Venge to keep a closer eye, just in case. Everyone was lost in thought when Jenny spoke up for the first time. ¡°Ummm, I don¡¯t know much but¡­ how is this of any concern? That prince died a while ago, and there is no chance of them linking it to you, is there?¡± she asked timidly. ¡°Oh, it is totally our concern because I killed their crown prince an hour ago,¡± Aenon dropped the biggest bomb on them casually. Everyone blinked multiple times, unable to process what he had just said. It was like their minds couldn¡¯t register what they just heard. ¡°YOU WHAT?¡± the berserker stood up with enough force to toss his chair into the wall and shatter it. The sudden noise snapped everyone out of their thoughts as they all jumped in surprise. Everyone but Aenon, who was still seated casually in his seat. He turned to the berserker with a flat look. ¡°Th¡­ there must be mistake. Surely, you jest sire,¡± Elara said with a trembling voice. ¡°We didn¡¯t hear any battle,¡± Blake stated hesitantly. ¡°Because he directly attacked my soul,¡± Aenon responded without taking his eye off Eskad. The big man was paralyzed with shock and fear, which were suppressing his anger to some extent. Aenon could feel all the conflicting emotions running wild in his soul. But he didn¡¯t blame the man. This was probably the expected reaction from someone who just learned they were up against an empire. ¡°You need to tell us everything,¡± he demanded, his anger winning in the end. Aenon calmly looked him in the eye as he responded, ¡°No.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eskad glared. ¡°No. I don¡¯t need to tell you everything. I will tell you what is relevant, and that is that.¡± ¡°So, you expect us to put our lives on the line and protect you from an entire empire? All because you saved us from some low-level monsters. Heh. All you nobles are the same,¡± he stated with hate and fury in his voice. Aenon stared in silence, debating how to respond. On the one hand, he understood where the guy was coming from. He probably needed to think of his own party members, having lost one already in a similar situation. But Aenon had hoped he had at least earned a chance to explain. But looking at the hate and fear in everyone¡¯s eyes, Aenon took a decision. ¡°One copper coin each. That is the price I claim for saving your lives. Pay it and get out. We are even after this,¡± he said while pointing at the door. Before any of them could react, he walked away towards the window, with his back to them. He could sense the shock and embarrassment off everyone present. But he didn¡¯t bother turning around. He heard some coins being placed on the table before everyone walked out one by one. Only Jenny hesitated for a bit, before she too walked out. He tracked them walking to the mansion door, before he turned away from the window and sat at his desk. For the first time since coming to this world, he actively stopped his soul sense. He leaned back and closed his eyes. This was why he never relied on anyone. Without fail, everyone in his life had either left or abandoned him. Either out of greed, or fear, or plain cruelty. He was used to it by now, but it always hurt when it happened. Countless memories of faces he wanted to forget resurfaced unbidden. His aunts and uncles, the social workers, the foster parents, everyone. He was trying to distract his mind when he felt several wet things touch his hands and feet. He opened his eyes to four tiny pairs of tongues licking him all over. The pups were clinging on to him. ¡°We feel your pain, Alpha. And your thoughts. Which is why you need to understand one thing. You are not alone now. And never will be. For wolves never abandon their pack,¡± Aenon heard Bane¡¯s voice. And when he turned towards the room, there were eight abyssal wolves sitting on their haunches. And despite himself, a tear ran down his cheek, which thankfully was covered by his mask. ¡°Tree. Friend. Forever. Too.¡± Aenon chuckled at the childish voice that cut through the solemn mood like butter. He removed his mask and faced the pack. His pack. He walked up to Bane and stood before him. ¡°What if my path led to nothing but death and ruin, with no chance of survival,¡± he asked with a smile. ¡°Then we make it a death the world will remember,¡± he replied with a ferocious glint in his eyes. The huge wolf closed its eyes and rubbed its snout on Aenon¡¯s face. Aenon in turn hugged the wolf. The pups came up to them and started running around in circles around them. After a while, Aenon let go and smiled, ¡°None of our lives are worth more than the other. I will put my life on the line for any one of you, just as easily.¡± ¡°As an Alpha should,¡± Bane replied with a nod of respect. Aenon smiled and walked to the table. He leaned forward to collect the coins but realized that there was one coin short. He was puzzled by it when a voice cut in. ¡°Ummm. Am I allowed to join in?¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Overseer Velcodirust The overseer was in a good mood today. The news he just received was one of the best ones he had received in a long time. The crown prince of the Lightseeker house was finally dead. He was a thorn in his side that he had been trying to eliminate without attracting attention for a long time. He hummed a soft tune as he poured himself a rare and exotic wine that he reserved for such occasions. He filled his cup and sat down by the fireplace in content. He had spent so many resources to collect the crown prince as one of his blades. But the man was protected by so many safeguards that it was nigh impossible, even for someone like him. He had sullenly settled on eliminating the potential threat, but now he didn¡¯t have to lift a finger. All the political strings that wretched house had pulled to project shame on him were for naught. He pulled up an orb which projected a scene before him. A scene of utter chaos with men and women running around in complete confusion. They all wore the insignias of the Solarian Dominion and were trying to get into a building located in a remote forest. But they were being held back by a group of soldiers in much better-looking armor who also held the same crest. ¡°Let us pass. Our crown prince is in there,¡± an official looking man said in a heated tone. ¡°By the authority of the emperor, no one shall set foot in this building till our official investigation is completed,¡± the soldier blocking the way responded with no emotion. The overseer chuckled as the man tried desperately to argue, threaten, and even attempt to bribe the soldier. That last attempt cost the man being thrown to the ground in a heartbeat, before his hands were cuffed. The overseer watched with glee at the latest arrest. He took a big sip as he tapped the orb to change the view to another man. This man looked much older, but his muscled frame was too intimidating for anyone to question his power. He was wearing rich elegant robes and had an intricate crown sitting on his head. Despite the opulent setting, he had an extremely nasty scowl on his face. His fists were clenched as he stared off into the distance from a balcony of a huge palace. A servant stood behind him, trembling in fear. ¡°Did they recover my son¡¯s body?¡± he asked fiercely. ¡°N¡­ n¡­ no¡­ my king,¡± the servant replied in terror. The next instant his body erupted into a bloody plume, as a large fist stuck him. His remains flew across the entire balcony to join the bits and pieces of gore from the previous guy who stood there. The overseer laughed at the display. It had been a long time since he saw his rival being so angry, but helpless. The wine felt especially exquisite when combined with the scene before him. He and this man went way back, when both were nothing but Level zero street urchins. Though they were like brothers once, they had gone their separate ways. It had been so long since their feud started that he no longer remembered what it was about. It was also the reason he was unable to lure his son towards himself. The guy knew all his tricks and abilities. ¡°Let¡¯s see you get out of this one,¡± the Overseer said softly. If not for his spies, he would have missed this golden opportunity. He had placed multiple soul chained peasants all over the fool¡¯s kingdom. And using them he had been whittling down his power from within, like termite. But in a stroke of luck, the poor kid had used one of his thralls for some kind of ritualistic sacrifice. He had been ecstatic when his soul slave was chosen for the ritual. He had set things in motion immediately. Informing the emperor of the Solarian Dominion of the ongoing human sacrifice using remote sources, which could not be traced back to him. He was only hoping for the kid to be caught by the empire, not expecting him to blow his soul up like that. He didn¡¯t understand how it happened since he was not allowed anywhere near the place, but he was sure the foolish runt had somehow messed up the ritual. That was also the conclusion the truth-seekers had reached, and they were just doing the final cleanup before burning the building down. Human ritualistic sacrifice was a taboo in the empire, and the remains were often cremated post haste to prevent any bad karma from leaking out to the surroundings. Which was sad, since the overseer wanted to study the ritual more closely. He wanted to learn what exactly the brat was up to. But oh well, such was life. You win some, you lose some. And this time he won big. ¡°It¡¯s time to set things in motion to completely annihilate you,¡± the Overseer smiled eerily as he sent out thousands of messages to the thralls he controlled. He would finally win the war he had been silently waging for centuries. 41. Those That Stay Behind Chapter 41 ¨C Those That Stay Behind Jenny Jenny stared at the boy''s back as the others started gathering around the table and dropping a copper coin. This felt like d¨¦j¨¤ vu. The mask had covered his face when he made the declaration, but it was the same tone of voice that had been haunting her dreams. ¡°¡­Get out of my house. Do not dare to show me your face again, unless you are willing to accept ¡­¡± He had used similar words back then too. Giving her an ultimatum to make a choice. A choice between doing what was easy, and what was¡­ She was startled by a tap on her shoulders. It was Eskad. Everyone had deposited their coins, and it was her turn. All eyes were on her as she dragged her feet to the table, not taking her eyes off the boy. He just stood there in silence with his hands behind his back. She bumped into the table, stubbing her toe in the process. But she didn¡¯t even register the pain as she saw what was on the table. Six copper coins, just sitting there. She had gone through a large amount of this world¡¯s currency back at her job in Pinespire. Copper, Silver, Gold, and even a platinum at one point. People were diligent in keeping track of money after all. Yet no one had bothered with copper coins, their value was just not worth it. But the six before her held more value than even the platinum one she had handled once. She couldn¡¯t describe the feeling as she retrieved a copper coin from her inventory. She held her fist over the inconspicuous pile but couldn¡¯t bear to drop the coin. She didn¡¯t understand why. Was this more of that soul manipulation that Aenon mentioned. She had been so freaked out when he had revealed to her that she had locked herself in her room for hours. She had felt betrayed, horrified, and unsure of who she truly was. If her feelings could be turned against her, how was she to trust anyone. How could she even trust herself. Conflicting emotions roiled in her chest as she stared long and hard at the coin. 5 grams (0.18 ounces) was all the coin weighed, and yet it was like she was holding a mountain in her hands. And yet, she couldn¡¯t let go. Why? Why did she still trust Lady Agatha after all she knew now? Why did she still feel no fear towards the boy? They too had manipulated her. Just like her mother, like Erwin. And yet, what she felt towards them wasn¡¯t fear or hate. Why? She kept running the question through her minds again and again. Until it finally clicked. The one thing that was different. The one thing these two individuals had given her that others didn¡¯t. Choice. Her mother had always controlled her life. Making her believe what was right for her. On the rare occasion that her views differed, she was subjected to emotional abuse that she had failed to recognize. With Erwin it was even worse. She was essentially his slave, his pet. To make her do as he pleased. But it was not what Lady Agatha did. She isolated Jenny from the world for a while. She let her process her thoughts. But not once did she tell her to do anything. She always left the choice to her. Jenny could have chosen not to speak up against Erwin. And maybe he would have gotten away with everything. But that hearing was as much to heal Jenny as it was to expose Erwin. At first, she assumed her testimony was crucial for Erwin¡¯s downfall. But she later found that Lady Agatha had a lot of evidence prepared. She just chose not to use it. Now she realized why. It was essential that she stood up for herself before her tormentor. And it had done wonders for her confidence. Even the mission to come here was a choice. And in a way, Aenon was just like Lady Agatha. He saved her and tried to help her when he could. Despite her tantrums and mistakes, despite the hate she hurled his way. He gave her a choice. To open her eyes to reality or leave. The same choice that was before her now. The words written in that note echoed in her mind as she held the coin. Cross the bridge to face your future; or turn back towards your past. She knew then what she had to do. What her path in life was. She clenched her fist so tight that the coin cut into her palm. But she just gritted her teeth and made a silent vow to herself, ¡°Never again.¡± She ran out of the room to catch up with the others who had already left. They all stood before the main door, all packed and ready to go. She stopped before them as they all turned at her. Jenny felt a subtle vibration pass through her. Almost like¡­ something was removed from the surrounding air. ¡°Ready to leave?¡± Eskad asked solemnly. The mood was heavy, and no one wanted to prolong this any longer. ¡°I am not leaving,¡± she said confidently, making everyone look at her in shock. ¡°What do you mean¡­¡± Eskad started to ask. ¡°If this is about the incident in the forest, you don¡¯t have to feel guilty towards us. That man is right. It wasn¡¯t your fault, it was mine. I might have overreacted after seeing my party almost getting wiped¡­,¡± Elara explained. ¡°No,¡± Jenny shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not about that. Although I am sorry that my mistake almost cost you all your lives.¡± Jenny gave a deep bow to the adventurers who had always been kind to her. She was too afraid to talk to the party ever since the mess she created and had not apologized to them properly. ¡°I am deeply grateful for all that you have done for me. Both in town, and on this escort quest. I will never forget your kindness, and if I get a chance, I will be sure to repay the favor,¡± she said while continuing to keep her head down. ¡°Oh, lassie. You do not owe us anything. So please, come with us. This path you have chosen, will lead to nothing but death. I have seen men like that before. Stubborn and fearless. Thinking nothing in the world can harm them. They are a dime a dozen in the multiverse. And do you know what they have in common? They all die young. Don¡¯t be a fool and come with us,¡± Boff pleaded. ¡°We too owe that man, twice over. But we cannot just throw away the lives our brother sacrificed himself for,¡± Toff also chimed in. ¡°I must agree with the dwarves,¡± the old man, Vincent, said in a sad tone. ¡°I do not know what your experience has been with the man upstairs, but we both have lived with him longer. And yes, he does have power beyond what we expect. But he would not survive the combined might of two empires. No one can.¡± Her companion nodded silently from the side in agreement. Jenny looked at everyone in turn. They all had the same resigned looks as they stared at her with pleading eyes. She walked past them and stood at the door, staring at the sky overhead.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°And yet, this is the path that I must walk on. The moment I crossed that bridge, the way back was shut for me. Taking even a step back would crumble everything that I am today,¡± Jenny said with a smile as she gazed at the planets beyond. ¡°But that path has nothing but death on it,¡± Eskad said. Jenny stayed quiet for a bit before responding, ¡°Did you know I had arachnophobia back on my old world. I couldn¡¯t even look at a picture of a spider without having a mental breakdown. And yet¡­ I was eaten alive by thousands of spiderlings as I lay trapped in a cocoon. For days I felt their legs all over me, as they nibbled my flesh, one tiny piece at a time. I tried crying out for help, struggled to break free, even prayed for death.¡± She took a deep breath to collect herself. She had never spoken about her ordeal out loud till now. The memory was gut wrenching, even without her phobia. But she needed to keep moving forward. She turned back to face the horrified gazes of everyone. ¡°It was a slow and painful death by my worst fears. So no, death does not faze me anymore. And yes, I will continue down this path, come what may. I have faced a lot to finally find my path. And I cannot abandon it. My path is to keep moving ahead. Towards life, or death. Towards riches, or ruins. Never again will I turn back.¡± Jenny felt something deep inside her crack, like an eggshell. She didn¡¯t know what it was, but she felt a refreshing breeze pass through her body. But she calmed herself and looked at the group before her. Since no one reacted to what she had just experienced, she stayed quiet. ¡°It looks like you have made up your mind. We will not disrespect your resolve any further. I sincerely hope that our paths cross again in the future,¡± Eskad said as he walked up and put his humongous hand on her shoulder. Her knees almost buckled from the impact. The giant really needed to learn his own strength. They all walked past her with some kind and encouraging words, even the two men she hardly knew. She nodded with a smile but said nothing. No more words were needed. They had all made their choice. As they stood before the mansion stairs, she gave one last bow along with a request, ¡°Please do not reveal the existence of this town to anyone. I feel bad about saying this, but not even to Lady Agatha.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will not. I did vow to protect the sapling after all. This is the only way that I know how. I am powerless before the empire, but this I can do,¡± Eskad said sincerely. His party members all nodded in confirmation. Even the two old men did, once Eskad gave them a death stare. With a heavy heart, Jenny saw them all leave. The future was bleak and probably very short lived. But deep down she knew, this was the only way forward for her. And so, when she turned back to the mansion, she had a bright and determined smile on her face. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Somewhere deep in the abyss, far away from any creation, a castle stood by its lonesome. Nothing existed around it. Not space, nor time. And there was just one entity that lived in its halls. A woman with lush blonde hair, and a slim build. Only a handful of people even knew of her existence, for she rarely, if ever, left her dwelling. As she sat on her obsidian throne, an inconceivable number of floating screens drifted around her. But she had eyes for just one of them. A screen that showed an unassuming boy, hugging an abyssal wolf. ¡°Fascinating, is he not?¡± a voice broke the deathly silence as a figure appeared to the side of the throne. Another woman, but with a sickly appearance and viciously long nails. A draugr. ¡°An understatement, if I have ever heard one,¡± the blonde-haired woman replied. She didn¡¯t even bother to turn towards her guest. The two women observed in silence as the scene shifted to another girl in the same building. A cascade of notifications erupted as the red head made a firm vow to never turn back. The blonde-haired woman raised a hand and suppressed the screens before they could be deployed. She even cast a barrier around the girl to prevent others from noticing the effects of her declaration. ¡°Again?¡± the draugr sighed while clutching her forehead. ¡°How many times has this boy caused such incidents. Forcing you to set up a barrier. He¡¯s like a spark amidst a sea of dry tinder.¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s not a spark,¡± the blonde replied with a smile. ¡°He is an inferno.¡± ¡°And aren¡¯t you afraid he will burn everything down?¡± the draugr asked with a concerned look. ¡°Sometimes a forest fire is needed for the truly special seeds to bloom,¡± the lady responded as she continued observing. ¡°What of the behemoths who will quell the fire with water? The kid will not survive the combined might of the entire world. And that is exactly where he is headed,¡± the draugr asked with a raised eyebrow. The blonde lady didn¡¯t respond to that and continued staring at the screen. The draugr got uncomfortable at the silence and finally asked, ¡°Are you going to help him?¡± The lady snapped her fingers, making the screen disappear. She finally turned to look at her companion, who immediately averted her gaze and bowed down on one knee. Which was a smart move, since anyone who dared look into the blonde woman¡¯s eyes in her true form would have lost their minds. Her eye sockets were empty, like the abyss that she resided in. ¡°The only reason I let you linger on, was because the kid liked you. But don¡¯t forget your place,¡± the lady said in a cold voice. ¡°I apologize, my lady,¡± the draugr responded. ¡°I am merely following the subroutines set by you. To safeguard the wellbeing of the boy.¡± The fierce expression on the woman¡¯s face mellowed a bit on hearing that. She nodded in understanding before saying, ¡°I see. Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter anyway. I cannot help him because of the pact. Even the minor barriers I am forced to set up to hide him are costing me dearly. I am not looking forward to when he will name that little tree. It would probably cost me a ton to block that from being detected.¡± ¡°His command of soul spaces and links is truly extraordinary. And that too without any guidance,¡± the draugr stated while continuing to bow down. ¡°Well, we can¡¯t really forget his origins after all,¡± the lady replied before realizing something. The draugr had a confused look on her face. ¡°Forget I said that,¡± the blonde said while pointing a finger at the kneeling draugr. For a few seconds, the woman moved erratically, as though time was rewinding around her. ¡°His command of soul spaces and links is truly extraordinary. And that too without any guidance,¡± the draugr repeated her earlier statement. But this time there was no response from her superior. After a moment of silence, the draugr spoke again, ¡°I really wish he had taken the unique classes. It would have made him exponentially stronger and allowed you to be more directly involved in his growth.¡± ¡°True. But if he had, I would have purged his existence from my mind in a heartbeat,¡± the lady responded seriously. ¡°My lady?¡± the draugr asked in confusion. ¡°I do not need puppets or loyal pets. I value free will above all else. And so does that boy. That is what gives me confidence that he is something special.¡± ¡°But¡­ what about them? Surely you see how they have started to undermine the delicate balance you have been maintaining for so long. They are playing dirty. Why can¡¯t we?¡± the draugr asked with worry in her voice. ¡°Because I am not like them,¡± the lady replied furiously. The draugr shivered in fear as her surroundings distorted chaotically. ¡°My apologies,¡± she managed to reply which calmed the blonde woman down. ¡°You do not have to worry about the petty squabbles. I am confident the boy can handle it.¡± ¡°But it might take centuries for the boy to get strong enough. And there will be countless powers and creatures that can possibly eliminate him. Isn¡¯t that too big a risk?¡± the draugr asked. Despite the sensitive nature and the outbursts, she kept pushing further and further. ¡°If he cannot even handle a few tiny empires and old fogies throwing a tantrum, then he has absolutely no chance to face what comes after. I need him to face it all, and come out on the other side.¡± Before the draugr could ask any more questions, the lady got up off her throne and started walking down the hall. The draugr politely followed without comment. The two walked for a while before they reached the entryway to the castle. The lady stood at the edge, staring out into the expanse that was like a reflection of her eyes. ¡°I have waited eons, my dear. A few more centuries are nothing compared to that,¡± she stretched out her hand and was met with a transparent barrier. But the moment her hand touched, there was a loud impact on the other side. BANG A coiling mass of¡­ something lurked behind the barrier. Angry. Hungry. It kept hitting the barrier at the exact spot where the hand touched it. But it was futile, as the barrier refused to even budge. ¡°Spicy one, aren¡¯t you? We¡¯ll see how ferocious you are,¡± the lady said with a smile. ¡°When the true apex predator comes after you.¡± 42. The Boy and His Woods Chapter 42 ¨C The Boy and His Woods Eskad It had been a grueling couple of days for Eskad and his party. They were once again a member short, had unknowingly got involved with another universal power, and had to hold secrets they had no business knowing. Which was to say there was a lot of political mayhem that was sure to follow their latest venture. Thinking about what came next gave him a headache. So, he had dismissed his party to take a break as soon as they entered the city. They all needed to process the last few days before they dove headfirst into the trainwreck coming their way. As he sat at the breakfast table of the lesser-known inn, he held a tankard of a dark colored mead and took a big sip. It tasted horrible, but the burning sensation as it went down his throat was all that he needed. ¡°That¡¯s enough, dear,¡± a soft voice spoke from his side. It was his lovely wife, the best thing that had ever happened to a brute like him. She had always been the one thing he could count on, the one person who would always support him. Even when he supposedly sold his honor for a measly copper coin. He flinched at the memory and took another swig. The way things had progressed, he had no other choice. For his party¡¯s benefit, no burden was too great. He looked at his other two friends, who also held a tankard of their own. Although they were on their fifth, while he was on his second. It was impressive how much booze the two could guzzle down despite their size. ¡°Hmph. Leave him be,¡± one of them said in a drunken slur. ¡°At this point, it¡­ hic¡­ would be more honorable ¡­ hic¡­ for us to die to this cheap liquor. Hic.¡± ¡°One¡­ hic¡­ bloody copper¡­ hic¡­ That is what we are ¡­ hic¡­ worth,¡± his brother added from the floor. He had fallen off some time ago, with the tankard still in his hand. But he hadn¡¯t spilled a single drop of the liquid and was astonishingly still drinking from his prone position. ¡°Ok, that¡¯s it,¡± Elara said as she withdrew her staff. ¡°Enough moping, you three. I was there too, you know. You think it doesn¡¯t rub me the wrong way, how we had to leave with our tails between our legs? You think it doesn¡¯t grate on my nerves that a level 2 rookie had more guts than us all?¡± She slammed her staff on the ground with enough force to make the table shudder. Sparks were flying off her staff, and Eskad could feel the air around them heat up. Thankfully they had bought the entire inn to get some privacy or there would have been a panicked crowd running for cover at the display. It was rare for his wife to lose her temper, but when she did, she was a tough cookie to crack. ¡°We all know how those damn monsters control everything. They¡¯d do anything to maintain their hegemony. We won''t even be an afterthought if we were to get killed in their political schemes,¡± she eyed them all dangerously. ¡°It took us so long to get out of the clutches of one. And it cost us very dearly. You think we would have survived being indebted to another?¡± Her outburst had sobered the three a bit, and they all sat straighter. Her opinion was not wrong, but she didn¡¯t know the actual reason he had made the decision for his party. He never had a lot of smarts, but his instincts had always been spot on. And they were screaming at him that he had made the right decision. ¡°But Elara¡­,¡± the dwarf who was seated on the ground tried speaking up. ¡°No buts. We all saw that man. His power, his demeanor, it was unnatural. You don¡¯t just poke one of the strongest empires out there and show no fear. Everything about him screams privilege. He may have his own noble house to back him, but we don¡¯t. We get involved with him, and we will be only ones paying the price¡­,¡± Elara ranted on, but Eskad interrupted her. He had hidden this long enough. Now that they were alone, it was time to set the record straight. ¡°He is not.¡± ¡°What?¡± she asked in confusion. ¡°He is not noble born,¡± Eskad said quietly. ¡°What do you mean he is not noble born. Of course he is. You don¡¯t get so cocky otherwise,¡± she rebuffed him with her hands on her hips. ¡°That man¡­,¡± Eskad said while recalling the look in those eyes. ¡°No¡­ that brat is not normal.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean by brat? That was obviously a man. A short man, but a full-grown adult no doubt,¡± Elara said in an uneasy voice. Eskad looked down into his tankard. Its murky depths were reminiscent of the boy¡¯s deep grey eyes. The coldness in them, the deep secrets they withheld, had been entrancing. He would never forget that gaze that bore down on him in the forest. It was like a predator staring down at its prey with indifference. He broke out of the spell when he felt a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Eskad dear, are you alright,¡± Elara asked, her voice laced with concern. He looked into her eyes before sighing. ¡°You all misunderstood why I decided to distance ourselves from him. It¡¯s not because I was afraid of the empire, or those tree huggers. I was¡­ I was afraid of his path. We are not ready to walk on it yet,¡± Eskad said seriously. His wife exchanged looks of confusion with Boff and Toff. He was grateful that he had such a great party. Despite making such a shameful decision to run away, no one had questioned him. ¡°What do you mean? I have seen you mention paths before, but never in detail. What exactly is it?¡± Elara asked when he didn¡¯t continue. ¡°It¡¯s one of the old ways of my people. Before integrating with the System. It is different from classes and titles. More powerful than even the highest tier spells. Because it is rooted in the very soul of a being. Something even the System has trouble comprehending. A path is a way that a person chooses to live. And die. It¡¯s a conviction, a promise to one¡¯s soul. Very few people attain it, but those that do are existences we cannot compare against. Not even the Empire,¡± Eskad said. ¡°Wait, so the lass¡­,¡± the dwarf sitting opposite him stopped midsentence. ¡°She has found it. Her path. There is an old saying from where I am from. It¡¯s better to face a veteran army without a path, than a lonesome inexperienced soldier who has one,¡± Eskad said solemnly. ¡°So, how do you get one?¡± his wife asked curiously. ¡°You don¡¯t. It¡¯s not something that you seek out. It¡¯s something you achieve by understanding yourself. Truly understanding yourself. By knowing what it is you seek in life. For the girl, it was the decision to keep moving forward. She understood her weakness and took a stand. To advance, to forge ahead. That is her path. And now her way back is forever shut.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s just suicide,¡± Elara said in exasperation. ¡°Paths are a double-edged sword. They are impossibly difficult to find, and give you power unlike any other. But once you set foot on it, you have no other choice but to keep walking or perish,¡± Eskad said before emptying his tankard. ¡°It''s so cosmically rare, that apparently the System grants you a Title for it. And every path has a different Title associated with it.¡± ¡°So, what do you think is the ¡­ boy¡¯s path? Are you sure it¡¯s a boy and not a man? And that he is not a noble,¡± Elara asked. ¡°When have my instinct¡¯s ever been wrong? Not a noble and a young fella, but wiser beyond his years,¡± Eskad replied sadly. ¡°As for his path¡­ no clue. But I could feel it in my bones. It¡¯s not an easy one, which means the power he wields will not be ordinary either. And the further he goes down, the stronger he will get.¡± ¡°But then why leave like that? We could have explained it to him. Why the humiliation of handing over 4 copper coins in return for our lives?¡± the dwarf who was on the ground asked with some heat in his voice. ¡°You really think I value my party¡¯s life that cheaply?¡± Eskad asked with a smirk. Everyone¡¯s eyes went wide at the implication. ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­ you gave him the tokens? How many?¡± Elara was the first to speak up. ¡°All 4 of them,¡± Eskad replied, his smile getting wider and wider. ¡°The brat¡¯s gonna need it. We earned it at great cost, and there was nothing else more valuable on me. Thought it was most fitting.¡± The dwarves started grinning before breaking out into loud guffaws. ¡°You sly old brute. Never should have doubted ya. This stinky muck has suddenly started to taste divine.¡± ¡°I needed to make sure the two guys with us didn¡¯t get a whiff of what I was up to. We didn¡¯t really have time to plan and discuss our next move. My reputation will probably take a hit if those two blab what they know, but it is a risk I am willing to take. They are probably smart enough not to disclose about the village and the tree but might sell any information about my conduct to gain political favor,¡± Eskad explained his reasoning in more detail. It all made sense to his party members, who had different reactions to the reveal. The dwarves started celebrating, ordering 5 more tankards each. Elara on the other hand glared at him, promising deadly consequences for his trickery. She folded her arms and turned away from him without saying another word. Eskad knew he would probably be sleeping on the floor for the foreseeable future. But he sighed in contentment. His gut told him he had done the right thing. He knew of the dangers ahead and had to steer his party in the right direction. They each needed to find their own path, to get stronger. So that the next time they met, they could stand next to the boy. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Aenon Aenon lay in bed, casually flicking the copper coin in his hands before catching it. Things had turned out differently than what he had expected. First, Jenny was the one person who came back. And as though that shock wasn¡¯t enough, he found that 4 of the coins on the table were tokens, and not currency. His identify skill had removed any doubts about who these came from.
Item Name: Dungeon Modification Token Item Type: Single Use Consumable Item Rarity: Mythic Item Description: A token granted by the System on completion of extremely difficult dungeons. Effects: Modify a minor feature of a dungeon to boost your chances of success. Token will not be consumed if request cannot be completed.
His faith in the people around him was restored a bit. There were some good people in this world after all. He knew how important these tokens were for the berserker¡¯s party. And yet, he had given all 4 of them so easily. The only thing that he couldn¡¯t figure out was why. Unfortunately, the man was not here, and Aenon didn¡¯t want to guess the man¡¯s intentions. He kept tossing the token, while finally getting to the notification review, he had been postponing for so long.
