《Galaxy's First Ruler》 Ranks and Levels Ranks and Levels 1. Common (Lvl 1 - Lvl 10) 2. Rare (Lvl 11 - Lvl 20) 3. Baron (Lvl 21 - Lvl 30) 4. Viscount (Lvl 31 - Lvl 40) 5. Count (Lvl 41 - Lvl 50) 6. Earl (Lvl 51 - Lvl 60) 7. Marquess (Lvl 61 - Lvl 70) 8. Duke (Lvl 71 - Lvl 80) 9. King (Lvl 81 - Lvl 90) 10. 11. Chapter 1: Prologue Chapter 1: Prologue When I answered the question ''Who I am?'' I found out that I am a God. [..] I looked up after this sudden realization, and yes, there he was, watching and observing me. There was no particr look in his eyes, no story, and no statement. It was like he was expecting another question. So I did. When I answered the question ''Why I am?'' I found out that I am a Way. Yes, a Way to fill the nkness in his eyes. This answer gave me a purpose. And I convinced myself that I have no more questions unanswered. So I took my first step with an unwavering resolution to find a story. They are easy to find, the stories. But what isn''t easy is to determine if they are worthy. Not just any story could fill those eyes with alertness. So I went on a long journey. It was my first time being away from home. And somehow it turned out to be myst, too. For I had found something worth waiting for. So I waited. As I was wandering through the many worlds, I came across something different. Now, different can be good depending on how it is being portrayed. And this world portrayed itself as quite fascinating to me. I heard a calling from the future and I glimpsed a great story. And this story would unfold in this world in a few billion years. In the meantime, I observed "little innocent beings" devouring each other. Darkness had embraced them like a mother embraces her newborn. The "little innocent beings" lost their innocence when I made them see the result of their voracious appetite. Soon I found them developing a concept called RECORD, like a set of rules, to regte their hunger. No, I had no part in its development. Yes, I was the one who suggested it. They made rules and made an already fascinating world even more exciting. It had been quite a while since the RECORD overpowered its developers and reced the basews of this world. No, I had never foreseen this happening. Yes, I knew this would happen. Ah, that time soon came, which I foresaw. RECORD had already made itself known to most of the intelligent species of this world. The "not so innocent beings",ter named as The Oldest Ones, had to develop their races ording to the rules, rules that they were being forced to follow. Destiny guided me to one of these settlements. A Barred Spiral Gxy: The Milky Way. An excellent story needs characters. And my first character was in his mother''s arms sucking milk when I found him. But destiny did not gather on this character for too long. As I saw him bing stronger, oblivious to his future, Destiny held my hand again and brought me to a blue. And it had no intention of moving further, for it selected an ordinary boy. Yes, he was ordinary, andpared to my first character; he was nothing. The converging of Destiny is neither good nor bad. But it is, definitely, a condition for the initiation of the story. Its converging on this character did not mean him being a chosen one. In mundane terms, Destiny can select a spider, and humans getting power after being bitten by it can be the ultimate beneficiary. Intelligent beings of this had bizarre views on many things, and the most bizarre was their perception of the Divine. There was no outline for who to call a God. The situation was like this because the ''not so innocent beings'' had put little weight on their evolution. Nothingsts forever. Hardships and rewards often go hand in hand and looking at the new character, I found myself content for all the wait. I saw all that needed to be seen and much more. The journey was brief, but the characters lived it to the full. And the feeling of having more, as the thirst for water at the end of a long run, was ever insatiable. My story had finally taken shape, and every writer needs something to write on and something to write with. But am I a writer? When I held the pen to write, I came across a baffling question. I thought I had already answered all the questions that I should have asked. Yet, this question, which didn''t seem of any importance, became more essential than thest two. I knew who I was. I also knew why I was. And finally, the moment came to ask thest question. So I did. When I answered the question ''What I am?'' I found out that I am just a hand. I am the Hand of Mr. Lost. Chapter 2: Prologue 2 Chapter 2: Prologue 2 1 June 2021 Milky Way Gxy Few people could resist the temptation of being worshipped. And even fewer could resist the urge to rule them all. Even with their rarity, one could still find such people. And this old man was one of them. This old man did not want to be idealized as a God, nor did he want to be a Saint. If someone were to give him the status of the Supreme, he would have humbly rejected that too. The status he wanted and desired was just a simple word: RULER A Ruler in all directions. A Ruler of all things. "RECORD." An ancient voice came out of this old man and a screen materialized in front of his eyes. If one could see this screen, it would appear as symbols imprinted in his eyes. On the right side of this screen was a 3-D image of the old man with a golden halo. It had even copied his long and heavy beard as it is. The left side of the screen showed various stats. Now, this was not the time to look at those stats. This old man didn''t even care about them, as his eyes moved downward and to the middle part of the screen. [ CLASS: ss Update in Progress Update Status: 99.99% Time psed: 12,160 Years ] There was a gold progress bar underneath this information. And there was a minuscule empty area devoid of golden color, almost equivalent to a line, was visible at the end. This old man had not got up from his throne in a long time. The cold sensation of the armrest of the throne had already subsided a long time ago. But today this sensation returned by an inconsiderable amount. As he saw that progressing bar, a slight smile showed itself on his time-worn face. It seemed he has not smiled for a long time, for his lips were struggling to even turn the corners up. This old man was content. A dream wasing to fruition. Something indeed rxed this old man. A new beginning to an old end was going to start. But this old man was destined to be disappointed. The screen, which he was looking at, suddenly shook. It was like a glitch. The words, the image, the numbers, and the progress bar got blurred. Out of nowhere, in big, bold red letters, a message popped out on the screen. [ERROR] This old man had never shown such a silly face. His eyes were almost popping out of the sockets. His brows were at their highest point, and his mouth felt dry and cracked. The message shed three times and then disappeared. It only left behind a sense of redness on the appearing screen. And all this baffling process had happened in the blink of an eye. The image came back and so did the words, the numbers, and even the progress bar. But something was different. [ CLASS: ss update in progress Update Status: 0.00 % Time psed: 0 years ] The otherworldly grace, it used to own, had abandoned the image and the progress bar. This old man had seen in the eyes of Death. Yet, his old body never shook to this extent ever before. Sadness Anxiety Fear Anger Emotions he had forgotten came back to him like lost friends. First, the throne shattered as the old man straightened his posture. Then the massive structure, which looked like an amalgam of a pyramid and castle, got sted apart into hundreds of illusionary stars. A distant part within the Milky-Way Gxy trembled. And only an inhuman scream of agony and wrath reverberated in the emptiness of space. The cause of his misfortune, if this word could summarize what had happened to him, was a single person. Oblivious to everything, he did not know what kind of Karma his choices would bring back to him. Calling it a butterfly effect would not be wrong, but it would not be right either. Because in this case, the butterfly had pped its wings on the face of that old man. And one could trace the whole matter back 1 year to a time calledThe Night of Awakening. That was the moment when the hands of Darkness had reached the small but bright called Earth. That was the moment when Hell brought itself to Earth. And that was the moment when it all began. ------------------------------------------ Author''s Note: The symbol * would be used as a change of scene, or time, or ce, or all at the same time. Chapter 3: Never Stay Still Chapter 3: Never Stay Still 30 May 2020 Leavenworth, Washington USA In a town known for its tourism and festivities, locals were busy enough to ignore weird things and weird people. But they did not forget the oddest creature living among themthe young master of the old Guo family. No, they just used to whisper about him. ''Damn, herees another one,'' Aldrich thought. Di-iing-Diing. The bell atop the door notified him of a customer. "Hello Ma''am, a pleasant afternoon. Wee to the Guo Antique Shop." "Hello, a pleasant afternoon to you too," the woman said. ''And the job''s done,'' Aldrich thought. He went back to hisptop and scrolled down the article rted to Egyptian Hieroglyphs. "Um, excuse me," the middle-aged woman, Ms. Julia, came up to the counter. Aldrich reluctantly raised his head and gave an apologetic smile. "Yes?" "Can you rmend me something like pottery?" He raised his eyebrows, "I have the perfect piece for you to take back to Canada." He brought her to the Porcin and Pottery section. And with confidence reached the bottomyer to pull out an item. "The Italian couple''s masterpiece from 1923. These colors are traditional. The depiction of pheasant birds and road runner symbols, with vines, flowers, and rain, makes it one item to have on your shelf." The polychrome jar seemed to be in excellent condition and squeaky-clean. And around the jar''s neck was a tag as the authenticity of the piece. Ms. Julia was still admiring the designs when Aldrich, in a hurry, took it to the counter. She could not help but follow him. "As you are our first customer today, you deserve a discount of 5%." She felt confused and happy about the discount at the same time. "That would be $699 only," Aldrich said, as he handed over the packed item. "That''s expensive" "And here is a coupon for a 10% discount at the Museum''s Giftshop," Aldrich said. In a swift manner, he exchanged the coupon with the credit card which Ms. Julia had taken out somehow. "Pleasee back next time. Happy vacations." Aldrich bowed and sent his third customer out. The entire experience was so perplexing that Ms. Julia paused and asked herself, "How did he know I am from Canada?" Aldrich sent a text while the article had upied most of his attention. Aldrich: Hey man, just handed over thest coupon. Boomie: Haha!! :p Aldrich: ok Boomie: ?? Aldrich: wat? Boomie: So you up for tomorrow''s hiking?? Aldrich: yeah Boomie: cool :D :p Aldrich put away the mobile and pictured Boomie as a red-haired boy in shorts. He realized the boy of the past had not changed even by a little. Even he didn''t find himself changed too much. Twenty years had passed since he found his mission. At that time, he was just 4 years old. ''Learn everything, and live normally,'' he remembered. Yes, to learn everything and as much as he could, till the electric signals in his brain work. And because of this, he had suffered a tough childhood. The urge to read more and to learn had upied most of his day. How could he have spared any time for other mortal things? Bernard, aka Boomie, was the only person who found this oddball fascinating. Boomie had spent his middle school and high school with him. And like Aldrich, Boomie also skipped college and got a job in the town itself. Aldrich had always found a college degree redundant. Boomie agreed with this, but for an entirely different reason. Around 6:30 pm, he put up a ''Closed'' sign and went out for a walk. He loved these evening walks, for Bavarian-themed Leavenworth was a town less of locals and more of foreigners. And even if he had to take out some time, as long as he got to learn something out of them, it would be worth it. * After a casual talk with an African-American, he came back to shop. The Guo family''s ground floor was the means to put food on their te and to pay their bills. While the first floor was where they lived. It was not much, but for Aldrich, it had always been more than enough. "Oh, you''vee. Did you see your father?" Mrs. Sarah Guo asked. She put down the brush and gently blew air on the paper. "No, I did not go that far. Let me help you with the Inkstone." "Ok, then I better get started with the dinner''s preparation." Saying his mother liked calligraphy would be an overstatement. It''s just that she adored the idea to keep trying new stuff. "What''re we eating, mom?" "Rice and beef curry." "Oh, Boomie and I have nned to go on hiking tomorrow. I would also get the chance to do stargazing from the top of Icicle Ridge." "What? Wasn''t he going for bouldering? Well, stay off the slopes." Aldrich nodded. "I''m home," Mr. Ben Guo said, as he entered the hall. He was holding the canvas and other painting tools. "Dad, what have you painted today?" "A baffled middle-aged woman in her thirties. She sat on the bench near the fountain and kept looking at a ticket or something." "Can I see it?" Aldrich asked, wondering about the idea of collective sub-consciousness. "Yeah, it''s here in the bag. Hmm, Oh! I forgot the bag in the car." Aldrich was already out of the main door even before Mr. Ben told him to get it. He took out the painting while climbing the stairs to the first floor. "Hey mom look, she is the samedy who bought the pottery you were cleaning this afternoon." She nced over at the painting while soaking the rice. And yes, same chestnut hairs, same butterfly tattoo on the left shoulder. It was the samedy. "WOW! What are the chances?" A sheepish smile appeared on her face. She couldn''t help but notice her husband narrowing his eyes towards Aldrich. "What did you do?" "Nothing Dad, I promise I sold what she wanted, and like always, mom was like an invisible person. Thatdy didn''t even notice mom." "Ok, fine. Your mother does not have any presence from the start. It''s a miracle that even I noticed her. I am wondering what was going on with that ticket." The pair of mother-son looked at each other and got busy with their work. The Guo family had a small history in Leavenworth. And it only started with Aldrich''s grandfather when he came to America in thete 50s. In 1962, he got a foothold in town after bing a member of the Project LIFE (Leavenworth Improvement for Everyone) Committee. The project was to revitalize the struggling town when its economy plummeted because of the relocation of the railroad. In the end, he even changed his surname to its Pinyin Romanization. The Guos became Leavenworth''s own ever since. The Guo (lit. ''The wall that surrounds a city'') had a massive history everywhere else. One could trace the family''s name to the Xia Dynasty, the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. But now was not the time for history because dinner had already got served. "Honey, would you bring over the beer from the fridge too? I am extra fatigued from all the painting today." Mrs. Guo handed the beer over, and said. "I met Mrs. Sanderson today. You don''t remember? We have to do something about your memory. You know the wife of Mr. John, owner of the caf by the highway. Well, her niece hase over for summer vacation. She is beautiful, and she works for a travel agency in Seattle." "Well, if you know this much, then I''m sure you did not meet her by coincidence," Mr. Ben said. He understood his wife too well. And Aldrich was already eating in a hurry when he heard her mother met someone today. Ignoring her son''s oddity, she said, "Well, what do you think? Should I mention Aldrich to her and set up a date?" Aldrich couldn''t help but slow down. There was