Title achieved: ArchivistThe story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Title achieved: Soul Warden Titles combined: Soul Forge into Soul Warden (2) Title upgraded: Soul Warden (3) Title achieved: Wraithblade Title Skill Obtained: Unfettered Skill 2
Archivist: Obtain ancient knowledge on spell forms and mana structures. Allows the caster to freely manipulate spell forms, granting the ability to overwrite existing ones. +50 all stats
Soul Warden 1/2/3: Make a pact with another soul, boosting each other¡¯s strengths. This title will disappear if the pact is broken. Ignite the dormant soul space of a near sapient creature and form a pact with another. Enhances the user¡¯s soul sense. Lay the fragments of tortured souls to rest, not expecting anything in return. There is no reward for this, but I am granting you one. Further enhances your soul sense to detect those who have used souls for boosting their strength. +40 all stats/+120 all stats
Wraithblade: Fight off someone who has invaded your soul space, utterly destroying them in the process. There is a reason you don¡¯t attack a dragon¡¯s soul. +50 all stats
Unfettered Skill 2: Assist others who are on the verge in finding their path. Caution: Be careful who you use this on, my little predator. Stat points already consolidated into evolution. Can not obtain more.
Aenon wasn¡¯t surprised by the first two titles. They seemed to be the direct influence of his connection to the world tree. He could still feel the mountain of information etched onto his mind. It would probably take him decades, or even centuries, to understand it all. The stat points were decent, but the additional boost to his soul sense was something he looked forward to. He wondered about the last line though. Was the System playing favorites with him? Although it was not much of a reward for ordinary players, for him it was crucial. He was up against many who used soul manipulation after all. The third Title, Wraithblade, was interesting. He probably got it for killing the crown prince, and again the stat gains were okay. But the last line again felt like a clue. Did it mean his soul was as strong as a dragon¡¯s? Or was it a warning not to try a soul attack on a dragon? Either way, it was something to consider. The most intriguing notification of them all was the second skill for his unfettered title. He had absolutely no idea why he got it. Not to mention, he had no clue what it meant. Finding a path? Did that imply helping someone find their way in a literal sense? The warning that came with it was even more concerning. Since he didn¡¯t know what the skill did. What if he triggered it by accident if he pointed someone in the right direction on the road. So many questions, but no answers. He sighed and reviewed his stat sheet, since his level had gone up significantly since last time.
Name Aenon Fenrast (13 yrs)
Race Ascended Human (F) Level 25
Class Void Stalker Level 20
Subclass Abyssal Warden Level 30
HP 18331 MP 21611
HP/min 366 MP/min 470
Stats
Strength 1833 Intelligence 2161
Constitution 1832 Willpower 2349
Dexterity 1837 Perception 1919
Titles (455 x 6 = 2731)
Rebirth +1344 all stats Skills/Effects: (1) Detect and resist the effects of soul attacks and spells. (2) Double the available Skill slots per evolution level (3) Ability to fake Titles, stats, and levels. This effect cannot be bypassed even by Overseers. (4) Can bypass certain System restrictions. (5) Unfettered: Skill 1: Attack the true soul of a target, bypassing all System safeguards and measures, including resurrection tokens. Can be cast via any form of link to the target Skill 2: Assist others who are on the verge in finding their path. Caution: Be careful who you use this on, my little predator. (6) Stat Point multiplier: 2
Alpha +50 all stats, +30% physical stats in presence of your pack
Soul Warden (3) +120 all stats
Bulwark +5 all stats
Speed Runner +10 all stats
Hoarder +5 all stats
Landlord +20 all stats
Planetary Forerunner +30 all stats
Ancient Killer +20 all stats
Untouchable +30 all stats
Spirit Walker +20 all stats
Archivist +50 all stats
Wraithblade +50 all stats
Prodigious Mage 10% more stats from titles
(Really) Late Bloomer 1% more stats from titles
Nature¡¯s Attendant +200 all stats when within 50 meters of the sapling
Skills (Free SP: 120)
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps) Savant
Stealth (Woods, Urban) Savant
Tracking (Woods) Expert
Mana Manipulation Master
Spells
Earth Manipulation (Intermediate) - 200 Water Manipulation (Minor) ¨C 200 Air Manipulation (Minor) ¨C 200 Fire Manipulation (Basic) ¨C 200 Illusion (Intermediate) - 120 Feather Foot (Intermediate) ¨C 400 Gravity Well (Basic) ¨C 400 Barrier ¨C Physical (Minor) - 200 Barrier ¨C Magical (Basic) - 200 Overcharge (Minor) - 1000 Blooming Earth ¨C 1200 Ice Lance Gravity Bomb
The first thing he noticed was that he had gained a ton of levels. He was a quarter of his way to level 100, which would be his second evolution. Unfortunately, he still didn¡¯t know what the qualification for different evolution grades were. Going by the ones for humans he was still at B-grade. He was not sure how to gain more titles, and how to do it before he reached level 100. He added that to the ever-growing list of worries. At least he was happy that his mana manipulation skill had upgraded to master rank now and he had gained more SP for helping the souls rest in peace. He was sure it would assist him greatly in enhancing his spells further. He had a broad smile on his face as he dismissed his notifications and stood up from his bed. Venge and the pups were snoozing in a corner of the room, on a bunch of cushions he had salvaged. He smiled at the sleeping troublemakers and made his way for the shower. He spent a long time in the shower, just decompressing his stress and preparing for what came next. He had a rough plan in his mind that he intended to implement and modify along the way. After his bath, he quickly got dressed and headed for the kitchen to join Jenny. ¡°Good morning,¡± she said when he entered the room. ¡°Morning,¡± he replied before grabbing a couple of sandwiches and scarfing them down along with some grape juice. Luckily Vincent and Blake had left the kitchen well stocked before they left. They ate what they could and stored the rest in their inventories. After they had breakfast in silence, they left the mansion and headed for the training hall. Aenon went and retrieved a crystal from storage and placed it before Jenny, who looked at it hesitantly. ¡°Are you sure it is ok for me to use it? This kind of stuff is extremely expensive back in Pinespire,¡± she said in a low voice. ¡°Perks of owning a village. It''s not like anyone else is using it,¡± Aenon replied with a shrug. It was the class crystal. She had mentioned her plans to gain a new set of classes since Erwin had pretty much forced her to pick up her original ones. Novice Healer and Novice Mage were not a bad combo, but they were both basic classes and Jenny wanted something different. Chances of her getting anything better than Rare classes were minimal, but even Uncommon would be better than what she had. Luckily, she had gained only two levels each in either class, so she didn¡¯t have to worry about losing too much progress. She closed her eyes and touched the crystal, and Aenon got to see the process as an outside observer for the first time. He had warned her about not trying to touch the walls of her soul space, just in case. She opened her eyes with a bright smile and turned to him. ¡°Got what you were looking for?¡± Aenon asked while casting identify. This was the one thing with identify that Aenon noticed. It never gave the exact class name, only the closest thing it was related to. And only the stronger of the two classes. Even though Jenny¡¯s nameplate said Mage, she could very well be an archmage or some other rare caster class. ¡°Oh yes,¡± she replied jubilantly but didn¡¯t elaborate. So Aenon let it go, she was entitled to her own secrets after all. ¡°Well then, chop chop. We have a busy day ahead,¡± he stated before abruptly turning and marching on. They walked at a brisk pace and stopped before the world tree. All the wolves were gathered around as well. The sapling had grown to an impressive 7 feet height and had a decent 10 cm (4 in) thick trunk. ¡°Friend. Leaving?¡± ¡°Only temporarily. I have a huge target on my back. Can¡¯t risk implicating you. Our best weapon right now is anonymity. So, I must go to level up and finish the domain quest,¡± Aenon replied with a heavy heart. ¡°Tree. Wait. For. Friend.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my friend. I am not leaving you unprotected. I will conceal your presence before leaving,¡± Aenon said to reassure the tree. ¡°How?¡± Aenon looked at the abyssal wolves and then back at the tree, ¡°I am going to try something. When I named the wolves, it linked us somehow. And they gained the properties of my soul, which is like the abyss. Its main property is to conceal, so I am hoping by naming you I can impart you the same property.¡± Aenon said the last statement mentally. He didn¡¯t want Jenny to know what he was doing. He could very easily say it was one of his spells. ¡°Tree. Get. Name?¡± ¡°Yes, my friend,¡± Aenon replied with a smile. He took a step forward towards the tree and placed a hand on it. ¡°You are the protector of Reality¡¯s Edge, a being born to harness the light, but who conceals in shadows and mists. You shall be called Nocthrya.¡± The moment Aenon finished speaking, tendrils erupted around him and shot out in all directions. The biggest one attached itself to the world tree while the others spread out like a spiderweb and tore down everything in their path. All the abandoned buildings crumbled as vines grew at an accelerated rate all over. Jenny was thankfully placed in a protective shell of vines, which completely blocked her sight from what was happening around them. Towering trees sprouted within minutes all over the village limits, making even the defensive walls collapse in the process. A thick mist started emanating from the leaves, and the entire area was blanketed in a dense fog. Aenon felt a gentle tug from the tree, demanding something from his inventory. He withdrew the gemstones he had obtained from the treants, which were seized by a bunch of vines which broke them apart easily. For a second Aenon was concerned the corruption would affect the tree, but he felt the corruption being devoured like it was nothing more than a tasty snack. The space around him distorted as he saw strange sights that made no sense. Aenon knew instinctively that anyone entering the village limits would wander within it forever, unless him or Nocthrya wanted them to find a way out. After a full hour, the changes were complete and Aenon found himself back in familiar surroundings. A forest of lush greenery on all sides, the mist and the space spell not affecting him at all. He smiled as it reminded him of the forest back home. In fact, the resemblance was uncanny as he was now standing in front of a campfire exactly like the one before the integration. ¡°Did you pull this image from my memories?¡±, Aenon asked with a smile. ¡°Yes. Want my friend to feel at home.¡± Aenon raised an eyebrow at the last statement. Not only was the voice more mature, but this was the first time the tree used a full sentence. ¡°Thank you,¡± Aenon responded as he touched the tree. ¡°I will be back, far stronger than before. So, I can protect you myself.¡± ¡°I will wait. I will grow. This is your home. These are your woods.¡± 2.1. Cornered Prey Chapter 1 ¨C Cornered Prey Bright rays of sunlight pierced through the veil of green as a pair of humans walked across the jungle. The red-haired girl was wearing some form fitting leather armor and was equipped with a short sword and a buckler. Her hair was neatly tied in a braid, and she had a serious look on her face. She jumped at every squeak and creak as they moved along. Her companion in contrast walked with a calm grace and had absolutely no reaction to his surroundings. Almost as though this was a leisurely walk in the park. ¡°How can you be so calm? My nerves are on the verge of fraying,¡± the woman squeaked in a whisper. ¡°Well, your nerves wouldn¡¯t be in a mess if you learned to calm down,¡± the boy replied in a much louder voice that made the woman jump in alarm. ¡°Shhhh. We talked about this before we started, Aenon. This is giant spider territory.¡± she spoke in a much quieter but urgent tone. ¡°I know Jenny. There are three of them stalking us right now,¡± Aenon replied in the same lackluster tone. But his latest remark made the poor girl jump and started looking around in a panic. ¡°What? Where?¡± she shrieked with her sword drawn and swinging wildly around her. The boy took a step back but stood his ground. ¡°What are we even doing here?¡± ¡°Addressing the root causes of your issues,¡± Aenon replied with his hands held behind his back. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Jenny responded while still looking around wildly. ¡°Look at me,¡± he said calmly. When Jenny finally looked at him with fear clearly etched across her face he continued, ¡°Do you see me panicking?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you are a monster. These spiders are no threat to you. Unlike me, a level zero,¡± she said in a heated tone. Her gaze still occasionally wandered, trying to find the alleged stalkers. ¡°I walked these woods as a level zero, before I even got my classes. And I was alone,¡± he replied. That got her attention, as she looked at him slack jawed. ¡°Wha¡­ How is that possible? And why?¡± she asked in disbelief. ¡°Not important. What is important is the current situation. Why do you think we are here?¡± he asked. ¡°No¡­,¡± her voice got stuck in her throat as her face paled. ¡°You are going to leave me here, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That right there, is the first issue we need to fix. Your lack of trust in me. I know what Erwin did to you was bad, but I need you to know that I will never do that,¡± he said calmly. It took a while for her to stop shivering as she recalled some painful memories. ¡°So¡­ what do you need me to do?¡± she asked hesitantly. ¡°That is the second thing you need to fix. You need to let go of your fears and calm down,¡± he instructed. ¡°But¡­ how? You just said there are giant spiders nearby. Spiders, that you know very well ate me alive. How am I not supposed to fear them?¡± ¡°I never said not to fear them. I said let go of your fears,¡± Aenon said. When she looked at him in confusion he went on, ¡°Tell me this, If I wasn¡¯t here and you had to face them alone, what would you do?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­,¡± she tried and failed to say anything. ¡°Exactly my point. You are so wound up with fear that your mind is shutting down. Fear is a good thing. It keeps you on your toes. But if you don¡¯t learn to control it, it will paralyze you.¡± ¡°But what am I supposed to do against overwhelming odds?¡± she asked in desperation. For the first time, Aenon showed some emotion on his face. He smiled weakly and turned to the sky, reminiscing about his past. ¡°Overwhelming odds, you say? Is it more overwhelming than being wanted by an entire Empire? Or a planet full of soul-eating elves who want to destroy you? Or the hungry attention of an existence so strong, that you can¡¯t comprehend their level?¡± Aenon asked while turning towards Jenny. After a long and confused look she finally responded. ¡°How do you do it? How do you move on like it''s of little consequence?¡± Jenny asked with an inquisitive stare. Aenon could feel her soul calming down, the turbulent emotions simmering down. ¡°I do it because I have no choice. I move on because there is nothing else I can do. And I do not care about the consequences, as long as I stay true to myself. If I was to meet my miserable end tomorrow, I would gladly go down knowing that I did all I could. No one can take that satisfaction away from me.¡± Aenon stayed silent after saying his piece. He could sense resolve bubbling to the forefront of Jenny¡¯s soul. She had stopped looking around nervously and was no longer a nervous wreck. Aenon smiled at the determined look on her face. He knew what emotions she was feeling, but not the exact thoughts. But he didn¡¯t need to. The look on her face conveyed it all. ¡°You asked what I would do if you were not here. I would kill the damned things. Or go down fighting,¡± she finally said with utter certainty. ¡°Heh. Good answer,¡± Aenon replied with a smirk. ¡°But words are cheap. Let¡¯s see your resolve, shall we?¡± Aenon stepped back into one of the shadows, activating his cloak¡¯s ability and dissolving into the shadow like a ghost. Aenon felt Jenny¡¯s nervousness peak as she gripped her sword and shield in a defensive posture. She turned around again to take in her surroundings, but in a much more cautious fashion. Her posture was amateurish, but she was determined, nonetheless. She stepped over stray branches as she moved around the trees, constantly looking out for movement. Aenon saw her brush past an imperceptible web strand, which alerted the spider that its prey was heading for it. But Aenon continued observing, for he knew she had to do this by herself. She surprised him by turning back to look at the strand that Aenon assumed she didn¡¯t notice. She stepped back and carefully touched it with her finger, plucking it like a guitar string. Aenon sensed mana gathering in her eyes as she started looking over the entire area, accurately pinpointing the location of all the subtle webs the spider had laid out. If Aenon¡¯s guess was correct, this was a class ability of hers. She immediately started moving away from the trap she was heading towards. Aenon smiled in appreciation as he sensed the spider getting agitated. Its carefully laid out trap had just been rendered moot. And so, it stealthily moved to set up another ambush. It weaved its web in Jenny¡¯s path in absolute silence, but once again she stepped around it. Aenon watched in fascination as this kept repeating five more times, with Jenny outsmarting the thing hunting her, making the spider more and more agitated. From within the shadow he was in, he cast identify on it. Getting frustrated, the spider queen moved far closer than before. But Aenon sensed something shift in the spider queen¡¯s demeanor as it did. It shrieked in anger and jumped out of it perch right in front of Jenny. It was almost as if it had recognized her and was angry at being duped again and again. Aenon felt Jenny freeze up, and in a battle with such a level difference, it would have been a death sentence for her. But something truly extraordinary happened that even Aenon didn¡¯t expect. The spider queen spoke.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Welcome back my little food bag,¡± it hissed eerily. ¡°My babies missed you.¡± Aenon could clearly feel the raw fear coursing through Jenny. She was absolutely paralyzed with fear. But the spider didn¡¯t attack, deciding to taunt her further. ¡°I was beginning to get so frustrated imagining who had strayed into my territory. Who was it that was avoiding my carefully laid out traps. Turns out it was my favorite prey. Aaaaah. The screams, the screams. How I miss those, as your flesh nourished my brood,¡± the spider hissed on. It stepped in circles around Jenny, who was still not moving. The queen started spinning webs in a 4.5-meter (15 feet) wide circle around her, cutting off any escape routes. Yet, Aenon didn¡¯t step in to save her, observing in silence. ¡°Ooooh what fresh entertainment will you provide me this time. You survived for three full days the last time since I laid my eggs in your arm. Maybe I will lay my eggs in your ears this time. Yessss. That sounds delightful, don¡¯t you think,¡± the spider queen hissed happily. ¡°You are after all prey, born to entertain predators like me.¡± At that last statement, Aenon felt something snap within her. It was like all emotions suddenly ceased within her and he couldn¡¯t sense a single emotion from her. Jenny turned to face the spider queen. ¡°What did you just say?¡± she said with narrowed eyes. And then Aenon felt it. An avalanche of raw mana gathering in her hands, which eventually flowed into the sword she was wielding. She turned to face the spider queen, a cold look on her face. ¡°Ooooh. I love it when my prey fights back. It makes it so¡­¡± the spider queen started taunting before her words were replaced with cries of anguish. ¡°Aaaaaaaaargh.¡± Two of its legs fell to the ground, severed right at their base. The sword in Jenny¡¯s hand was glowing white. Aenon had seen clearly, as Jenny swung her blade and shot some kind of compressed mana projectile. It covered the 3-meter (10 feet) distance between the two in an instant and had chopped off the legs like they were made of butter. ¡°Youuuuuu. You will pay for this. I will not lay eggs on you. I will feast on your flesh myself. Keeping you alive much longer than before,¡± the spider queen shrieked. Aenon saw Jenny panting in exhaustion. She had probably spent her entire mana pool in that one attack. He saw her try to get into a defensive posture but was too tired to raise her hands. The spider queen flicked away her shield with ease before ramming her to the ground. It stabbed into Jenny¡¯s shoulder, eliciting a bone chilling cry from her. ¡°Kyaaaaaaa.¡± Jenny retaliated by swinging her sword blindly and landing a lucky slash across the eyes of the creature. Four of its eyes tore open and a viscous ichor sprayed all over the place. The spider stumbled back in agony, trying to shake off the green liquid that was flowing out of her injured eyes and into the good ones. It was momentarily unable to see and was falling all over the place. Jenny barely managed to stand, clutching her injured shoulder with a deep scowl. She eyed the spider warily before looking down at the sword on the ground. She let go of her wound and picked it up with trembling hands. Aenon felt fury and anger bubbling within her soul as she gripped the sword with both hands and charged in screaming. The spider reacted to the scream but was a second too late as Jenny struck one of its legs. Unfortunately, the sword just bounced off harmlessly, costing Jenny another stab wound to her thigh. The spider slammed her back with all the force it could muster, making her fly back and collapse on the ground. But she got up again and continued her wild charge. This time she aimed at one of the joints and successfully managed to chop off another leg but got a severe gash to her torso in return. The spider, perhaps sensing its growing wounds, decided to close in and eliminate the threat quickly. It cornered Jenny into a corner and rose to its full height. ¡°Prey shouldn¡¯t try to defy their lot in life. You are nothing but entertainment for¡­,¡± the spider¡¯s voice cut out as a sword pierced through its throat. Jenny had tossed the sword as a last-ditch effort, and it had stuck true. The spider stepped back in a rush, trying to gain some distance between them. But Jenny just stood there, too exhausted to move. But she stared in defiance at her tormenter, even as she started bleeding out. She took two unstable steps towards the spider before saying. ¡°I am no one¡¯s plaything.¡± She collapsed soon after, and Aenon felt her lose consciousness. Thankfully, the spider queen was too injured to retaliate, and it too collapsed in a heap. But it stared with hate-filled eyes towards Jenny before shrieking loudly. It was a call to its children, who had been silently spectating the battle from the shadows. It was going to perish soon and wanted its children to finish the job. But contrary to her expectations, none of her children stepped forth. In their place, a bipedal form emerged from one of the shadows and approached the unconscious girl. Aenon kneeled before Jenny to make sure she was ok, but did not interact with her. Satisfied that she would live, he quietly stepped back. He turned to the spider with a dismissive gaze. ¡°Guess you forgot. Cornered prey is the most dangerous thing for a predator. You should have stuck with ambushes instead,¡± he stated with a finality as the life faded from the spider queen¡¯s eyes. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Jenny A warm feeling on her face is what woke up Jenny. She opened her eyes but shut them instantly as a blinding light pierced her eyes. She turned away and blinked in confusion. As her eyes refocused, she noticed she was lying on a soft patch of grass by a campfire. She looked around groggily before her eyes landed on the enormous form of a spider. Her adrenaline shot up as she stumbled back, trying to find her sword. She found it by her side and immediately aimed it at the monstrosity before her. But it didn¡¯t move. Instead Aenon¡¯s voice spoke up from behind her. ¡°Good instincts,¡± Aenon said while calmly sitting with his back to an earthen wall he must have created. He continued when Jenny didn¡¯t respond in confusion, ¡°Going for your sword. Its things like that which will keep you alive.¡± ¡°What¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± Jenny asked as she lowered her sword and looked around her. They were in the center of the wall of webs the spider had spun around her. And the only ones still alive were her and Aenon. The spider, she realized was dead. ¡°Well, you took a nasty beating, and I reckoned you might need a nap. So, I set up camp right here. It is quite protected from the outside thanks to the webs. I even made some spider soup, want some?¡± he asked while putting forth a metal bowl filled with some dark green liquid in it. Jenny held in the urge to barf as she turned away with a hand on her mouth, ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°Suit yourself. It isn¡¯t chicken, but does ok in a pinch,¡± Aenon responded nonchalantly as he gulped down the liquid. A tiny trickle escaped his lips and flowed down his chin, which made Jenny turn around and finally empty the contents of her stomach. ¡°How can you¡­,¡± she started saying before holding herself back. ¡°Never mind that. What the hell? You didn¡¯t tell me that I was up against the fricking spider queen. I couldn¡¯t even see its level.¡± ¡°Meh. You did ok I think,¡± Aenon said calmly. ¡°The point of this exercise was multi-faceted from the start. One, you had to learn to harness your fear. Second, you needed to start believing in yourself. Thirdly, I needed you to understand that I will not abandon you.¡± ¡°But you did abandon me. I was left to fend off against a monster that nearly killed me,¡± Jenny interrupted him before he could raise his next point. She was hurt and confused by his actions. The boy went silent for a moment, before pointing his hand at the fire. Some of the flames erupted and flared outwards towards the webs around them. The webs caught fire easily and burned out within seconds. What she saw made her blood run cold. There were hundreds of spider corpses all around them. None were bigger than the queen, but they were enormous, nonetheless. She couldn¡¯t even imagine going up against an army of this size all by herself. She turned to look at Aenon, who just stared back with a blank stare, like it was of no consequence at all. ¡°I am very careful with my words Jenny. When I say something, I mean it, and stick to it like it¡¯s the law. I had your back every second of the way. But I needed you to push through for what I felt was an important step for you. You needed to prove yourself, not to me; to yourself. I am not the type to hold hands and make you cross the road. I am just here to nudge you along. So that one day, you can stand by yourself. Check your notifications,¡± he said cryptically Jenny thought to ask more questions but decided to heed his words for now. Apart from a bunch of level up notification, there was an additional exclamation mark flashing in the corner of her vision. When she pulled it up, her jaw dropped.
Title achieved: First Blood (S) Title achieved: Underdog
First Blood (S): Assessment of first kill difficulty found to be extreme. Granting S rank +20% to all stat gains from Titles
Underdog: Defeat a foe more than 20 levels above you +20 all stats
Her eyes widened in surprise as she felt a rush of energy course through her body. She had heard of this feeling from other adventurers, but never had she imagined she would be feeling it herself. She looked at Aenon with her mouth hanging open, unable to decide what to feel. ¡°You¡­ you¡­,¡± she stammered on. In response the strange kid just smiled and lay down on the grass. ¡°Your turn to stand guard. Wake me if something dangerous approaches,¡± he said before turning over to his side and dozing off. Jenny looked between the notification and the boy multiple times. She was flabbergasted at how things were progressing. But one thing she knew for sure, she had chosen the right path. 2.2. Babysitter Chapter 2 ¨C Babysitter Aenon Aenon awoke refreshed after his nap, when the smell of burnt meat reached him. He looked over towards the campfire and noticed acrid black smoke rising from it. Jenny was next to the fire, having a coughing fit and trying to fan away the smoke. Aenon sighed internally at the scene. There was a long way to go before the woman could survive by herself, but at least she was trying. He still wasn¡¯t sure why he let her tag along. Maybe it was the deep desire for some human company, or the lost puppy look in her eyes. Whatever it was, he wanted to make sure she had the basic skills needed to live in this new reality. Not to mention, he needed to experiment with his second Unfettered skill. He was still not sure what a path was, but he felt a little resonance yesterday right before she collapsed. Her last words even had faint hints of a soul presence in them. Which was odd to say the least, but he was sure he had somehow triggered it. He needed to study her more closely to figure it out, and he didn¡¯t see the harm in making her stronger in the process. He wasn¡¯t sure when their pathways would diverge, but until then¡­ ¡°Cough¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­,¡± Jenny stepped away from the fire with watering eyes, a piece of charcoaled meat in her hands. She was surprisingly able to hold the sizzling hot chunk with ease, and upon closer inspection Aenon realized how. She had concentrated mana in her hands and was using it to insulate the heat, kind of like mana mittens. ¡°I am assuming that is breakfast?¡± Aenon asked dryly while pointing at the black mass in her hand. She jumped in surprise before looking embarrassed and turning away from him, ¡°Umm, was supposed to be.¡± Aenon grabbed the meat from her and looked closer. The outer layer was completely inedible, but the inner layers might still be salvageable. So, he grabbed his knife and started peeling the thick dark crust. It was extremely dry on the inside, but he started eating it with big gulps of water to wash it down. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t have to eat that,¡± she said in hurry, but Aenon waved her off. ¡°Survival 101, waste not, want not. If it is safe to eat, you choke it down,¡± he said while cutting it in half and tossing her a piece. ¡°Things like the spider soup from yesterday might take some getting used to, but things like this you will need to eat.¡± She stared at the dried husk with distaste, but eventually started eating it. She gagged a few times but managed to swallow it in the end. Aenon gave an approving nod before refocusing on his own meal. They both ate in silence, not the least bit interested in talking. When they were done, Aenon stood up and started doing some stretches. ¡°Now, tell me about your classes,¡± he said while bending forward and touching his nose onto his knees. When he got up, Jenny was staring at him with unease. ¡°I know it¡¯s considered social taboo to share your class specifics, so you don¡¯t need to tell me the detailed description, just the overview. I need to understand your fighting style. Your fight yesterday was atrocious, and if not for some lucky hits I would have had to step in. I have seen drunk monkeys with more grace.¡± He could sense embarrassment and anger rising within her soul, but she squashed it down successfully before explaining her classes. ¡°My first class is a melee/hybrid based frontliner. It gives a boost to my CON stat under certain conditions and gives me the ability for mid-range attacks using compressed mana projectiles.¡± ¡°I saw you use that attack, although you seemed to have drained your entire mana pool with that. Which means the attack is more of a means to close the distance or end the fight if an enemy is fleeing,¡± Aenon said while nodding. ¡°What are the primary stats you gain per level?¡± ¡°Ummm, STR and CON, with more emphasis on CON,¡± she replied. ¡°Hmmm, so your typical tank class then, which is good. What about your other class?¡± ¡°It is a ranged/magical class that specializes in scouting. Gives me equal WIL and PER for every level,¡± she replied without hesitation this time. ¡°Oh. That must be the one that let you track the spiderwebs using mana sight,¡± Aenon said. It was a good build and told him a lot about her. She had focused heavily on survival, the second class allowing her to detect traps, while the primary class allowed her to push through any engagements. ¡°Wait, how do you know about my mana sight?¡± she asked in disbelief. ¡°Because I have something similar,¡± he replied dismissively before continuing his questions. ¡°What about your skills? What are they and what proficiency?¡± ¡°Ummm, my mana sight is at Master rank. And my second skill is Weapon (Sword/Shield) at Adept rank,¡± she replied with some embarrassment. Aenon didn¡¯t respond with any judgmental or snarky remark like she expected. He understood from her performance yesterday that she didn¡¯t have any high proficiency weapon skills. He was genuinely surprised she had mana sight at a higher proficiency, which must have been because of her class. It looked like the lesser version of his mana sense ability. He was curious how it compared to his own, since his version could not be equipped into a skill slot, much like his soul sense. He wasn¡¯t even sure what rank they should be at. ¡°Very well then, our first priority should be¡­¡± he began before being interrupted by her. ¡°Uh, can I know about your classes?¡± she asked with trepidation. ¡°Sure, seems fair. But do remember, this would put a bigger target on your back¡± he replied after some time. When she didn¡¯t back down, he continued, ¡°Both my classes are magic based, although my primary incorporates soul attacks as well. My secondary class also allows me to manipulate most mana types.¡± She stared at him dumbfounded, blinking several times without a word. When she finally spoke, her voice was very subdued, ¡°Did you say you can manipulate multiple mana types?¡± Aenon merely nodded in response. He wasn¡¯t sure what was so shocking about his class ability to manipulate mana types. It did allow him to make a variety of different spells, but he always thought that would limit the power of his spells. ¡°Do you not realize how ridiculous that class of yours is? Of all the adventurers I have served at the guild, only a handful could manipulate two elements. The ability to cast spells of three mana types is so rare, it is almost a myth. And four mana types are completely unheard of. Not to mention, I didn¡¯t even know soul attacks were a thing till you told me about them,¡± she said while raising her hands in exasperation. ¡°Well, it is what it is,¡± he replied calmly.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°How did you even get such rare classes?¡± she asked. But Aenon stayed silent, just giving a blank stare in response. She finally turned away in embarrassment and said, ¡°Sorry. I got a bit carried away.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. We both have some idea what the other is capable of, and that is what is important,¡± he said. He got a sarcastic eye roll in return. ¡°As if,¡± she mumbled but didn¡¯t interrupt him. ¡°Our next order of business is to start improving your skill proficiency. Specifically, your weapon skills. It¡¯s just painful to watch you fight. Having said that, I am no weapons expert, and my skills have been upgraded using SP. Which I assume is not an option in your case. So we do it the hard and dirty way,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°What do you mean hard and dirty?¡± she asked while visibly flinching. Aenon didn¡¯t respond, turning towards his shadow instead. Five figures emerged from it, one adult and four young abyssal wolves. Venge casually walked up behind Aenon and sat down with a yawn. ¡°It¡¯s time for a new babysitter, Venge,¡± he said with a smile as the four pups ran around a visibly scared Jenny. They were curiously smelling her, and occasionally pawing her dress. ¡°Wait, what?¡± Jenny asked while standing still like a statue. ¡°You are a tank, are you not? Your main role in a party is to maintain aggro while the damage dealers finish the job. So, here¡¯s your party. You will hunt with these pups, keeping them alive and away from harm. It will help you in improving your skills while also learning how to operate in a party.¡± ¡°But¡­ but¡­ we don¡¯t a have healer,¡± she said while trying to come up with some excuses. One of the pup¡¯s got overeager and ended up scratching her ankle mildly, making her jump back in alarm. Venge barked once in response, making the pups back off meekly. She then proceeded to lick the tiny cut on Jenny¡¯s ankle, visibly making the cut disappear within seconds. ¡°Well, there you go. Your healer. Although she will only step in if it is necessary. During combat you are on your own, otherwise you will not get any levels or skill proficiency,¡± Aenon responded while standing up and dusting himself off. ¡°In the meantime, I¡¯ve got some business of mine to take care of.¡± ¡°WAIT,¡± Jenny tried to scream but Aenon melded into the shadows before she could say anything more. He couldn¡¯t babysit her or the pups the entire time, and this was a good arrangement in his opinion. He just hoped the next time they met; she was still in one piece. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Jenny ¡°Good puppies,¡± Jenny said with a sweaty smile to hide how uncomfortable she was. She wasn¡¯t really a dog person, and these weren¡¯t exactly dogs either. She eyed the mother who had gone back to lazily sitting in a corner. The pups started running all over the place once their mother closed her eyes and lay down. Jenny tried calling them to her, but the rambunctious bunch completely ignored her and started chasing small critters once their curiosity about her was satisfied. She sighed before sitting down in defeat, unable to command even a single wolf pup. She pulled up her stat screen to review and plan her next move instead.