no point now. "Mom, ask me, not Dad. I have no interests and time for dating, you know that." "So what? You need to marry soon. Otherwise, it''s not toote to attend college. We already told you, your father can still remember enough things to handle the shop." "No, I am finally having a normal life as I nned. I''ve already decided that I will marry a woman who has the qualification of a teacher and who can move here in the town." Aldrich sighed. This was a routine. The daily repetitions had even tired the questions and answers. "Some dreams you have, my little Aluu. Why would a woman of those qualifications marry you? It''s not like you are handsome or something." "Mom! You sure know where to kick so that it would hurt the most. And would you stop giving me weird nicknames, I am not 12 anymore." Mr. Ben kept eating dinner and drinking beer. He nodded as his wife asked andughed as his son retorted. And Aldrich loved these little things about his father. Aldrich knew he was normal, and only he knew that all his childhood he had coveted this normal life. Normal brownish eyes, normal ck hairs, and apletely normal nose. ''And who remembers normal things these days? This one word has bored the society: Normal,'' he contemted. "Mom, I''ll take care of the dishes. Why don''t you guys have some rest?" "Okay. I better look up that travel agency in the meantime." "I want to read something. Where is my book, you know, the one on hunting?" Aldrich shook his head. He looked at them and smiled. It''s like there was an unwritten and unspoken rule in the house: Never stay still. At around 11:30 p.m., Aldrich put away hisptop. He hadpleted his research for that day and then sat down in a meditating posture. This was an inescapable task for him. For 15 minutes before bedtime, he would always say the same words repeatedly. Aldrich took a deep breath and cleared his mind of any unnecessary thoughts. Then, like a mantra, chanted these words in his mind, ''This is a dream. This is a dream. This...'' Meet the self-imed lucid dreamer: Aldrich Guo Chapter 4: A Thousand Faces Chapter 4: A Thousand Faces 31 May 2020 London Mr. Edwin Marshman was a man who got work done. At the tender age of 18, he sealed his first ck-market deal worth millions of dors. At 30, he became a world-renownedwyer, yes world-renowned, but not in the reach of many, and at 40, he became a father. The people with discerning eyes used "Sly" as a synonym for his name by the time he crossed 45. Nobody knew what he had been doing for the next five years. But at 50, he received an email. ''It has been seven years since then,'' Mr. Edwin thought, nudging his round sses. He also had a thick white anchor beard, but he didn''t have a habit of stroking it in moments of deep contemtion. His hair had already gone white. And yet, the striking head of hair could deceive anybody into thinking that the color was artificial. The sharpness in his eyes matched perfectly with his facial features. At 57, Mr. Edwin was in the prime of his career. "Sir, the auction has ended." "Good. You handled it well," Mr. Edwin said, taking a sip of the ck tea. The manager, Mr. Oliver, took a deep breath of pride. It was no less a simple task to get apliment from Mr. Edwin ''The Butler'', not anymore for thest few years. "Thank you, Sir. But there is a slight problem." Mr. Oliver flinched as he saw those white, sword-like eyebrows going up. And he knew he should not wait to me someone else as soon as possible. "Sir, the sessful bidder is demanding to meet the painter. He said that he would pay double the worth if the painter can make a portrait for him." "No." Yes, there was no need to say more words. And nothing else was required. "Of course Sir. Of course. Please let me treat you to dinner this evening." Mr. Oliver had already booked the best table and a custom menu at a Michelin star restaurant. "Next time. I must go now." Cold sweat kissed Mr. Oliver''s back as he saw the smile on Mr. Edwin''s face. It''s like in front of The Butler''s eyes there could be no hidden motives whatsoever. "Haha, I''m already looking forward to your next arrival." Mr. Oliver rubbed his hands in defeat after seeing his ''career''sdder'' exiting the hotel. He had done 5 auctions on Mr. Edwin''s behalf, each more exquisite than thest. They auctioned the first piece for 90 million US dors and it took the whole art world by surprise. The bidders, like hungry wolves, had pounced upon thetest work. And why wouldn''t they? The painting was being evaluated to be the best of its time. ''On the Color of Dreams'' got auctioned at a record-breaking price of 243 million US dors. The winner, though anonymous, contacted him to meet the painter ''Snowfall''. Nobody knew who this ''Snowfall'' was, a man or a woman, young or old. They only knew that 5 out of 7 of his works had secured sky-high prices in London in 7 years. The mystery of ''Snowfall'' pulled at the heartstrings of art enthusiasts with his every new work. But Mr. Oliver''s heartstrings were already loose enough to discard any pulling. The only man who could give a momentary tension to them was Mr. Edwin. * In reminiscence, Mr. Edwin took out the old email on his way to the London International Airport. He had been feeling nostalgic about its content and the events that had pursued it. There was not much meaning in the email address, as it kept changing from time to time. But the name of the sender, ever so humbly mentioned at the end of content, was like a Holy Grail for him. ''A Thousand Faces,'' Mr. Edwin repeated the name 3 times. And there was only a single line worth of content in the email. A sentence that often still echoed across spacetime to remind him of one of the greatest gifts of his life. "If life''s mundane activities have bored you, then reply to me and I will keep you upied for the rest of your life." At a single nce, any person of considerable intelligence would mark it as spam and delete it. And this obvious scam also couldn''t fool the shrewdest man alive, a title given by well-known critics. But Mr. Edwin couldn''t delete it. Curiosity killed the cat, and curiosity also killed his intelligence. And this curiosity led him to reply to the mail also with a single line. ''Yes, I am bored,'' he chuckled, remembering his reply. And true to the words, "A Thousand Faces" had kept him upied ever since. Mr. Edwin did not know its identity, but he knew it was an organization. An organization of the world''s best geniuses, the prodigies of their time. Paintings, scientific papers,mentaries, medical research, psychology, cryptology, philosophy, and literature were among the many topics he had been handling for his exclusive client. He had secured the outgoing and iing content with utmost privacy. Finding problems and providing all the needed materials and data to the client also came under his purview. Mr. Edwin: Please confirm the amount. There are requests for a thesis on OCPD from a secured target. The money is considerable. Let me know by today. He sent a brief e-mail to his client and leaned back in his seat. Awaiting what interesting things he would have to do in the future. * 31 May 2020 Leavenworth, USA Honks of a candy apple red pickup truck were not Mozart''s symphony. "Would you just stop it?" Aldrich yelled from the top window. As usual, on Sunday morning, his mother had already gone to the fishery department. Mr. Ben had been investing this time in his wood carvings in the basement. In the guise of volunteer work, the Guo family''s members had been satisfying their curiosity for quite some time. Yes, there was a basement. The Guos used it for inventory and some sort of tinkering, as told to the people of the town. Aldrich was checking his mails when Boomie arrived ahead of time, much to the headache of all the sentient beings nearby. Besides Aldrich, this was another thing the neighbors had wanted to get rid of. "Have you brought the bear spray? I''ve already reminded you twice about it since yesterday," Aldrich said. Boomie took the heavy backpack from him and put it in the truck''s bed. "Be gentle with it, my telescope is in the bag too." "Ok, and yeah, I''ve brought spray and other things. Now get in the cabin man." Boomie, other than a red bush for his hair, was tall and lean with a broad chest and heavy shoulders. Yet, in a town where almost all locals knew each other, his appearance had also deceived nobody. As with most climbers, the strength to weight ratio of his body was ridiculous. His tendons were strong, to where every step seemed like a tiny jump. "Would you like to drive?" Aldrich gave him a look and said, "You realize I do not have a driving license." "Haha. No, I remember but I wanted to hear it again." Boomie was trying hard to curb hisughter. "Let''s go. We need to reach the site by 9:00 pm." Boomie was a fearless guy, but even he didn''t like the idea of a hike after sunset. So he jumped into the cabin and the wheels were rolling soon towards the trailhead. The good thing was that it was right outside of the town. "So, Mindy said hi. She had a sudden errand to take care of, at the lodge." Boomie exined the absence of the third hiker, even when he hadn''t told him about her probable arrival. Aldrich was looking out the window, thinking why do people sometimes feel good and sometimes bad upon hearing a lie? "This ''errand'' that you mentioned. Did ite before you told her, that I aming along, or after?" Nobody in their right mind would approach Aldrich of their own volition. He knew it, Boomie knew it, Mindy knew it, and so did the rest of the town. Boomie became quiet upon Aldrich''s inquiry, and that was an answer at some level. There were many such things that had kept the two cut off from most of the same age crowd. Every person had their own thoughts about Aldrich and his oddity. Aldrich had never exined himself and discouraged Boomie to do so too. But in the end, Boomie was not Aldrich. There were things that only he could do, and there were things that only he knew. Things which, if were toe out, could cause worldwide unrest. There were some secrets that Boomie wished he hadn''t known and some secrets that he thought he should have known. Some secrets which he had wanted to remain buried deep enough to never see the light of the day. And yet all secrets had paledpared to the one rted to the man sitting by his side. Chapter 5: A Thousand Faces (2) Chapter 5: A Thousand Faces (2) How should one approach something that was bound to be an impossible task? Boomie had tried to ask the same question many times. A question that had only one answer. But Boomie was familiar with the fruits of repetitive failures and persistence. The question was even more important when given that in this entire world only he could ask it. Or it was appropriate to say only he had enough guts to ask it. Boomie had even prepared a routine for himself to start the process. The first thing was to remain away from other people. The second was to break the question into two parts most times. And the third was to not get to the point directly. Boomie made sure that he had satisfied all the conditions and observed Aldrich by the corner of his eyes. "Why don''t you" Boomie swallowed the rest of the words. Aldrich had looked towards him so fast that Boomie''s ass clenched from the sudden reaction. Boomie let out a sigh of triumph and a beam of resolution shined in his eyes. He took a long breath and slowed down the truck. "Why don''t youe out with it? Isn''t it enough already?" Boomie asked. This wasn''t the first time Boomie had tried his routine. Aldrich found the topic distasteful but still replied, "Enough? It would never be enough." Both stared at each other, for instance, when Boomie realized he was still driving. The same old answer brought the same old tension between them. Boomie and Aldrich knew each other enough to not let this tension get any heavier than it already was. And the task had always fallen on Aldrich''s shoulders. "How''s aunt?" Aldrich asked. Boomie''s father was a Medical Examiner. And his mother used to be the best trainer an amateur climber could get at the start of his career. Especially from mid-September to October, when her services were getting booked a year before the actual climb. But one time, while doing her routine climb, an ident happened, and she fell from quite a height. Aside from legs and ribs fractures, she sustained a traumatic head injury. The authorities could never find the primary cause of the mishap, but Boomie''s mother had suffered from retrograde amnesia ever since. "She is doing alright, but not for long. What could I expect when Dad, that bastard, decided to just disappear? Bills for psychotherapy are piling up, and the job isn''t lucrative enough. I am out of practice and I am not my mother, am I? Help me get something to do, it would be best if you can ask ''him''." For the first time, Boomie''s face showed anger and helplessness at the mention of his father. He had dreamed of being like his mother, doing what he loved to do. And in his case, he wanted to be a trainer of bouldering. But after the incident with his father, he had to take out time to work in the Museum''s gift shop. With his father''s money gone, emptying their savings and what little money they had, there wasn''t much Boomie could do to alter the situation. Aldrich did not consider the incident with Boomie''s father as ''disappearance'', but both epted it silently. "Don''t worry. I''ve already transferred some money for the therapy." "Huh..?" Boomie immediately checked his bank ount. His eyes had almost popped out while looking at the mobile''s screen. Andbined with his lean face andical eyes, he almost looked like a chameleon. "Dude! I know you love me, but this is still too much." Boomie, the shameless, eximed. "It''s for aunt. I don''t love you." And Aldrich was not subtle with the jokes either. "But I would still prefer if you could do the therapy, you know. I mean" Boomie hesitated a little. He looked around like he wasn''t in a car but a pub and whispered, "I mean, who can im to be a better psychologist in front of you." Boomie looked at Dr. Aldrich Guo, a title he added for his satisfaction from the corner of his eyes. The Artist Aldrich Guo, a title he added for the world''s satisfaction, had taken out a notepad to dribble on. "And it''s not like youck money. So how much did it sell for?" Boomie asked. Aldrich rested his hand over the verses he had written. And with a pained expression, he said, "243 million dors." "Haha," Boomieughed so hard that even the car, moving with the speed of a pregnant snail, suddenly picked up speed. "I won. Yes! Finally, I won a bet against you." Boomie had made the bet that the final amount would be over 240 million dors. While Aldrich had gone with 238, give or take 1 million dors. Yes, with Aldrich, there was not much margin to get lucky with bets. Aldrich did not know that the few extra million dors were an amount added for Mr. Edwin. Aldrich looked at the smiling face of his only friend, who was just cursing his father a moment before, andpared it to the scene of their first meeting. Weeks after the ident of Boomie''s mother, as Aldrichter found out, Aldrich was dissecting a lizard using a surgical knife he got somehow. Boomie ended up in the basement of their house and watched the entire scene. And he must have run too fast, for he didn''te to school for 3 days after the incident. On the fourth day, Boomie waited for him after school and he seemed like he was hiding something. As Aldrich approached him and showed no sign of halting, Boomie brought his hand in which there was a dead frog. "Um, Can you Can you do an operation on him? He hasn''t jumped since my father kicked him." Boomie had always thought he saved Aldrich from all the solitude, and that Aldrich had also saved him. "You know, I was reading history the other day Hey! don''t look at me like that, I know how to read too. So where was I? Yeah, and I found out that people like you did not like to amass wealth and something like that," Boomie said. "It is true to some extent," Aldrich paused his dribbling, "But only time has determined