Name: Jenny Smith Age: 17 years Race: Human Level: 8 Class: Shield Maiden Level: 8 Subclass: Arcane Scout Level: 7 Stats Strength: 63 (7+24+32) Constitution: 78 (6+24+48) Dexterity: 36 (12+24) Intelligence: 35 (11+24) Willpower: 68 (9+24+35) Perception: 71 (12+24+35)
She was genuinely shocked at her loadout. Not only had she managed to gain two amazing classes, her first two Titles were ridiculous. Knowledge about titles was sparingly shared, if ever, and from what was common knowledge she knew she had gotten some really powerful ones. She was still in disbelief whenever she pulled up her stats. She decided to review her classes as well. Even though she had not given out specifics, like the rarity, she had shared most other stuff honestly.
Class Name: Shield Maiden Class Type: Melee/Hybrid Class Rarity: Rare Class Description: A frontliner class that excels at not only dealing devastating amounts of damage at close range, but also cast mana projectiles using melee weapons for mid-range attacks. Gets a massive boost to CON when under attack by a more powerful foe (doubles the CON). Class Stats per level: +4 STR, +6 CON Class Name: Arcane Scout Class Type: Ranged/Physical Class Rarity: Rare Class Description: A scout class focused on detecting foes/traps, both physical and magical. Grants mana sight and a temporary boost to AGI when under attack. This class also allows the ability to specialize in two elements of the user¡¯s choice. Chosen mana types: Air and Water. Class Stats per level: +5 WIL, +5 PER
She had not revealed her chosen mana types, but she knew the kid would figure it out even if she didn¡¯t. She liked the synergy between the two classes, it allowed her to move faster in a pinch while also making her tankier when needed. The only problem was her mana pool. Neither of the classes granted her INT, which she knew was needed for a bigger mana pool. But the title gave her an idea. Maybe she could expand her mana pool through that instead. She knew about titles from the basic lectures Lady Agatha made her attend, but she had given up hope of getting any when she found out the process of getting one. She had to pull off some extraordinary feats if she wanted one, and most involved putting herself in harm¡¯s way. She could not have even dreamed of doing so at that time. But now¡­ She looked back at the wolf pups, who had managed to catch some poor rodent and were in the process of tearing it apart to eat it. It reminded her of the spider queen¡¯s words, sending a shiver down her spine. Predators did hold the life of their prey in their hands and could be downright cruel about it. ¡°Hey, let that poor thing go,¡± she yelled in anger. The pups looked towards her in confusion, stopping their tug of war game for a moment. But they soon ignored her and continued. She stood up angrily and took a step towards them when she heard a voice directly in her head. ¡°Let them be.¡± She drew her sword in a panic and started looking around but found no one new in the area. But when she finally turned to the mother wolf, she saw a pair of cold grey eyes staring at her. ¡°You¡­ can talk?¡± she asked in a quivering voice. The mother didn¡¯t respond, continuing her impassive stare. She gathered some courage before adding, ¡°Your pups. They are torturing the poor creature.¡± ¡°The prey is already dead, is it not?¡± came the reply. Jenny looked back at the creature the pups had managed to catch. It was dead indeed. Before she could say anything in response, the mother wolf continued. ¡°There is a difference between a hunt, and torture. Predators have a primal instinct to hunt. Not for sport, but for survival. Even when some predators, like cats, play with their food, it is not for fun. They do it to hone their skills. It¡¯s only when creatures gain sapience do they start relishing in inflicting pain, like the eight-legged creature. Even then, not all predators do it. There are good ones and bad ones among them too. Just like the other enlightened races.¡± Jenny turned to the pups. They had each gotten a piece and were munching on their bones happily. She was beginning to understand what Venge was trying to say. Cruelty was a feature of sapience, not instinct. And non-sapient beasts like the pups didn¡¯t know what cruelty was. She felt silly that she had jumped to conclusions without knowing the full picture. ¡°I am sorry,¡± she told Venge with a bow. The wolf nodded her head in acceptance before laying back down with her eyes closed. But she did give out one last piece of advice. ¡°My pups are not sapient yet and will rely solely on instinct. I suggest acting more decisively when dealing with them. Predators will not follow the commands of the meek.¡± Jenny thanked her for the advice before turning to the pups. She now had a clear picture of what she was meant to do. It was like Aenon said before leaving, this was training for her. She had to master her skills, her class, and learn to lead a party. And from her experience at the guild, she had learned how hard it was to be a party leader. After all, very few people ever managed to be promoted to the position of Captain, like Eskad. Being a Captain was more than about power. You needed the guile to understand and command your party, and very rarely would you operate with a cohesive unit. There were always internal rifts, and it was the captain¡¯s job to bridge those. Having made her decision, she stood up and blew a loud whistle, enhancing the sound using some wind mana. The pups all left their bones and sat up straight. Jenny smiled as the pups approached her one by one. She was finally excited and ready for her next adventure. Unbeknownst to her, looking at her pups¡¯ obedience even Venge smiled from behind her and sent a message to Aenon via their soul link. ¡°You were right, Alpha. You picked a fine one to train my pups.¡± 2.3. Dungeon Break Chapter 3 ¨C Dungeon Break Aenon Aenon smiled as he received the message from Venge. Looks like things had kicked off just fine after he left. He wasn¡¯t particularly afraid of Jenny or the pups¡¯ safety, Venge could very easily steer them away from anything that they couldn¡¯t handle. And the training would be good for everyone involved. For now, he needed to focus on his own growth. He was running out of time, before the powers came knocking on his door. He ran full tilt across the forest canopy, blazing past startled creatures who rushed to get out of his way. He had stopped getting any XP from any of these creatures, just like the spiders. They just weren¡¯t challenging enough. He needed to make it to the dungeon in the river delta and figure out if it was a viable option for him to level up. Bane and the other 7 wolves on the other hand were on their way north towards Silver Falls. He had commanded them to scout along the mountains and try to get a read on the red dragon he had seen on the map. He stopped to reorient himself and pulled up the map. He had marked the spider queen¡¯s location on the map since that is where he had left Jenny and the pups. He just had to run about 100 kilometers (62 miles) due west to reach the coastline and then figure out a way to cross it. His path was also the southernmost line beyond which the treants increased in numbers and power. He had already warned Venge about it. Crossing such a large distance on foot would have been a tedious task back on Earth. But with his enhanced stats, it was a breeze. He rapidly closed the distance to the water, only stopping once to eat some food and relieve himself. When he finally reached the spot, he bent down on one knee and felt the water with his fingers. He pondered whether he should just swim across. The wolves were not a big fan of the idea, but if he was by himself then maybe he could. But before he did so, he wanted to try something. He checked his spells and saw that his water and air manipulation were at minor proficiency. Maybe he could use this opportunity to upgrade them since the surrounding was utterly saturated with water and air wisps. He had managed to make ice spears by combining the two last time. He pulled up the description of the spell he had created before taking down his first treant.
System Notification
Spell Learned: Ice Lance Mana cost: 500
Spell Mana Cost and Type Description
Ice Lance Instant Cast: 300 to 500 Wisp Type: Water + Air Manipulate water to form the basic shape of a spear, before cooling it down and freezing it using air mana. The mana cost is dependent on the size (max size 1.5 meter or 5 feet) and temperature of the ice (Lowest temperature -40 degrees).
He had used these spears to great effect at the time, tossing them around the treant to make puddles of water that he later used to freeze it in place. But he needed something larger for what he was planning to do. And so, he started gathering mana in his palm that was underwater and attracting water wisps at the same time. He created a thin layer of water at the surface and started rapidly cooling it down using forced air currents. A small 2-meter (6.5-foot) platform of ice started forming in front of him. He removed his hand to study his work. Taking a tentative step forward, he stood on the ice. It was slippery as expected but it did manage to hold his weight. It wobbled if he stood too close to the edge though, and was probably not suited to carry multiple people, but should be enough to get him across. It had cost him 1000 mana in total to create the raft, and now he needed a way to move it. He could do this in the old school way and create paddles, but since he was planning to practice his spells, he sat down and dipped his hand in the water. Gathering more mana, he started creating a water current to push the raft. As long as he didn¡¯t have to battle some sea creatures along the way his mana regen rate was sufficient to sustain the current indefinitely. He alternated between using air and water currents to push the raft. Thankfully, his cloak insulated him from the cold surface quite well. He didn¡¯t go too fast, just enjoying the breeze against his face. He did sense a couple of strong souls somewhere in the depths of the river, but they either didn¡¯t detect him or were content in their deep underwater dwellings. And so Aenon took a casual hour-long boat ride to get to the other side. By which time his air and water proficiencies had ticked up to intermediate ranks. The only changes in the spell descriptions were the volume of matter he could control, and the strength of the currents.
Spell Mana Cost and Type Description
Water Manipulation (Intermediate) Initial cost: 300 Channel cost: 200/min Instant cast cost: 500 Wisp Type: Water Manipulate water freely for both attack and defense. The shape will linger for 20 seconds before dissipating. Can be used to generate projectiles using instant cast. At intermediate proficiency, the volume of water that can be controlled is 5 cubic meter (176 cubic feet) and can be used to create strong underwater currents.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Air Manipulation (Intermediate) Initial cost: 300 Channel cost: 200/min Instant cast cost: 500 Wisp Type: Air Manipulate air and wind to trap gases and scents in small pockets. Can deflect small, lightweight projectiles. Can be used to generate projectiles using instant cast At intermediate proficiency, the volume of air that can be controlled is 5 cubic meter (176 cubic feet) and can be used to create strong air currents.
The only primary element that was lagging behind the others was fire. He was yet to find a place with enough fire wisps to practice his fire spells. He had considered trading with the fire mage, Elara, for her staff. But he didn¡¯t know its value and didn¡¯t know what he could trade it for. He pushed the thought away and continued running towards the dungeon. There was a much narrower river channel ahead which he just jumped across using a series of ice platforms he put down. When he finally reached the familiar obelisk of the dungeon, the description brought a wide smile on his face. It was the perfect training spot for him, and not just because of the level difficulty. Something told him, the word fire in their names wasn¡¯t just for describing how their bites felt like.
Dungeon Interface Dungeon monster type: Fire Ants Dungeon state: On the brink of overflowing Recommended level: 25-30 Recommended party size: 4
The only issues he could possibly think of were their numbers and possible coordination. Ants were known to swarm together and take down much larger and stronger opponents. If these creatures used similar tactics, things could get ugly real fast. Not to mention, the current state said it was on the brink of overflowing. Did that mean the number of ants inside the dungeon was reaching a critical mass? And if so, should he wait till a few monsters escaped? That way he could study what he was dealing with rather than diving headfirst into the unknown. And so he decided to wait for some of the monsters to emerge. He needed to study his prey first and make contingencies in case things went south. He hadn¡¯t survived this long by himself by being foolishly reckless. He scoped the area around the dungeon pillar. It was a barren beach for the most part, with some aquatic shrubs spread out evenly across the sand. He set up camp right at the water¡¯s edge in the direction he came from. He needed an out in case the monsters were something he couldn''t handle easily. And so, he waited, and waited, and waited some more. Nothing happened for almost a week, during which he practiced his spells and did some fishing to pass his time. It was a relaxing break from his tedious routine of murder and mayhem. But at last, on the ninth day, the pillar finally started glowing before a portal opened next to it. And he was glad he set his camp so far from the place. Because what emerged wasn¡¯t what he expected at all. At first, there was a steady stream of slightly larger ants, about the size of a dog. But the numbers were staggering. Within minutes, hundreds of them filed out and started exploring the area with their antennae. Thankfully, Aenon had made sure not to leave any lingering scent or traces of his presence earlier. And thus, they didn¡¯t detect him, allowing him to retreat far away from their location, while keeping them within his soul sense range. But just when he thought the number of ants coming out was dwindling, a new version of the creature appeared. These were much bigger and stronger, and numbered in the dozens. Each was the size of a pickup truck, and his soul sense gave him a warning not to take these lightly. They too spread out and scanned their area thoroughly. They must have been satisfied with something, since they started emitting some high-pitched chittering sound towards the portal. Which summoned the last two variants of the Fire Ants. Four colossal ants which dwarfed even the treants he had faced earlier in terms of size and raw power. Standing amidst them was a smaller ant which was pure white instead of the standard reddish brown. ¡°So, looks like hundred of workers, about 40 guards, and 4 queen¡¯s guards. Not to mention the queen herself. This could get hairy,¡± Aenon spoke internally while also being glad he didn¡¯t enter the dungeon when he first arrived. There was no way he could take on an army of this size without preparations. Unfortunately, there weren¡¯t any large shadows on the beach for him to meld into for a closer look, but what he was witnessing from afar was nothing short of concerning. Within minutes, the workers started tunneling at a ridiculous speed, making 6 feet large mounds on the side of the burrow entrances. The queen¡¯s guard maintained their position around the queen, while the workers worked hastily. Within an hour, Aenon saw the white Fire Ant being escorted into the new home they had constructed. It was only after the queen was securely hidden from view did Aenon witness the workers use any sort of magical ability. And like he expected, they did have fire-based spells. Some of the workers had formed a moving chain between the river and their mound entrance. They were carrying large mounds of clay and reinforcing the entrance the queen had gone down in. And once an approximate structure was made, the soldier ants sat close to the wet clay walls and started emitting heat from their carapaces. The heat must have been significant, since the clay dried into an almost ceramic like surface. Aenon observed with utter fascination as the ants proceeded to create smooth ceramic surfaces all over the place, including one that completely encased the dungeon obelisk. They even made a solid mound at the location that the portal had appeared at, possibly sealing off the dungeon from sending out more monsters. He wasn¡¯t sure if it would work, but the ants seemed to be doing it with a purpose in mind. Maybe they didn¡¯t want any more queens coming out. He couldn¡¯t be sure without more observations. But the most concerning part was what the ants did next. They started making a dam to curb the flow of water boxing them in from both sides. It allowed them a safe passage across while also diverting the flow away from their new dwelling. The water was not completely cut off, and so didn¡¯t cause a reservoir from pooling up, but it created a much larger playing field for the ants for their construction. ¡°Just how smart are these things,¡± Aenon thought while keeping his distance. The queen had left his soul sensing range about ten minutes ago. The burrow being dug beneath his feet was growing ridiculously fast, and far deeper than he anticipated. He now realized the best time to take her down was probably when they emerged. Unfortunately, without knowing what they were capable of, there was no way for him to attack. He continued observing the swarm from afar till nightfall when finally, all the fire ants retreated into their home. Only a few smaller groups that had splintered off into the distance to scavenge for food had not returned. The ones that did return, carried with them large carcasses much bigger than their own size. For all intents and purposes, this colony operated much like the ants from his planet. And if that was the case, their numbers would keep multiplying till the ant queen was taken down. And so, Aenon decided to follow the tracks of one of the hunting parties that had yet to return. He needed to study them more closely in action, and if possible, fight them himself. The possibility of this swarm growing to unmanageable levels was high, and he needed to start whittling them down ASAP. He managed to catch up with the raiding party about 10 kilometers (6 miles) due northeast of their base. They were still in the river delta and were engaged in a fight with what appeared to be a large crustacean. It looked like a crab, but didn¡¯t have eyes and its shell was textured like the sand around them. The crab was unable to attack the fast-moving ants, and neither was it able to escape since it was surrounded by seven ants from all sides. The ants too were failing at dealing any significant damage through the creature¡¯s shell. The impasse continued for a while before the crab managed to grab one of the ants in its massive claws and raised it high above itself before easily bifurcating its enemy into two pieces. But this began the downfall for the creature, since the reddish blood that fell onto the crab started sizzling the moment it contacted the impervious shell. The crab shrieked in pain as the reddish liquid slowly corroded through its thick carapace, exposing the soft flesh underneath. The surviving ants didn¡¯t miss their chance and pounced onto the crab. Two of them climbed onto the shell, while the others locked down its claws from the sides. The ones that were on top then began spewing the same hot liquid down the hole in the crab¡¯s armor. And just like that, the crab collapsed in exhaustion and soon it was torn apart limb from limb. Aenon observed high concentrations of fire wisps in the liquid the ants were spewing, probably their blood, or some other bodily fluid. He came up empty when thinking about how to deal with this new menace plaguing his land. Even so, he was not deterred. He would somehow find a chink in their armor and would rout them from his domain, just like any other interloper. He just needed time, something he knew was in short supply these days. 2.4. Captivity Chapter 4 ¨C Captivity Aenon spent the next two weeks tailing different scavenging parties of the fire ants. Initially the grouping appeared random, but after observing them for so long, he finally started to see a pattern. The number of raiding parties increased gradually, till they peaked on day three before dwindling down. Aenon assumed this had something to do with the queen, maybe her gestation cycle. He couldn¡¯t be certain, but he always noticed much smaller fire ants start to come out when the raiding parties were at their minimum. Perhaps they hatched every six days, and the colony needed all the protection they could afford. If this was the case, there was no telling how quickly the ants could spread. He needed to come up with a strategy, and soon. At least he finally got the details on the ants after stalking them for so long.
System Notification
By studying the behavior of your target, you have obtained sufficient info to unlock more details. Identify Skill can now identify the following fire ant types ¨C Worker, Soldier, Juvenile. Fire Ant (Worker) ¨C An insectoid species of System designated monsters, their collaborative effort for the betterment of their colony is unparallelled. The worker variant is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance and construction around the colony but will occasionally leave the nest to gather food and supplies. The fire in their name stems from their ability to create fire mana, which they can combine with their bodily fluid to devastating effects. When not using it in combat, they will use the ability to heat up their entire body to extreme temperatures to convert clay into a ceramic-like substance which they use for the construction of their nest. Usually docile, unless instructed by a soldier for battle. Fire Ant (Soldier) ¨C The soldier variant of fire ants that have a much tougher exoskeleton and can spit an extremely hot and corrosive liquid. They are responsible for calling the workers to battle and have excellent coordination and battle tactics. Fire Ant (Juvenile) ¨C Freshly hatched fire ants with no assigned task. Will help around the colony where they can and grow into a particular variant based on the colony¡¯s needs. They have a softer exoskeleton, but screech extremely loudly when under threat. All variants will converge to the location when a juvenile calls for help. Have a nasty surprise for anyone careless enough to kill them in one shot.
Aenon had not seen the queen or her guards since they went down the tunnel, which meant he had no idea how they fought or behaved. The one thing he did notice though was that the ants had extremely poor eyesight, but a very sensitive sense of smell. Multiple times Aenon had managed to get within spitting distance without melding into shadows, but they had never picked up his presence. Since the cloak suppressed his scent, he had taken it off once to see how they reacted. The workers got agitated but otherwise had no significant reaction. The soldiers, however, made a mad dash towards his location once they picked up his scent. He had immediately put on his cloak, but the soldiers patrolled the area for hours after. He had managed to kill a few workers and soldiers that had wandered too far by themselves, and except for a few close calls, were easy to take down. When the other ants found the corpses, they just carried them back to the tunnels without much fanfare. Only once did a soldier investigate, and that was because Aenon had bled onto the corpse a bit. The juveniles though, were a massive pain in his behind to fight. Any attack was followed by an extremely obnoxious and shrill scream that alerted every ant that was close by. The first time it happened, he had barely managed to escape. So, the next time he tried killing one in a single blow. Their shells were not hardened so it was easy to sneak up and backstab one of them right in the brainstem. It had died instantly, but the little bugger had violently exploded the next instant, spraying him all over with scalding hot viscera. The hot corrosive liquid had eaten through most of his armor, except the cloak and mask, and burnt his skin all over. If not for his mask, he would have had half his face melted off. The excruciating pain of having half his skin melt into goo had almost made him lose consciousness. Which would have been a death sentence, since around 25 soldiers and 40 workers had congregated towards the dead body of the juvenile, well what was left of it anyways. He had barely managed to escape by the skin of his teeth, literally. If not for the self-repairing feature of his armor, Aenon would have had nothing, but his cloak and mask left. It had taken two full days for him and his armor to recover after that. He gave the juveniles a wide berth ever since. He had continued to observe them from afar while he recovered, during which time they had managed to fortify their hive well. In place of a generic hole in the ground, there now stood a massive 20-foot-wide construct with multiple holes for entrances. Aenon didn¡¯t have the opportunity to test the material¡¯s hardness, but he doubted it would be that easy to break. After he had fully recovered, he started thinking of his next steps. He could use magic to take on the inevitable horde, but he doubted he had enough mana to take them all on. Not to mention their utter disregard for their own safety when it came to defending their nest and their queen, rendered his soul magic moot. There was no way he could make any of them retreat. Thus, the only viable option was to create a diversion to keep most of the colony occupied, while he snuck in and faced the queen. But that too had its risks, since he didn¡¯t know what the guards were capable of. He glanced at the dam the ants had constructed, a rudimentary plan forming in his head. But first he needed some practice fighting the ants. He was sure to face numerous enemies once he entered the anthill, even if his half-baked plan worked. Therefore, he needed some close quarter fighting experience against multiple of them. He decided to trail a raid party and face them in open combat when they were sufficiently far away from the colony. His daggers had not seen much action lately, and he needed to balance out his Void Stalker class too. His gaze fixated on the group of 3 workers and 2 soldiers that just left the anthill from one of its numerous entrances. They were heading straight north, towards the spot that was filled with those crab creatures they liked to hunt. He kept pace with them, keeping an eye out for any possible reinforcements. When he was certain there were none, he went around them to set up an ambush along their path. The first thing he did was to use a physical barrier spell for some added protection from their projectile vomiting attack. The soldiers sometimes started the fight with it. The next issue he had to deal with was their fire nature and hard carapace. He started gathering mana in his hands while holding his twin daggers. He mixed in air and water mana wisps to form a thin layer of ice around them. He needed to somehow upgrade his daggers to face opponents other than goblins, but for now this would do. He maintained a steady stream of mana to maintain the frost at his blade¡¯s edge.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He waited patiently for the group to reach a chokepoint between two boulders. Once the group was in range, he descended on them like a demon from hell. He went for the two soldiers first, aiming for the joints where their natural armor was weakest. His slashing attack did some damage, but the main point wasn¡¯t that. It left a thin layer of ice that restricted their joint movement. It would melt quickly, but that was all the time he needed to keep hounding them with more slashes. The soldiers predictably spewed their viscous projectiles, but Aenon dodged them with ease. One of them managed to predict his movements and land a hit, but the blow glanced off the barrier like it was nothing. As the fight progressed, their movements kept getting slower. Each slash he managed to land added a thicker layer of ice around their joints. He weaved through their ranks like an untouchable shadow, avoiding their jaws by a hair¡¯s breadth. If they caught him, he would be ripped apart within seconds. But eventually he managed to freeze at least two legs on each ant. They tried moving around, but their movements were severely restricted. Even so, he probably had 5 minutes at most before their naturally hot bodies thawed the ice. Which is why he moved on to phase two. He unequipped his daggers and flexed his fingers, making a fist and getting into a fighting stance. Hard armor like theirs was very good against slashing damage, but not blunt force. And thanks to his ridiculous STR stat, and the unarmed component of his weapons skill, his fists were literally like battering rams. He smiled at his prey, who were desperately trying to melt or shake off the ice from their joints. They tried spewing more hot liquid at him, but his barrier blocked it entirely. When he reached his first target, one of the soldiers, he aimed his punch at one of the legs that was not locked down with ice. With a sharp snap, it broke apart and fell to the ground. The ant shrieked in pain and tried biting his head off, but Aenon was already behind the other soldier. With a boxer¡¯s precision, he surgically aimed at their leg joints one by one. Either breaking them off entirely or shattering them. Within two minutes, all the ants were handicapped and struggling to maintain their weight on their remaining good legs. The entire area was a steaming hot mess by this point, and Aenon had to dodge the boiling pools of liquid on the ground from their wounds. He finally put them out of their misery by aiming for their heads, popping them like a balloon filled with steaming hot lava. He stopped to look around at the carnage, assessing his upcoming plan. It essentially boiled down to three stages ¨C distract the hive, engage the queen¡¯s guard, kill the queen. He was sure the queen¡¯s guard would have more tricks up their sleeves, and there was a strong possibility the queen may recall the entire colony from whatever distraction he created. But this was the best plan he had at the moment. It would rely heavily on how fast he could dispatch the queen, failing which he needed an exit strategy. But if he succeeded, then the threat level from the hive would fall considerably. Without a queen they wouldn¡¯t be able to multiply endlessly, giving him enough time to whittle down their numbers. They may raise a new queen, but he hoped it would take time to do so. He turned towards the ant colony, his plan coalescing with a firm resolve. It was going to be risky, but he had no other choice. At the rate the colony was growing, it would soon be out of his hands completely. It was now or never. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Eskad Eskad lay on the cold hard floor, while staring at the dark ceiling above. When he had killed Mave, their elf healer, he knew things were about to get messy. But he underestimated how bad it would get. That little rat was more devious than he ever imagined. He sighed in regret and anger, clenching his fists hard. A groan from somewhere to his right made him sit up in a hurry. He dashed forward on all fours, till he reached the bars of his prison cell. ¡°Are you alright, dear?¡± he asked in a worried tone. ¡°Ye¡­ yes. I am ok. A little sore from sleeping on the ground, but nothing too bad, my love. What about you and the twins?¡± Elara¡¯s voice replied from the cell across from his. Eskad looked back towards the unconscious forms of his teammates. Much like himself, they were covered in bloodied wounds all over. The iron collar around their necks restricting their regeneration. But thankfully they were still breathing. He was just glad his wife hadn¡¯t been at the receiving end of the beating. ¡°They are passed out, but otherwise ok,¡± he said in a reassuring tone. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°Bah. Gonna take a lot more than those wimps to injure me,¡± he said humorously to calm her down. He sat back down in relief, knowing that Elara was ok. Things had turned bad fast when they turned in their report. Unfortunately, the guild leader and Lady Agatha weren¡¯t present, being on some mission elsewhere. And so, the report was first received by the sniveling leader of the town. Eskad had not anticipated any backlash, since this was a guild matter, but what he didn¡¯t know was that Mave had some under the table dealings with the town mayor. And so, he was surprised when the city guard showed up to arrest him and his team for murder. At first, the entire guild was up in arms to protect one of their own and things were looking grim. Eskad had no choice but to surrender peacefully to avoid unnecessary bloodshed on the streets. He knew the mayor couldn¡¯t do much till their trial, which couldn¡¯t take place till the guild leaders were back. What he didn¡¯t expect though, was being held captive in the mansion¡¯s dungeon, and being interrogated for information. They had suppression collars placed on them, sealing off their abilities, and were repeatedly taken for questioning. Questions they refused to answer, earning them thorough beatdowns by the mayor¡¯s henchmen. They had tried taking Elara for questioning, but Eskad had torn down the cell¡¯s bars with a vicious punch. They never attempted that again. ¡°How much longer do you think the Lady would take to return?¡± Elara asked. ¡°Not sure. But I am hoping soon. The cowards are getting desperate, no telling what they would do when they know their time is up,¡± Eskad replied calmly. ¡°But what do they even want to know? You have given them an accurate report, except the parts which aren¡¯t relevant to the mission,¡± Elara asked in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s not about the mission. They are fishing for answers. They want to know how much we pieced together about Mave¡¯s abilities and who else we mentioned it to. Much of their questioning is focused on that. I have a hunch the mayor has some sort of secret he wants to bury with us. If the guild leaders aren¡¯t back, I think he might push for an expedited execution. These damned powers, I hope someone burns them all to the ground,¡± Eskad replied with fury. ¡°My, oh my. A perceptive one, aren¡¯t you? And people say you are nothing but a brute,¡± an annoying nasal voice spoke from the darkness in a corner. Eskad jumped to his feet, ready for a fight. ¡°Oh, come now. No need for such hostilities. I am merely here for a casual chat,¡± a man with an impressive belly spoke while stepping forward into the light. ¡°What do you want, vermin,¡± Eskad said with gritted teeth. But he collapsed to the floor in pain, as the man retrieved a wand from his belt and pointed it at him. ¡°This is the problem with uncultured races. You never learn how to treat your betters. Did no one teach you how to address the mayor of a town you live in?¡± The chubby man said while gloating over Eskad as he struggled on the ground. ¡°Stop it,¡± Elara shrieked from her cell. But the man continued enjoying his work. He abruptly stopped after ten minutes. ¡°What¡­ do¡­ you¡­ want?¡± Eskad asked laboriously. ¡°Hmmm? Oh, glad you asked. I want to know everything,¡± he said with a vicious smile and glee in his eyes. Eskad stared back in defiance, but he knew that every man could be broken. He just hoped Lady Agatha would return before he reached his limit. 2.5. Soul Master Chapter 5 ¨C Soul Master Aenon hid in the shadow of the massive structure the ants had constructed. It looked like an anthill, with glossy ceramic white walls, and multiple streams of gigantic ants entering and leaving from the numerous entrances. He melded into the shadow whenever an ant passed him but remained outside most of the time. The ant¡¯s weak eyesight, and his cloak¡¯s ability to hide his scent, meant he didn¡¯t need to stay within the shadow all the time. Just out of sight. It reminded him of the rogue-style games he used to play with his sister as a kid. Sneaking about while trying to stay in the blind spots of the enemies. The only difference was the ants didn¡¯t have a particular pattern like the games. Thankfully, his soul sense gave him 360 degrees of vision around him, so he could stay one step ahead. Now that he was in position, he waited. He had eroded one of the dam¡¯s walls till it was barely holding back the water and set up a trap that was rigged to blow the weakened structure when an ant passed by it. The spot he had chosen would send water gushing towards the anthill, which he hoped would make the worker ants head over in a panic to seal. He had left a few false scent trails leading up to the trap from different directions, and now he just needed one of the ants to pick up on it. And soon enough¡­ BOOM A loud explosion sent shockwaves along the ground, followed by a low rumbling, as a tsunami of water started leaking out of the dam. The initial wave washed away all the ants in the vicinity, and the water flowed towards Aenon¡¯s location unabated. For a moment Aenon wondered if he had miscalculated, but then he had to duck into the shadows as another wave started heading his way from the opposite direction. Hundreds of workers, soldiers, and even juvenile ants started filing out from the anthill and rushed towards the oncoming water. The two colossal waves met at the exact location Aenon was at, and the entire area was engulfed in steam the next moment. Aenon watched in fascination as the ants made an impromptu dam with their own bodies and diverted the flow away from their home. The water sizzled and boiled, as their bodies superheated to keep the water at bay. Finding his chance, he quickly navigated the shadow all the way to one of the entrances. His soul sense showed the area was clear of any ants, so he emerged to conserve his mana. Before any of the ants could turn around and see the interloper in their midst, he ran into the tunnels. The insides were more impressive than what he expected. Smooth walls broke into multiple tunnels as the pathways bifurcated and converged to form a seemingly random patterned maze. He realized that this must be the second line of defense for the ants. Any intruder that used his diversion tactic would be hard pressed to navigate without getting lost. At least till the distraction ended and the ants poured back in from all sides. It was a good strategy and would work against most parties. But unfortunately, it had a major flaw. The ants obviously needed to navigate this maze themselves, which meant they had some way of reading the layout. The answer, Aenon realized was mana sense. More specifically, the ability to read the faint trails left by fire wisps. There were some tunnels that had more of the stuff, while some had less or none. To test his theory, he went down a trail with no fire wisps, only to meet a dead end. He backtracked and started following the tunnel with the densest fire wisp trail. It went on and on, deeper into the ground. He considered giving up and backing off since it was going in too deep, when he finally detected some activity at the edges of his soul sense. But what he observed made him stop in his tracks. There were thousands of soul signatures somewhere down the tunnel. They were all stationary except a group of five that were huddled close together and were moving like one. Aenon melded into the shadows, and creeped closer to the opening at the end of the tunnel. And the view was breathtaking. Eggs, too many to count, were scattered all over a large cavern. Each one was about 2 feet in diameter and was completely transparent. He could clearly see the baby fire ant wriggling within its confines. Amidst the sea of neatly laid eggs, the queen was treading along while laying down more. She was still white in color, but was dragging a bulging sack behind that wasn¡¯t there the last time Aenon saw her. The four queen¡¯s guards had her boxed in and were walking in step with her. Aenon cast identify to check the levels of the group. They were much higher level than the other fire ants, who averaged about 35, and the guards were powerhouses. Things could get dicey real fast if he was not careful. This raid of his was more of a covert assassination than a full-frontal assault. He couldn¡¯t afford to get trapped on his way out, so he had to avoid a prolonged confrontation. The goblins were an exception, since they were generally weak, but the same tactic against a cohesive unit like the fire ants would be a disaster. He kept a close eye on the five ants, hoping to get a glimpse of what their capabilities were. But unfortunately, they didn¡¯t use any of their abilities as they went about their business. He could detect a faint ground vibration from above, meaning the dam was not fixed yet, but he was running out of time. He needed to move fast, and get away faster before reinforcement came in. He moved into the cavern cautiously, keeping as far away from the eggs as he could. He had learned his lesson with the juveniles, and didn¡¯t want the possibility of an exploding egg to ruin his assassination attempt. He probably could have used an earth spike spell, or something long ranged to attack, but he had a hunch it would not work. He needed to get as close to his target to make sure his chances were higher. He started gathering mana in his twin daggers, and creeped closer at a snail¡¯s pace. He needed to make the first blow count, and ideally finish it in one shot. If he failed at that, he would be up against 4 over-leveled opponents of unknown abilities to contend against. He made sure to keep his hands tucked inside his cloak to hide the mana signature. The entire cavern was filled with fire wisps, with only trace amounts of other types. Sadly, there were no water wisps at all, meaning he couldn¡¯t create any ice here. But if his plan worked, he didn¡¯t need any other wisp type. Since fire was good at one thing: explosions. He started stuffing as much fire, air, and space wisps into his daggers as possible. He wasn¡¯t particularly focused on the ratio, since all he wanted was a gigantic explosion. But he didn¡¯t want to be anywhere near the place when the thing went off. As he got within 5 feet of the group, one of the guards sensed something was off. It started chittering angrily, making the other guards make a defensive wall around the queen. The reaction time was truly impressive, and Aenon was glad he didn¡¯t try a longer ranged attack. Their formation was airtight and had no openings. Too bad for them, Aenon was much closer than they expected. Aenon cast Kingdom of Darkness and released his soul presence simultaneously. The guards saw their opponent for a mere fraction of a second, before darkness engulfed them, along with a feeling of utter dread. The feeling didn¡¯t send them running away in fear, but it did disorient them massively. Which made them move a fraction of an inch out of sync, thus giving a minute gap in their formation. A gap that Aenon used to devastating effect. Two daggers flew into the small opening before the guards could close it. They did manage to seal the gap, but after the daggers went in. Aenon didn¡¯t wait to see how effective the attack was, as he hightailed out of the area like his life depended on it. And he was so glad he did. BOOM A truly massive explosion occurred behind him, but he didn¡¯t feel any shockwave, making him turn back in confusion. His eyes went wide at what he saw. The sealed enclosure the guards had created had completely contained the blast, and none of the guards had moved an inch despite the force behind it. But that also meant the queen was subjected to the entire concussive force within a very small space. He got a kill notification, along with a series of title prompts which he absolutely ignored for now.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The guards moved away from their queen, at least what was left of her. When they stepped forward to check on their monarch, all they found was a pile of viscous goo and some shattered carapace parts. They stared blankly for a second before letting out a massive shriek. Skrreeeeeeeeeek ¡°Uh oh,¡± Aenon said in a worried tone as the guards turned in his direction with red in their eyes. They looked exactly like Eskad¡¯s eyes when he went berserk. And in their maddened state one of the guards stepped on an egg. What followed was why Aenon was glad he had retreated right after the attack, and that he had stayed away from the eggs. BANG The egg exploded into a shower of bright red sparks and a liquid, which Aenon was pretty sure would have burned through his skin if he was anywhere close by. The liquid splashed over the guards but had no effect on them as they continued charging at him. The rampaging ants stomped through the room, setting of a chain reaction of minor blasts that slowly radiated outwards. Aenon was already down to a quarter of his mana pool, but he still decided to dive into the nearest shadow quickly. In the nick of time too, since the guards crashed into the wall a second later. His mission complete, he started navigating through the shadows as quickly as he could and started moving upwards towards the exit. The furious ants started pounding into the walls, sending shockwaves along the entire anthill structure. Aenon didn¡¯t have enough mana to move all the way to the top while being melded into the shadows, so once he was out of sight, he emerged and started running at max speed. Thankfully his INT stat was high enough that he remembered the way he came from. After several twists and turns, he finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. He sensed an avalanche of soul signatures heading in, which meant his window to escape was shrinking fast. He ran ahead with new vigor and dove into a shadow as the first of the ants entered the tunnel he was in. He moved through the shadow and finally exited the anthill. What lay ahead was absolute chaos. The water from the dam was still not plugged and there was a wall of ants trying to keep the water out. Only a few of the ants had retreated into the tunnels, perhaps due to the vibrations from the guard¡¯s attacks that even Aenon could sense. Aenon paused in confusion for a moment. He hadn¡¯t anticipated the damage to the dam to be this massive. And he had expected them to close it by now. Shaking his head, he decided to retreat to a safer location first. He was running low on mana, and this wasn¡¯t the place to figure out what was going on. He started running around the large ant wall towards the dam. He needed to get to the other side and hide somewhere to recover his strength. But he skidded to a halt when he reached close to the dam. It finally made sense what was keeping the leak from being plugged, and why the ants had not retreated earlier. There was a party of adventurers who were keeping the ants at bay, ensuring the water kept flowing out and flooding the area around the anthill. Aenon detected at least 9 people of varying strengths, with the strongest one being far above Eskad¡¯s level. Aenon snuck closer to get a better look, and cast identify on the massive man who was singlehandedly keeping the ants at bay using his tower shield. He wasn¡¯t as big as Eskad, but his ferocity as he wielded that shield, and a massive hammer spoke volumes about his expertise. None of the ants could get around him towards his party members, who were dishing out massive amounts of damage using ranged spells and attacks. Aenon found a hiding spot and kept observing the fight from as close as he dared, without giving away his location. He was so focused on the fight that he jumped back in alarm when a female voice spoke from behind him. ¡°Your assassination mission was a success, I assume?¡± said the green haired woman who had snuck up on him without a sound. What worried him the most was she had completely bypassed his soul sense. Aenon drew his daggers from his inventory, where they had returned after he left the anthill. But he was aghast at what he saw. His daggers were horribly twisted and warped. He immediately switched them out for a much cheaper quality set he had salvaged from the village. He would worry about fixing his daggers later, he had a much bigger threat in front of him. ¡°You are a cautious one. I like that,¡± the lady said with an amused smile. She looked him over, studying him. So Aenon did the same. Aenon tightened his grip on the daggers. She was as strong as the tank, if not stronger. But his soul sense still didn¡¯t detect her, even when he saw her standing right before him. Her eyes went wide as she seemed to have realized something, a spark lighting up within them. ¡°A fledgling soul mage, huh? Now isn¡¯t that a rare treat. But why can¡¯t I see your level or class details? A rare artifact perhaps?¡± she said, her smile widening. Aenon didn¡¯t like where this was going. He needed to get away from her. In desperation, he unleashed his full soul presence, trying to disorient her so he could make his escape. The area of effect was much larger than he wanted, affecting even the ants and the adventurers who were fighting. The sounds of battle ceased, as every fighter on the field froze in their tracks for a moment. Everyone, except the mage and the tank, who was looking around in confusion. The ants were the first to recover, as they continued their onslaught. Since the other eight members were frozen in fear, the tank struggled to hold back the tide of ants. But he did manage it somehow. Unfortunately for Aenon, except for stumbling back in surprise, the mage had no other reaction to his presence. Her smile had vanished though, and she had a deep frown on her face. ¡°Calling you a fledgling would be wrong. I have never seen someone so green about soul attacks, have such a strong presence before. Do you mind pulling back your aura? You are paralyzing my team, and making it impossible for them to fight,¡± she asked with a deep thoughtful look. Aenon didn¡¯t sense any hostile actions from her, but without his soul sense, he couldn¡¯t read her emotions either. He did pull back his soul presence though, as the tank was losing ground bit by bit. The moment he leashed his presence, the adventurers collapsed to the ground in relief. But soon they stood back up and continued supporting the tank. ¡°Thank you,¡± the female mage said with a bow. She assessed the battlefield but kept a close eye on Aenon. He considered making a run for it, but doubted he could go far. Not to mention, now that the shock had worn off, he was starting to piece together who the person opposite him might be. He relaxed considerably and sat cross legged on the ground, entering a meditative state to recover his mana faster. He didn¡¯t know what direction the upcoming conversation would go in, but he needed to be at his best in case he needed to run. After about thirty minutes, the ants finally started pulling back towards their nest. The adventurers standing behind the tank started cheering. Within minutes, the ants filed away and went down their tunnel, before collapsing them. There was no way into the anthill anymore. Aenon sensed the tank approach, so her ended his meditation and stood up. His mana wasn¡¯t back to full, but it would have to do. ¡°What do we have here, Agatha?¡± the man asked in a loud voice as he stopped before Aenon. He gave Aenon a cursory glance, making eye contact for a brief second. He flinched back but had no other outward response. Even the mage, Agatha, had minimal reaction to his mask¡¯s passive. Although she did avoid eye contact as much as possible. ¡°Ashryn,¡± Aenon said in a polite tone while extending a hand. He had come up with this fake name to match the ashy grey color of his eyes. He had deduced who these people were and had to approach with caution. He didn¡¯t want to create more enemies, especially from the leaders of his neighboring city. The tank looked at his hand before shaking it vigorously. He had a very firm grip, and if not for his STR stat being what it was, would have bruised his hand. The man raised an eyebrow in appreciation, probably not expecting him to shake his hand without flinching. ¡°Guild Leader Eryndor Stormrune,¡± he responded before adding, ¡°Mind taking off that mask. It¡¯s annoying not making eye contact. Gives me an itch every time I try looking at you.¡± Aenon hesitated before turning to the mage. He could clearly feel the man¡¯s soul, and it gave no warning bells. But the mage on other hand¡­ ¡°Sigh. He will not remove it till I uncloak my soul,¡± the mage said with an eyeroll. ¡°We have a soul mage on our hands Eryndor.¡± The tank took a step back and clutched his hammer in a battle stance. Aenon sensed fear and caution flooding out from the tank¡¯s soul. ¡°Identify yourself,¡± he barked in a commanding tone. ¡°I already did,¡± Aenon responded with narrowed eyes. He too stood at the ready with his daggers. ¡°Lower your weapon, Eryndor. You don¡¯t want to provoke him,¡± Lady Agatha said in a warning tone. ¡°What? You don¡¯t think I can take this guy on?¡± the tank replied furiously. ¡°Oh, you absolutely can, you big buffoon. But not without taking heavy losses,¡± she said while pointing at the other party members who had come over to see what the commotion was about. ¡°Its 10 against 1, Agatha. What can he even do?¡± the tank replied defiantly. Agatha was about to speak up but suddenly froze. Aenon couldn¡¯t read her emotions, but he didn¡¯t need to. The terror was quite clear in her eyes. Aenon turned to the tank, a cold look in his eyes. ¡°Wrong. It is 8 against 10,¡± he said in a cold tone. A roiling black mass converged towards them from the horizon at blistering speeds. The next moment, seven hulking figures with cold grey eyes stood behind Aenon. The biggest of them took a step forward, and barked once making the entire adventuring party, including the tank and the mage take a step back. ¡°And numbers mean nothing when fighting shadows¡±, Aenon added while unleashing his soul presence again. 2.6. Lone Wolf Chapter 6 ¨C Lone Wolf Aenon lowered his daggers and stood in a relaxed stance. Now that his pack was here, he didn¡¯t have anything to worry about. The worst outcome was that they would have to retreat. He looked over the 10 people in front of him. He could sense various levels of fear from nine of them. He still couldn¡¯t read the green haired woman, but her body language said it all. They were all terrified. His soul presence was crushing the will of 8 of them, and the last two were cautiously looking at each other. ¡°You think that will be enough to scare¡­,¡± the tank began to speak. But Aenon unleased Kingdom of Darkness before he could finish speaking. The wolves spread out and surrounded them all. Nine pairs of eyeballs floating in the darkness around them. ¡°I¡¯d choose my next words wisely, guild leader. I do not appreciate being threatened. I have done nothing to incur this hostility, but if you are so hell bent on pushing me, I will respond in kind,¡± he said in the same cold and detached voice. ¡°And you will not like what happens when I retaliate.¡± The normal party members were completely paralyzed with fear. There¡¯s a reason people fear the dark. The terror of the unknown was the most primal form of fear, since no one knew what horrors its murky depths concealed. It was the sum of every single thing that was dreaded in existence. No matter what a person was terrified of, it could exist in the dark. Battle hardened veterans, like the guild leader, could suppress the fear to some extent. But not completely eradicate it. It would always lurk at the edges, like a ghostly shadow. Aenon¡¯s eyes bored into the trembling party members. They were all higher leveled than him, but he could see all their levels, except the two. They all ranged from levels 40 to 45. Meaning they were probably here to clear the dungeon, but they had been a bit late. The more concerning matter for Aenon was the woman that Jenny had spoken so highly of. He wasn¡¯t sure how long she had been following him, and how much she knew. His gaze locked on to the woman, who flinched back in recoil. ¡°OK, this is getting out hand. Lower your weapon this instant, Eryndor,¡± she said in a commanding voice. Aenon detected a familiar soul presence in her last sentence. The man calmed down instantly, before lowering his weapon. She had used soul manipulation to pacify the aggravated man. She turned to him next, ¡°You too¡­¡± ¡°You try that soul manipulation on me, and I will end you,¡± Aenon cut her off. He had fallen prey to soul manipulation once and had vowed to himself to never be effected by it again. All seven wolves growled at her simultaneously, adding weight to his threat. She took a step back in shock before calming down and saying in a normal voice, ¡°My apologies. It¡¯s a force of habit. I have spent too long dealing with childish tantrums. I was merely trying to calm the situation. Nothing more.¡± ¡°This is me being calm, lady,¡± Aenon said. Aenon could see the disarming smile on her face clearly. But he didn¡¯t let his guard down. She was still a blank canvas in his soul sense, and words held no value to him. Action spoke louder, and she was yet to do anything to earn his trust. He turned silent, but pulled back his soul presence, and dispelled the darkness surrounding them. All eight adventurers collapsed to the ground, some weeping, others shivering uncontrollably. He gave a sharp whistle, following which all wolves except Bane leaped into his shadow. The tank¡¯s eyes went wide as he stared at Aenon¡¯s shadow suspiciously. But Aenon ignored the man and continued staring at the female mage. ¡°I think we got off on the wrong foot. Let us start again, shall we? I am Agatha Sylvathorn, assistant guild leader of the adventurer¡¯s guild,¡± she said with a polite courtesy. She then turned towards the tank, giving him a serious stare, conveying a message to behave. ¡°Ahem, I have already introduced myself. But to further elaborate, I am the leader of the adventurer¡¯s guild in Pinespire. We came here based on reports that a mid-level dungeon was on the verge of breaking. And that too a Fire Ant dungeon. Nasty little bugs. Better to cull them early before they take root,¡± the man said in a semiprofessional manner. He was still stealing glances of Aenon¡¯s shadow. ¡°The men and women following us are the elite members of the guild¡­,¡± Agatha said while turning to the other members. She froze mid-sentence when she realized the state the adventurers were in. They were all sitting on the ground, in various stages of shock. One of them, a man with an impressive beard and bulging muscles, had even soiled himself. She turned away in embarrassment and excused herself. She barked an order to her subordinates, telling them to go back and set up camp near the water¡¯s edge. She followed them to coordinate the efforts, while also instructing some of them to keep an eye on the now demolished anthill. This left Aenon alone with Eryndor, who looked around in discomfort. He kept a close watch on Bane from the corner of his eye but stayed quiet otherwise. Aenon stayed silent for the full hour it took for the group to set up their tents. When Agatha came back, she stared suspiciously at Eryndor, who simply shrugged and walked off towards his tent. The woman then turned to Aenon. ¡°Would you be willing to join us?¡± she asked cautiously. When Aenon didn¡¯t respond, she sighed and did something. He was finally able to sense her soul then. And it was strong, putting him more on guard. But he didn¡¯t sense any deception or traces of soul fragments on her. So, he complied with a nod, and followed behind her to the largest tent the guild master had gone in. When they entered the tent, Aenon found that it was larger on the inside and had an elaborate set of furnishings inside. A grand table with enough seating for 20 people lay right at the center, with additional seating and even a bed at the very back. The entire ensemble wasn¡¯t built for comfort, but efficiency and utility. Aenon walked up to a chair on the side and took a seat, with Bane sitting on the ground behind him. The guild leader was already seated at the head of the table. Agatha took her place opposite where Aenon was. She cleared her throat and started the meeting. ¡°You already know what we are here for. So, how about you enlighten us too. I saw you leaving the nest, which meant you were probably raiding them for resources. The dam break must have been your doing then, as a distraction.¡± ¡°Partially correct. Yes, I rigged the dam to draw the ants out. And yes, I meant to raid the anthill. But not for resources. I was targeting the queen,¡± Aenon replied. He needed to develop good relations with these people, not only for future settlers for his town, but also to get some allies in times of need. ¡°Oh, I guess you have more summons,¡± Agatha said while looking at Bane with a tight smile. His presence was making the two humans uncomfortable. ¡°Hmm? He is not a summon and neither am I a summoner. I went in alone,¡± Aenon replied casually. ¡°You went into a Fire Ant colony alone?¡± Eryndor asked in disbelief. When Aenon nodded, he responded in a sarcastic tone, ¡°Yeah right. And you managed to kill the queen too, did you?¡± He started chuckling while shaking his head. In response, Aenon gave him a flat look, which dampened the man¡¯s laughter. ¡°Oh, you got to be kidding me. You expect us to believe, that you solo killed the colony queen? There is a reason I brought two full parties to take on this nest.¡± Aenon didn¡¯t reply. It wasn¡¯t his problem whether they believed him or not. But then he remembered something. He pulled up his notification while the man ranted to his colleague about throwing Aenon out for making up lies and such. Aenon ignored it all and focused on his screen instead.
Title achieved: Royal Assassin Title upgraded: Untouchable (2) Title evolved: (Really) Late Bloomer to Lone Wolf
Royal Assassin: Sneak past all defenses and guards, to only kill a monarch and no one else. Assassination is an art, and you seem to want to master it. Well, this was a step in the right direction.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. +30 all stats
Untouchable (2): Assassinate a highly guarded target and slip out without engaging in combat. Seriously, are you allergic to damage? +50 all stats
Lone Wolf: Ah, a title that truly suits you. You have a full pack of murder wolves at your beck and call. And what do you do with them. Nothing. Instead, choosing to take on an army by yourself. This Title CANNOT be hidden from anyone, no matter the method. Its visibility though, will be decided by a concerned third party, who is getting worried about your sanity. The Title will show no description to others. 2% stats from Titles
Aenon¡¯s eye twitched at the snarky descriptions, especially the last one. He looked up at the two people in the tent, who were staring above his head. Aenon felt a headache coming on due to the antics of whoever was controlling the System notifications. He wanted to meet this person and give them a piece of his mind. ¡°Lone Wolf? Never seen that title before,¡± Agatha commented. ¡°Are you bypassing your stealth artifact to show us the title as proof that you successfully killed the ant queen? Oh its gone now.¡± Aenon didn¡¯t respond, neither confirming nor denying it. The less he had to explain the better. And if they jump to conclusions, well it¡¯s up to them. He had also gained 5 levels in his void stalker class. He pulled up his stat screen to quickly review it.