the value of wealth. Those schrs could not swipe the card and get information from the other half of the world. Those prominent physicians could not get all the relevant knowledge. They could not get all kinds of test subjects, even with all the money. So what use of amassing wealth was to them?" "But still..." Aldrich cut him off and said, "We are living in a world where every tiny little service costs money. I don''t need money, per se, but I don''t want any moment where I would have to hold back because of theck of it." Boomie headed the truck towards the parking area of the trailhead. He couldn''t help but ask, "But what''s wrong with letting the world know about your ''gift'' or ''gifts''? Wouldn''t it be easy then? You don''t know what I experience when every second-rate bum out there calls you a psycho." In the end, Boomie was already pointing towards the town. "Boomie" Boomie jumped out of the cabin, "I know, I Know. Your mission." How could Boomie ever forget ''The Mission''? "But you know, you should at least tell Uncle and Aunt. They deserve to know." "Yes, they deserve to know," Aldrich said. Boomie, in astonishment, dropped the backpacks back in the bed. But Aldrich, looking worriedly at his bag, continued, "They deserve to, but they do not need to." "You know I got to ask," Boomie handed over the backpack to Aldrich, "Why do you do it? All the things, the research papers, the experiments, the books, the paintings and I remember your contribution to that LIGO, too. Why?" "You know too much for your good. I should have pushed you down to the river." Aldrich looked at his friend''s silentugh and then gazed at the top of Icicle Ridge. His eyes suddenly gaining an immense depth moved from the top of the ridge to the empty summer sky. Boomie''s mouth had already sealed his mouth. Nough coulde out when he saw Aldrich standing by his side, looking at the sky like he would bring it down if it didn''t kneel in the next few seconds. Aldrich took a full breath of mountain air and said, "Nothing is more beautiful than to know all." And Boomie shuddered, ''Why I was even talking to him about money like some normal person. "That" is not a normal person. "That" is a monster, the nightmare of countless others in their dreams.'' "Kircher," Boomie reflexively pointed out. Aldrich nodded at the name and both moved on with their hike. Mr. Edwin could have been the wiliest person. But even in his wildest dreams, he would have never thought that the organization he was working for, ''A Thousand Faces'', was a thousand faces of a single man. Chapter 6: Retirement Ceremony Chapter 6: Retirement Ceremony Tall women are appreciated everywhere, but they are especially admired in thepany of small women. Bouda felt the warm rays of the afternoon suns on her red face. The visible traces of embarrassment subsided a little under its endearing warmth. She stared at the back of her superior, who was walking a step ahead of her. Not only they made here here but had also put her under this midget''s direct supervision. And she couldn''t help but curse her destiny for it, as the midget''s presence had been unbearable ever since. "Military Secretary Bouda! Are staring holes in your superiors'' back alsoe under your active duty?" "No No, Lt. General Eydis." Bouda stuttered a reply and came out of her dazed state. ''How did she know? There cannot be that much of a level difference,'' Bouda thought. She nced at the left arm of her superior and saw an insignia of a round red shield, with a starry spiral at its center. Her thoughts wandered to the good old days of her time in the kingdom, where people worshipped her. But now that she was here, this ce owned her. No kingdom''s matter could take priority in front of that insignia. Bouda sighed. "Ma''am, where are we going? It''s almost time and I still have thest inspection left to do." "To meet the Supreme Commander." One sentence and Bouda''s legs trembled. "But But I have done nothing wrong." The panic in her voice was vividly noticeable. Turning around, Eydis said, "Well, the orders were for only me to report. But isn''t it better if there are two of us? Nowe on and try to keep up with me." ''This this this fucking bitch,'' Bouda thought. With a head full of rage and heavy steps, she almost overtook the midget. No one wanted to be called upon by the Supreme Commander. And no one wanted to be called upon by him, especially today, on the day of his retirement ceremony. Bouda still remembers when he announced his sudden retirement 3 days ago. His deration had taken the entire gxy by surprise. Some were teary, and some were in sad. While most of them were curious. "Activate the teleportation to His Majesty''s office." Lt. General Eydis ordered the officer in charge of intraary teleportation. Bouda noticed the officer''s gaze on her face, even if it was for a moment, and she calmed herself down. Her blue hair under the peaked cap and her white military greatcoat fluttered as they arrived at their destination. A soldier was already there to receive them. He saluted, "Ma''am, the Supreme Commander is expecting you." Eydis nodded and gestured to him to show the way. Even after serving for 3 years in the United Gctic Front, she was yet to meet His Majesty in person. There were four Generals under themand of the Supreme Commander, but only the Generals had convened the annual meetings. "Why do you think he asked only for you?" Bouda whispered. "We will soon find out." The young soldier approached the entryway to a corridor. "I may not go further. Please go to the end of the corridor and take a left." The pair of officers were soon standing before an enormous door. They could only see a namete, and there was an unearthly and eerie silence. "I think we need to knock" As soon as Bouda uttered those words, the door opened with a creaking noise. "Lt. General Eydis, reporting to the Supreme Commander." "Major General Bouda, reporting to the Supreme Commander." All nervousness had gone within a tenth of a second. The officers were not given that title unfoundedly. "Come in." A gruff voice reverberated in the surrounding. As Bouda entered the office, she felt suffocated by its vastness. This office could have made someone feel diminished inparison. But not the man seated behind the desk. His rxed posture looked like a deliberate attempt to make the office moremodious. The young officers kneeled and synchronously said, "Long live His Majesty, The King." The Supreme Commander of the United Gctic Front, a position only a King could have earned. And as long as he lived, none could make him give it up. Nobody in their right mind would have dared to look into his eyes and asked him to retire? Who would dare to even stand in his presence and utter any word of defiance? "At ease, soldiers." Bouda stepped back and let the Lt. General be the center of attention. She furtively observed the Supreme Commander and realized, if she were to stand on her toes, even then she woulde up short. The King did not look old, even with that massive gray beard, and his ck eyes still brimmed with vigor. There was a ghastly scar that ran down from the top of his left eye and down to his neck, where it disappeared behind his uniform''s cor. "Lt. General Eydis, I heard you have had some trouble with the General of the 2nd Quad." Eydis clenched her teeth and replied, "Yes, Supreme Commander." Bouda did not feel surprised at this inquiry. She had already known General Grimwald''s acts of wooing and how the nave and young Eydis reacted to the incident. It was a hot topic, and it did not need one to report it to reach even the ear of the Supreme Commander. But it was not important enough to get addressed by the King himself unless there was more to it than met the eye. Eydis''s thoughts were not much different from Bouda''s, but she was not ready for what followed thereafter. She only remembers an image of the Supreme Commander, mouthing some words. And a heavy silence followed it. Only the perplexed look she had, and her incapability to process what she heard, could have described Eydis'' astonishment. "Huh! What?" Before Eydis could react, a bewildered squeaky voice came out from behind her. The Supreme Commander raised his eyebrow and Bouda, drowned in shame, lowered her head. But her voice had fulfilled its purpose and took out Eydis from her stunned state. "I will ask again. What do you think about bing the next General of the 1st Quad?" Eydis collected her emotions. "It would be my honor, Sir. But I heard nothing about his retirement." "He will dere it soon. Not only that, but he will also leave the office within the next year." "But what about the other Lt. Generals? They would not stay calm if I were to assume the office of General of 1st Quad. I am the youngest among them, sir." Eydis poured out all her doubts in a single breath. Sweat had already drenched her back. "You do not have to worry about them. Would they dare to deny a direct order from me?" The air in the room suddenly felt like a swamp. Bouda could barely withstand the urge to vomit, and the corner of her eyes had be wet and red. The Supreme Commander tapped his finger on the table and the nauseated atmosphere once again became bearable. "You would not have any trouble, given your family background, Lt. General Eydis. How much time do you need to be a Duchess?" Bouda raised her head with a jerk at this question. She could not perceive General Eydis''s strength, but the King definitely could. If he was right, then the midget had been strong enough to not remain a mere Lt. General, and there was no "if" to it. As proved by the Lt. General''s answer, "4 months but I can achieve it in 3 depending on luck." "Very Good." The Supreme Commander showed a rare hint of a smile at those words. "For now, I want you to take the General''s Trial," his words took aback both of them, "It''s ok, you don''t need to pass it. Give it your best and send me the datater." Eydis''s whole body had itched at the prospect of her attempting the Trial. "Ok, you can leave." "Yes, sir." Bouda and Eydis saluted at the same time. With the approval of his nod, they took their leave. * The King, in his amusement, noticed that General Eydis looked almost an inch taller before she came. He exhaled and slumped back on his throne, the office chair. As he massaged his temples out of habit, he waited to lose himself in the utter silence of his office. This retirement did not signify a pleasant rest, but it was his ultimate vicissitude. "What, tired already, Imhotep?" The King''s eyes shot open, and the air was bing denser by the rate of milliseconds. But this time he was the one to bear the pressure. Who would dare to address him by his first name? But another more important question was upying the Supreme Commander''s thoughts. How could have someone approached him without his knowledge? Chapter 7: Retirement Ceremony (2) Chapter 7: Retirement Ceremony (2) Even if Imhotep was not using his Perception, this was UGF-P02, the one ce where even the other Kings hesitated toe. Here, he was unbeatable, unconquerable, and unperishable. Here he was equal to a God. Yet, there was someone in this gxy who could hide from the king''s senses and was so confident to even call out his name. Imhotep wetted his dry throat with a noisy gulp. And at some point, a huge wooden hammer had materialized in his hands. "All things in the universe" A ghastly voice cut off his Skill and gently said, "Haha, Imhotep, calm down. Why are you being so jumpy?" Imhotep saw shadows had gathered in the corner of his office on his left. All the light felt to Imhotep like being cut off from the outside world. It would not be wrong to say that somehow the dark shadows had suppressed the existence of light. None could tell if the man hade out of the shadows or the shadows hade out of him. The left-out part of the shadows weaved around his body and became his robe. "You You," Imhotep stuttered. What in the world could make him stutter? But the undeniable thing was that Imhotep had never been so happy since hisst judgment. A judgment that had robbed a King of his life. His face was beaming with a gigantic smile and the hammer had vanished like it wasn''t there to begin with. Imhotep bent his knees to kneel, but the Shadow-Wearer stopped him. "I had a hunch you woulde. I had been waiting for a long time. Long enough that even I forgot about it." "Haha Imhotep, I''ve brought you good news. Where are your manners? At least offer me your best wine." Imhotep reached out his hand in the void and took out a jar of purplish-gold color wine. "Tch-Tch, Phoenix Blood wine. Who would''ve thought? Pour me a ss." Imhotep, like a professional sommelier, served him the wine, full to the brim. And the Shadow-Wearer gulped the entire drink in one go. There was no need for him to nerve himself for a shock. Soon, white fumes rose out of his body and an ethereal white fog followed the fumes. Both fumes and the fog turned into a zing white me that enveloped the Shadow-Wearer. But all three lost themselves in the shadows. "Hah. Good stuff." The Shadow-Wearer mmed the cup on the table and took a seat. But the Supreme Commander wouldn''t dare to look at his ''throne''. "3 years. It would only take three more years, Imhotep." Imhotep listened to this promation and heard his shoulder joints popping in rxation. He leaned on the table and let out a deep bellow ofughter. "Haha-Haha" Nothing seemed to get in his way today. No one could stop him. Even the other person stayed silent and let the walls of the office take care of the echoes of the heartyugh. "You have done well, awarding promotion to that little girl. It would likely keep the Kingdom of Swordless in check for some time." "Yes, even if they were to create some problem, the Kingdom of Divine Beast would have toe forward. They wouldn''t let their princess get bullied." The Shadow-Wearer nodded at Imhotep''s exnation. "Wait!. Were you already here when they came?" "Haha, little Imhotep, I was hiding in the shadow of that Healer. Pretty legs, if I say so myself. What is her rtionship with the Kingdom of Life-Authority?" "She is ''Her'' niece." "Is that why you put those two together? Hmm, clever indeed." "I will dere my retirement, otherwise those greedy bastards won''t be able to endure any longer. I have an incredible idea to dy the next assuming office for 3 years. What would change even if I held on to the rank for a few extra years when I have already served here for thest 195 years." Imhotep then whispered his brilliant n in the ears of the Shadow-Wearer. "Haha, Imhotep, who would believe what a sly little bastard you are?" Imhotep couldn''t be any happier after receiving his praises. But there was still one problem that was eating its way into his stomach. "What to do with the Kingdom of Eternal Servant? They are odd, quiet, and often decisive. It would be very hard to convince them of this n to work." "You seem to forget about something, Imhotep. Where do you think we are?" No one knew the location of the HQ of the United Gctic Front. And to ess it, one needed many interary teleportation from certain UGF bases. Only the Supreme Commander could have ess to this ssified information. "You mean to say," Imhotep''s eyes shone with realization. "Yes, UGF-P02 got named so because of its predecessor''s destruction in thest Gctic War. Do you think it was a coincidence?" Their faces darkened at the mention of the Gctic War. But one could see a hint of anticipation on their faces. And both of them thought in conjunction, ''It would be different this time.'' * 3 hourster, DTC Huff!!! Huff!!! Low panting sounds were resonating with the heavy steps in a dark corridor. One could see a silhouette of a ''kid'' engulfed in the darknessing out in the light. Eydis dragged herself out of the Hell Tunnel and called out to the soldiers on duty at the Duke Training Center (DTC). "Go Go bring a Healer. Hurry!" The soldier had already contacted the healer''s unit when he had heard the terrible screams a while ago. The young Lt. General had realized her grievous state when she asked for a Healer, given that a whole 30 of them were already