Name Aenon Fenrast/Ashryn (13 yrs)
Race Ascended Human (F) Level 28
Class Void Stalker Level 25
Subclass Abyssal Warden Level 30
HP 18927 MP 22407
HP/min 378 MP/min 492
Stats
Strength 1893 Intelligence 2241
Constitution 1892 Willpower 2459
Dexterity 1897 Perception 1999
Titles (515 x 6 = 3088)
Rebirth +1344 all stats Skills/Effects: (1) Detect and resist the effects of soul attacks and spells. (2) Double the available Skill slots per evolution level (3) Ability to fake Titles, stats, and levels. This effect cannot be bypassed even by Overseers. (4) Can bypass certain System restrictions. (5) Unfettered: Skill 1: Attack the true soul of a target, bypassing all System safeguards and measures, including resurrection tokens. Can be cast via any form of link to the target Skill 2: Assist others who are on the verge in finding their path. Caution: Be careful who you use this on, my little predator. (6) Stat Point multiplier: 2
Alpha +50 all stats, +30% physical stats in presence of your pack
Soul Warden (3) +120 all stats
Bulwark +5 all stats
Speed Runner +10 all stats
Hoarder +5 all stats
Landlord +20 all stats
Planetary Forerunner +30 all stats
Ancient Killer +20 all stats
Untouchable (2) +50 all stats
Spirit Walker +20 all stats
Archivist +50 all stats
Wraithblade +50 all stats
Royal Assassin +30 all stats
Prodigious Mage 10% more stats from titles
Lone Wolf 2% more stats from titles
Nature¡¯s Attendant +200 all stats when within 50 meters of the sapling
Skills (Free SP: 120)
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps) Savant
Stealth (Woods, Urban) Savant
Tracking (Woods) Expert
Mana Manipulation Master
Spells
Earth Manipulation (Intermediate) - 200 Water Manipulation (Minor) ¨C 200 Air Manipulation (Minor) ¨C 200 Fire Manipulation (Basic) ¨C 200 Illusion (Intermediate) - 120 Feather Foot (Intermediate) ¨C 400 Gravity Well (Basic) ¨C 400 Barrier ¨C Physical (Minor) - 200 Barrier ¨C Magical (Basic) - 200 Overcharge (Minor) - 1000 Blooming Earth ¨C 1200 Ice Lance Gravity Bomb
He was surprised to see that his status screen had included his fake name as well. He was happy that he was back to getting an A grade evolution, for a regular human at least. He needed to figure out the evolution cutoffs soon. He turned back to the pair, who were staring at him with weird gazes. ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone teach you that it is rude to review your status when you have company?¡± Eryndor asked crossly with his arms folded. ¡°Ignore him, Ashryn. Societal conventions can be excused in this scenario. Please, go on. Could you elaborate on how you took down the ant queen?¡± Agatha asked politely while glaring at her partner to shut him up. And so Aenon gave them the watered-down version of his mission. How he had first arrived here to challenge the dungeon and had modified his plan to take out the queen instead. He didn¡¯t explain his abilities, making it sound like he had used a generic explosion type spell to take her out. The two put their heads down, deep in thought before the man spoke up. ¡°This seems feasible. But it still doesn¡¯t explain who you are? And what are you doing here all by yourself?¡± Eryndor asked. ¡°I am the new owner of the village formerly known as Jadefall,¡± Aenon stated calmly. ¡°You what?¡± exclaimed the guild leader in a loud voice. Even Agatha seemed shocked and at a loss for words. ¡°What of the previous village head?¡± she finally managed to ask. ¡°He abandoned the village and left with Eskad¡¯s party.¡± ¡°Preposterous. Why haven¡¯t I heard of this before?¡± Eryndor asked his assistant guild leader. ¡°Because we left for this mission before they returned,¡± she replied tersely before turning to Aenon. ¡°Since you know Eskad, I am inclined to believe you. Are they all ok?¡± ¡°All except their healer. They should have reached your settlement by now, except Jenny. She decided to stay back,¡± Aenon replied. He was thinking about how much to reveal, since he did have a good impression of the berserker¡¯s party. ¡°What happened to the healer?¡± Agatha asked seriously. ¡°He was using the world tree seeds to heal. In other words, he was draining their soul to boost the party. When I detected that and told that to Eskad, he killed the elf,¡± Aenon decided to stick to the facts. It would eventually come to light anyway. He of course said nothing about the world tree now growing in Reality¡¯s Edge. ¡°Impossible. I would have sensed it,¡± Agatha was aghast at the revelation. She was still reeling from the shock, when she suddenly stood up. ¡°Eryndor, we need to head back. Right now.¡± ¡°What? We need to first verify¡­¡± ¡°Soul magic is very hard to detect. Even if there was a remote possibility that he spoke the truth, then Eskad¡¯s party is in danger. We need to head back. NOW.¡± She ran out of the tent and started handing out orders to the adventurers. Eryndor looked completely flabbergasted at her reaction, while Aenon just sat there observing them all in his soul sense. There was a deep sense of dread in Agatha¡¯s soul. After five minutes, she burst into the tent. ¡°Eryndor, lead the party back to the city. I will go on ahead. Ashryn, I know I haven¡¯t done anything to earn your favor, but would you please¡­¡± ¡°Sure. I like Eskad and the twins. Wouldn¡¯t want anything happening to them. Let¡¯s go,¡± Aenon stood up and turned to Bane. ¡°Stay with them while I go on ahead.¡± ¡°As you command.¡± Eryndor¡¯s eyes widened when he heard Bane¡¯s voice for the first time. But Agatha was too worried to register it. She put on a cloak and rushed out. Aenon followed her soon after, and the duo made a mad dash towards the city of Pinespire. He didn¡¯t know what he would find there, but he knew he was running towards a quagmire of political schemes. But unfortunately, he had to. He couldn¡¯t have soul sucking powers gaining a foothold in his own backyard. 2.7. Monkey Wrench Chapter 7 ¨C Monkey Wrench Balindor Steelcrest The city palace was eerily quiet even though it was the middle of the day. Its marble floored walls, with rare and exquisite paintings spoke of unimaginable excess. Everything from the silky drapes on the windows, to the gilded crystal holders spoke of luxury and aplomb. Even though the building could house hundreds of people, only one man lived here. Not counting the servants who moved about to answer his every need of course. Balindor had it good. Rich luxurious silk clothing, rare delicacies from distant lands, and strong mounts he could ride around the city during his free time. Everything was meticulously arranged to meet his every whim and fancy. All he had to do in return was ensure his city officials didn¡¯t run the place into the ground. A trivial task that he had outsourced to his loyal retainers. This was everything he had hoped for when he signed up for the role of city mayor. As he sat on his plush bed, with a tray filled with all his favorite foods, a dozen servants stood to the side with their heads bowed. He could practically hear their mouths drooling as he enjoyed his breakfast slowly. This was how he liked to start his day. He had given clear instructions that whoever was serving him during breakfast was not allowed to eat beforehand, or the night before. How else was he supposed to enjoy hearing the rumbling of empty stomachs. Sadly, he had severe restrictions on how he could treat the peasants. But after careful research he had learned how to skirt the rules. Starving his subjects wasn¡¯t allowed, but a missed meal wasn¡¯t considered starving. It would bring down morale, but it was a metric he didn¡¯t really bother with on his System interface. If the city ran smoothly, he could indulge in these trivial joys of life. He chuckled when he heard two more growling sounds from the line of servants. He liked to deliberately take almost an hour to finish his food, prolonging it just enough that it wasn¡¯t marked as torture by the System. His family had shipped him off to this forsaken planet to harvest some rare titles and possible talents. Not to mention carrying out his other mission in secret. But he didn¡¯t have to be completely focused all the time. There were still a few months before the planet would be open to outside influence, and he intended to do everything he was not allowed to do back home. Well, everything that he could get away with. He grumbled internally in frustration as he eyed the young woman standing amongst the servants. If there was one System rule, he absolutely hated, it was that you couldn¡¯t force someone into your bed. No matter how subtle the blackmail was, it would be heavily penalized by the System, up to and including impotency and death. The act needed more than just consent from both parties. It needed something called love, whatever that meant. Wasn¡¯t wanting something like food and money enough to love someone? He had heard tales of Pre-System times on his home planet, where his great grandfather enjoyed such luxuries. But the System had put a hard stop to that. Now both parties had to want the other, and the reason couldn¡¯t be transactional in nature. Countless nobles had tried to find a loophole in this rule, but none had succeeded so far. Even he was frustrated at his lack of success. What did the wench want? Wasn¡¯t showing off his wealth and power enough to make her love him? His musings were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. He guzzled down his wine cup before asking them to enter. His city administrator walked in with a mountain of documents in hand. Balindor sighed internally, getting prepared for the most boring part of his day. He pushed away his food tray and shambled over to his desk on the side of the room. With a content tap of his belly, he sat down and gestured for the documents to be presented. The servants started clearing out the food in the background. ¡°Summarize all this for me,¡± he demanded while pulling out his signet ring, his official seal. Even though he could care less about the needs of the peasants, he had to keep a close eye. His class couldn¡¯t progress without appeasing the rabble and could negatively impact him even. ¡°Certainly, sire,¡± the white-haired old man replied with a formal bow. ¡°The documents to your right are the budgets for the coming week. They need your approval, including city maintenance and the dungeon scheduling rights. There are also twelve requests for basic amenities by the citizenry. The last two requests are for more housing structures and supplies for the homeless refugees.¡± ¡°Approve all of them, except the last two,¡± he said with distaste. He really hated those leeches. If not for delicate political balance he had to maintain with the adventurer¡¯s guild, he would have kicked them out already. All because of that one scheming woman. Her very memory made his blood boil. Everything would have been perfect if not for her. His entire setup was like a carefully calibrated machine with numerous gears working in tandem. She was the one gear that he had to be wary of. ¡°Understood, sire. The documents on the right are for guild business. There are detailed reports about all the missions that I have personally read through. Nothing is out of the ordinary or requires your attention,¡± the man paused. Balindor looked up to find him hesitating. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked in an annoyed tone. ¡°Except one sire. There is formal request for the release¡­¡± ¡°Enough. Reject that request and approve the rest,¡± he cut off the nervous man. This was yet another mess that woman had created for him. She had pulled some strings and even defied direct orders to send her most powerful party for an investigation. Which wouldn¡¯t have been a great deal if she had not sent the healer as well. The healer, Mave, if he recalled correctly, was sent to this planet by some mutual off-world acquaintances of his noble house. They had deep ties to the elven family. And secrets which they couldn¡¯t afford being leaked to the outside world. When the report had crossed his desk, he had panicked. If that witch Agatha had gotten a hold of the report before him, he shuddered to think of the consequences. He was glad that she and the guild head were off on the dungeon clearing mission. Luckily, in their absence he had some minimal authority over guild matters. And since the stupid brute had confessed to a murder, he had the right to detain them all. He just had to make sure they hadn¡¯t blabbed about the elf¡¯s abilities to others before somehow disposing of them. He had still not worked out how, and the stubborn fools had refused to crack, but he reckoned he had another few days before the raid party returned. And he intended to utilize the time to its fullest. ¡°Ummm¡­,¡± the old geezer interrupted his happy thoughts of what new ways he should play with them. ¡°What?¡± he asked loudly. ¡°The request is by none other than the assistant guild head herself, Lady Agatha,¡± the man said hesitantly. Balindor¡¯s very soul left his body when he heard that. The words didn¡¯t register in his mind for a full minute, as he stared at the man blankly. When he finally recovered, he screamed out in shock, ¡°WHAT?¡± This¡­ this couldn¡¯t be happening. He wasn¡¯t prepared for this. He thought he had more time; he always had more time. His retinue always made meticulous plans, without missing any details and always had contingencies. That is when he remembered his personal guard¡¯s advice. He had clearly told him to get rid of the berserker¡¯s party as soon as possible. But he did not want to do so. It wasn¡¯t often he got to inflict direct physical pain on his victims. And this had been one of those rare opportunities. And he had wanted to make the most of it. But now¡­ ¡°GET OUT,¡± he shrieked at the top of his lungs. The man tried to say something, but he yelled again, ¡°GET OUT THIS INSTANT.¡± The man hurriedly ran out like his pants were on fire. The moment the door closed, he turned towards the corner of the room and glared. ¡°Care to explain what this is about? Thought you had this handled? What does my father pay you for, if you can¡¯t even be on top of something like this.¡± A man appeared out of thin air where he was staring at. It was like a veil had been lifted, revealing a male elf standing in the corner. The elf too had a frown on his face. When he spoke, it was like the wind was whispering in the entire room. ¡°Your father pays me to keep you safe. And my family pays me to keep our dealings a secret. I am not responsible for your childish tendencies to fool around, nor am I liable for your lack of planning. I told you to execute the four, but you wanted to have fun. Hope it was worth it, human. Like a disobedient mutt, you have made a mess. Now go and clean it,¡± the elf¡¯s words grated on Balindor¡¯s nerves. But there was nothing he could do about it, and unfortunately, he needed this man¡¯s help. ¡°I needed more information out of them, so I did what I had to do. If they had spoken of your cousin¡¯s abilities to a third party, we needed to know that. So go do your damn job and kill them all,¡± he tried to put up a brave face, although internally he was sweating bullets.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The elf¡¯s reputation preceded him. He was fabled to be a ruthless assassin and had taken countless lives from the shadows. Even though he was merely level 98, he had pulled off some serious covert operations. No one knew of his abilities, but it was rumored to be based on poisons and light magic. ¡°And what of the political blowback? Having your prisoners die without an official hearing is not something the guild will take lying down. Especially her,¡± the elf asked in a mocking tone with a smile. The insufferable moron was enjoying this. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the political side of things,¡± Balindor retorted with clenched teeth. ¡°You mean, your family provided city admin will take care of it. Or should I call him your babysitter,¡± the elf added with a sneer. Balindor¡¯s face was turning a deep shade of red from the anger and embarrassment. Mainly because the man¡¯s words were true. He had never been good at this kind of stuff, and his father knew it. He had been mocked about it all his life, and if not for his doting mother, he would never have gotten this chance. She had pulled so many strings and cashed in multiple favors to get him this role. She even sent her personal butler as his city admin. The old fogey had a remarkable talent for running things smoothly and circumventing political minefields. He was, for all intents and purposes, a glorified rubber stamp. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this. If that witch is back, things will start falling apart faster than we can react,¡± he said while clenching his fists tight. There was nothing he could do without the man¡¯s help, and the elf knew it. So Balindor had no choice but to endure silently. For now, at least. ¡°Heh. Very well then. Someone must know how to do their job, I guess,¡± the elf said while standing up. ¡°Make sure you clean up after yourself. If the stink reaches your family, you don¡¯t need me to remind you what will happen to a mongrel like you.¡± The elf left the room without so much as a whisper. He just faded away. Balindor wasn¡¯t sure if the man was truly gone or just invisible. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t vent his frustration by cursing him and ten generations of his family. Instead, he smoothed his dress and headed for the door. When he opened it, his city admin, he could never remember the bloke¡¯s name, was standing outside. ¡°Get in here and explain the situation to me,¡± he demanded while heading back in quickly. The man followed him without a word, and they returned to their earlier posts. ¡°Lady Agatha returned to the city about an hour ago. She was traveling alone and went straight to her office without a word. There, she presumably heard of the capture of her top adventuring party and sent in a formal request for their release. Her messenger is in the waiting hall, along with a retinue of bodyguards to escort the prisoners back. She has scheduled a hearing for this evening,¡± the man explained without a break. Balindor tried coming up with a plan of action but drew a blank. Begrudgingly he asked the old man, ¡°What should be our next move?¡± ¡°Well, the release of the prisoners is the only viable option here, sire. We did overstep our authority by holding them here. As I explained to you before, although it is technically within the rules, this incident will create a rift between our organizations for some time. I had strongly advised against such¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I remember. Let¡¯s move on. What if it was not possible to release them?¡± he asked as casually as he could. The old man was trustworthy only for running the city efficiently. He was not privy to the deeper schemes, nor of the existence of his personal guard. ¡°I don¡¯t follow, sire. Why wouldn¡¯t it be possible to release them?¡± the man asked with confusion. ¡°Ahem, well¡­ What if there was, let¡¯s say, an accident. And the prisoners are dead. What would we do in such a situation?¡± The old man¡¯s face turned white at the question. He may not know the underlying schemes, but he knew noble houses. Which meant, he must have pieced together some semblance of a ploy, based on the facts he knew. But he hadn¡¯t come this far, by being dumb or emotional. He recovered fairly quickly. ¡°Well, in that case sire, we need to explain to the adventurer¡¯s guild about this accident. And make sure their investigation doesn¡¯t reveal any foul play from our end. We will also need to compensate the guild heavily,¡± the man said with a bow. ¡°What if we could mar the adventurer¡¯s reputation? By someone¡¯s testimony. For example, the former village head, and guild leader of the destroyed village this party had gone to?¡± Balindor asked with some hope. ¡°That¡­ might work. But it is highly unlikely. There would be an official enquiry by the guild, and Lady Agatha is well known for cross-examining witnesses. She would tear the testimony apart within minutes,¡± the man replied, dashing Balindor¡¯s hopes to use the two new weasels that had come knocking on his door recently. He knew their type well. Given the right incentives, he could convince them to speak up against the berserker. Balindor ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. This situation was already getting worse by the second. By the looks of it, his only option was to apologize to and appease the guild by paying whatever hefty fines he incurred. When the word got out, it would end his political career, but at least his life would be safe. He couldn¡¯t afford to let his family¡¯s secrets be spilled, or there wouldn¡¯t be a rock to hide under where his father couldn¡¯t reach. Even his mother would hand her precious son¡¯s head on a silver platter to the family patriarch to save her own skin. ¡°Alright, arrange a meeting with Agatha. I will meet her personally to smooth things out. I will need you to stand behind me for this, as usual,¡± he said while heading for his closet. He needed to put on some good clothes for the meeting, and possibly some protection talisman if spells started flying around. The old man rushed out to meet up with the messenger and arrange for the meeting. Balindor quickly got dressed and headed for his office on the ground floor of his palace. That was the only floor accessible to the public, as that is where he conducted most of his business. Things he had not delegated to his admin, that is. He hurried over and pushed open the door. He needed to look busy when the woman arrived. But the moment he entered, he froze. She was already seated and sipping on some tea. His admin was standing behind her obediently, and he had clear signs of nervousness on his face. Balindor blinked in confusion for a moment, before recovering and putting a smile on his face. ¡°What a pleasant surprise, Lady Agatha. I was just returning from using the restroom to prepare for your arrival,¡± he said in a flattering tone. ¡°Something wrong with the attached restroom that is through that door?¡± the woman said flatly while pointing to the side of the room. Balindor kicked himself internally for the slipup. He had used this room so rarely that he completely forgot about the attached personal bathroom. ¡°Uh, yes there is. It needs some fixing. Anyways, how was your dungeon clear quest?¡± he said to divert the topic and regain control of the conversation. His mother always said the one who leads the conversation will dominate the outcome. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t any good at that either. ¡°I am not here for pleasantries, nor on any other business except the release of my adventurers,¡± she boldly demanded. ¡°Of¡­ of course. I understand. But you see, I had every right to detain those adventurers. They had freely admitted to murder, after all. And as a city mayor¡­¡± She cut him off by raising a finger. It infuriated him, but she was very intimidating. ¡°Detain, yes. But in the guild or city prison. Not your personal dungeon. Why are they being held here?¡± Balindor fumed internally. She was too cunning and wasn¡¯t letting him take charge at all. He had prepared a mental speech on how to navigate this conversation, and it had gone flawlessly in his head. But she simply didn¡¯t let him get his bearings. ¡°Ah¡­ you see¡­,¡± he stumbled around for words, helplessly staring at the old man standing behind her. For some reason the man didn¡¯t say anything in response and averted his gaze. Balindor felt completely lost and confused. ¡°The report,¡± she demanded again with an outstretched hand. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hand me the report Captain Eskad submitted when he returned from the mission,¡± she said with a stern expression. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ can¡¯t. It¡¯s evidence of his confession. You¡­,¡± he stammered. There was no way he could hand over that document to her. It had detailed Mave¡¯s abilities in excruciating detail. Details that he couldn¡¯t afford to be made public. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t destroy it either. It was a System construct, and immune to all forms of damage. ¡°The hearing is scheduled to take place soon. And I, as the representative of the defendants, am required by law to read it before the hearing starts. And oh, while you were busy floundering around in your bedroom, I rescheduled the hearing. It starts in 10 minutes,¡± she said while not dropping her hands at all. Balindor was sweating now. Now he understood why everyone feared this woman. The way she held on to the pressure points of her victims was unmatched. Not once did she let him recover to formulate a plan, or a counter argument. He was like a helpless child trying to argue against a strict mother. ¡°You¡­ you can¡¯t reschedule a hearing without¡­¡± ¡°I have the necessary documentation, with all required 12 signatures calling for an expedited trial.¡± ¡°But¡­ but¡­,¡± he floundered helplessly before falling back to his last resort. ¡°They are dead. All 4 of them.¡± For the first time there was shock on the woman¡¯s face. She dropped her hand in disbelief, and the look on her face gave him immense joy. She was stunned speechless, which finally emboldened him. ¡°Sorry, but there has been an accident at my personal dungeon, as you call it,¡± he replied with a sneer. Now that she was off balance, he was going to rub this in her face as much as he could. ¡°We will be compensating the guild for the loss, but there is nothing you can about it. You are free to have your investigation, if you think you can find any evidence.¡± He gloated freely, since he knew the elf¡¯s talents. There would be no evidence to be found, and the deaths would indeed look accidental. He started laughing, but it died instantly when the woman too smiled. ¡°Wow. And here I was thinking, you would have some sophisticated backup plan,¡± she chuckled while shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t need a sophisticated plan,¡± he retorted with heat in his voice. He absolutely hated it when people dismissed him like that. ¡°Your precious party is dead, and that is the end of it. You might be good at cross-examination and getting confessions out of people, but there are no people left to confess. You might be smart, but against carefully laid out plans, you are nothing.¡± BOOM The moment he said it, a loud explosion rocked his palace. He looked around in confusion, before watching a smile appear on the woman¡¯s face. ¡°What did you do?¡± he shrieked. ¡°I know your plans run deep and have multiple gears that operate flawlessly. So, I did the one thing that always works against such meticulously laid out schemes,¡± she said with a sneer of her own. ¡°I threw in a monkey wrench.¡± 2.8. Rescue Mission Chapter 8 ¨C Rescue Mission Aenon (About 2 hours ago) ¡°You want me to what?¡± Aenon asked in confusion. ¡°I want you to infiltrate the mayor¡¯s mansion and rescue Eskad and his party,¡± Agatha repeated. ¡°That part I get. But you also said something about explosions and mayhem,¡± Aenon said with a frown, although she couldn¡¯t really see it. ¡°Oh, yeah. I want you cause as much chaos as possible,¡± she replied casually as they made their way to the city, which he could now see in the distance. ¡°There might be casualties in the ensuing panic,¡± he said. ¡°Oh, I am counting on it. But I am sure you can manage to target only the guilty parties, correct?¡± she said with a smile. The smile made Aenon uncomfortable. It was as though she knew his abilities better than he knew them himself. Yes, he could pinpoint the people who had dabbled in soul harvesting for power. But the fact that she knew about it unnerved Aenon. When he didn¡¯t respond, she suddenly stopped and turned to him. ¡°Look, I do not have enough time to explain in detail, but long story short, I have glimpsed into your soul. I have a rough picture of your nature, and a rudimentary guess about your power. Although, I must admit the creatures following you were a nasty surprise. Anyway, in conclusion, I know the kind of man you are and am confident you can handle it and would not go overboard,¡± she said. Her emphasis on the word ¡®man¡¯ made it quite clear she knew his age too. ¡°Sure,¡± Aenon finally responded with a nod. ¡°But how am I supposed to sneak in? I know nothing about the defenses of the building, or the number of opponents.¡± ¡°As someone who has snuck in and assassinated the ant queen, I am sure you will be fine,¡± she winked at him and resumed running. Aenon grumbled internally but silently followed. She wasn¡¯t wrong, but it would have been nice to get some intel. As they approached the city gates, Aenon reduced his speed and cast Illusion to become invisible. He trailed the soul mage by about 5 feet, always staying within her shadows in case he needed to meld into it. He had not tried jumping into another person¡¯s shadow yet, which in hindsight was a dumb move. He should have experimented beforehand, in case the spell worked differently. As they approached the wall, Aenon noticed the first difference between the old Jadefall, and this fort city. The walls were humongous. They were at least a dozen feet thick and had huge artillery weapons mounted at strategic locations. Giant catapults, cauldrons, and even ballistae. Not to mention the subtle hints of mana formations that he found all around the wall, invisible to the naked eye but not his mana sense. One thing was certain, sieging the town would be an exercise in patience. There was no way the town would fall that easily, or quickly. The one weakness he found was the lack of a water source. He hadn¡¯t seen one on the map, and since the city was a raised plateau, he wasn¡¯t sure any river could pass through. But once they entered the town, which was way easier than expected since Agatha dismissed the guards approaching her, his doubts were dismissed. Only to be replaced with fascination and wonder. Because it wasn¡¯t anything like he imagined. There were waterways and channels everywhere. He even saw a huge water fountain somewhere in the distance along the main street they had entered through. He didn¡¯t know what the source was, but he was sure it involved some magic or magical artifact. The city itself was quite big and was extremely prosperous. If one neglected the mass of homeless refugees who were no doubt from his old village. They were all sheltered in tents along the side of the road. ¡°Not a pleasant sight, is it?¡± Agatha sent him a mental message. ¡°Yeah, I can see that you have had your work cut out for you,¡± Aenon replied while surveying his surroundings. It had been a while since he had seen such a large crowd gathered in one place. She was probably not expecting a response since she turned to look in his direction with wide eyes. She turned away when she realized that from other people¡¯s perspective she was staring off into open space. As they moved, Aenon took note of the homeless crowd. Yes, they all seemed poor, but well fed and energetic. Which explained the cold gazes they were receiving from the locals. Supporting such a large crowd obviously was straining the city¡¯s resources and supplies. They continued their march, before reaching a large gaudy mansion. Aenon didn¡¯t know any other way to describe it. Everything within sight was gold colored, including its walls, roof, and even the grills. There was a large statue standing in the middle of a water fountain, also gold, that depicted a man in a valiant pose with his sword held high. Although, there was something about the statue¡¯s smile and pose that made Aenon doubt that the man was anywhere close to the physical perfection being shown here. ¡°I am gonna throw up,¡± Aenon said in a flat tone. ¡°Imagine having to walk past this eyesore every morning,¡± Agatha responded mentally. Aenon could almost imagine the sigh from her tone. ¡°Anyway, this is it. I am going to take care of things from my end and try to keep him tied down. You are free to cut loose. Here, I will grant you a quest to make this official. Just¡­ avoid any innocent collateral.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like collateral damage either. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Aenon responded while opening the System approved quest that he just got.
Quest
You have been tasked with uncovering a nefarious plot by the assistant leader of the adventurer¡¯s guild in Pinespire, while also rescuing one of the top parties of her branch. Objectives: Rescue the hostages (0/4) Bonus Objectives: Find out what is going on and who is behind it (0/1) Reward: Variable Failure Condition: Loss of the entire party, or the collateral deaths of innocent bystanders. Accept: Y/N
He quickly read it before clicking accept, as it was a basic and straightforward quest description. He was about to ask something when he noticed the soul mage had already started walking away towards a building opposite the mansion. Her soul was cloaked again, and so Aenon had not sensed her walking away. He ignored her and refocused on the mansion. This would be his second infiltration mission, but it had some key differences. First was the minefield of spell patterns he could detect using his mana sense. He wasn¡¯t aware of what each did but based on their placement he could kind of guess. The ones on the walls were probably some kind of alarm, while the ones on the ground could be potential traps. He could be wrong, and it might be a mix, but he didn¡¯t want to trigger them to find out which was which. Agatha had given him a rough plan of what she was about to do, and if it went as expected, Aenon was on a timer. He had to sneak in and secure the hostages before she came to the mansion after whatever preparations she needed. The biggest threat that Aenon was worried about was the person that was in the topmost room. His soul sense was picking up quite a few weaker individuals there, but one of them was way stronger than the others by a huge margin. It wasn¡¯t in terms of levels though, there just was something off that Aenon couldn¡¯t put his finger on. He decided that his safest course of action was getting to Eskad and the rest without detection. He took a lap around the building¡¯s perimeter, hoping to survey the place while trying to locate any weaknesses to exploit, and came up empty. Whoever had designed the defenses was no slouch. Undeterred, he kept scouting the place. Waiting patiently for any cracks in the defenses. There was an airtight patrol crisscrossing all over the building¡¯s exterior. Under normal circumstances, he would just knock out a few guards and try to sneak in. But he couldn¡¯t risk raising an alarm. In missions such as this, an alert patrol could mean one of two things. He would either have to face off against the unknown power, or the immediate execution of all hostages. Neither of which was a suitable outcome for him. He wanted to test something though, so he melded into the wall¡¯s shadow and approached one of the spells. He asked the wolves to back up and carefully passed over the trap. And¡­ nothing. There was no reaction at all. The implications puzzled him. Did this mean his shadow magic was rare, since he didn¡¯t find any counter measures for it? What even was his magic. He didn¡¯t really see a spell associated with it on his stat screen either. Whatever it was, he would worry about it later. For now, he had a broad smile as he quickly navigated the shadows to enter the mansion. And like a ghost he slipped through all patrols and went straight for the basement level, where he sensed his targets were held. There were sections where the shadows didn¡¯t connect, or doors that were locked magically. Unfortunately, he had to reappear to pass through but overall, it was much easier to sneak inside the mansion than outside. Perhaps the architect of the security system didn¡¯t expect anyone to get this far. Within 15 minutes he was outside the cells holding the hostages. And the sight infuriated him. The dwarves and Elara were tied up using chains to the side, while Eskad sat unconscious on a chair. There were no physical injuries on them, but Aenon sensed their souls were extremely weak for some reason. He wasn¡¯t sure what the big man had endured, but it had done a number on him. He dived into a shadow and appeared on the side of the bars and kneeled next to the berserker first. His vital signs looked stable, but no matter what he did he couldn¡¯t wake the man. The same was the case with the other three. He wasn¡¯t sure what to do when four of the wolves emerged from his shadow. They were not fully sapient but had some intelligence in their eyes. The wolves approached the unconscious victims, and bit down lightly around their necks. To Aenon¡¯s amazement, they dragged the bodies into the shadows and merged in with Aenon¡¯s.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Aenon smiled as he got a quest update, checking off the rescue portion. Now he just needed to get out and focus on the bonus objective. It had taken him roughly 30 minutes to get this done, meaning as per Agatha¡¯s schedule, he had another hour and a half left. He quickly got out without raising an alarm. When the guards finally saw the empty, but locked cell, all hell would break loose. Stil, he needed to move on and do some digging. The city layout was straightforward, and he could sense that the buildings closer to the mansion housed the richer nobility. And if he knew anything about the rich and powerful, they always had their fingers dipped in devious political schemes. So, he scouted the surrounding buildings that looked like they housed the rich. What he found made his skin crawl. More than half of the upper echelon that he observed had at least some traces of soul fragments on them. From this distance he couldn¡¯t clearly see the fragments, but their presence was unmistakable. It was totally possible that just like Eskad, they were unaware of the true nature of Mave¡¯s healing and had unwittingly hired the elf. But the amount of soul fragments was exponentially higher than Eskad and his party. This put Aenon in a dilemma. Even with his upgraded soul sense, he would have a hard time distinguishing who was guilty, and who was an innocent victim. He needed actual physical proof, and a way to identify his enemies. He had marked five buildings with people who had significantly large quantities of soul fragments on them. He left one of his wolves in the shadows of each, while himself going for the one with the highest concentration of soul fragments. The house was also lavish, but not at the mansion¡¯s level. With just a cursory glance, he found a safe path and snuck in with ease. A family of 4 lived here, along with an army of servants and waiting staff. The key difference being the family¡¯s souls were completely covered with the fragments. The husband-and-wife duo had the most, and while the son and daughter, who were in their 20s by Aenon¡¯s estimate, had lesser but still significant soul fragments. Lucky for him, except for the servants, no one else was awake. He used his stealth skills to the max, as he made it to the room that looked like a study/office. There was some magical lock on the door, but his mana manipulation skill along with the arcane knowledge made it easy for him to pick the lock. He started going through documents and ledgers for any kind of clue, but the amount of information was just too vast. He gave up after 5 minutes and changed his strategy. He broke into the couple¡¯s bedroom instead. He locked the door and sealed it using some ice and pulled up a chair next to the bed. Before unleashing his presence, he cast Kingdom of Darkness. He didn¡¯t have to worry about the sound, since it seems the couple had thoroughly sound proofed their room. The moment his presence fell upon them, the two sat up on the bed, with the wife shrieking at the top of her lungs. The man was a bit calmer, until his gaze turned to where Aenon was sitting. The reaction was near instantaneous, as the old man froze. The wife screamed for a bit, before she too locked eyes with him and choked up. Aenon stayed silent, just sitting there menacingly for what must have felt like an eternity. It was just 15 minutes. ¡°One question. One answer,¡± Aenon finally said. He added his soul presence to his words as well. He needed to drive in the point, should the couple decide to do something stupid like mislead him. The two shivering humans didn¡¯t move an inch as they stared into the eyes of the predator before them. ¡°Question one, are you aware of the soul fragments that are artificially boosting your stats?¡± Aenon asked while reducing the pressure from his soul presence. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ No¡­, the man stammered in response. But his reply was cut short when his wife screamed from his side. ¡°Aaaaaaargh,¡± she screamed as shards of ice pierced their way out from within her left hand. Aenon also muffled the sound using some air manipulation, and since the husband was unable to see her, it made it appear as though the voice was coming from a far-off distance in the ethereal darkness. And few things were as terrifying as a woman screaming bloody murder from somewhere in the dark. ¡°Lie to me again, and it will be your turn next,¡± Aenon said in a cold voice. ¡°Ye¡­ yes,¡± the man frantically nodded. Aenon could easily detect lies based on the man¡¯s emotions. And this time he hadn¡¯t. ¡°Good. Next question. But this is for your wife. And if she dares lie, or try to delay, you will learn why she screamed,¡± Aenon said while turning to the whimpering woman. He pointed a finger at her, freezing her arm completely. The pain was gone in an instant, but the loss of feeling in her arm, brought a new layer of horror altogether. ¡°How do you partake in this boost of yours.¡± The woman tried to frantically rub her frozen hand to thaw it out. But it was useless. She finally turned towards the grey eyes floating in the abyss and replied, ¡°There¡­ is a¡­ potion. We get¡­ one bottle every three days.¡± ¡°Guess you are lucky you have an honest wife,¡± Aenon sneered. But then he realized that they could only see his eyes. So, he used some illusion magic to conjure up a creepy smile on his mask. A grin that displayed inch long teeth going from one ear to the other. The effects were far stronger than he anticipated since the woman passed out cold from shock, and the man wet the bed. ¡°So, back to you and I am going to list all my questions now. Who supplies this potion and where are the records?¡± When the man didn¡¯t answer, Aenon stood up and walked closer, only stopping an inch from his face. ¡°The m¡­ m¡­ mayor. The records are in my private safe on my bedroom wall. The combination is 4697. Please don¡¯t eat me,¡± the man closed his eyes and begged. Aenon walked to the safe and observed it for a minute. Checking for any magical traps. When nothing showed up, he entered the numbers, and it opened. The safe had some rare valuables, but he only picked up the book. That was the jackpot he was looking for. It detailed the shipments and supply schedules to multiple parties within the city, other noble houses no doubt. He had almost shut the book, when something caught his eye. The fourth page had a schedule too. But it didn¡¯t list potion quantities. It listed people, with their gender, levels, and dates. The earliest date was roughly a week after the refugees had come in. And the last line had Eskad¡¯s description with yesterday¡¯s date. For the second time, Aenon lost all sense of where he was, or what was in his surroundings. He turned around and the moment his gaze fell on the man, he froze in utter horror, not even daring to breath. And just like last time, Aenon was on autopilot. He let his instinct guide him towards his paralyzed prey. He walked up to the man, but didn¡¯t say a word. Instead, he reached out with his soul sense and gazed directly into the man¡¯s soul. What he saw confirmed his suspicion. These soul fragments were not from plants or seeds. They were human, dwarves, and a variety of races he didn¡¯t identify. But most fragments were human. He raised his hand and unleashed pitch-black chains that wrapped the two before him before dragging them down into his shadow. He then threw caution to the wind and jumped out the window, landing on the road below with ease. People ran away in a panic when they saw him. Or more accurately what was happening around him. Even though it was early in the morning, multiple shadows were spreading out from his feet. Like dark tendrils of a deep-sea creature, they thrashed about, warning others not to approach. One brave city guard tried charging in but was immediately swallowed up by the shadow. The others dropped their weapons and fled after that. Aenon calmly walked towards the mansion, completely tuning out the entire world. All he focused on was the man sitting with Agatha in the mansion. Somewhere deep down he knew, this wasn¡¯t Agatha¡¯s plan, and he was going off script. But he didn¡¯t give a damn about it. He approached the main gate only to find it locked up with several mages standing on the other side, chanting something. ¡°Cute,¡± Aenon thought as he unleashed a spell of pure destruction towards the barrier between him and his prey. He didn¡¯t know what spell he had used, but it packed a punch. It blew up the gate and continued till it hit the mansion. BOOM The spell didn¡¯t hit any of the guards, and yet they all dropped their weapons and backed off. When Aenon finally entered the room where his prey was holed up, he retrieved the nobles from his shadow and tossed them to the ground. He looked at Agatha, who had a deep frown on her face. She had her soul cloaked like before but this time, he could see right through it. She was shocked when his gaze penetrated her veil like it was nothing. He detected anger rising to the surface as she tried to push back, but he didn¡¯t budge an inch. He looked within her soul, for any traces of soul fragments for he needed to be sure. When he didn¡¯t find any, he relaxed and retreated. Agatha crashed to the floor, sweating and exhausted. Finally, his gaze turned towards the man, no, the scum he had come here for. He was cowering in the corner, hiding behind a table. Aenon was about to attack and eradicate the trash, when he felt something hit his soul. He turned in confusion towards the only other soul mage in his vicinity. Agatha was standing and had a staff in her hand. A staff she was using to attack his soul. ¡°Enough, I needed to be sure you were not working with him.¡± he stated while shrugging off the attack. He tossed out Eskad and the rest at her feet before saying, ¡°Check their souls.¡± The soul mage was shocked he had weathered the attack so easily. But she lowered her staff as she bent down and placed a hand on Eskad¡¯s forehead. Her expression went from concern, to shock, to pure fury within seconds. She turned to him with murder in her eyes. ¡°Who?¡± she asked. Aenon tossed her the book without a word. The more she read, the angrier she got. Aenon heard a ping of a quest completion notification, but Aenon ignored it. Instead, turning his head to the side and focusing behind him. Without looking away he pointed at the unconscious party members, making them dissolve into the shadows. ¡°You deal with this scum. I¡¯ll deal with this,¡± he told Agatha while turning back and staring at the door. She looked confused for a bit, but her attention shifted to her side as she detected the mayor trying to sneak away. She lifted her staff and aimed it at the weasel, locking him in place. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± she asked without taking her eyes off the mayor. Aenon didn¡¯t respond as he walked out into the corridor and closed the door behind him and sealed it in ice. His gaze didn¡¯t diverge for a second, always trained at one singular point in space. Clap clap clap. ¡°Bravo. Not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would find someone who could pierce my stealth on this backwards planet,¡± the elf said as he dispelled the spell and reappeared. ¡°I would have said I was impressed. But your stupidity kind of offsets it. Since you decided to take me on alone.¡± Aenon didn¡¯t respond as he analyzed his opponent. This was by far the strongest opponent he had faced in a physical fight. And he realized why. The elf¡¯s soul, it didn¡¯t just have soul fragments. It had large pieces of foreign souls coating it. What level of boost he received due to it was anyone¡¯s guess. And why did he choose to face him alone? Because there were things that might be revealed during his fight that he couldn¡¯t afford to. His connection to the world tree for instance. He had a lingering feeling that this elf was related to the healer. ¡°A quiet type, huh? Or are you mute? I am sure your screams will be delightful though,¡± the elf taunted him with a broad smile. ¡°You related to Mave?¡± Aenon finally broke his silence. He wanted to extract as much information from his opponent before the fight started. Overconfident pricks like this loved tattling on their plans after all. ¡°Hah. Don¡¯t compare me to that imbecile cousin of mine. Comparing him to me is like comparing a worm to a dragon,¡± he boasted while retrieving two daggers. Aenon immediately drew his own, remembering too late that his primary daggers were ruined. When the elf saw the horribly twisted daggers, he burst out laughing. ¡°What do you intend to do with that scrap metal?¡± ¡°This is all I need to deal with a worm like you,¡± Aenon responded with a mocking tone. Even though the weapons were ruined and didn¡¯t have an edge, he could still use them for stabbing. And he needed a way to rile up the guy. Somehow, he felt that would be the key to victory. As expected, the elf¡¯s face turned red in anger. Aenon felt a faint mana layer of¡­ something¡­ coating on the edge of his enemy¡¯s weapon. He was sure their rarity was quite high. ¡°You will pay for that disrespect. I will peel your soul, piece by piece. You will rue the day you decided to face the Soul Stalker,¡± the elf said with a malicious grin as he got into a weird stance. With that the elf charged at Aenon at a speed that was too fast for him to follow. He tried blocking but failed spectacularly. He felt a deep gash on his right shoulder, inflicting pain. But when he looked at the wound, there was no blood. ¡°Get it now? My daggers, they inflict direct soul damage. And my second class gives me blindingly fast speed. Something a backward hick like you can¡¯t even imagine. Painful, right? Ahahaha,¡± the elf cackled loudly. It all finally clicked in Aenon¡¯s head. These elves were masters of harvesting souls for their own power. That is how they drained power from their world tree, and that is how this rogue was sapping power from his enemies. And that must be what they had enticed the nobles of this city with. An easy source of raw power. Aenon turned to face the elf without making a sound. Aenon had suffered far more soul pain than the elf could imagine. A minor cut like this was like a pinprick in comparison. Seeing him not having a reaction, the elf stopped laughing, a frown replacing it instead. Aenon displayed his smile on the mask again while tilting his head and releasing his soul presence. ¡°A Soul Stalker, huh? Well, let¡¯s see then. How you perform against the Void Stalker.¡± 2.9. Soul Syphon Chapter 9 ¨C Soul Siphon Aenon stared down his opponent, who had frozen still when his presence was unleashed. The elf¡¯s soul was very different to any he had felt so far. Earlier he had felt it, but now that he was so close he finally understood what was giving off those weird vibes. If everyone¡¯s souls were like spherical balls that emitted emotions, this guy¡¯s soul was emitting a jumbled mess of conflicting feelings. But they were all very weak and hard to separate out. And the reason for it was quite clear. His soul was covered in layers upon layers of foreign soul pieces. He had felt the soul fragments that had fallen off Eskad and his party. That was more akin to a powder, while these pieces were more like strips of cloth. And if Eskad had gained a few stat points from just the powder, it was hard to imagine how boosted the elf¡¯s stats were. Aenon could feel the power radiating from the elf but could not accurately predict how strong he was. His identify skill also came up empty. The man¡¯s level was in double digits, but his stats were obviously higher than Aenon¡¯s since he could not see the level. But more concerning of all were the man¡¯s daggers. The attack had connected, which was a surprise for Aenon. His System assigned shield that provided protection from any offensive action had not blocked it in the slightest. Only those in authoritative positions, such as the arbiter and city officials, would have been exempt from the rule. This meant the man held some official position, and knowing the sniveling mayor of the city, it was not hard to see why. As Aenon was sizing up his opponent, the rogue finally managed to break out of his shock. ¡°My, oh my. That is some presence you have there. For a second you had me worried that I was looking at the new mysterious arbiter. But then my attack would not have landed. The fact that it did means you are just some pathetic rodent drunk on power,¡± the rogue said with a greasy smile. Even though he was trying to pretend that Aenon¡¯s presence didn¡¯t have much of an effect, the bead of sweat rolling down his forehead said otherwise. Aenon touched the spot the dagger had cut him on the shoulder. Even his armor was unaffected. He checked his status to see what was affected. His health bar was still full, which confused him. But then he noticed that his STR stat had fallen by a single point which had reduced his over health pool, but it was still at 100%. ¡°So, you directly hit the opponent¡¯s soul, draining away their stats. Its more like pure damage, rather than physical or magical,¡± Aenon asked while maintaining his calm demeanor. ¡°Do all the wood elves specialize in soul magic to boost their power?¡± ¡°You do know what happens to curious nobodies who do not know their place?¡± the man asked with narrowed eyes. Aenon had intentionally let it slip that he understood Mave¡¯s power. He was testing something, and it had worked. He noticed whenever the elf was unsure or surprised, a faint trickle of of his real emotions slipped out through the cracks around his soul. Even right now, when he assumed Aenon knew the elf¡¯s secret, a faint emotion had managed to escape. Fear. ¡°Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?¡± Aenon mocked. In response, the elf got into his earlier stance and charged. And like earlier he managed to nick a cut, draining a point in INT this time. But this time Aenon observed the process more closely. A tiny thread of his soul had broken off and attached to the elf¡¯s. A fight with this elf was a battle of attrition, where he got stronger with every strike. Pure hit and run tactics, where he turned his enemy¡¯s power against them. A truly ridiculous, but effective, strategy. Aenon could see the allure behind such a method. The growth potential was nearly endless. Nearly being the key word. ¡°Well, this is a first. I have never seen someone take soul damage without breaking down and begging for mercy,¡± the elf said as he landed a fifth cut. Every hit reduced one of his stats, and Aenon was yet to pin down his opponent. The guy was just too fast. But Aenon kept trying to stab him with his ruined daggers, making the elf cackle in glee each time he missed. The wolves in his shadow were growling, demanding to be let out. But Aenon ordered them not to. He had found the weakness, and he just needed them to play along. And so, the one-sided fight continued. ¡°Ahahahaha. I have drained a hundred stat points from you by now. Can you feel your body getting heavier, slower, and your memory getting fuzzier?¡± the elf reveled in his apparent success. He moved around Aenon with precision and grace. ¡°Not yet,¡± Aenon mentally told the wolves who were getting angrier by the second. The elf¡¯s latest comment had confirmed Aenon¡¯s suspicion that he had no way of sensing souls. If he could, the elf would not have been so cocky at draining a measly 112 points from his huge stat pool. To keep up appearances, Aenon started moving slower whenever his STR or DEX were drained and looked a bit out of it when his INT and PER were targeted. Only when another 824 points were reduced did the elf stop his deadly dance. ¡°Ah, this exhilarating feeling of gaining stats is incomparable with any other pleasures. And now that you are drained of most of your stats, I am going to enjoy making you squeal. You may be resilient enough to have tiny threads of your soul ripped off. But once I start carving off strips of it¡­¡± the elf grinned as he approached Aenon who was down on one knee. Aenon was supporting his body weight using his hands on the ground. Or so the elf thought. The overconfident fool strutted at a casual pace, as he retrieved some kind of metal collar. Aenon could feel strong magic from it. But just as he was about to put it on Aenon, his feet froze. Not figuratively, but literally. A thick layer of ice erupted from Aenon¡¯s hands and wrapped around the bewildered man¡¯s feet. And before he could think of a way to break free, four earth spikes shot up and pierced him through his calf muscles and thighs. ¡°AAAAAAARGH,¡± the elf yelled in pain. Aenon then stood up and started stretching his neck and arms, as though nothing of note had happened in the last 40 minutes. ¡°You¡­ you¡­ you are a mage?¡± ¡°Never said I wasn¡¯t,¡± Aenon replied calmly. ¡°But¡­ but you should have no mana pool left to cast such magic. I was sure to drain your INT stat most of all,¡± he said amid grunts of pain. The guy wanted to break free, but the angle at which the spikes had pierced made it difficult. ¡°Oh, I noticed. A pretty good strategy you got there. Extreme speed to make you elusive and drain the core stats for magic casters. It was well planned and executed,¡± Aenon said with a mock smile as he approached the writhing man. ¡°And it would work on most people. Having 900+ stats drained is no joke after all.¡± ¡°Then how?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡± Aenon asked sarcastically. The elf withdrew something from his inventory, a token of sorts. But before he could do anything with it, Aenon added, ¡°Now.¡± As one, his wolves dove out of his shadow and bit down on a limb each. The hand holding the token was completely severed, as the wolf savagely shook its jaws. The elf shrieked in pain, as the wolves started playing tug of war with the elf¡¯s body. The action even ripped the spikes out, causing more damage. Aenon gave a sharp whistle, making the wolves drop the elf and back off. But their growling didn¡¯t abate in the slightest. They were still furious at the prey that had hurt their alpha. Aenon walked up and squatted next to the bloodied man, terror clear as day in his bloodshot eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t come closer. I am warning you. You have no idea who I am. My parents are¡­¡± the elf started ranting as he desperately tried to crawl away. But his limbs were torn to shreds, making the action unlikely.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Aenon ignored the elf¡¯s words, just staring at the weeping man with cold grey eyes. His entire focus was on the elf¡¯s soul. He found a new layer of soul fragments, his soul fragments. Unlike the other layers, they were held in place with a very weak force. If Aenon was to guess, this was a two-part process. The first step was to get the pieces, and the next was to stitch them together. And that probably happened after the battle. He still wasn¡¯t sure why the elf had stopped draining his stats though. Aenon could clearly see the older layers had almost fused together. But the newer layers, which included Eskad¡¯s, weren¡¯t entirely integrated yet. But there was another interesting thing he noticed. Now that he was observing this closely, the layers were radiating some residual feelings. They were so faint; it was like trying to listen to whispers from several feet away. But they were there, and it a huge jumble of emotions. Fear, regret, pain; it was a whole plethora of negative emotions. But the primary one which dominated was anger. ¡°¡­ will come for you. You will have no spot in the multiverse where you can hide.¡± Aenon was snapped out of his thoughts by the elf¡¯s obnoxious voice. He was still not done with his litany of curses and threats. Aenon sighed internally and deposited his broken daggers into his inventory. In their place he grabbed the daggers that were lying in a pool of blood to the side. The elf¡¯s eyes widened when he saw his precious weapons being held by someone else, and because of what he knew was going to happen. Aenon quickly skimmed over the weapon description before the man began to grovel.
Item Name: Soul Render Item Type: Dagger (Main hand) Item Rarity: Ancient Item Description: An insidious blade with an insatiable lust for souls. Made using ancient forbidden arts, the dagger is harmless physically, piercing the fabric of its victim¡¯s souls instead. The pieces that tear out inflict unimaginable and debilitating pain that makes the victim lose the will to live, let alone the will to fight. Being a weapon that inflicts soul damage, it has been outlawed by many empires and factions.
Item Name: Soul Reaper Item Type: Dagger (Off hand) Item Rarity: Ancient Item Description: The malevolent twin of Soul Render, this dagger works in sync with its brother. While the main weapon tears off pieces, this dagger consumes them and attaches it to the wielder¡¯s soul. However, the ability has a steep cost. For every 1000 stats drained, it will shave off 10 from its user, inflicting exponentially more pain in the process. Being a weapon that harvests souls, this weapon is outlawed by the System itself.
The rarity of the daggers was a grade higher than his own, and the effects were just monstrous. Aenon also figured out why the elf had stopped the fight. He had drained 900 something of his stats. Any higher and the man would have been paralyzed by the pain of having 10 stat points being forcibly drained by the second dagger. Curiously though, Aenon wasn¡¯t sure how the elf was using the dagger if it was outlawed by the System. ¡°YOU, GIVE THOSE BACK,¡± he bellowed and tried snatch to the daggers using his one good arm, only to lose it to another wolf instead. He cried out in pain, as he had lost both hands. Aenon tuned out the pained shouts and used his mana sense to observe the daggers instead. He found a sophisticated spell pattern on it that looked similar to the symbols Nocthrya had burned into his memory. But they looked¡­ wrong. While the symbols looked familiar, they were not accurate. It was like a toddler¡¯s first attempt at writing letters. Even so, they did accomplish whatever task they were meant to. CRASH A loud breaking sound made Aenon look up from he was kneeling next to the bloody mess. Agatha had finally managed to break down the frozen door and was hurriedly marching towards them. Aenon deposited the daggers in his inventory as he stood up. ¡°What is going on here?¡± she demanded as she stood with her staff ready. She looked around in alarm at the severed limbs, one of which was being chewed on by a wolf. The wolves gave her a side eye, but mostly ignored her. ¡°You tell me. This is your city, your house. I just got here,¡± Aenon said in a casual tone. ¡°We¡¯ll get to that. First show me your weapons that you just deposited into your inventory,¡± she asked with pursed lips. She had not lowered her guard and was instead aiming her staff at Aenon. ¡°You mean the weapons that I seized from him?¡± Aenon replied while pointing a thumb at the elf. He didn¡¯t like the implication in the woman¡¯s voice. This felt like d¨¦j¨¤ vu all over again. ¡°Whatever the case, show them to me.¡± Aenon stared coldly for a moment, before retrieving the twin daggers. The woman¡¯s breath caught in her throat as she laid eyes on it, no doubt having used identify to read the descriptions. Aenon noticed a wand in her hands and pulled up its description too.
Item Name: Soul Harvester Item Type: Wand (Main hand) Item Rarity: Rare Item Description: An outlawed wand that chips away the souls of its victims, converting the pieces into an elixir that can be consumed. Being a weapon that harvests souls, this weapon is outlawed by the System itself.
It looked like a set piece with the daggers and probably came from the mayor, who Aenon sensed was lying unconscious in the room. The wand¡¯s rarity wasn¡¯t as high and the flavor text was minimal, but the effects weren¡¯t any devastating. It too had the mysterious spell pattern, which Aenon assumed was some kind of cloaking spell. It also explained the source of the potions the nobles were consuming. ¡°Hand that over right now,¡± Agatha spoke in an authoritative tone, holding out her hand towards Aenon. But she had to take a step back when the wolves stood up and faced her with a growl. ¡°Down,¡± Aenon commanded, making all the wolves to back off and sit on their haunches. Aenon then turned to her with a fierce gaze, ¡°You speak as though I had anything to do with this mess. If anything, I am the one cleaning up after you. I don¡¯t want your gratitude, but the least you can do is get off your high horse.¡± The older woman looked down in embarrassment, before giving a formal bow, ¡°My apologies. I got carried away in the heat of the moment. I will¡­¡± ¡°Second time,¡± Aenon interrupted her. ¡°I beg your pardon,¡± she asked in confusion. ¡°That is the second time you have gotten carried away. The first time you tried to use soul manipulation to calm me. And this time, you acted as though I was the one who brought these daggers to your city. I am not even including the hostile behavior of your guild leader when we first met,¡± Aenon glared at her in silence before driving in the point, ¡°The only reason you are still standing is that you didn¡¯t do it out of spite or hate. But push me again, and I will make you regret it.¡± Aenon focused his soul presence directly at her, instead of releasing it in all directions. The effect was quite apparent, as she started to sweat profusely and struggled to keep standing. She was leaning on her staff so as not to tip over. Aenon let her experience the full weight of his presence before pulling it back. ¡°I apologize once again. I will make sure it never happens again,¡± she said politely as she sighed in relief. Her gaze lingered on the daggers, but she said nothing. Aenon tossed the daggers towards her without a second thought, which she barely managed to catch in surprise. He then turned to the elf, who was still spread out on the ground with terror filled eyes. He gathered some mana on his palm as he planned what he wanted to do next. He had studied the way the rogue fought, and how his weapons worked. He just needed to replicate it. He took a step forward, while coating his entire hand in the mana. ¡°You have something that belongs to me,¡± he said as he dashed forward suddenly and punched the prone man in the gut. But this was no ordinary punch. He had infused mana into it, along with one other thing which he had not thought of earlier; his soul presence. His Void Stalker class had said it could incorporate soul magic. So, that is exactly what he did. The soul magic enhanced punch directly impacted the man¡¯s soul, loosening the pieces that he had stolen. And using the same spell he pulled them out and drew it into himself. The elf thrashed on the floor as the pieces were ripped out and returned to their rightful owner. Once he had recovered all his stats, Aenon kept pulling and condensing the fragments from Eskad¡¯s soul. Agatha must have assumed he was going to consume those too, but before she could protest, Aenon retrieved Eskad from his shadow and placed a hand on his chest. He fed the soul fragments back which quickly filled out the rips in Eskad¡¯s soul. Like pieces of a jigsaw, they fit in but would take time to heal. There were still a few gaps missing, which must be where the wand had pulled from. He would try to recover those later from whoever had consumed the elixirs. When Aenon was done, he pulled back and looked at the unconscious form of the elf. The pain must have been too much for him, making the guy pass out. ¡°You were about to interrupt me again. Assuming that I would feed on Eskad¡¯s soul fragments,¡± Aenon said suddenly while facing Agatha. She panicked and was about to explain but Aenon cut her off, ¡°But you didn¡¯t. That is what counts in my book. I am not asking you to trust me blindly. Only that you think before you act. It is natural to be wary of me. But don¡¯t let it cloud your judgement of who I am.¡± She looked at him thoughtfully before asking, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Seomeone who hates tyrants.¡± 2.10. Fallout Chapter 10 ¨C Fallout Aenon sat on the comfortable couch while sipping the hot beverage that was served to him. He wasn¡¯t sure what to compare it to since he never had tea or coffee, his mother was against him trying it, but it tasted bitter yet had a calming effect. The aroma was quite pleasant, and he enjoyed this much more than the drinks served back in Jadefall. He decided he was going to buy some of this stuff when he got the chance. He looked up from his cup to observe the surroundings to pass the time. He was seated in the former mayor¡¯s office, surrounded by half a dozen maids who stood attentively to the sides. Their demeanor was extremely professional, despite the palpable nervousness that hung in the air. He was still not comfortable with the arrogant noble act, but he had to play the part for what he planned next. Agatha had left him here to go deal with the fall out of the impromptu coup with the help of Bane and his wolves. Aenon could have been more involved, but frankly he didn¡¯t care. There would no doubt be a lot of politics involved, and he didn¡¯t want to get stuck in that quagmire. He observed the man who seemed to oversee the maids, a butler perhaps, who was standing by his right shoulder. While the maids were plain nervous and confused, this man was giving off more complex feelings. Aenon could sense confusion, anxiety, fear, and even anger from the man. But the anger seemed to be directed inwards, like he hated himself for whatever reason. Aenon had a bunch of System notifications to go through but wanted to wait till he was by himself. For now, he wanted to understand the status quo of the palace, and the weird discomfort he felt from all the maids. ¡°I am assuming you are in charge of operations around this palace?¡± Aenon asked in a neutral tone. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the man replied crisply with a bow. ¡°Well then, enlighten me. Why are all the people under you hungry?¡± The man was taken aback by the question. He was probably mentally prepared for a multitude of questions, but not this. He seemed lost for words, as he looked around the room in confusion. ¡°We can get to the bottom of that later. But for now, dismiss all the help and make them go have breakfast. Delay any chores or activities till then. This is not a request, it¡¯s an order,¡± Aenon said while putting down his empty cup. The man blinked in confusion before coming to his senses. He gave a bow before handing out a few verbal orders. All the maids filed out of the room in relief. The man then walked back to his earlier spot and stood stoically. ¡°I believe I asked everyone to go have breakfast,¡± Aenon asked sharply. ¡°You did, sir. But I would be remiss in my duties if I left a guest unattended,¡± the man replied without as much as turning his head. Aenon sighed internally, for he knew men like this. There was probably nothing short of a threat of death that would waver the man. Even that was a low probability. So, he placed some biscuits that were served to him on a quarter plate and held it towards the stubborn old fool. ¡°Eat while you talk. I have a bunch of questions, and you seem to be the one who can answer them,¡± Aenon said without looking his way. The man stared at the plate and then Aenon, his soul bleeding curiosity and confusion. He cautiously took the plate, probably expecting some kind of backlash. When none came, he took a tentative bite. Aenon let the man finish two biscuits before asking his first question. ¡°What do I call you?¡± ¡°I am the city administrator sir,¡± he replied. ¡°Your name, not your title,¡± Aenon asked impatiently. The question threw the man for another loop, but he recovered faster this time as he replied, ¡°Henry, sir.¡± ¡°Very well, Henry. Explain everything to me. What your former employer was up to, and why were the servants starving?¡± The man hesitated for a bit before detailing everything that went on in the palace. The more he talked, the more disgust and hate leaked out of his soul. And the reason for the self-hate became apparent to Aenon. The poor guy was powerless in trying to protect his workers, although he tried the best he could. It was also clear from the explanation that the man wasn¡¯t aware of the darker dealings of his former employer, neither was he made aware of the existence of the elf. He did suspect something but had cleverly decided not to probe into it. Aenon didn¡¯t blame the guy. That was a great way to get killed for no reason after all. ¡°Hmmm. I think I get the gist of it,¡± Aenon said while pondering the implications. It essentially boiled down to one thing: rewards. The noble family the mayor belonged to had wanted to reap as many benefits as possible in a very short time before the planet was opened to the wider multiverse, which was about 7 months away now. That is when the real powers would bare their fangs for a piece of the fledgling world. And hence the mayor was sent on a mission to try to set up a foothold if possible, failing which he was to gather as many titles and promising adventurers before the real show began. The man they had sent, Balindor Steelcrest, was one of the dozens of children from the noble house. If not for his scheming mother, the fool would not have had the chance to oversee such a rare and precious opportunity. And the guy had approached it the way everyone, but his mother, had expected. By trying to fulfil his own personal vices and enjoying the luxuries that came with the role. If not for Henry, the city would have collapsed within a month of them coming here. Balindor had literally showered himself with as many riches and luxuries as he got his grubby paws on. Henry had played the devil¡¯s advocate by approving and managing his out-of-control master, while still trying to run the city and the palace. He had subtly diverted the man¡¯s attention from any untoward actions that would have adversely affected city morale or harmed his employees. Henry was the mastermind behind the creation of the obscenely expensive palace and having it cut out from the rest of the world. If he could contain the mayor within its walls and fulfill his nefarious needs, the city would be left alone. And the plan had worked to an extent since the fact of the matter was that the System, or whoever had designed it, had placed certain safeguards to protect the weak. But the powerhouses of the multiverse were discontent due to it. They had been trying to find loopholes for exploitation, which had given rise to the current societal hierarchy. But the most they had managed to do was revel in the discomfort of the less fortunate. The direct infliction of pain and/or misery was an impossibility. The only exception to the rule was when the soul was involved. Henry had seen what had happened during the last hour and explained why the System failed to detect atrocities Eskad and others like him had endured. The System was severely limited when it came to souls. Despite its seeming omnipotence, it had always refused or failed to directly affect a person¡¯s soul. Philosophers had argued that it was to preserve the concept of free will, since if the System influenced the soul, it would likely be creating nothing but mindless drones. Not actual life forms. Aenon had deduced as much. If not, the role the Overseer played in his own life wouldn¡¯t have happened. And it was more than likely that Aenon wasn¡¯t the first of his victims either. His own granddaughter was influenced by it. Which brought up an interesting fact that Aenon wasn¡¯t sure of. What did the System think of Aenon. He didn¡¯t understand his powers that well, but from what he did piece together, he was affecting the souls of those around him. First the wolves, then the tree, and to an extent even Jenny. Maybe not directly controlling them, but more of a nudge in the right direction. A far stronger influence than the other soul mage he knew, Agatha. His thoughts were interrupted by the butler speaking up suddenly. ¡°Thank you,¡± the man said with far deeper bow than was necessary. His feelings of gratitude and sincerity were clear as day even without Aenon¡¯s soul sense. ¡°I was merely carrying out an assigned quest,¡± Aenon responded with some discomfort, trying to wave off what he had done for the city by taking out the guilty nobles. He was not used to this society¡¯s formal traditions of bowing and such, especially from someone who was clearly much older. ¡°Not for liberating us from the schemes of tyrants, sir. I am grateful that you treated us as humans,¡± the man added while still bowing down. ¡°It was nothing special,¡± Aenon said while rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. The man stood up eventually and looked him right in the eye and smiled.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°The fact that you even think so, is all I need to know,¡± he said cryptically before resuming his stoic stance. Aenon didn¡¯t press him further for anything. He had learned all that was relevant, and the atmosphere had gotten weird. He decided to use the companiable silence to address his System notifications instead. And there were quite a few of them, and none of them were normal.
Quest
You have been tasked with uncovering a nefarious plot by the assistant leader of the adventurer¡¯s guild in Pinespire, while also rescuing one of the top parties of her branch. Objectives: Rescue the hostages (4/4) Bonus Objectives: Find out what is going on and who is behind it (1/1) Hidden Objective (System assigned): Clear out the scourge plaguing the city. Reward: Talk to the City Admin to get rewards. Hidden Reward: Check your inventory
Aenon blinked a few times at the quest completion dialogue box. He wasn¡¯t even aware there could be hidden objectives. He decided to check his inventory and was further confused with the new addition. It was a small black marble, no bigger than a grape. But it was the description that baffled him.
Item Name: Black Marble Item Type: Artifact Item Rarity: Unique Item Description: Soulbound to the one it was granted to, this item cannot be identified or acquired by anyone else. It has multiple uses. Note: Since you like to figure out everything yourself, give this a try.
The mysterious object had no visible clues or any mana signatures on it. For all intents and purposes, it looked like an ordinary marble. Aenon was miffed that his stalker was getting bolder by the day, but as always there was nothing he could do. He even asked Henry if he could identify the object, which obviously he couldn¡¯t. Frustrated, Aenon moved on to his next notification. This was much more straightforward, and something he was familiar with.
System Notification
For eliminating a significant threat to the safety and prosperity of a settlement, SP has been awarded +50 SP
This brought his net SP to 170. It was time to upgrade and combine some of his skills when he got the time to do so. Finally, he moved on to the title notifications which made him scratch his head. The stats weren¡¯t anything to write home about, but the flavor text was more of a warning than anything else.