there. A boom rang out in the distance and before the shock waves subsided, Bouda had already arrived at the scene. Bouda gasped in shock and only hoped that she wasn''t toote. She examined Lt. General Eydis and took out a potion. Eydis''s singlet was shredded from all over and blood was pouring from the deep cuts. A thick piece of her right thigh had be mangled flesh. It looked like someone in leisure had tried to take a bite of her thigh. But the title of the most gruesome scene belonged to her left arm. Well, there was no left arm. Eydis in her blood-soaked blond hair seemed no different from a tired soldier at hisst breath. Bouda emptied the potion that looked like melted metal on Eydis''s thigh. "Sigh, this is too much, even for me. It would take at least an hour to regrow that arm." Eydis only let out grunts of pain through her clenched teeth as the potion drilled its way into her body. "I warned you, Lt. General, there was no need to go along with the promotion. Anyway, now that you''vee out, we can consider you have passed the Trial, right?" Bouda gave a reassuring smile to Eydis and ordered the rest of the healers, "Go back to your position. I''ll take her to the medical facility." Bouda took the DTC''s Trial Report and took a nce at the data. Trial Time: 16:40:34 hrs Trial Completion: 14.3% Trial Status: Pass She gave the half-dead midget a surprised look and muttered, "She is truly lucky." In the Medical Hall, Eydis struggled with the grogginess and her blurred vision gained a hint of rity. She looked around and before her eyes moved towards her left arm; she had already been gripping it. "I have sent the report to the Supreme Commander, and the time is nigh. You should also get ready for their arrival." A familiar sweet voice resounded to her right and Eydis realized she had survived. A proud smile crept its way over her puerile face. "Bouda, thank you." These sudden and honest words took aback Bouda. Her blushed peachy cheeks were ripening by seconds and were almost ready to get plucked. Her eyes wandered in the dull room to avoid the gaze of Lt. General. But the next words from Eydis washed away all the tension. "Anyway, it was your duty." ''This damn midget! I should have let you suffer a bit more,'' Bouda cursed Eydis and regained the pale white look on her face. "You must have used the Volcanic-Blood Amplifier potion. Don''t worry, as the new General I''ll award you another one for this meritorious service." ''Me Meritorious service? How important do you think you are?'' Eydis red at her superior, who was stretching her left arm. "With you being out of the way... I... I mean, with you getting promoted to the rank of General, I am also getting considered for the rank of Lt. General." "Yes, that''s true. You are already qualified if one looks at your strength and merits. But if you could get your hands on one more potion, that shouldn''t pose any problem, right?" Eydis winked. Bouda didn''t let the season of peaches return and said, "I''ll let you familiarize yourself with your arm. We are to report at the Hall of Blessings and Gratitude." She saluted and almost skipped her way out of the room like a little girl after getting candy. * Supreme Commander''s Office "I must go now. The next time we meet, you must bring out a much better wine. Haha." With theugh still echoing in Imhotep''s head, the Shadow-Wearer had already melted down in the shadows. Imhotep went to the window and looked out at the binary stars. And then his gaze gradually moved down to his military boots. A sinister smile crawled up his face ever so slowly. The jar of wine was still on the table. He poured himself a cup and sat down on the ''throne''. He stroked his scar and traced it down over his heart. No one but he, knew who gave the horrible wound to him. But someone could ask one question with certainty. If there was a warrior who could stop his sword just over the King''s heart in a battle, to be merciful, what kind of sword control would he have required?
  1. (lit. He whoes in peace)
Chapter 8: The Kings Arrive Chapter 8: The Kings Arrive UGF-P02 The Hall of Blessings and Gratitude wasn''t the most conspicuous building on the. But its location was one of the easiest for anyone to find out. Emperor Divine Beast, at South Pole-The statue of Emperor Swordless, at Equator-The statue of Empress Life-Authority, and the statue of Emperor Eternal Servant opposite to the Empress'' statue. And the Hall of Blessings and Gratitude was under the statue of Emperor Eternal Servant. Or one could say, the hall itself was a part of the foundation. Bouda craned her neck up to look at the astronomical size of the statue. It was at least 100 km tall, and one could only see up to the Emperor''s hands. The left hand was gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist and in his right hand was an open book. Clouds were trying their best to blurry the rest. But, across the clouds, the majesty of the statue was still drizzling on the people like drops of soft rain. For it was the statue of thest Emperor whom the Gxy had seen, Emperor Phoebus MnthiosThe Eternal Servant. All the generals with their armies were on both sides of the path, lined with carpet and leading to the main archway of the Hall. Bouda observed the vast back of the General of 1st Quad and thought, ''How can he be so calm? Isn''t he aware of the pressure he would soon face?'' She felt a vibration in the air and found Lt. General Eydis, on her right, shooting at someone with an intense re. As she followed the string of raging tension, she found the handsome General of the 2nd Quad at its receiving end. General Grimwald Gerbold had a slight smile on his face. Bouda''s heart palpated at that smile, but the strident military music poured out by a pair of bugles saved her. The sound most probably had reached the ears of the statue. A huge blue-green portal opened up at the far end of the carpet-lined path. The swirling rays of condensed mana were like scintiting rivers of stardust. A man in ring red armor and a red cape stepped out from the portal. The vertical golden-red pupil of his eyes was gleaming in the dark through the gap of his helm. But the most eye-catching was the helm''s red plume. If one were to look closely, one would have found out that it wasn''t red at all. And then, that person would die right after this startling discovery. Everyone, from beggars to nobles, knew never to look at the helm''s plume of the King of 1st Quad. For it wasn''t an ordinary plume, but a plume made of a Phoenix''s heart. ''Look at the Phoenix''s heart for a second and burn for eternity.'' Ancient sayings were the most powerful skills. And this saying had also forced the brave warriors to subdue their courageous nature. And the one who had donned it like some jewelry was the one who was ruling over the Kingdom of Divine Beast, King Alvis Hildingr - The Red Dragon. 5 men in a stark red greatcoat followed the King. The entourage didn''t end here. At least 100 more nobles, in one or other form of red uniform, were also a part of this delegation. The King led the men on the carpeted path. As he passed by the armies of 3rd and 4th Quad on his either side, the Generals bowed their heads to show their respect. Yet the rest of the soldiers had still their chin up. The smile of General Grimwald had vanished under his mask of utter reverence. And one could see a smirk of derision on Lt. General Eydis''s face. There was a throne ced at one side of the path before the archway. The King elegantly sat on the throne, and the remaining entourage of nobles had lined themselves up behind him. But it was a mere start, and the portal was now at its maximum output. A wave of refreshing air blew out from the portal. And the air brought a woman with it. If the morning dew could have a face, even then it wouldn''t be as beautiful as hers. The blues of the ocean had dyed her hair and her dark ck eyes were like the bottom of the deep sea. The smile on her face was like a crescent moon. A golden fib had held together her long skirt, with the wonderful colors of summer, with the gold-embroidered outeryer. At her slender waist was a belt of wisteria. And a purple-green tiara embedded with the brightest jewels dictated her title. One could onlypare the entire experience of seeing her with a field of Baby Blue Eyes at their full bloom in spring. Her entourage wasn''tckingpared to the already seated King. 3 women and 2 men, followed by 100 nobles, were all in yellowish-green robes. She passed by the Generals with their heads still bowed. Every step could have either been on the far clouds or in the hearts of staring men. She sat on the throne at the far right of King of 1st Quad. With afortable posture, she finally nced at the King and gave a courtesy nod. The King nodded without even looking at her. But that was enough. She wanted a nod in return and she got it. If she needed something, no one could stop her from getting it. For she was the one who was ruling over the Kingdom of Life-Authority, Queen Eluned RhiannonThe Daughter of Mana. The clouds that curtained the sky had gone. And the eternally opened eyes of the Emperor''s statue finally reflected the bright rays of suns. Bright golden rays were pouring out of the portal too when a man in Alb (a in white garment that reaches to the ankles) stepped out of it. He was wearing a Papal Tiara, and the crown beamed with many jewels. Cope with a huge jeweled Morse had girded the Alb. He had a stole around his neck which hung down almost parallel to each other. Jet ck discs as an ornament at either end were there on the band of golden-purple cloth. The man, in all the serene atmosphere, was also holding a Papal Fershort goldenrod with a jet-ck globe attached to its end. Everybody got to know how the stubborn clouds had given away an unobstructed view of the ever reticent sky. 5 Bishops and a hundred other priests followed this man. The pride of ever-loyal soldiers couldn''t have kept their chin raised anymore, and they had bowed their head a little, in that man''s direction. This man looked at the Emperor''s statue for a while and took his throne opposite to the Queen. The Queen didn''t nod this time, for she didn''t want him to nod. The man before her only bowed to his ''God'' and he would do the same for none other. For he was the one who was ruling over the Kingdom of Eternal Servant, King Antiochus TheotimusThe Last Saint. The sudden rain, long winters, and uninvited guests all bring tremendous pressure with them. But the man who hade out from the portal was the "pressure" himself. There was no jewelry on him, there were no armors, and neither there was a crown nor shy clothes. This man wore amon ck greatcoat, ck pants, and in ck shoes. He was being followed by only 2 men and 1 woman, all in even simpler ck garments. The pressure that had flooded the grounds was already bearing down on every being that was present there. Everyone found themselves at the sea-bed. The dense water waspressing every muscle from all around, and even their breath was leaden under the man''s dreadful presence. The man stopped himself in the middle of the Kings and the Queen. But what he did next left all the nobles bbergasted. The man turned towards the south and kneeled, with his head almost touching the carpet. And then he mmed his head so hard that every soul from ground to sky shook. The veins of soldiers were already popping out all over the body. All thought that they would lose their consciousness if that man were to m his head one more time. But the man just stood up and went to his throne. Nobody had wanted to confront him for his odd behavior, and nobody could have asked him for his disregard for human lives. For he was the one who was ruling over the Kingdom of Swordless, King Hagen BergmanThe Imprable Shield. King of 1st Quad, Alvis, was aware that his subjects had borne most of the pressure. Almost all the faces behind him had turned purple. A snake''s tail and a Dragon''s pride were not to be trodden upon. The helm''s plume fluttered, and the King stood up. He took a step towards Hagen, who was also ring at him. A fiery wave of scorching heat spread out and collided with waves of tremendous pressure. Gentle rays of light enveloped all the priests and bellows of fragrant air surrounded the Queen''s entourage. All pretenses were on the brink of getting dropped and the Generals'' faces were already pale. "Haha! Young blood boils the most on hearing the battle-cry of enemies." With those words the heat subsided, the pressure went poof in the air, the curtain of light vanished and bellows lost themselves in the void. And all beings under the sky found themselves in an illusion of a flowery meadow. The Kings and the Queen vacantly stared at the man who had shown up and mouthed, "Old Monster." All the soldiers, including Generals, kneeled and shouted in unison, "LONG LIVE HIS MAJESTY, THE KING." The sound was so deafening that even the sound of the bugles would have to recede in front of it. And he was the only man who deserved the title of a King on UGF-P02. For he was the one who ruled over nothing, the Supreme Commander of the United Gctic Front, King Imhotep PaphnutiusThe Judge of Cmity. Chapter 9: The Night of Awakening Chapter 9: The Night of Awakening The Supreme Commander towered amid King Alvis and King Hagen. He looked in the eyes of the Emperor''s statue and said, "What a beautiful day? The air is so fresh." Imhotep went under the archway and turned around to look at all the nobles, the Kings, and the Queen. His low ruffed voice reached to the farthest soldier. "I thank all to attend this old man''s retirement ceremony." He looked at the Kings, and said, "Some of you must have been wondering about its sudden announcement. If I list down all the different reasons, then we would all be here for quite a while. And a few don''t seem to like this ce enough to extend their stay." Imhotep let his gaze wander to the horizon and said, "But I still owe a reason to the world. How about this? I am feeling tired." Nobody felt less at the Supreme Commander at this confession. He had been already leading a raiding team in the Gctic War before he had assumed his current title. And there was no need to mention his time leading the campaign. Anyone would dread if one were to imagine the Gctic War, based on the written ounts, let alone leading the armies three times. "Every 100 years, our sons and daughters have to put their life on the line. And I am ashamed that I won''t be able to help if they were to need it next time. But the young always overtake the old and by the grace of The Oldest One, the world has plenty of the young." He eyed the Royals and found King Antiochus was already sping his hands reverently. "I won''t take much of your time. But we must attend to the matter of session first." All the nobles, the Generals, and the soldiers braced themselves for the oue. Only the Supreme Commander could rmend his sessor. And if more than half of the Gxy''s Kings voted in favor of his rmendation, then that candidate would be the next Supreme Commander. "Kings and Queen, please follow me to the meeting chamber. The Dukes maye along." Before the start of the speech, the Generals had already positioned themselves behind the Supreme Commander. The Supreme Commander suddenly turned around when the members were approaching the archway. He looked beyond the approaching ''Pirs of Future'', and said, "Lt. General Eydis, join us." A simple order had left all the nobles and Generals dumbfounded, save General of the 1st Quad. Never was there a case like this mentioned in the historic documents, where a Lt. General could attend the session meeting. Bouda experienced the electricity coursing through her veins. Even when she was not the recipient of hundreds of questioning gazes. But the girl standing by her side didn''t show any w in her manners. Bouda imagined the heaviness of topics that the members would discuss in the chamber. Her thoughts were yet to reach their climax when she heard someone had called her name. The sound was like the notes of Zither making its way down from atop a high mountain. Bouda remembered she was not unfamiliar with this feeling. She tried to look back at her memories when the same sweet voice called out her name again. She looked around her and the electricity, which was only a figment of her imagination a moment before, jolted her heavily. Hundreds of eyes had nted on her this time, a few were full of questions and a few of sheer envy. "What? I want to have my little niece around me. Don''t tell, am I not allowed to do that here?" Queen Eluned asked the Supreme Commander with a coquettish grin. The Supreme Commander didn''t argue with her but silently showed his displeasure. One should not take the trivialities of women to heart, especially of the woman in power. Bouda, cornered by the lingering gazes of the nobles, scurried to the Queen. "Aunt, this this wasn''t necessary." "Come on now. Don''t be like this, you know I don''t like meetings." The pair of Aunt-Niece chatted as they were entering the meeting chambers. * The chamber itself was a tiny part of the Hall but big enough to lose the sense of one''s existence if one were to stand by oneself here for a moment. Seating cement wasn''t much different from themon way of a Parliament House. Four blocks were surrounding the Speaker''s desk, with rows of seats in a semi-circr manner. And main chairs led the rows of each block. The kings and the Queen took their ce on those chairs and the rest of the Nobles sat behind their respective leaders. Bouda was not qualified enough to sit among the Dukes but was important enough to stand by the side of her Aunt''s chair. There were two seats on each side of the speaker''s desk, facing the nobles, for the Generals. Bouda, for a moment, met Lt. General''s eye, who was also standing behind the seated General of 1st Quad. "Before we start with the inevitable topic, I have another less important thing to tell you." Bouda noticed all the members were clueless about this sudden deration. "With a heavy heart and relieved emotions, I announce the retirement of my old friendGeneral of 1st Quad, Duke Einar Sigsteinn." Every member, including the Kings and the Queen, gave a surprising look at the mentioned General. General Einar stood up under the interrogating gazes. He said, "Your Majesties, when the Suprememander announced his retirement, I hadn''t found myself too surprised. I had seen this daying, in a way." Bouda saw a hint of a sad smile on the Supreme Commander''s face. The General chuckled and continued, "I sat a whole day in my office thinking things through. Finally, I too have decided to give my services a rest, using the enormous shadow cast by his retirement." With that General took his seat and everyone chanced upon the Lt. General standing behind him whom they had already forgotten. Bouda saw the hideous expression on General Grimwald''s face. And King Hagen took interest in this unimportant topic for the first time, using his raised brows. "As everyone may have already guessed, General Einar had rmended Lt. General Eydis. Within three months we would officially promote her." A wave of cheery atmosphere washed over the Dukes of 1st Quad. But Bouda did not know about the thoughts of the Red Dragon, seated at their front. "This is wrong!" a defiant scream rang out from General Grimwald, who was now standing at the center of attention. Bouda felt him more scared rather than agitated as he was studying the mood of King Hagen and his entourage from time to time. "Every Lt. General in the UGF is more experienced than her. Not to mention, Lt. General Otmar of the 2nd Quad, who is strongest among others." The handsome General was staring daggers at the young Lt. General. And the cheery atmosphere of the Dukes of 1st Quad had now taken a full turn to match their stark red greatcoat. General Grimwald bbered, "We have always given the priority to that Lt. General who has the most immediate prospect of bing a Duke. What qualifications does she have to have the rules changed for her?" "We also do not agree with this bias and the Supreme Commander must provide an answer for this," one of the Duke of the 3rd Quad said. Bouda saw the priests nodding at these words. She hadn''t thought that the Kingdoms would take this much interest in the position of Generals. The HQ did not assign a General of UGF a Quad based on their original kingdom, but the avability of the position. So it did not need a General of 1st Quad to be a native of the Kingdom of Divine Beast, which was in the 1st Quadrant of Gxy. And such was the case this time, General Einar was a native of the Kingdom of Life-Authority. But he had overseen the forces and security rted to the Kingdom of Divine Beasts. Nobody had a problem with it. But Bouda had missed a very crucial point. Lt. General Eydis wasn''t a mere young officer. "Supreme Commander, you can''t hand down the position of General of 1st Quad to her. Given that she is the eldest daughter of King Alvis," King Antiochus said, shaking his head. Bouda bit her lower lip and nervously looked at Eydis. But they didn''t need to reply. Neither to the usation of Duke nor to the King''s deration. "What qualifications does she have?" the Supreme Commander repeated that question. In an amusing manner, he said, "Well, General Grimwald, what do you think about this? That in her 3 years of service she has amassed merits whose worth is more than thebined worth of all the Lt. Generals in your army." "But that doesn''t mean" The shoulders of the General of 2nd Quad had slumped on the mention of the merits of his officers. But the Supreme Commander had cut his excuses short. "Or, that Lt. General Eydis has already passed the General''s Trial." "What?" A single word but of different voices resounded in Bouda''s mind from all around. "Impossible," General Grimwald muttered to himself, but all the members there had shared his feelings. "Impossible? You don''t need to be a Duke to pass the General''s Trial or have you forgotten about that, General Grimwald?" the Supreme Commander sternly asked. "But that is just a theory," Grimwald doubted. "Are you implying that I, the Supreme Commander, am lying?" Imhotep narrowed his eyes at all the members that were present. Even with the Queen''s calm demeanor, Bouda felt her brows were quivering at the question. "No, he didn''t mean that, Supreme Commander." For the first time, King Hagen interjected with the matter. The rest of the Kings and the Queen had already considered General Grimwald a dead man. "I have already given all Generals a copy of the Trial''s Data. You can ess it after thepletion of the ceremony." The queen gently looked at the young Eydis and said, "Impressive." The melodic voice was still echoing when King Antiochus chimed in, "Admirable." For the first time, aftering here, Bouda saw a cherry red color on Eydis''s cheeks. Suddenly, a beast''s growl came out from her left. No, it wasn''t an ordinary growl, but it also felt like a forest was being battered by a terrifying tempest. The Red Dragon, King Alvis, wasughing. Chapter 10: The Night of Awakening (2) Chapter 10: The Night of Awakening (2) How many people in the world had heard the Red Dragon''sugh. For some, it was thest thing they had got to hear, and for some; it was a new beginning. And the end of thisugh marked the end of the less important topic. "Take your seat, General Grimwald. Now let me address the subject of session. But first I must ask, is there anyone relinquishing his/her right to the rank of Supreme Commander?" Imhotep asked. Upon obtaining no answer, the Supreme Commander satisfyingly thought, ''As expected.'' "With time, people and culture must change. This time, as the Supreme Commander, I won''t be rmending a candidate." A ruckus upied every nook and cranny of the chamber and the Kings and the Queen were already standing. The dense wave of mana released by the Queen forced Bouda a step back. "What are you trying to say?" King Hagen asked. The Supreme Commander smiled, "All I said that this time you would have equal chances to be the next Supreme Commander. And for the sake of saving precious time, I havee up with a great way to implement this process." Bouda chanced upon King Hagen and King Antiochus looking at each other. "Supreme Commander, what is this? What''s wrong with the usual way?" the Queen asked. "It is not about the right or wrong, Eluned. But about the transparency of the method. At least hear me out." A deafening silence spread out in the chamber. "We all know that the next Gctic War is upon us," Bouda heard many dry gulps on the mention of the Gctic War. She also realized that it would be her first Gctic War. In 5 years, she would face the deadliest Trial one could ever face. She felt the Queen''s hand on her shoulder and came out of her trance. Imhotep continued, "And ording to custom, we would hold the recruitment from Barren Earth after the Gctic war." Bouda wasn''t unfamiliar with the concept of Barren Earth. Every Quadrant of the Gxy contained millions ofs where intelligent races lived. But somes had human races that were yet to evolve because of theck of interaction with Mana there. Theses were Barren Earth. And as the recruitment usuallysts for decades, the First Emperor had used the time-duration of theses as a standard. Hence came the theory of BERTBarren Earth Reference Time. And from then on, everyone had been using the time duration based on BERT, unless mentioned otherwise. "I have been thinking of starting the recruitment 5 years ahead this time. All the Barren Earth in each Quadrant would go through the Dream Initiation Phase simultaneously. And the King, whose Quad would have the highest number of nobles left alive after 3 years, would be the new Supreme Commander. This would also give us a buffer period of 2 years to manage those recruits and prepare them for the war." Bouda noticed that the eyes of all nobles lit up on the idea of this suggestion. More early recruits meant more force for the Gctic war, which meant less sacrifice of the people under them. Even the Kings'' minds were considering all the distinct possibilities. But there was one who was just as rxed, "I agree." Bouda saw her Queen taking a step forward and faced the rest of the Kings. "And I won''t agree to anything else." The Kings became speechless at her words and even the Supreme Commander didn''t expect this oue. Three sighs rang out in the chamber, all for different reasons. "I agree." The Kings also stepped out. "Very good. The young must experiment with new ideas, for only in risks there are rewards." Bouda looked at Eydis and along with the other Dukes, she had only an unbelievable idea about what was about to happen next. Nobody had thought that the retirement ceremony of the Supreme Commander would turn into the Ceremony of Five Kings. But the veteran of Barren Earth knew this ceremony by another name-The Night of Awakening. * 31 May 2020 Earth The pair of friends hadn''t gone for even 100 m when Boomie suddenly stopped and, in panic, turned his pockets in and out. "What happened?" Aldrich asked. Boomie said, "I think I lost my iPhone, man. That shit was expensive, you know." "Calm down, the phone is still in the truck. I thought you had purposely left it behind." ''What?'' Boomie could have sworn that he felt his heart had skipped a beat at that moment. "Wait, I''ll be back in a zippy." Boomie put his backpack by the side of the trail and ran back to the truck. Aldrich noticed Boomie took out the phone while talking to someone. And seeing the sulky face of Boomie, he wasn''t optimistic about things. Boomie came up to him and sullenly said, "Sigh, I don''t know what to say, man. I guess I''ll have to go to the museum." Boomie was already feeling bad, because of the matter with Mindy, and now he would have to cancel the hike too. "I am sorry Al." "You don''t have to be sorry. Why has the inspection team arrived a week early?" "The manager won''t be avable next Sunday. So" Boomie''s mind shut off in the middle of the sentence. "Wait, how do you know? Ah, never mind." Boomie was so down he didn''t even want to seek any exnation. "Let''s go. I will drop you at home first." "Go where? I am continuing with the Hike." Aldrich couldn''t go back. "Hey, you can''t go alone." "And why is that? Give me your Bear Spray, I have everything I need for the night." Boomie reluctantly handed over the Bear Spray. He had learned to not try to convince Aldrich. "I wille to pick you up in the morning. Or even better, I wille up to you over there. Nothing better than an early morning hike." "Sure do as you please, our new Mr. Historian." Aldrich chuckled. * Aldrich set up his camp far away from the slopes of the Ridge. The night sky was clear today, a perfect time for some good stargazing. He had done the same hike quite a few times since his childhood. But the sheer number of switchbacks was still tiring. Aldrich took a mouthful of water and set up his customized telescope. "Sigh, now this is life," Aldrich muttered, "and a perfectly normal Sunday night." After a period of casual observations, Aldrich had his dinner beside the campfire and felt the vastness of the heavens. Once in a while, he came here to get away from all the noise. The noise out there and the noise within. Once in a while, he came here to contemte his life. The data he hadpiled in his mind. The things he had learned and what he needed to learn now. He took a mental image of the sky sprinkled with stars. ''It might be the next masterpiece,'' he thought. There was neitherck of ideas and theories in his mind nor ack of patience. But, being a human, there were still things that worried him from time to time. The most troublesome and tiresome thing had been his pursuit of the idea of 100% dream lucidity. No matter how much research or experiments had he done, he wasn''t an iota close to the heart of the problem. Aldrich hadbined the Eastern and Western theories. And he also created a set of principles, but a 100% chance of lucidity was still a dream. ''Sigh, the irony,'' Aldrich sighed. He summarized to himself some of the essential rules he had established because of his research. To gain lucidity in the dreams, the most important thing is to never lose the sense of reality. Always be aware of the surroundings, the actions, and the thoughts. Before sleeping, the mind must be free of any tasks and one must remove the shackles of society. But the most stringent rule he hade up with, was to find one''s ''Questions'' that seem illusory and elusive. One must bring these questions to reality and contemte them one by one, and that too in the dreams. And the three questions he ultimately found for himself were: Who am I? Why am I? What am I? He had spent countless nights thinking about these questions, but the most he could get out of these researches was a chance of 1 in 10. A 10% chance of having lucid dreams every night. Compared to the data of people who undergo this process frequently, it was monstrous. "But it''s not enough," Aldrich analyzed. He wanted to reign over his dreams. He wanted to explore the things there, not as part of it but as a master. There were some questions one could only answer and some colors one could only see in dreams. Aldrich took a quick walk around the tent and double-checked all the traps. ''I must give Boomie a pleasant surprise for abandoning me. Haha,'' Aldrich thought, on his way back to the tent. He sat down in the meditation posture and took a deep breath. ''This is a dream, this is a dream, this'' The chants lingered in the silent atmosphere for quite some time. Chapter 11: The Dream Phase Initiation Chapter 11: The Dream Phase Initiation UGF-P02 Imhotep stepped down and discussed the terms of the Initiation with the Kings and Queen. "Shall we?" the Supreme Commander asked, giving the other four a brief look. He looked at the watch on his left wrist and pointed out, "That direction." Bouda confirmed from her watch, and it was the same as she had thought. Everyone knew about that direction. Believers and Non-Believers alike had humbled themselves in that direction. They taught recruits how to find that direction even without using the multi-utility watch. That was the