Title achieved: Corruption Cleanser Title achieved: Soul Piercer
Corruption Cleanser: Eliminate the true leeches of society. Although, beware. Leeches rarely travel alone. I know you didn¡¯t like the class, but you can¡¯t turn this down, can you? +5 all stats
Soul Piercer: Inflict direct damage on someone¡¯s soul. Since the user didn¡¯t use it for their own benefit, a title has been granted instead of a severe penalty. Be cautious next time. +5 all stats
The first title was a warning about the external threat, but the second title was what made him raise an eyebrow. It was a clear warning not to attempt to use his new ability to go down the road the elves had done. Not that Aenon intended it, but the warning was a wake-up call. The System, or his stalker, was absolutely against the idea. He dismissed his notifications and looked towards the door. His host was approaching with a retinue of familiar souls and Bane in tow. ¡°Greetings, Alpha,¡± Bane said as walked up and stood by his left shoulder. He eyed Henry standing on the other side for a second, but didn¡¯t comment otherwise. ¡°What is going on here?¡± Eryndor, the guild leader asked as he looked around the room. The way Henry and Bane were standing behind Aenon, it looked like he was a city ruler, and not a guest. ¡°Let¡¯s all have a seat, shall we?¡± Agatha interjected to cut the tension. But before she could move, Eskad and his party all stepped forward and got down on one knee. ¡°We are further in your debt, yet again,¡± the team leader spoke solemnly. Aenon could tell his soul wasn¡¯t at its peak yet, but he was recovering remarkably well. The action further perturbed the guild leader, but Agatha held him back with a stern gaze. ¡°Going to give me more tokens in exchange, are you?¡± Aenon asked humorously. The big guy looked embarrassed at their internal joke, while the other people in the room looked at the man quizzically. ¡°There is no damned token that can repay you for what you have done. Saving a life is one thing, but you saved our very souls,¡± one of the dwarves spoke up while kneeling. His twin nodded in acknowledgement. ¡°Yes indeed. We are deeply indebted to you, and there is no way we can ever repay you,¡± Elara spoke next. She was very subdued and looked like she had been through a meat grinder. ¡°Well then, I believe you know what I expect in return, don¡¯t you?¡± Aenon asked while standing up. For some reason, everyone in the room tensed up as Aenon approached the team. Eryndor even made a move for his sword. But contrary to everyone¡¯s expectations, Eskad and his team stood up just as Aenon reached them. The berserker then put his hand forward. ¡°Thanks,¡± the man smiled as Aenon shook it, barely managing to match the guy¡¯s strength. Aenon displayed a grin using illusion magic, not the creepy kind. And this time, Eskad looked directly at Aenon¡¯s eyes without any ill effect from his mask¡¯s passive skill. Aenon had noticed that even Henry had looked right at him without any backlash earlier. So maybe the people who had no ill-will towards him were exempt from its effects. He would need to test it out later. Henry waved his hand to conjure up a long table in the middle of the room, before escorting Aenon with a bow to the chair at the head of the table. As before, Bane and Henry stood by his sides. This action further irked the guild leader, and even Agatha was taken aback by it. Eryndor took the chair directly opposite Aenon¡¯s, while intensely glaring at him. Eskad and his team took chairs on either side closer to Aenon, while Agatha did the same but sat closer to Eryndor. There were two more city guards who must have held some important role since they were here for the meeting. They looked between the two warring factions before tactfully deciding to just stand to the sides. ¡°Now that we are seated, let us jump in to discuss the recent happenings¡­,¡± Agatha began before Eryndor cut her off. ¡°Before that, why is he here? On what authority and why is he sitting in the city mayor¡¯s chair?¡± Eryndor said in a tone dripping venom. ¡°I was just escorted here. I would like to know the answers to the same questions,¡± Aenon interjected in a casual tone. Even he found it odd that Henry had directed him to the chair but had not questioned the man. His reasoning was entirely different though. He wanted to gauge Eryndor¡¯s reaction. ¡°Ahem. Right. As we all know, the current city mayor is in custody due to crimes that we will soon discuss. In such a scenario, it falls to the city admin, which is me, to act in the mayor¡¯s stead. Conversely, I also have the authority to hand the reins to a suitable candidate. And I have decided to pick him,¡± Henry said in a formal statement without any emotion. Aenon received a ping of a System notification which he ignored. ¡°Absolutely not. We don¡¯t even know him. For all we know he could have been behind it all,¡± Eryndor objected vehemently. ¡°Your opinion is noted. But you hold no power in my decision. And that is the end of that,¡± Henry responded in the same professional tone. ¡°Eryndor, we have more pressing matters to discuss,¡± Agatha chimed in before her superior could say more. ¡°And as for his credibility, I can vouch for him. It is only with his help that we were able to uproot the cabal of soul eaters. So let the matter rest for now.¡± The imposing man clearly had more to say but held back seeing that no one seemed to be on his side. He begrudgingly nodded, but didn¡¯t keep the disdain off his face. Aenon knew he would have to knock some sense into the guy at some point. But now was not the time, since there indeed were more urgent matters. He wasn¡¯t a big fan of the move that Henry pulled without his approval, but since it aligned with his long-term goals, he decided to let it slide for now. ¡°Moving on, here is the report that I have put together,¡± Agatha continued. ¡°In total 32 city officials have been arrested on suspicion of practicing forbidden arts. The list of their victims is not insignificant, but mostly consists of the vulnerable citizenry who no one would have missed.¡± ¡°You mean the refugees from Jadefall,¡± Aenon added. ¡°Yes. The refugees. The operation was quite meticulous, the victims disappearing from accidental causes most of the time. I am sure the elf in custody can shed more light on the process. For now, I have instructed the adventurers to scour the city for any hidden threats, while the city guard will take a total head count of the population.¡± ¡°What bothers me is the fact that no one reported the missing people,¡± Aenon asked while interlacing his fingers on the table. Agatha hesitated for a moment, unsure how to answer. ¡°The local population weren¡¯t exactly fond of the decision to take in the low-level refugees,¡± she finally admitted. ¡°Correct me if I am wrong, but when you say local population, you mean the NPCs who were placed on this planet by the System to help the players from Earth, right?¡± Aenon asked. ¡°Ummm, yes. When a new planet is integrated, and the native world is unsuitable for life, the System assigns a Tutorial planet such as this. To smooth out the transition it also brings people from integrated worlds to set up the cities and villages. It is to provide the players with a support structure to grow,¡± Agatha replied with a sigh. ¡°Then what¡¯s with the hate? Isn¡¯t it their very duty to assist?¡± Aenon pressed further. ¡°Ordinarily, yes. But tutorial planets are also a means for people from integrated worlds to have a fresh start. Most, if not all, sign up for personal benefits,¡± Agatha said while looking away in shame. Aenon leaned his head on his fist as he thought of how to approach this. Hate for refugees was a multiverse feeling by the looks of it. Even if said refugees were meant to boost their prosperity in the first place. He couldn¡¯t eliminate the social stigma overnight, but he needed it to be gone as soon as possible. These players hadn¡¯t really had a chance either, being thrust into unfamiliar scenarios far faster than normal. If not for the dungeon break, the players would have found their way to the city on their own. And would have been much stronger when they did and contributed to society, rather than draining resources. The main issue was that the surrounding areas had much higher leveled mobs, which significantly restricted what the refugee players could contribute. This was by far the biggest mess that Aenon had inadvertently found himself in, even if he was not directly responsible for it. And now it was somehow his responsibility to sort this out. After all, he had decided to lend his shoulders for the weak to stand on. 2.11. Landlord Chapter 11 ¨C Landlord Nocthrya The sunrays barely broke through the thick mist that was ever present in the lands of Reality¡¯s Edge. The former village was now a full-fledged forest with no signs of any buildings or ruins. But from the outside it looked like a 2 kilometer (1.2 mile) wide snow globe, with fog swirling within. It was a strange sight to behold, and anyone curious enough to enter had a nasty surprise waiting for them. They would either find themselves stepping back out the next moment or wandering endlessly within its murky depths. The decision to trap or let go was decided by the 16 foot high tree which now resided at the very center. Nocthrya was content, as a tree should be. With enough fresh air and pure water as it would ever need, it had nothing to worry about. Aenon Friend had said he was on a hunt to rid the neighboring lands of any threats. So, all that Nocthrya had to do was grow, and Nocthrya was good at growing. The only problem was the foul corruption in the forest down south. Nocthrya had sensed nefarious activity through its ever-expanding root network, and it didn¡¯t like it. As a world tree, its species was adept at conversing with the land and the native plant life. Unlike enlightened souls, the common trees could not have complex emotions. But they still felt pain, and they were in a lot of it. The source of the corruption is what angered Nocthrya. It came from the walking trees, or treants as the others called them. As a world tree, Nocthrya had a lot of ingrained knowledge. Hence, Nocthrya knew that treants were supposed to be protectors of the forest, ever calm and composed unless the forest was threatened. But the ones Nocthrya sensed were blood thirsty and violent, and seemed to be hunting for sport and power. And they were spreading their corruption amongst all the native trees. By now, Nocthrya¡¯s small domain was covered on all sides by the diseased forest. If not for Aenon Friend¡¯s cloaking ability, and the space manipulation Nocthrya had obtained from the treant cores, it would have been impossible for Nocthrya to survive. The treants had sensed Nocthrya and had started sieging Reality¡¯s Edge to try to get to it. Because as a world tree, Nocthrya also had the unique ability to purge the vile corruption. Thus, the corruption needed to eliminate Nocthrya if it was to spread. And so there were multiple raiding parties of juvenile treants who entered Nocthrya¡¯s area of control every day. But Nocthrya was not worried. Even though the infected treants used space manipulation too, they were leagues below Nocthrya. The poor things tried diligently to find Nocthrya, but never even left the perimeter of Reality¡¯s Edge. And since Nocthrya could feed on the corruption, the longer they stayed in its domain the weaker their corruption got. Until eventually the treants collapsed and became dormant. They were not dead, treants were a form of ancient race known for their resilience after all. But the corruption had done a number on them. They would probably take a while to heal the damage and wake up. So Nocthrya moved these cleansed treants into a secure area for them to heal and recuperate. When they did wake up, they would be invaluable allies. For now, Nocthrya just focused on devouring the corruption as best as it could. Nocthrya¡¯s branches swayed in the gentle wind as it observed its domain. There was another group of three entering the mist, but this time there was an adult too. It had far better control of the space aspect, but still fell short of Nocthrya. The group didn¡¯t even require Nocthrya¡¯s full attention. Instead, Nocthrya was focused on another group passing through the misty forest. But unlike the intruders, the mist parted away to allow them free passage. It was a group of pitch-black wolves and a human girl. Like any young world tree, Nocthrya was curious about everything. Since they could not move and had limited senses, young world trees depended on outside sources for any news or information. For Nocthrya, it was this rag-tag group that Aenon Friend had left behind. They often went on hunting missions down south and came back battered and injured, seeking refuge in Nocthrya¡¯s domain. Nocthrya had even set up a small space near itself that boosted healing. The tired group often relaxed in the area, while talking amongst themselves about what had happened during the latest hunt. It was these tidbits that Nocthrya enjoyed listening in on. ¡°Ugh. When will these brats start listening to my commands,¡± the human girl cried out in frustration. The biggest wolf of the group walked calmly next to her. She was the only one who was uninjured. ¡°When you start behaving like a leader,¡± the mother wolf replied. Nocthrya liked her, her soul felt like Aenon Friend¡¯s as they both shared a link with him. Nocthrya had not talked to any of the group after Aenon Friend¡¯s departure, but the big wolf often napped in Nocthrya¡¯s shade and projected the outside world through their link. It was a very enjoyable experience. ¡°But I am. I am being decisive and firm, and keeping a close eye on the entire party,¡± the girl responded in frustration. The girl always had frustration leaking from her soul and would often sit under Nocthrya to vent. But Nocthrya didn¡¯t really focus, as it had gotten repetitive and boring after the first dozen times. ¡°Being a leader is more than just being decisive and firm,¡± the big wolf, Venge, replied and lay down by Nocthrya¡¯s trunk. The girl probably had more to say, but the mother wolf closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep. The girl groaned in frustration and stomped away towards the healing circle. As the girl left, Venge started projecting the visions to Nocthrya. But this time it was different. These views were unlike any Nocthrya had seen. It showed towering forests of stone, and strange animals that moved without legs. There were even humans sitting inside these weird animals. The alien world was mesmerizing, and Nocthrya wanted to ask where this was from but Venge replied before that. ¡°This is what the Alpha shared with me of his old world. I thought you might like something different,¡± Venge said. Nocthrya couldn¡¯t agree more. Aenon Friend¡¯s old world was very different indeed. Thus, the two sat quietly in silence as they shared a glimpse into their friend¡¯s past, all while said friend was busy causing fresh mayhem for the established powers of this new world. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Aenon Aenon stood with his arms behind his back by the large window that overlooked the city. The view was spectacular, if one ignored the annoying golden statue that marred the scene. The city was prosperous by all accounts, and the current view was tailored to reflect that. This was the former mayor¡¯s office and the city admin, Henry, had made sure the pudgy man saw none of the unsavory sights from here. It was an exercise in appeasement to keep the man happy and oblivious to the truth. That the city¡¯s prosperity was taking a hit due to the drain of resources due to the refugees. A fact that Aenon would soon address. Henry stood behind, stoic as ever. The man¡¯s thoughts were a mystery, but not his emotions. There was a strong undercurrent of nervousness which he hid remarkably well. Aenon didn¡¯t know the reason for the nervousness with certainty, but he could take a guess. He would address the issue soon enough, but first he needed to review the last notification he had received.
Title upgraded: Landlord (2)
Landlord (2): Claim ownership of 2 settlements +25 all stats
He had received this title when Henry had acknowledged handing him the city ownership. The title barely added any more stats, but Aenon didn¡¯t mind. He wasn¡¯t really interested in that since he was more worried about the implications of this new ownership. At least with Reality¡¯s Edge there were no people involved. But with Pinespire, he decided not to change the name in case it triggered something unexpected, there was a large population to worry about. He pulled up his stat sheet to go over before addressing the restless man behind him.
Name Aenon Fenrast/Ashryn (13 yrs)
Race Ascended Human (F) Level 29
Class Void Stalker Level 27
Subclass Abyssal Warden Level 30
HP 19095 MP 22655Stolen novel; please report.
HP/min 382 MP/min 499
Stats
Strength 1910 Intelligence 2266
Constitution 1909 Willpower 2496
Dexterity 1914 Perception 2024
Titles (532 x 6 = 3189)
¡­ ¡­
Landlord (2) +25 all stats
¡­ ¡­
Skills (Free SP: 170)
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps) Savant
Stealth (Woods, Urban) Savant
Tracking (Woods) Expert
Mana Manipulation Master
Spells
Earth Manipulation (Intermediate) - 200 Water Manipulation (Minor) ¨C 200 Air Manipulation (Minor) ¨C 200 Fire Manipulation (Basic) ¨C 200 Illusion (Intermediate) - 120 Feather Foot (Intermediate) ¨C 400 Gravity Well (Basic) ¨C 400 Barrier ¨C Physical (Minor) - 200 Barrier ¨C Magical (Basic) - 200 Overcharge (Minor) - 1000 Blooming Earth ¨C 1200 Ice Lance Gravity Bomb
He had also gained two levels in his void stalker class from the fight against the elf and had 170 SP that he needed to spend at some point. He would probably do that before heading north towards the dragon, but for now this was ok. It was time to address the proverbial elephant in the room. ¡°What time is the public ceremony?¡± Aenon asked tersely. The meeting had gone longer than he wanted, with a lot of back and forth with Eryndor. Agatha had tried her best to be the voice of reason and had eventually managed to pacify the belligerent man. In the end, it was as Henry had stated; the guild leader had no say in the matter of selecting the city leader. Aenon was given the position, but it would only become official after a ceremony. As for the guilty nobles, Aenon had decided to keep everyone in the dark about his decision. All he said was that they would all come to know about it during the ceremony. ¡°In half an hour, sire,¡± Henry replied formally. Even though the man was a nervous wreck, not a hint of it was shown externally. ¡°Do you know what you did wrong?¡± Aenon finally asked. ¡°I¡­ I did not ask before putting the responsibility on you,¡± the man replied while visibly showing concern for the first time. ¡°Hmm. At least you are perceptive,¡± Aenon replied while turning to face the man. ¡°I do not appreciate being blindsided like that. Just because I intended to take over the reins doesn¡¯t give you the right to make decisions on my behalf.¡± ¡°I apologize for crossing my limits,¡± the man replied while getting down on one knee. ¡°Make sure it doesn¡¯t happen again,¡± Aenon replied firmly before turning back to the window. Once the man stood up, he continued. ¡°As for what happens now, I have no intention of being tied down to this city, or getting bogged down in politics. I leave the city administration and politics to you. All I would offer in return is protection from threats, both internal and external.¡± ¡°Understood, sire. I expected as much. Rest assured that I am fully capable of handling the responsibility. I can¡­¡± ¡°I just have two simple rules for you,¡± Aenon cut him off. ¡°One, do not try to screw me over. And two, do not use my name to do things that I do not approve of.¡± The man tensed up as Aenon released the entirely of his soul presence and focused it on him. He only relented after Henry was covered in sweat and was visibly shaking. ¡°Ye¡­ yes sire, I will keep that in mind,¡± Henry replied amid gasps as he recovered. Aenon needed the calculating man to know what he was dealing with, and what would be the consequences of crossing him. He acknowledged the man¡¯s resourcefulness but had to keep him on a short leash to avoid any future problems. ¡°Very well then, lets head out to the ceremony,¡± Aenon said while marching out without another word. Henry stumbled a bit but managed to gather himself while falling in behind Aenon. Bane was asleep in Aenon¡¯s shadow, waiting for the signal to appear. As Aenon made his way outside the office, he found that all the maids and servants stood in two lines on either side. They bowed respectfully as he passed through. Aenon cringed internally but kept moving without a word. He needed to avoid these situations going forward, but for now he had no choice but to play the part. He couldn¡¯t wait to get back into the wild where he could be far away from these subservient displays. The further along he went, the more people joined his retinue. From official bodyguards to the city guard captain, the line kept growing. It reminded him of his first day in Jadefall, except now he was in the village head¡¯s shoes. When he finally got to the stage he was supposed to be on, he nearly turned around and left. There was a gaudy throne placed on top of it, complete with embedded gems and red velvety covers. It was obviously how the old mayor addressed the citizens, but there was no way in hell he was sitting on that thing. He tactfully stood a few steps in front of it and looked over the crowd. He made a mental note to ask Henry to melt that thing when they were alone next. He observed the people standing in the courtyard and found three distinct groups. To his right stood the refugees, in various state of disheveled appearances. Aenon sensed hopelessness from most of them, except a notable few. To his left were a group of richly dressed nobles, the ones who had been spared because they had not partaken in the soul elixirs. But the nervousness from them was clear, even without his soul sense. The largest group by far was straight across from him, who he assumed were the common citizens. He could sense anger and discontent directed towards the other two groups. Despite the myriad of emotions being thrown around, one thing was common from all three sections ¨C curiosity. He was an unknown person and would have seemed to appear out of nowhere. Each group was curious for a different reason. The nobles probably wanted to know their fate, since even though they were not actively involved, they would have had some clue of the hideous plot. The refugees were curious to see how he would treat them, and the commoners were no doubt wondering which of the other parties he would favor. In their experience perhaps, the ruling class were rarely on their side. Once everyone was gathered, Agatha joined Aenon on the stage, along with Eryndor and a few prominent people from the city¡¯s political circle that Aenon cared very little about. His entire focus was on the soul mage who was about to address the crowd. He wanted to see if she would use her soul powers during her speech. To his disappointment, she did not, which meant he could not observe how her powers worked. ¡°People of Pinespire, a few very disturbing truths have come to light that has warranted the need for this emergency ceremony. The previous city mayor, Balindor Steelcrest, and a small group of nobility have been found guilty of practicing System forbidden arts,¡± Agatha spoke boldly to a now tumultuous crowd. ¡°In light of these findings, the city admin has handed over the position to the one responsible of unearthing this vile cabal of soul eaters who were targeting the most vulnerable amongst us, the good people of Jadefall who took refuge in our glorious city.¡± That last line in particular threw the crowd into disarray as heated discussions broke out all over. Even the commoners, who had not shown much concern for the refugees, were alarmed by this revelation. Most would have assumed that the missing refugees were being moved discreetly or even killed. But even the unapologetic commoners would not wish the fate of having one¡¯s soul being devoured. The nobles on the other hand looked even more nervous. Before the crowd calmed down, Agatha nodded to a city guard, who went ahead and brought the guilty mayor and his followers onto the stage, everyone except the elf who was still in lockup. They were all chained and muzzled, with only their dread filled eyes visible. As they were assembled on the stage, the crowd fell silent. Fear, anger, and hate were some of the few emotions being directed at the pitiable group who had enjoyed preying on the weak. ¡°This will also be the official sentencing of the convicts. They will be locked up for¡­," Agatha began to say before her voice cut off. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. She looked around in confusion before her eyes landed on Aenon¡¯s raised hand. He had cast a wind spell to silence her. Aenon stepped forward at a casual pace and stood at the very edge of the stage. All eyes were trained on him as he stood there looking over the entire gathering. ¡°My name is Ashryn, your new city mayor. I am not a politician, neither am I someone that likes to mince words. I do not need your approval, loyalty, respect, or even your love. You are free to hate, fear, or despise me if you like. I simply do not care. All I need from you all is compliance to just one rule of mine,¡± Aenon spoke loudly. ¡°Treat others the way you want me to treat you.¡± He imbued his presence in the last words but kept his overall soul presence leashed. He turned to the chained nobles and grabbed the mayor by the throat before throwing him off stage before the crowd. The people backed away in fear, but stayed silent as they waited to see what he would do next. Aenon asked one of the soldiers to remove the muzzle. And when it was off he addressed the cowering mess of a man. ¡°You preyed on the very people you were sworn to protect and lead. I give you one chance to justify yourself before everyone. But know this, lying is futile. I can see into your very soul. Speak,¡± Aenon demanded while looking down from the stage. ¡°I¡­,¡± the man stuttered as he looked around in abject horror. He was probably thinking of hundreds of excuses, but knew from one look at Aenon that none would work. He finally collapsed on the ground and started begging, ¡°I am sorry my liege. I was in the wrong. Too blinded by greed for power. I should not have ¡­¡± ¡°I did not ask for an apology. I asked for a justification for your actions. Why you felt that it was ok to harvest the souls of those weaker than you,¡± Aenon said to cut off his groveling. When the man stayed silent and did not respond, Aenon continued, ¡°Let me tell you why. You felt comfortable doing it because you thought of yourself superior to them. This is a dog eats dog world, isn¡¯t it? And you are the top dog after all.¡± The man looked at the ground in regret, not able to refute his claim. Even though Aenon was addressing the former mayor, his words were directed at the crowd at large. This was the modus operandi of this new reality as well as his previous one, the strong feeding off the weak. And it was something he would not tolerate in his domain. ¡°So let me ask you this, since I am stronger than you, doesn¡¯t it mean I am free to feed on your soul?¡± Aenon asked in a menacing voice. His words alarmed every single person around him, including Agatha who looked his way with horror clear on her face. The mayor immediately started begging with fervor, while Eryndor had his hand on the pommel of his sword. Aenon let the emotions play out, just spectating silently. ¡°I have tolerated you so far. But draw your blade, and you will not live to see tomorrow,¡± Aenon mentally threatened Eryndor without turning to look at him. ¡°And that is what I mean by treating others the way you want me to treat you,¡± Aenon went on. ¡°You treat others with disdain, I will treat you with disdain. You look down on the less fortunate, and you shall receive no help from me when you are in need. Conversely, you treat others with kindness and respect, and you will get the same from me.¡± The crowd calmed down at that while Agatha looked away in embarrassment, no doubt having come to the wrong conclusion yet again. Eryndor on the other hand had the same fierce expression, though he did remove his hand from the pommel. ¡°So, think hard on what kind of treatment you want from me. That of a kind and just ruler, or an apathetic tyrant. I have no issues with people trying to better their lot in life. But if you do it at the cost of someone else, then you have no place in my domain,¡± Aenon said with an air of finality. He had passed on the message, now it was up to them to heed his warning or not. ¡°And as for soul sucking leeches such as this,¡± Aenon said while glaring at the former mayor, ¡°I am the Bane of their existence.¡± With that Aenon unleashed his full soul presence, making half the crowd collapse in terror. The other half were paralyzed in fear as Aenon¡¯s shadow stretched out towards the mayor and from it emerged a horrifying creature they had never witnessed. A creature of pure darkness with grey eyes that matched their new mayor¡¯s. The crowd looked on in utter terror as Bane tore into his prey. 2.12. Beatdown Chapter 12 ¨C Beatdown The silence was absolute. Not one person had the nerve to interfere, or object to what they were witnessing. Even though death was something far too common across the multiverse, such an open display was not. Aenon sensed various degrees of terror pass over the crowd like waves pummeling the seashore. His main objective was to instill the idea that his words were not to be taken lightly. And it looked like he succeeded. Almost¡­ ¡°Is this your idea of justice? Where you execute a man without due process. You think that is going to scare into submission?¡± Eryndor¡¯s voice boomed across the courtyard. Aenon turned to face the man, quietly glaring at him without a word. He had been far too patient with him, but this was the last straw. He took a deep breath and approached the man who towered over him significantly at a casual pace. ¡°Due process? His guilt has been confirmed by both me and your assistant guild head. Not to mention his open admittance just now. What more do you need?¡± Aenon asked in an eerily cold voice. ¡°We had decided the punishment for the crime was to be imprisoned. You can¡¯t just unilaterally overthrow our collective decision like that,¡± the belligerent man said with heat in his voice. ¡°And what gives you the right to make such decisions? Last I checked you were the leader of the guild, not the city. I believe that decision was up to me,¡± Aenon responded. The man¡¯s face turned red with fury as veins started popping out on his forehead. Aenon could feel the man¡¯s anger, but what was fascinating were the undertones of fear beneath it all. And the fear was not directed at Aenon. There was a deeper reason that Aenon wanted to get down to before knocking some sense into the man. ¡°You are an arrogant and self-centered man that we know nothing about. You have no idea what you are doing,¡± Eryndor fumed. ¡°You are right about the first thing. I am arrogant and self-centered. But you are way off base if you think I do not know what I am doing,¡± Aenon replied while turning around and pretending to walk away. He just needed the man to let slip the true reason for this outburst. And the best way to do that when it came to proud boisterous fools such as him was to ignore them. And it worked like a charm. ¡°Do you know who you just killed? His family will rain down hell on us when the tutorial period ends,¡± the man screamed. And there it was, the true reason why he had so vehemently argued in favor of incarceration instead of execution. This was despite the fact that it was the multiversal norm to eliminate those who practiced soul devouring arts on sight. Aenon paused for dramatic effect as he slowly turned around. ¡°So let me get this straight. The reason why you so zealously argued to imprison him and not execute him was because you are afraid of his family? And you dare accuse me of being unjust?¡± Aenon asked in a mocking tone. Aenon felt the shame and humiliation radiating off the guild leader, as there were murmurs amongst the crowd. No doubt discussing what he had let slip in his anger. Not a moment ago, the proud man was touting righteousness and trying to paint Aenon as the bad guy for going against a fair trial. But now that the mask was taken down in an instant, he was desperately trying to find the right words to defend himself. Fortunately for him, his assistant guild head stepped forward. ¡°This is getting way out of hand. This is neither the time nor place to discuss¡­,¡± Agatha began explaining to try to control the situation. ¡°Silence,¡± Aenon commanded with the full weight of his presence. ¡°I am patient, but also a man of my word. I just warned everyone to treat others the way you want me to treat you. So let this be an example of it. Since our first encounter, your guild leader has been nothing but hostile and confrontational. If his motives were motivated by righteousness, maybe I would have tolerated it. But it is clear now that his actions were nothing but a mask to hide his fear and insecurities. As such, it is time he faced the consequences.¡± ¡°Oh yeah? What consequences would that be?¡± Eryndor challenged him openly while resting his hand on his sword. Aenon walked off stage and stood in the clearing in front of it. ¡°The consequences of crossing me,¡± Aenon declared in a dismissive tone. He held his hand up towards the man and beckoned him forward with two fingers. He couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s level, which meant his stats were far above Aenon¡¯s, most likely due to the stat multiplier of his first evolution. But Aenon didn¡¯t care. It was time to knock the moron off his high horse. Eryndor stepped off the stage with a massive leap and landed across from Aenon. He was dressed in a dazzling armor of pure white. Aenon was sure it was of very high quality, and probably had some status effects of its own. This would be the first time that Aenon would be engaging in a fight without studying his quarry first. But such was life. You can never be too prepared for every encounter. As Eryndor reached for his sword, Aenon warned him one final time. ¡°Remember my warning about drawing your sword. You aim that at me, and you will not live to see tomorrow,¡± Aenon said calmly. He had warned the man, but this was for the benefit of the crowd. The man¡¯s hand faltered as he hovered over his sword¡¯s hilt. Aenon¡¯s words unnerved him, for he too was going into a fight blind. He couldn¡¯t be sure if he was stronger, as Aenon¡¯s status was completely obscured. But he couldn¡¯t afford to appear weak before the entire city and especially his guild members. ¡°I don¡¯t need my sword to take down an upstart like you,¡± he said as he removed the sword with its scabbard and threw it behind him. Having said that, he charged at Aenon like a jacked-up linebacker. Aenon carefully observed the man¡¯s movements, from his foot placement to his body posture. His unarmed weapons skill faintly hinted where the man¡¯s center of gravity was. It would have been too easy to just redirect the charge and use his own momentum against him. But Aenon wanted to test his opponent first. So, he leaned forward and braced for impact. The two contenders clashed with the force of two trucks in a head on collision. The resultant shockwave pushed dust and debris for several feet, alarming many in the crowd. When the dirt settled, the crowd saw that Aenon had been pushed back significantly. But he held his own regardless. Aenon saw bewilderment in the man¡¯s eyes as he broke off the engagement and retreated hurriedly. ¡°You¡­ you are a soul mage. How is your strength rivaling mine?