direction of the Gctic Center. The ce from where The Oldest One had been watching over the Gxy since the beginning. Bouda had seen people kneeling in front of this group of five. Even the dukes, if the Kings want to, would have to kneel in their presence. But this was the first time she saw the Kings and the Queen kneel. And they were kneeling with utter reverence on their faces. All the other members in the sealed chamber felt a gentle breeze. Bouda had also felt this unseen and unannounced breeze. And she knew a word would follow the breeze. "RECORD." The group of kneeling Royal said in a deep tone simultaneously. A screen with tons of info appeared in front of their eyes. Bouda saw many undecipherable symbols glowing in the Queen''s eyes, whose kneeled posture was still etching itself in her mind. "I, Imhotep Paphnutius, on the authority of my Rank, call upon the Will of The Oldest One." Bouda, dazed by the words that could shake the heart and mind of a normal person, looked around frantically. Bouda hade from the Kingdom of Life-Authority, where the Mana all beings worshiped Mana. But even she couldn''t deny the existence which the RECORD had confirmed. Her mind flipped through the pages of books she had read in the past. In the famous bookMANA and RECORD: a philosophical theory, the author had theorized that before the beginning of the Universe there was Mana. From Mana came all that is now, and in Mana, it would all end. Mana is omnipresent, yet for a long time, it didn''t interact with its creation. But at some point RECORD came into existence. The anonymous author had pointed out that if Mana is the cause in a cycle of creation and destruction, then only Mana would be the effect. But for it to change from a cause to effect, it would need an external force. And that force is RECORD. In amateur''s terms, as the author hypothesized that if Mana was energy, then the RECORD would be the device that converts its form. The author also highlighted the fact that it is RECORD that provides the beings the means to ess Mana. Not the so-called GOD, The Oldest One, whose teachings are being forced upon every being in the 2nd Quad. Bouda didn''t find it odd that the book got banned in the 2nd Quadrant. And they even did a Gxy wide search to find the author, on the orders of the then King of 2nd Quad. She was still extracting more information from her memories when a sleepy feeling arose in the heart of every being who was in the chamber. It wasn''t much different from the feeling of trying to stay awake, even after not sleeping for thest 3 days. Bouda, with her groggy eyes, saw inky and thick darkness engulfing the direction the Supreme Commander was facing. If it was an illusion, then it was just too surreal. Then, like a candle in a darkroom, Bouda saw a tiny point of light within the darkness. Thousands of the same flickers soon followed the alone flickering light point. And this fabric of stars had seemed to wrap around something globr. When a few points of light strayed from the circr path, theypletely vanished out of existence. It was like there was something in that well of darkness that was hiding and waiting for them. The priests of the Kingdom of Eternal Servant had vividly described this same scene in the Holy Book of The Oldest One. Bouda didn''t even know if she was in a dream or reality. But she could see the head of King Antiochus was already on the ground with piety and she could also hear some broken conversation. Imhotep said in a shaky voice, "I am sending the Party Requests now." [ Sending Party Requests ] Words materialized on Imhotep''s RECORD. People called it The Ceremony of Five Kings because it needed at least Five Kings to form a Party for the Dream Phase Initiation. [ Party Status: Active Party Members: Imhotep Paphnutius, Alvis Hildingr, Antiochus Theotimus, Hagen Bergman, Eluned Rhiannon Party Leader: Imhotep Paphnutius ] Bouda wasn''t sure from where the Supreme Commander had found the strength to raise his head. But she could hardly hear him saying the next words. "Darkest among Dark, Devourer of Dreams, Endless Veil of Slumber, I as the leader of the Party of 5 Kings plead with you to Initiate the Dream Phase." [ Sending Request... The Request has been epted. State Terms of Initiation. ] Imhotep turned around and looked at the other four, and nodded. They all once again confirmed the terms they had agreed upon. He faced the starry cover, but he didn''t dare directly look at its center. "All the Barren Earth would be put under the Dream Phase. For three years, all Barren Earth would be unapproachable to foreign beings." Bouda remembered it needed them to give only the coordinate of the at the Ceremony. But the King''s group had changed it and they had added an extra condition to it. ''So So So this is how they would keep it it unbiased,'' Bouda found her thoughts were fading with time. [ Transferring Terms The first Term is rejected ] ''What? Why did Will reject the terms?'' Imhotep thought. Nobody had expected that. The other Kings and the Queen shared the same baffled look. But the worst expression of them all belonged to King Antiochus. Not only was he surprised, but a haunting fear was also creeping on his face. Bouda could hear the vague muttering of forgiveness all around him. Imhotep had been thinking hard about what went wrong? When Queen Eluned proposed, "We should not ask for the Initiation of all the Barren Earth. But only of those where life has already evolved to over one-third of their full potential." Imhotep didn''t need to think about this suggestion. He immediately knew that this was the crux of the problem and gave an admiring look to the Daughter of Mana. Following the same procedure, he changed the first term. [ Sending New Terms Terms are epted. ] * Milky Way What is the sound of light and matter being devoured by a ck Hole? If there was a sound, then how could one hear in the vast void? There was no proper answer to these questions. But some, or it is better to say in the Milky Way, there was only one being who knew about it. When he first heard it, the sound was like the gnawing of a beast. But sometimeter, hepared it to the sound of a tremendous earthquake. A sound one could only feel and hear. Today, the sound was exceptionally loud. And unfortunately, there was no one present to appreciate it. Amon fact, even the less knowledgeable person would know, was that the title of fastest speed belongs to the Light. Nothing is faster than light or, as widely known; nothing can reach the speed of light. The theory of some particles being faster than light is out there in many worlds. But they are spective as their existence would vite the causality. So an effect cannot ur before its cause. But the saying Light is the fastest is wrong. The speed of light depends on the medium through which it travels. Then it would be logical to say that the vacuum, as we know it, lets the Light travel with a speed of 29,97,92,458 m/s. But what if there were other mediums through which it could pass? Or does it have to be the ''Light''? A huge spheroidal wave of Mana originated from the center of the Gxy. It passed through all the stars, all theets, asteroids,s, and even things that didn''t belong to any category. Within a few moments, the Mana wave had enveloped the entire gxy. The Dream Phase had been Initiated. * Earth The concept of Art and Science has always been fascinating. Should one study them together or not? One could make thousands of arguments andmentaries on the topic. But none could argue that the paintings, sculptures, and architecture were the true representatives of visual art. Who would have thought that something could use their existence against humanity? This day and night on earth were ordinary. People were happy with their family, people were sleeping on their nice warm bed. People were also mourning their lost ones. And some people had their back on the cold pavement. But all said almost the same thing the next day. That they had heard a sound before the ckness came. A sound that was unheard of. A sound that they couldn''t be able to describe for the rest of their lives. That day, a starry veil reigned all the skies of earth. For it was The Night of Awakening. And what had awakened was a Nightmare. Chapter 12: A Life in a Dream Chapter 12: A Life in a Dream Earth "Sho, hold it properly." Sho''s father reprimanded him. Sho aligned his foot with the wooden stick and looked at his father. And he found nothing but those cold eyes ring at him. He again tried hard to remember, but the memory didn''te to him. The corners of his eyes were on the verge of bing wet. But then he noticed an old man in the corner and hope seemed toe back. The old man pointed to his left leg and then to his toes. Even though being 4 years old, Sho had already gotbeled with the tag of genius. By only a hint, he had remembered thest day''s teachings. He bent his left leg slightly and brought his elbows directly above his toes. A smile crept upon his father''s face. And Sho felt he had conquered the entire world. "Good, now perform the Kata till afternoon." His father went out after giving the instruction. Sho made sure he had gone out of the training room and ran to the old man, "Thanks, Grandpa." He could see a sweet smile on the old man''s face. "You think your father didn''t notice?" Sho''s face became pale, and he frantically looked at the entrance. The only thing in his mind was that his father could have been hiding there and woulde back to catch him red-handed. "He has gone. Nowe on, I will teach you some tricks." "Yes, yes. Tricks, yay!" It''s amazing, present even the ugliest looking vegetable to children saying it would give a random power, and they would eat it. 5 yearster. Sho was still a child, but none could fool him now. He looked at the swirling smoke of the incense and the photo of his grandfather behind them. The sweet smile of the past still lingered in his mind, and except for the tears that were rolling down, he couldn''t feel anything. The training had taken a turn for the worst. Everything seemed to break down under the stare of his father and his disappointed look. Sho practiced and practiced, learned all the forms, all the teachings, and yet he never found this man satisfied by anything. Sho hated him. Sho hated him for letting his grandfather go away. Sho hated him for not letting him y games like the other boys from his school. And Sho hated him when he understood why he didn''t have a mother. 5 more yearster. Sho was not a child anymore. His father had said this to him, and so it must have been true. Sho not only was practicing, but they made him study even harder. He had been missing that sharp look of his father. Now it was enough if his father woulde to visit him once in a while. Sho looked at the adult in front of him, twice his size, and holding a staff called Bo. His father hade today and had brought four martial artists. And there was only one instruction for him. ''Defeat them.'' His father had instructed. Sho was not a clueless child anymore and felt that day was different. He could see his father''s eyes, filled with anticipation. He took the form with his wooden swords, Katana and Wakizashi. "Come." Sho was now 32 years old. And he had lost the will to hate his father. Sho kowtowed in front of his grandfather''s photo. And he prayed, "Grandfather, give me strength to remain humble, even if I were to surpass you one day." Sho''s father waited for him to stand up. Today was a grand ceremony. All the old and young, who mattered to anything in society, got an invitation for it. Sho''s father approached him, holding a ceremonial Katana. This sword represented the status of the sessor of the school. This sword would tell the world who would be the sessor of the teachings of Japan''s oldest Ko-ry, The School of Heaven and Earth as One. This sword would dere that he would be the next headmaster of the School. [ Life Analyzation Complete Assigning ss Terminating Dream Phase ] * "Hey Annie, don''t wander too far from your grandmother, OK?" Annie''s mother said, raising an eyebrow high enough that Annie forgot to answer. "Mum, just keep her away from insects." Annie''s mother shouted. High atop the mountains in Greece, Annie lived in a vige. And unlike most of the children of her age, she spent her happiest time hunting for mushrooms in the forest after the rain with her grandmother. Annie had only a vague memory of her living in the city, but then her mother had brought her here 2 years ago. Pouting at her mother, she proudly dered, "Mother, I am 6. I am a woman now." "Haha" Her mother patted her and went back to the kitchen. "Grandma, what is this little thing called?" "Hey Grandma, look what I found." Annie spent most of her next 5 years collecting herbs under the summer Sun and gathering nuts in the fall. She had nted more of her ''nt-Friends'' in their backyard. Herbs, vegetables, flowers, and fruits were just another part of her friend''s circle. Even more fascinating were the colors she got to see every day. The ck-eyed Susan was among her favorites. By the age of 21, her innate curiosity led her to seek even more information through her studies. She got her clinical certificate in Western, Ayurvedic, and Chinese Herbal Medicine. And a Bachelor''s Degree in Health Science and Nutrition. At 26, Dr. Annie (Ph.D.), was one of the best herbalists. And yet, all Annie wanted to do was to go out into the mountains from time to time and explore the world of nts and herbs. [ Life Analyzation Complete Assigning ss Terminating Dream Phase ] * "Kill the bastard." A local crime-boss passed the judgment on Logan. Logan ran like a dog was being chased down by an angry Butcher. And by God, he could run well. "That''s a fast motherfucker," the fatty goon said, already panting at the idea of a long chase. Logan was fast, but not fast enough to outrun three adults. But he knew the city. If he hadn''t, how could he live till the age of 11 years? "Not today, not today," he whispered. At the end of a dpidated wall there was a dumpster, and behind that, under the cover of several cardboards was hisir. Logan held his breath and if people could see him without removing the coverings, then it would have reminded them of a cockroach. Like an insect, Logan had learned to mimic a dead body. And he haughtily dered that he had learned it fastest among his friends. He noticed two of the goons wereing towards him. The third one was leaning on the wall at the turn. "Where did that little fucker go? Fucking rat." The self-proimed leader of the three said, kicking a cat. The cat wasn''t in the mood for getting bullied and hissed maniacally towards him. "I will kill you first." And with that, he took out a knife. The other goon, quieter of the three, kept looking at the fence by the dumpster. "I think he jumped over the fence." "What? Finally became blind. I told you not to smoke that stuff." The fat one had somehow caught up with them. The fatty''s face looked like he had been in a rainfall. With a salty taste of sweat in his mouth, he said, "The fence is too high, stupid. Not enough time to climb." The 2nd goon was quieter but a goon he was nheless. He kicked the fat one and took out a knife. "Call me stupid one more time. He had enough time to outrun us, fatty." A whimpering sound came from the other corner and all the three, even Logan, turned their head to look. At some point, the cat had jumped over the 1st goon''s head and bit him on the neck. And in sheer frustration, the goon shoved the knife towards the cat. But there was no cat at the end of the knife. The knife, at the loss of his target, made its way to his shoulder and now blood was sipping out from the corner of the wound. '''' '''' '''' "I think we go over the fence." The 2nd goon said, pointing his knife towards the fence. "Ah! Take me to the hospital, you morons." The 1st goon screamed in pain. The fatty eyed him from above and said, "Not enough brain on this one. I had told the boss not to hire him." With that said, he bent down and with a jerk took out the plunged knife. "No!" the 2nd goon shouted, but the fatty had already done the deed. A fountain of blood spurted on the fatty''s face and he screamed, "Take me to the hospital! Take me to the hospital!" "Dumb fuckers everywhere," he ran towards the two, but then halted. He turned back and approached the dumpster. Logan had already switched to his cockroach mode. With a swift wave of the hand, he opened the lid "Ha! Found you." But he only found the stench of garbage. 11 more years had passed since then, and Logan had be the go-to guy in the underworld. Logan took out the knife from a man''s back, "And this one is for that time 11 years ago." [ Life Analyzation Complete Assigning ss Terminating Dream Phase ] * "Now be smart. Why don''t you climb that small boulder and leave this one to me." "No ma! I will climb higher than you. Just wait, you will see." Boomie''s mother sighed. "This kid would be the death of me," she muttered. "Oke here, but do exactly as I say." "Yay!" Boomie felt his hand would fall off if he did not rest them on something. He slept like a log in the truck until they reached their home. "Now, in a few weeks, you will be in middle school. I want you to make some good friends there." Boomie''s mother said, emphasizing her words, and dragged him out of the truck. "Where is your father? Is he supposed to be thiste?" Boomie cleaned away the drool using the end of his sleeve, "I have plenty of friends." 1 month has passed since then. "Now I would have to take care of this bitch for the rest of my life. Hah!" Boomie''s father snorted. Boomie ran out of home after seeing his father smashing sses. And soon found himself lost in the crowded town. ''Guo Antique Shop,'' Boomie read the signboard. And now, more curious than scared, he went in. Nobody was in the shop, but he found that the things there looked interesting. Checking out things here and there, he found the door to the basement slightly ajar. The darkness was too scary for him, and involuntarily his steps became lighter to not make any sound. He could see a condensed mass of light in a corner. Boomie, still on the stairs, crouched down to look. Horrified wasn''t a word Boomie was much aware of in his age, but he got to experience the immensity of that word. A boy, almost the same age as him, was cutting up a big lizard using a surgical knife. And no, he didn''t seem scared, but Boomie had seen this ''look'' many times. Whenever he had gone with his mother for bouldering, he had seen the same expressions on his mother. The expressions of intense satisfaction and anticipation. The boy spun his head towards him and Boomie let out a scream. Boomie wasn''t sure how fast or in which direction he ran, but somehow he had found his home. The only thing on his mind was to not go out of the house, otherwise the boy would get him. So he locked himself in his mother''s room. He told her everything, but she didn''t reply. Crying and clueless, he turned on the TV, and luckily it was his favorite show on the air, Dexter''s Laboratory. The horrifying scenes in his memory got lost in the child''s fascination with cartoons. And at some point, the image of Dexter got blended with the boy in the basement. 13 years had passed since then. And not only had he found a great friend as his mother wished but also had be as good as her in climbing. [ Life Analyzation Complete Assigning ss Terminating Dream Phase ] * "Son, why don''t you show him? Your science project." "Oh! What a cute child. Is it true?" The man in the gray beard asked. But Aldrich didn''t want to show him. He felt he shouldn''t. Odd feelings for a 4-year-old. But things weren''t in his hands now. The secret project he had made in the basement was not a secret anymore, as his parents had brought home this person. "Let''s see it for yourself." Aldrich''s father urged the teacher. They all came down to the basement and found a fish tank there. An oval-cylindrical object was floating in it. "You were right, it is a submarine." The plump teacher held the object in his hands and kept turning it around. "Hmm, very good. So he made it by himself?" the teacher pointed at Aldrich. "Yes, yes. What do you think, should we take him to a special school?" "Haha, no need for that, Mrs. Guo. I will take care of him by myself." Aldrich''s father bowed to him and said, "Thank you. We will provide the tuition fees too. Just help him get into a good college." "That''s too far, father." "What do you know? Do as we say, Ok?" Aldrich''s mother retorted. Aldrich went to the teacher''s home the next day. The teacher seemed somewhat over enthusiastic about himing over. "Come,e! My wife has made cookies for you." "Now I want you to tell me exactly how you made that submarine." "I don''t know." "But how did you understand all the things? Who helped you in that area?" "No one did, it was all easy and self-exnatory." Aldrich felt bored by all these questions, a waste of time. "Here, take this paper and I want you to write the whole procedure." Aldrich wasn''t stupid, and the teacher had not realized it yet. But for the sake of his parents, he had no choice but to write it. And that was the only day he got cookies in that house. "Now remember, if you do any more projects like this, I want you toe to me first." 1 monthter, Aldrich found out that the same teacher''s son had won a science project in his high school. Aldrich analyzed there wasn''t much a sole person could do. Either conquer the world to lift yourself above mediocrity or make yourself the most normal person. Only then he could do what he loved. The thoughts of a 4-year-old were too scary. 20 years have passed since then. Aldrich went to his tent and sat down for his daily meditation. ''This is a dream, this is a dream, this Wait a minute, something is wrong!'' A thought shed through him. [ Life Analyzation Failed Reinitiating Dream Phase Iteration: 2nd ] For some people, this night was bound to be longer than others. Chapter 13: A World in Chaos Chapter 13: A World in Chaos 1 June 2020 07:00 AM (UTC) Earth Darkness had engulfed half of the Earth''s hemisphere. Where there was a day, it had turned into a night. It wasn''t a surprise that people got scared. One could say that the whole Earth experienced a disturbing but oddly beautiful night at the same time. Websites were exploding within 5 minutes of the strange event. It seemed some people had waited their whole life for this chance to let out their ingenious theories. The theories did nothing but add fuel to the Panic. What is happening? Why is it happening? Who did it? And what is it? People had just asked the questions, but one could have already seen the nonsensical answers within the first 30 minutes. People were being reported missing in the number of 1000s per minute from all over the world. Some eyewitnesses said that they had been walking when a man in front of them vanished. They couldn''t believe their eyes, but in the next moment, The Night had descended. Some were husbands, sleepingfortably on the bed. Some were students, having fun in college. Yet, within a single second, all ceased to exist. The baffling reports didn''t end there. Vehicles and machines operated by these missing persons had stagnated with no repercussions. It was like a pre-nned worldwide joke. Police were busy enough with the calls, so in the next hour, the military had to take over the situation. But the world was enormous, and there were ces even the Inte couldn''t reach. The sheer nature of the unexinable events that had happened bbergasted teams of scientists from all over the world. It was like someone was adamant on proving wrong all the achievements of scientific evolution. The world that seemed so feeble from a broad perspective had somehow handled itself rtively well. But something much more sinister had been happening underneath the brewing storm. After a full 90 minutes of the Night, new articles had overtaken their predecessors. People could see pics and videos of statues all over the world. A semi-transparent ck film had covered the statues. The film looked like a veil and an oily liquid at the same time. But all those who saw it shared a feeling of dread. It was the same feeling a prey must have felt while looking at his natural predator. World''s leader had convened an online meeting by the end of the 4th hour. Everyone shared their findings, their facts, and all came to the same conclusion: they did not know what was going on. Those whose friends or family members had been among the ''vanished'' were asking for answers. But all they got in return were even more questions. As the 5th hour came to a close, it had left the entire world bewildered by all the chaotic misinformation that had arisen by the people''s imagination. It was the Doom; it was the end; it was the Invasion, and it was the Apocalypse, were the hottest topic. And these theories were prominent in the intellectual and superstitious minds alike. But they were all disappointed by the time the 6th hour had started. One hemisphere of the Earth was on the verge of its dawn, the other was approaching dusk. The people that had vanished returned to the same ce. Some were at their office, some were at their home, somewhere deep in the forests, and some were just out there in an unknown ce. It all felt like nothing had changed. But this feeling would crumble at the sight of huge pirs of misty-yellow light, which were rising from the sinister statues. This feeling would also crumble after observing the strange behavior and actions of the reappeared people. And if someone were to hold on to this feeling even then, then this feeling would disappear by looking into their eyes. Those eyes, for some time, had been glowing with strange, iprehensible symbols. * USA In a highly secured room, a confidential meeting was being held. One could have called this one room the epitome of American power. And yet none of them could make sense of the things that had happened in thest 3 hours after the reemergence of the vanished people. Most of them had gone to their home and refused to cooperate with the authorities of their governments. A few of them had poured out info on the inte. And one would have called it a hogwash if something had not covered the entire world by the veil of the Night. Edmond was one of the few who publicized what had happened to him within minutes of his reappearance. In the next 15 minutes, the authorities had asked him toe into that meeting room. But that wasn''t the only reason they had called him. As the facts that were being addressed by these ''DREAMERS'', were under his area of expertise. Edmond Russell, aka The Balloon, was the best Pro-gamer in the country. A title that the gamermunity had given him. The 23-year-old didn''t feel any pressure while surrounded by the Generals, Directors of security agencies, the Secretary of Defense, and Mr. President himself. On one of the wall-sized TVs, one could see different articles posted by so-called Dreamers. One could also see a statue and a pir of foggy-yellow light that had been rising from it to at least 100 meters. "Mr. Edmond, the entire country depends on your cooperation. Please, briefly tell us again, all that you have mentioned on the inte," Mr. President said. "Sir, as I have written, I was ying a game. And at some point, I must have fallen asleep, but I don''t remember when." All the members nodded, as the statements of other Dreamers had already confirmed this. Edmund continued, "When I woke up, I had assumed we all would have been sleeping, and I had a vague memory of a dream. It was the same feeling that we all must have experienced at some point, but in our case, we had dreamed of our whole life." If it was amon room, they had already started the whispering at this stage. But no one broke the decorum here, and yet Edmund could see their brows pressed together. "I am sure by now most of you have familiarized yourself with the general concept of the System of Role-ying Games. When I came to my senses, I could see a screen in front of me, and it introduced itself to me as ''Record''." One general couldn''t help himself and asked, "Now what do you mean by ''it introduced itself''? Had it spoken to you?" Edmund could understand the difficulty of a person who hadn''t yed games, especially RPGs, ever. He let the atmosphere calm down a bit and exined, "No, nothing. The words had appeared on the screen itself. You can think of it as this screen," he pointed to the screen of the TV, "but managed by a powerful AI." "AI?" All the members expressed their concerns at the same time. "So it is an Alien-Invasion," the SecDef said. "Yes and no," Edmund said, now looking at Mr. President, "You can think of it as the Game-Master. In typical RPG games, we have a Game-Master who provides different tasks to the yer. He knows everything, controls everything but always follows the pre-defined rules." "So you mean, it is the reason behind this and yet it doesn''t control everything." "Yes, Mr. President." "And what does it want from you, the Dreamers? What are these ''sses'' that you have mentioned?" the SecDef asked. "As much as I could have inferred from all the articles, the ''ss'' of a Dreamer tells about his abilities. For example, a Healer-ss would have the ability rted to healing injuries." All the Generals shared a look of understanding among themselves. "And the answer to your first question is even easier. The ''Record'' wants us to be strong and raid the Dungeons. That''s the mostprehensive way to summarize what had happened in those 5 hours." At the mention of Dungeon, all members turned their heads to look at the highlighted statue. "But the Dungeons you mentioned in your post, weren''t they supposed to be like a den filled with strange ''monsters''?" Edmund himself wasn''t sure of what to make of this situation. When he saw the statues, he couldn''t ce this missing piece anywhere. "I am only guessing here Sir, in the games as all the Dungeons have an entrance, then in the same way these statues could be the entrances to the real Dungeons." "That sounds more usible than the outrageous theories on the inte. Edmund, we have now a basic understanding of things. Please tell us about these ''Attributes'', which is one of the most discussed topics?" the SecDef asked. "To exin simply, when a yer kills a monster in an RPG game, they gain Experience-Points. And using those points a yer can Level-Up, increasing Attributes as the result. You can understand it as an increment in their strength and stamina." There were a lot of things Edmund didn''t mention. He wasn''tpletely sure how important that info would be, and it seemed better not to reveal them. What could be of such importance that even he felt it was better to hide? Chapter 14: A World in Chaos (2) Chapter 14: A World in Chaos (2) Edmund knew if he would tell them about Attributes it would nt a seed of greed within them. But this was an obstacle that needed to be ovee as soon as possible. "So these Dreamers would get stronger with time. Would they be stronger than an average human being?" A General asked. But there was another person in the room who had understood the delicacy of the situation. "Edmund, give us your honest opinion, what should we do in this situation?" Mr. President asked. The General didn''t wait for Edmund to finish and said, "Sir, I think we must conscript them. Who knows what they will do after getting stronger?" Most of the Generals had been thinking of the same thing. Even if this statement hade out of greed, no one in the room could say it was wrong. Random people with strange powers were like ticking time bombs. The road could have been turning in either right or wrong direction any day. But Edmund hadn''t thought like that. He had decided that he shouldn''t go against the Government for now. As surviving and bing stronger in random situations had already be his basic instincts. Yet his choice of words would dictate the life of many and he couldn''t run away from this. He stood up and gave a nce to everyone there. Security personnel had stepped towards him as Edmund stood up, but a look from Mr. President stopped them at their ce. "RECORD." An eerie breeze filled the room, and the magical symbols in