¡± he asked in confusion. Aenon didn¡¯t bother replying as he flexed his wrist due to the dull pain he was experiencing. As expected, the man had higher strength owing to his tank class. But the difference was less than expected. Aenon¡¯s STR was at 3820, if he included his times two stat multiplier. And since his pack was present here, it got boosted to 4966. Which meant the man¡¯s STR must be around 6000 or so. Which meant the guy either had low rarity classes, or a low ranked evolution. He was about to try taunting him into revealing which was the case, but didn¡¯t need to. ¡°I have a B rank evolution. There is no way a mage can match me in STR,¡± he screamed as he charged again. He tried various approaches, punching, tackling, and even some complicated martial arts forms to try to pin Aenon down. But nothing worked. While the baffled man continued his fruitless strategy of trying to pummel his opponent into submission, Aenon further analyzed the man¡¯s build. If his calculations were right, for a B grade evolution the net stats including multipliers should be in the range 54500 to 131200, depending on class rarity. From the charges it was obvious that Aenon was slightly more agile than the tank. Which meant Eryndor¡¯s DEX must be around 4500, bringing the total to about 10500. The last thing that Aenon needed to test was his CON stat. He was a tank after all. Aenon showed a vicious smile on his mask as the man charged again, making him flinch. Aenon used the momentary distraction to grab hold of the man¡¯s wrists and expertly fling him headfirst into the ground. CRASHEnjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The impact left a crater in the ground, as Aenon casually stepped out of reach in case he got up. And get up he did. Eryndor shook his head to dispel the minor concussion he no doubt was feeling from having his head driven into the ground that hard. But to his credit, the man shrugged it off like it was a minor head slap. The experienced adventurer did get more cautious in his approach though, no longer trying to use just raw strength. But he was out of luck, since now Aenon decided to go on the offensive. Eryndor was taken aback when Aenon stepped closer instead of retreating as expected. The man must have wrongly assumed that Aenon would be at a disadvantage in close quarters, since Aenon kept retreating after every engagement. He must have been thinking Aenon needed some distance and time to cast his spells, not even expecting in his wildest dreams that the reason Aenon stepped back was to study his prey¡¯s movements. Since, contrary to what everyone assumed, Aenon wasn¡¯t just a mage. He was a close combat specialist, relying on his high proficiency weapon skills. And that is where the true beat down began. Aenon needed to see how much punishment the man could take, and so he deftly targeted the man¡¯s joints and weak points. Every hit was targeted to cripple or kill, the throat, side of the head, and even the groin area. Any other opponent would have fallen to the relentless assault. But the guild leader recovered at an alarming rate. More than once, Aenon had torn off the man¡¯s throat, only to have him stand back up within minutes. It was like trying to fight an undead zombie that felt no pain and shrugged off lethal blows. But the brutal display continued, making many of the audience cringe in horror as pools of blood now covered the impromptu fighting arena. But not a drop belonged to Aenon, as his opponent was yet to even lay a scratch on him. Aenon realized that the only way to take down the tank was to outpace his regeneration. ¡°What is the matter? Getting tired?¡± the defiant man mocked with a bloody grin as he stood up yet again. ¡°I am called the Undying Shield for a reason. I do not know what class you have, but there is no way you can take me down solo. I have never lost a one-on-one duel.¡± ¡°Impressive indeed. It is a truly bad match up for a mage or a rogue to go up against you by themselves. It will probably take a full party to take you down,¡± Aenon said in acknowledgement. ¡°If my calculations are right, you have at least one, if not two, Ancient ranked tank classes. Which means your total CON stat is at least 40000, giving you a net HP regen of 8000 per minute. And if your health pool is 60000, you will be back to full health in under 8 minutes. So, to kill you I either need to do more than 8000 damage per minute or land a critical blow that will deal damage upwards of 40000.¡± The man¡¯s smirk vanished instantly. Aenon¡¯s calculations weren¡¯t exact, as they were based off conjecture and guess work, but he must have been in the ballpark since the color visibly drained from Eryndor¡¯s formerly smug face. The man¡¯s muscles tensed up as he took a step back in fear. ¡°But wait. Ther is one other way, isn¡¯t there?¡± Aenon said while his predatory smile broadened. ¡°I somehow nullify your health regeneration.¡± Aenon coated his hands in mana using his void stalker ability. His hands looked like claws with inch long nails, but before anyone could get a look he had blended into a shadow and disappeared. The alarmed guild leader looked around in horror to find where Aenon had gone, only to detect his presence behind him a little too late. Aenon left a vicious gash on Eryndor¡¯s back with his improvised claws before stepping away yet again. And to everyone¡¯s horror, the wound didn¡¯t heal like before. Aenon had noticed how his wolves seemingly devoured mana aspects and even reduced the healing ability of anyone who suffered from their bite. So, he just replicated that, assuming his void element would behave the same. Eryndor eyes went out of focus, no doubt pulling up his stat sheet to see his health pool. As realization dawned on him, he tried retreating in fear. But Aenon charged yet in. Within minutes the once proud guild leader was battered and bruised all over, with fresh wounds that refused to heal. As Aenon was charging in for another slashing attack, the man screamed in terror. ¡°I surrender. Please have mercy,¡± the man was down on his knees, trembling uncontrollably, with Aenon¡¯s claws an inch away from his throat. Aenon looked down on the man with disgust but backed away quietly. He had made his point, as was evident from the utter dread pouring out of every individual who was watching the scene. Aenon left the mess on the ground and walked onto the stage, his fingers still dripping blood. Everyone, including his personal bodyguards, recoiled in fear and retreated as he walked to his earlier spot. ¡°So, now you have seen my ruthlessness, and my mercy. And if anyone has any more doubts whether I mean what I say, try speaking up now,¡± Aenon said in his usual cold and detached tone. But this time no one dared to raise a voice or question him, so he continued. ¡°As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, the city admin will be running the place in my name. I will not be involved in the day-to-day operations, and neither do I care how he does it, as long as it is fair to everyone. But should he use my name for nefarious means, he too will meet an untimely end. As will any individual who dares cheat, swindle, or oppress the weak. Is that clear?¡± No one said a word, but Aenon saw various vigorous nods from all over the crowd. He then turned his attention to the nobles who were hunched together, as though wishing to shrink away out of existence. His gaze made them freeze like rats cornered by a cat. ¡°Are you aware of the term, noblesse oblige?¡± Aenon asked the group. When no one replied, he continued, ¡°Find out about it. That will be expression that you will be living based on. Your entitlement, your life of excess ends now. If you have problems with that, you are free to leave my city. I will not fault you for living in luxury, or any creature comforts that you have earned. But should you fail to deliver on your responsibilities, or look down on the commoners, then I will have a problem.¡± The nobles started bowing down and praising him in earnest, but Aenon ignored them immediately. He didn¡¯t need their hollow words, or their vile words laced with future betrayal, but he couldn¡¯t kick them out just yet. They were necessary for the city¡¯s operations. He would weed out the problem candidates eventually, just not immediately. He then turned to the native commoners. They too tensed up, but more out of confusion than fear. ¡°As for you lot, I know your distrust for the nobility and the ruling class. And to be honest, I don¡¯t care. All I need from you is to do your damn jobs. You were placed here by the System to assist the people from a now destroyed world. Unlike you, who came here by choice, they were uprooted from their former lives without a say in the matter. This life is as foreign to them as land is for a fish. So, show some empathy. In return I give you my word that I will protect you to the best of my abilities. But if that is something you are incapable of, then you too are free to leave at any point,¡± Aenon said without a hint of emotion. Finally, he turned to the most battered down group of them all, the former citizens of Jadefall. Their looks were as lost and confused as the first day when they were unceremoniously dumped into this world. Many had started to piece together some semblance of normalcy, but all that was yet again snatched from them due to Allie¡¯s meddling. For the first time since he walked on stage he spoke in a soft tone. ¡°Last but not the least, the former citizens of Jadefall. I will not claim to understand what you all have gone through, for you are a people who have lost everything twice. Even so, I will not offer you some grand promise of unconditional support. Instead, all I will offer you is just one thing, a chance. A chance to recover, to prosper, and maybe even thrive. What you will do with it is up to you,¡± Aenon succinctly said before turning to Henry. ¡°How many total refugees are accounted for?¡± ¡°After the latest tally that we concluded an hour ago, about 127,¡± Henry replied with a bow. ¡°Good. The mansion can house that many. Convert the mansion into a temporary shelter for the former citizens of Jadefall. All the staff that are currently employed there will be serving them,¡± Aenon said to various shocked murmurs spreading across the crowd. He had tactfully avoided using the term refugees, calling them former citizens of a now destroyed village instead. And the reason he had decided to use the mansion was to lead by example. As the city leader, he was in charge after all. Not to mention, he wasn¡¯t going to be using the place anyway once he left for his hunt of the other alphas. He just needed to bring his house in order before leaving. ¡°But sire, the expenses¡­,¡± Henry said hesitantly. ¡°If I am not wrong, the former mayor was spending a sizable amount of money for his lavish lifestyle. I do not need all that. Divert all of it into the program. If it falls short, melt down the monstrosity that is plaguing the mansion entrance. Along with this throne. I am sure that should give you enough budget to support the people for a month at least,¡± Aenon said dismissively. He could hit two birds with one stone with this one. ¡°Also, what type and level is the dungeon that is close by?¡± ¡°Umm, level 25 sire. And it is kobold type one,¡± Henry responded, not sure where Aenon was going with this. ¡°Hmm. Starting tomorrow, prepare escorts to lead a party of low-level players into the dungeon to boost their level. Run the dungeon regularly till everyone¡¯s levels are about 18.¡± Henry looked between Aenon and the noble group with hesitation. When Aenon asked what the issue was, he explained, ¡°The nobles oversee running the dungeon. They charge a fee to enter, and we will not have enough funds to cover everyone¡¯s entry.¡± ¡°I am sure they will have no issue temporarily suspending the entry for a week or two,¡± Aenon stated while turning to the nobles. To the shock of no one, there were no complaints. Aenon then turned back to the refuses group. ¡°These measures are not permanent. I will give you one month in which to get back up on your feet. Use it well or continue to live your miserable lives after you are thrown out of the city. And this time, I will drop you in the middle of the highest-level dungeon in the area. The treant dungeon.¡± He wanted to extend both a carrot and a stick since he needed to impress upon them that this was not an indefinite charity. It was being extended to let them recover, and nothing more. Should they try to misuse it, there would be dire consequences. He asked Henry to attend to the injured guild leader, before deciding to go back to his room in the manor. But before he left, he had one advice for those present. ¡°Use the next few days to think about what kind of life you want for yourself. And how you want to treat each other. For I will amplify those efforts several fold. Both positive and negative. This city can be the start of a new life. Or your grave.¡± Announcement - Community Magazine Contest Hey folks I am trying to take part in the January 2025 magazine contest. Unfortunately, they require that I start a new story for it (wish I could just submit this one, but alas, I can''t). The topic line is "Dead men tell the best tales". So that is what I am going for. I am only planning to do a short story, but if people like it then I may consider doing a longer version. As of now, I only have one chapter, and it is NOT a LitRPG. But if you guys like it and want me to go the LitRPG route with it, let me know via comments or reviews. Still working on the cover image and blurb too. So, head on over and let me know what you think. It is just one chapter at this point. Cheers!
The Star GazerThis narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The spaceship, Star Gazer. The pinnacle of Earth¡¯s technology and ingenuity is sent on a colonizing mission to a distant solar system. But along the way they stumble across something that no one expects. Something long lost to the annals of time. And thus a desperate fight for survival ensues, where the enemies can strike from anywhere, including from within. What to expect: I am not sure yet. This is my entry for the magazine contest. I will update the blurb as I decide what direction to take the story. Suffice it to say, you can expect a lot of mystery, friendships forged in fire, with a healthy sprinkle of betrayal. A sci-fi novel showing the dangers of deep space travel, and maybe possible supernatural elements (Like I said, I don¡¯t know yet)
2.13. Chains of Responsibility vs Burden of Guilt Chapter 13 ¨C Chains of Responsibility vs Burden of Guilt Aenon lay on the massive bed in the mansion¡¯s master bedroom, just staring at the ceiling above. Just like the rest of the mansion, it too had elaborate decorations and intricate carvings. But his mind was not focused on the imagery. He was lost in thought about the recent happenings, and how his life had upended so quickly. He had gone from a loner who shunned any human interaction to the leader of a city full of people. He could feel the subtle weight of the chains that were starting to wrap themselves around him. The chains of responsibility. Even though he was ok with helping those that needed it, he did not want to be burdened by the wants and needs of an entire city. But these chains were harder to break than the others. He could break away from the control of tyrants without worrying about the consequences. Because then it only affected him. But this was different. If he was to walk away from this, the people who would suffer would be the ones who had no one to rely on. People who were in the same position as him and Harley after their parents were killed. And walking away when he had the ability to do so would burden him with guilt. ¡°So, the question is, do I don the chains of responsibility, or carry the burden of guilt,¡± Aenon whispered to himself. He wondered what his parents or sister would say about it. Would they ask him to do the right thing, knowing well that he would be restricting his freedom. Or would they ask him to care just for himself, ignoring the plight of the unfortunate. ¡°A question every Alpha has to face at some point,¡± Bane spoke up from where he was lying next to the bed. ¡°And how does one decide the right answer?¡± Aenon asked while sitting up in bed and turning towards Bane. ¡°There is no right answer, Alpha. You just learn to live with the decision you make,¡± Bane responded morosely. ¡°Well, that was helpful,¡± Aenon said sarcastically before falling back down onto the bed. But Bane continued. ¡°Let me rephrase my last statement. It depends on which decision can you learn to live with,¡± Bane said. Aenon thought hard about what Bane said, and the answer was obvious. But it didn¡¯t make it any easier to make the call. He had made it his life¡¯s mission to live free, and this was deviating away from it. ¡°If only it were that simple,¡± Aenon replied softly. He grumbled internally while pulling up his stat sheet to finally spend some of his SP. He currently had 170 SP to spend, and his Tracking (woods) was at Expert rank. He also had a Tracking (urban) skill which he never used, which is why it was lagging at Novice rank. He spent 54 SP to bring both skills to Savant rank. That gave him Stealth (Urban/Woods), Tracking (Woods), and Tracking (Urban), all at Savant rank. And since all of them belonged to the Survival categories, he equipped all 3 and spent 40 SP to combine them all. He spent another 20 SP to boost his mana manipulation from Master to Savant rank and pulled up his stat sheet.
Skills (Free SP: 56)
Weapons (Dagger, Unarmed, Traps) Savant
Stealth and Tracking (Woods, Urban) Savant
Mana Manipulation Savant
- -
He immediately got a mild headache as the skill upgrades kicked in. But luckily since he had much higher stats, the effect was not that bad. He was still not sure what to equip in his last free slot, or what to spend the last 56 SP on. So, he let them be for now. Maybe he would find something useful while hunting the dragon. Speaking of which, he asked Bane the question that had been delayed for so long. ¡°How was your recon mission of the red dragon? With back-to-back fiascos, we never got around to talking about it,¡± Aenon asked. Bane sat up straight before answering. ¡°The dragon will be a tough opponent. I was not able to read its level, but I got the feeling that its power far exceeds ours. That includes you, Alpha,¡± Bane said solemnly. ¡°Heh. It is never easy, is it. Any idea of its abilities?¡± Aenon asked. ¡°From what we observed from a safe distance, the dragon never leaves its cave in the mountains. As such, we never got to see it in action except once. That was when an Earthen Bear stumbled into the dragon¡¯s cave by accident. The aftermath was bloody, as the dragon tore apart the bear with its jaws. If it has magic, it never needed to use it.¡± ¡°Hmmm. Any chance the dragon would just surrender to let me set up my domain? You know, maybe go live further up north?¡± Aenon asked. He was willing to take on the dragon, but there was a chance it might anger the creature, forcing it to lash out at the settlement. He was annoyed that he had to start changing his approach to things just because of others. Earlier he would have just run in, spells blazing, not caring much about dying. But now he had to be more tactful, since his actions would affect others. ¡°I highly doubt that. The dragon didn¡¯t do much talking before tearing into the Earthen Bear. Even though the creature was frozen in place,¡± Bane replied while shaking his head. ¡°Wait, the bear was frozen in place?¡± Aenon asked incredulously. ¡°Yes,¡± Bane replied while tilting his head in confusion. That was because Aenon had a broad smile on his face. He had just gotten an idea on how to approach this problem. He would need to confirm his plan would work after his own observations, but if his assumptions were right, he would come without any injuries at all. Physical ones at least. He quickly jumped off the bed and ran to take a shower, eager to get back on the road after making a few stops in the city he now owned. It took a great deal of self-control not to smash the obnoxious golden statues that decorated the insanely luxurious bathroom. It would just create more work for the maids and servants. He would ask Henry to melt those down later. Getting dressed he was about to head out when he sensed multiple souls marching towards his room. He quickly asked Bane to dive into his shadow and turned to face the door. Henry entered the room with the maids in tow, carrying silver trays laden with far too much food for one person. Like a well-rehearsed dance, they went about setting the food before standing in line at the edge of the room. Aenon was flummoxed at how to address this. He had specifically asked that they not do over the top things like this. At least they all seemed well fed. ¡°I believe I asked you not to do these kind of things. Specially since I will be leaving the mansion for an extended period, and all this food is simply too much for me anyway,¡± Aenon asked the city admin curtly. ¡°I apologize on behalf of my men and women, but this is something they themselves wanted to do. To thank you for what you have done for them. And worry not sire, the food that you cannot finish can be packed for your journey. The head chef is a Master level Cook, and the foods will give many valuable buffs for the journey,¡± Henry replied formally with a bow. Aenon didn¡¯t know how to respond to that, since he could clearly feel the sincerity and gratitude radiating off all the maids and servants present. He was trying to come up with an appropriate reply when one of the maids, a twenty something woman of decently good lucks stepped forward and got down on one knee. ¡°Words cannot express how grateful we are to you, sire. We just wanted to extend a token of our appreciation,¡± she said politely. ¡°Very well then. I will gladly accept the gift,¡± Aenon replied while trying desperately not to scratch the back of his neck in embarrassment. His response brought a bright smile to her face, as she got up and bowed while guiding him to the dining table on the side of the room. Aenon sat down and ate in utter silence, as the retinue of helpers served him from all sides. He bit down any rhetorical statements and simply tried to enjoy the food. And it was truly delectable, making him scarf down more food than he thought possible. His eagerness to eat though, delighted those around him. And true to his word, by the time he was done eating, he had a bunch of status buffs, such as higher movement speed, improved rate of skill proficiency improvement, and even additional stats. Too bad they were temporary and would expire after 4 hours. Aenon almost burped out loud when he was done. If this was the food prepared by a Master ranked chef, he couldn¡¯t imagine the food made by someone at Savant rank. He checked his skill list and saw his cooking skill. Having lived by himself for so long, and cooked a variety of wild game and stuff, he had fashioned himself to be a decent cook. Sadly, he was only at Adept rank. He immediately decided to equip his cooking skill into one of his slots. He would not spend SP to level it, but planned to raise its rank the hard way, if only for the satisfaction of enjoying delicious meals. ¡°Ahem. Thank you for this splendid meal. I have enjoyed it,¡± Aenon replied, trying his hardest to maintain a neutral tone. ¡°But I do not think I have the room to carry all this food with me.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°You need worry about that. We will deposit all of this, and additional supplies into a storage ring that you can carry with you,¡± Henry said with a bow. He then directed the others to start the cleanup as he escorted Aenon down to his office. Dread filled Aenon¡¯s heart as he noticed the long line outside his office. They looked to be from all walks of life, from simple farmers to seasoned warriors, and even some nobles. They all looked like they needed something, since everyone looked impatiently at him as he passed. ¡°Am I meeting all of them?¡± Aenon asked casually, even though he was sweating internally. If he started meeting everyone, he would never get to leave the mission. And after his violent display yesterday, and the humble surprise from the mansion staff, he did not have the heart to spurn everyone. ¡°Oh, heavens no, sire. They are waiting in line for me,¡± Henry replied with a smile. ¡°There is just one group you need to meet while I will address the others.¡± Aenon breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that. One group was at least tolerable. And sensing who it was he was supposed to meet, he could potentially kill two birds with one stone. He followed Henry in and saw Agatha, and Eskad¡¯s party stand up in respect. The guild head though was nowhere to be seen. Aenon quickly took his seat at the head of the table, followed by everyone else. ¡°How are your injuries?¡± Aenon asked Eskad before anyone could dive into the official business they no doubt were here for. ¡°I am recovering relatively quickly, thanks to Lady Agatha¡¯s help,¡± Eskad responded while casting a furtive glance towards the soul mage. Aenon was sure, the sly woman had asked Eskad to mention that to Aenon to clear some of the bad blood between them. Not that Aenon cared one way or another. He was neutral when it came to the woman. He wasn¡¯t overtly fond of her, but neither did he hate her. She had done what she felt was right. But he would always be on guard around her due to her powers. ¡°Good to know,¡± Aenon replied tersely to show his displeasure at the subtle hint of political scheming. ¡°So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting? And where might your guild leader be?¡± He could clearly see the assistant guild leader deflate at his response. She at least had the presence of mind not to shield her soul like usual in his presence. She hesitated for a moment before putting on a professional demeanor. ¡°The guild leader is still recovering. His injuries have been particularly difficult to heal,¡± she replied before pausing, perhaps expecting Aenon to lend a hand in healing their leader. But when Aenon said nothing, she continued in a defeated voice, ¡°As such, I am the acting guild leader for the moment. Which is why I am extending an unconditional apology on behalf of the guild leader and I, for all our actions towards you. That of course is in addition to the reward that you are owed for your help in ridding the city of a significant menace.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need the reward. You can negotiate with Henry about it and extend it towards the Jadefall citizens to help them recover,¡± Aenon said dismissively. The lesser ties he had with the guild leadership the better. He would gladly interact with members such as Eskad, but he would choose who he liked. He did not want anyone to expect a favor in return. ¡°That¡­ is very generous of you,¡± Agatha responded tactfully. Aenon could sense the turmoil within her soul, which indicated the meeting was not going as she expected. ¡°Which brings us to the main reason we are here. The elf. What do you intend to do with him?¡± Aenon stared at her in silence. The elf was currently being held in the mansion¡¯s dungeon. But he could pick up on the unasked question with ease. ¡°You mean, do I intend to execute the elf too?¡± Aenon replied while interlacing his fingers on the table. Everyone tensed up at his statement. ¡°Ummm, yes,¡± Agatha responded hesitantly. ¡°Unlike the mayor and Mave, the assassin elf is well-known figure amongst some powerful political circles. The deaths of the two can perhaps be negotiated, but the death of¡­¡± ¡°So?¡± Aenon asked calmly. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t follow?¡± Agatha asked in confusion. ¡°Are we supposed to let him go with a slap on his wrist because of his connections?¡± Aenon elaborated. ¡°Uh, no that is not what I meant,¡± Agatha tried to explain uncomfortably, but Aenon cut her off. ¡°Then what did you mean?¡± Aenon asked fiercely. ¡°His life can be a bargaining chip when dealing with those powers. We can do a prisoner swap or ask that the deaths of Balindor and Mave be forgiven. It is only a few months before this planet is open to all. We will need political leverage if we are to survive the oncoming storm. Surely you see that,¡± Agatha pleaded. Aenon looked at everyone in the room. They all had various degrees of fear on their faces, including Henry. It was clear what decision everyone wanted him to take but were too afraid to admit it. Trying to reason with him instead. And Aenon understood where they were coming from. Not everyone had the spine to go up against impossible odds like him. Everyone sat with bated breaths, waiting for him to decide. ¡°Bane, bring me the bargaining chip,¡± Aenon said towards his shadow. Everyone jumped in alarm when his shadow, Bane, started slithering down towards the door. When the shadows disappeared, everyone turned to him expectantly. ¡°You know, I have been thinking a lot lately. About what I should do with this new life. I am not someone who likes being tied down in any way. But I also cannot simply turn a blind eye when someone is suffering while I hold the power to stop it,¡± Aenon said while standing up and heading for the window. He looked at the city as he continued, ¡°The best thing about freedom is that you do not need to worry about anything or anyone. You can live as you please, and even die on your own terms. That is what I crave above all. Unfortunately, everything has a price.¡± Everyone looked at each other in confusion, not sure where this was heading. But no one dared to interject either, even when Aenon went silent for the next three minutes. As everyone was getting more restless, a shadow erupted from the ground as bane emerged and tossed the elf to the ground. The man had a wild panicked look on his as he looked at Aenon¡¯s back, before turning to everyone with pleading eyes. He probably wanted to beg to get out but couldn¡¯t since his mouth was muzzled shut. Aenon finally spoke again after a minute. ¡°The desire for freedom in me is screaming to abandon this town and break away from the chains of responsibility. But I know I will have to live with the guilt of having left those who needed me behind,¡± Aenon said. He finally turned to face the crowd. ¡°But I would rather be tied down in chains than live free in regret. That is why I took up this position.¡± Aenon looked at each person in the eye after he said that. He needed them to realize his position before deciding on what was about to come next. The elf, not having heard the full conversation, was confused. But knew that it was somehow related to his life and death. ¡°And letting this man live because of someone far stronger would burden me with guilt. And I absolutely refuse to do so,¡± Aenon stated with conviction. ¡°So, I will let you choose. Let him live and cut ties with me forever. Live your life the way those above you dictate. Or end him and tie your fates with mine.¡± Utter silence reigned in the room. Everyone was stunned speechless, for it was not what anyone had expected. Many were probably under the impression that Aenon would force them to comply with his demands, or at least threaten them with dire consequences. Everyone except four people. ¡°Heh. Just like last time, eh?¡± one of the dwarves from Eskad¡¯s party chucked loudly. ¡°But instead of a coin, the cost is a target on our backs by the strongest powers in the multiverse,¡± Elara added with a smile. ¡°But so is the prize, isn¡¯t it?¡± Eskad said further confusing everyone. ¡°What are you all talking about? Coin? Prize?¡± Agatha asked with a frown. But no one responded, too engrossed in staring at Aenon. ¡°He saved us the last time too under similar circumstances. And when we saw who he was up against, he gave us a choice. To follow him or leave. That is the kind of man he is. Helping others without any expectations. But refusing to compromise on his principles,¡± Eskad said with respect in his voice. Aenon stayed silent since Eskad was right, he was like that. Even when he helped Jenny the first time, he had given her a choice. The cost of his help was that people followed his principles. And there was no way he would ever compromise on them. ¡°What good are principles if they lead us to our deaths? I too came to this world to get away from the power-hungry monsters. To finally have a chance to do some good. And you want us to throw it all away while trying to follow a mad man?¡± Agatha asked in anger and frustration. ¡°And what good will your actions be when the tutorial ends? When the same power-hungry monsters you mentioned are unleashed upon this world? You think this tiny city will survive the coming tsunami?¡± Eskad countered. Agatha was taken aback and floundered around for words. But there was no refuting it. Although it was obvious she cared deeply for the citizens, she too was drowning in fear. Fear of the empires and insanely strong monsters out there, who would raze this planet to the ground with just a thought. ¡°I am a Berserker. The Mad Berserker. I have never feared monster hordes or insurmountable odds,¡± Eskad said while looking down at his raised palm. ¡°Berserkers are known for their lack of fear. But I have never truly found my path, since deep down I was afraid. Afraid of standing up against those at the very pinnacle. Fooling myself into believing that I was not ready to stand next to you. But not anymore,¡± Eskad said as his skin started turning red while he clenched his fist. He grew taller while his skin started emitting heat. He was in his Berserker¡¯s Rage form. But unlike last time, Aenon could clearly sense that the man was in absolute controls. ¡°I am The Fiery Witch of the Endless Dunes,¡± Elara stepped forward next, placing her hand on her husband¡¯s scorching shoulder with ease. ¡°I have tamed fire and gone on impossible missions with my husband more time than I can count. But not once have I truly felt free from the shackles placed upon us. Despite my power, I was utterly helpless as I watched my husband¡¯s soul being ravaged. The burden of guilt, I know it all too well. But not anymore,¡± she declared proudly as fire started circling her as she looked at her husband¡¯s proud and adamant face. ¡°We are The Twin Peaks of the Undergrowth. We started as three but lost one to the cruel machinations of those far above us. Fear, guilt, regret. That is all we have felt all our lives. But not anymore,¡± the dwarves said as one, their voices blended into a chorus while the ground them shook vigorously. ¡°I shall never fear anything,¡± declared Eskad. ¡°I will never let anyone harm my love while I watch helplessly,¡± Elara announced. ¡°We shall make the ones who dare look down on us tremble and shake in fear,¡± the merged voices of the twins echoed throughout the room. Aenon¡¯s eyes narrowed as he took in the strange sight before him. The berserker in his controlled rage form, the fire mage summoning fire without her staff or any fire wisps present, and the ground responding to the dwarves without them calling on it. It threw his deductions about magic out the window completely. But the strangest thing was the way their souls appeared. He could see hairlines cracks in the shells of their inner soul space. Similar to what he had seen on Jenny after the party had left her in Reality¡¯s Edge. Something was happening, but he didn¡¯t know what. All he knew was that they were somehow stronger now. ¡°How?¡± Agatha asked weakly while stumbling back. She had her mouth agape in wonder and shock. But no one paid attention to her in the slightest. The elite party surrounded the cowering elf and spoke as one. ¡°We tie our fates to yours,¡± the elite party said as one while unleashing vicious blows that ended the pitiful elf who was cowering amidst them. The world froze again as tendrils flew out of the world shard within Aenon and flew towards the party of four. It touched their frozen forms and lingered but a moment before dissolving. The world started moving again, but only Aenon sensed it. He was concerned that maybe his powers might control them the way the Overseer did. But he knew it, somehow. That what he was doing was not control. It was a connection, just like his link to the world tree and the wolves. He wasn¡¯t entirely certain what it meant or did. But he knew it wasn¡¯t something bad. He was torn out of his thoughts when a single notification window popped open without his prompting.
And so, the inferno spreads!
Announcement - Community Magazine Contest Hey folks I am trying to take part in the January 2025 magazine contest. Unfortunately, they require that I start a new story for it (wish I could just submit this one, but alas, I can''t). The topic line is "Dead men tell the best tales". So that is what I am going for. I am only planning to do a short story, but if people like it then I may consider doing a longer version. As of now, I only have one chapter, and it is NOT a LitRPG. But if you guys like it and want me to go the LitRPG route with it, let me know via comments or reviews. Still working on the cover image and blurb too. So, head on over and let me know what you think. It is just one chapter at this point. Cheers!
The Star GazerStolen story; please report. The spaceship, Star Gazer. The pinnacle of Earth¡¯s technology and ingenuity is sent on a colonizing mission to a distant solar system. But along the way they stumble across something that no one expects. Something long lost to the annals of time. And thus a desperate fight for survival ensues, where the enemies can strike from anywhere, including from within. What to expect: I am not sure yet. This is my entry for the magazine contest. I will update the blurb as I decide what direction to take the story. Suffice it to say, you can expect a lot of mystery, friendships forged in fire, with a healthy sprinkle of betrayal. A sci-fi novel showing the dangers of deep space travel, and maybe possible supernatural elements (Like I said, I don¡¯t know yet)