Edmund''s took aback everyone in the eyes of the young man. Edmund looked at the screen and gravely said, "I believe, like me, every Dreamer can see a timer on the System. And it roughly left us with 159 hours out of the time that I could see. And unlike me, many Dreamers are just as confused about this as you are. Now nobody is sure about the purpose of the timer, but we can rte it to the Dungeons." Even the Generals felt deep fear of the unknown after seeing that horrible looking ck-film and misty light. Edmund continued, "It would be better for the Government to have a better understanding of the situation and wait until that time. The Government can also make a central tform where one can upload all the information about the location of these statues. Then you can invite the Dreamers to register themselves if they want." Without mentioning the General, he said, "And conscripting them at the moment of confusion and chaos will be the end of all humanity." All members fell silent, listening to the undeniable facts. "Very well, Mr. Edmund, I want you to cooperate with the Secretary of Defense on this essential task." Mr. President was not about to let go of the biggest opportunity he had chanced upon. Using the face and knowledge of this young man, they could control the situation and could also make sure nothing unexpected happens. But Edmund didn''t share these motives. "I''m sorry, Sir. I want to spend the rest of the week preparing myself for the Dungeon. But if the country needs any information that I could share, then I would happily cooperate." The officials dropped Edmund at his home. And, as usual, he opened his console for somete-night gaming. He yed for a little more than an hour and then suddenly closed his eyes. An unseen wave surrounded his entire apartment. Edmund made sure that no one had been spying on him. He used the unmonitored channel to contact one of his friends. Edmund: I have done whatever I could. The rest is on them. Samael: Humph! You are being too optimistic, Edmund. Let''s say they would agree with your suggestion, but what about the other countries? Edmund: Sigh. That''s what I''m worried about the most. Did you check the inte? Some governments are already using the missing reports to hunt down the Dreamers. Samael: I say fuck the government. Edmund: No, we don''t know what''s going to happen in theing week. The situation can also turn into, as some people are calling it. An End of Time. Samael: I don''t know, man. I''ve contacted those whom I could. You were right; it gave all of them that thing. ALL OF THEM. Edmund: What do we say about the survival games? Samael: The better the Starter-Pack, the more the difficulty. Edmund: Yes. Samael: Eddy, we are fucked. Edmund put down the mobile and looked at hisputer screen. The American Government had just issued an official statement to all the Dreamers. ''Every Dreamer starting tomorrow can ess the app of American Dreamer Association or ADA. It is in development as the news is being released. And Dreamers can register their ss and apply for any help. The Government will also provide financial aid to the Dreamers if necessary. And we would provide all the information, from reliable sources, to them free of cost.'' A small smile found its way to his face. It wasn''t enough, but it was better than nothing. Like everyone, he also had a dream. And if he survives this ordeal, then he would turn it into reality. His eyes shone with runic symbols and his hand reached into the void. He took a deep fiery breath and a blood-red Mage''s robe had appeared in his hands. * In an unknown space. Aldrich went to his tent and sat down for his daily meditation. ''This is a dream, this is a dream, this Wait a minute, something is wrong!'' A thought shed through him. [ Life Analyzation Failed Re-initiating Dream Phase Iteration: 3rd ] The only thing some people could do was wait. Some were waiting for their chance, some were waiting for their inevitable death. And yet, ironically, none had thought about which happened next. * 8 June 2020 02:00 AM Washington D. C. "You don''t have to be around me all the time," Edmund said, scrutinizing the two ck-suited agents. One of them said, "We are just following our orders, Sir. Please don''t mind us." "We also have cleared the area around the statue of your own choice. Nothing will impede the entire process." The other also chimed in. Edmund didn''t want to be the subject of constant observation. But the pros were outweighing the cons by a huge margin. Not only was the Government providing him ess to a statue for himself, but they had also fetched all the people from all over the world. People who he had rmended. In return, the only thing he had to do was to make a video of everything that would happen within the Dungeon. And he was sure that he wasn''t the only one who was suitable for this job. There were even soldiers who had be Dreamers. The only thing which allowed him to enjoy this ''service'' was his decision-making skills. "Ok, whatever. Let''s go, it''s better to be there an hour before the deadline," Edmund replied. Only 1 hour remained to hit the deadline and in 1 hour it would be the 1 week anniversary of the Night of awakening. The ADA, aka American Dreamer Association, had be the most retweeted and shared article in the world. Not only Dreamers, but evenmon citizens had be fans of the organisation. ''It would take some time to verify all the Dreamers on the app. A local hub for verification would be the best bet for this,'' Edmund thought, passing his time in the ck BMW. It didn''t take them long to reach their destination, Meridian Hill Park. Ever since the ghastly ck transparent film had covered the famous statues in the park, it had been looking like ruins. But fortunately, or unfortunately, only one statue was under the pir of muddy-yellow light. Whether it was a mist, a curtain, or liquid, no one knew. The only confirmed thing was its base color; Yellow. Millions of people had gone missing that ''Night'', butpared to the number of statues, that number was nothing. And yet Edmund was sure, unlike him, some Dreamers were just hiding somewhere. But could they hide from the shes of the Timer? Edmund wasn''t sure, but he had decided it was best to face the problem. If he can''t adapt, he had better die. "Sir, we have arrived." The agent said, taking out Edmund from his stupor. Edmund saw a man standing at the front gate as he stepped out of the car. In his blue shorts and white shirt, he must have looked like a middle-schooler, if it wasn''t for his height and build. Broad wasn''t a term that would have done justice to his chest. But without hisical dressing, at first sight, anyone could mistake him for a wrestler. "Samael, how was the flight?" Edmund asked, shaking hands. Samael, like Edmund, was a Pro-gamer. His build, as he proimed, was a nature''s gift to him. "By flight, do you mean the jet that came to pick me up? How do you think it was?" Samael replied, grinning from ear to ear. The agents followed them in, finding their way to the Yellow pir. Soldiers had already encircled the statue along with 20 other Dreamers. As they saw Samaeling with the ''face'' of the ADA, a wave of murmur washed over all the presented individuals. Edmund sighed, "And that''s why I had argued against the idea of using my profile on the App''s homepage." "Well, you had iting. Now face the consequence, Mr. Celebrity. Haha," Samael said. Edmund raised his head, and for the first time, he questioned his actions. ''What if everything goes wrong? Wouldn''t I be the reason for their death?'' thoughts like these flooded his mind. Anyone could have questioned their decisions and even their lives if they were to see that statue. One could have called it nothing but the Death Incarnate. This was the statue of one of history''s gifts to the future, an Italian Poet, a writer, a philosopher, and promulgated by the Pope himself, ''Pride and Glory of Humanity'' Dante Alighieri. Chapter 15: Failed Preperations Chapter 15: Failed Preperations All Dreamers were standing around the statue and had been gawking at it. Imagining what horror had lied within it. "Ok everyone, gather here," Samael shouted. All the Dreamers made their way to an open area near the statue and faced Edmund. "As you had asked, 10 of them are Pro-Gamers and the rest of the group is one of the best among their field of work." Edmund recognized many of his colleagues among them and there were some unknown people, too. But their behavior itself had expressed their proficiency. All had a questioning and sad look, but no one seemed panicked. Edmund didn''t mind it, as the RECORD had forced all the Dreamers into this situation, including him. "Everyone, thank you foring on short notice. As you can also see, we only have 32 minutes left on the Timer. So it doesn''t matter where you would have been, I am sure it would force you to make a choice." Everyone nodded in approval, listening to the inevitable situation portrayed by Edmund. "The ''Record'', which we have confirmed, has interacted differently with different Dreamers. But there was no further information that it had conveyed to us regarding the question, what would happen at the end of Timer? After thinking about it for days, I can at least say that this silence of our ''Record'' is a good thing." Has he gone insane? Not only the baffled group, but even Samael asked the same question to Edmund through his eyes. "It sounds unconvincing, but think about it. If the ultimate reason for the existence of ''Record'' was to harm us, then why would it have waited till now." "This is reasonable," Samael said, holding his chin that made him look even weirder. The Dreamers also found some relief in the exnation to calm down their nerves. Their trust in Edmund had grown even more after hearing from him. "So let''s talk about" the sudden glow of eyes around him had cut short Edmund''s words. A screen had also materialized in front of his eyes. He had seen this happening several times in thest week. It was RECORD''s way of notifications. ''But why now? Don''t we still have enough time?'' Almost everyone thought the same question. And they were destined to get an answer to this question. [ Time Left: 30 minutes Commencing Random Dungeon Allocation ] ''Random? No...!'' Edmund couldn''t even turn his thoughts to words when a blue-green light engulfed all the Dreamers, and they had vanished. The whole situation had left the soldiers and two agents monitoring Aldrich and others dumbfounded. But it did not give them the time toe out of shock when the same light shed again and around 10 people came out of it. Edmund, nauseated by the feeling of sudden transportation, frantically looked around. From the sudden night, he could see a day somehow. The morning sun had blinded him by the sudden exposure and by the time he could see, a soldier had already pointed a muzzle of the gun at him. "###" Edmund neither recognized thenguage nor what the soldier had been saying. But he realized if he didn''t reply soon, the situation would turn bad. So he did what any average person would have done in this scary situation. Edmund slowly put his both hands up. With this, the soldier had a feeling that everything was under his control and his red face also gained some human color. Edmund finally got some time to look around and found 4 others like him. All were at the end of a rifle. Edmund knew what had gone wrong with his calction when his eyes met with a soldier who outranked others. The officer hurriedly approached him and asked, "You? You, the Face of ADA." And with this title, a smile came upon both of their faces. The officer gave out an order and all the soldiers put down their weapons. "Do you know what happened, Mr. ADA?" Edmund finally took a calming breath. "Hello, you can call me Edmund. I don''t know, but I think we all teleported to a random ce." The other 4 Dreamers also approached the officer. Unlike Edmund, their faces were still unknown to most of the world. "Officer, where are we?" Edmund hadn''t forgotten about the fundamental question. The officer didn''t answer, but with an extremely uneasy expression, looked above his head. Edmund had been facing the Sun, and thus the shadow of that thing was away from him. Edmund turned around apprehensively, and the thing behind him gave him an immense shock. It was the statue of a man upholding a rock even bigger than him over his head. Edmund''s throat became dry by imagining the sheer strength he must have possessed. But that day might as well be the day of notifications. A screen materialized again in front of Edmund''s face. [ Time Left: 15 minutes The Dreamers can choose to form a Party that would be in effect till the end of the Raid The Party members would be made aware of each other''s location and would be provided additional bonuses in different circumstances Every Party must have a Party Leader The Experiences Points would be distributed among the Party members ording to their contribution A fixed amount of 3% of Experience Points gained by killing Dungeon Crawlers, would be given to the Party Leader regardless of his contributions Bonus Skill ''Language Proficiency'' is now activated till the end of the Raid ] Edmund, being a gamer himself, was familiar with the concept of a Party. But even if others weren''t, anyone could analyze the importance of 3% fixed ExPs. ''If we were to kill a Dungeon-Crawler, worth 100 ExP, then the Party Leader would gain 3 ExP even if he weren''t the one who had hunted it. Man, this would create a problem,'' Edmund thought, observing the other Dreamers. "We have something important to discuss. Can you please give us some space?" Edmund said, assuring the officer that everything would be alright. All the Dreamers were now standing in a circle and, like Edmund, most of them too had noticed the in advantage of being a Party Leader. Edmund sighed. "Everyone, I am Edmund. We have little time left, so why don''t we introduce ourselves first," Edmund proposed, as everyone could have understood each other because of the Bonus Skill. "Matsumoto Sho." Edmund looked to his right, and he found a Japanese person wearing traditional ck-white, Keikogi, and Hakama. The Japanese man had been reeking of power and authority. Edmund had experienced this vibe just a few days ago in that meeting room. It was theposure of a natural-born leader. "Hi, I am Dr. Annie." The girl to his left tried to lift the heavy mood and introduced herself first. "Bernard, you can call me Boomie." Edmund had never heard a voice so depressing before. The man in knee-length shorts and bushy red hairs almost looked like something had been eating him from inside. He also didn''t like the way this Boomie was looking at him. "Logan." Contrary to his Japanese counterpart, Edmund could see the cunningness in the blond-haired man''s eyes. If one were to judge in a single nce, this person would soon find himself surrounded by police. "I think we should vote for the position of Party Leader," Edmund said, looking at Matsumoto Sho. Sho also nodded in reply. "Guys, why do we need to form a Party? Isn''t it better to just help each other in need?" Annie asked. Edmund saw the smirk on Logan and shook his head at the naive suggestion. "It won''t do. Let''s say you are hunting a Crawler and after a lot of effort you are on the verge of killing it. But, let''s say identally, an attacknds on it from a Dreamer other than you. Then all the ExPs would most probably go to that Dreamer and not you." Edmund saw a look of disbelief on Annie''s face. The world was changing and one should know when to draw an obvious line between charity and in idiocy. "Let''s share our sses and Attributes and get over with the unpleasant business." Everyone raised their eyebrows seeing each other''s ss and Attributes, well everyone except Boomie. "I vote for Mr. Edmund." Edmund heard Annie voting for him. Edmund didn''t expect a single vote, but then he realized this wasn''t a Party of real gamers. It left him only a littlepetition after analyzing Sho''s ss and Attributes. As expected, Logan said, "I vote for Mr. Matsumoto." Edmund didn''t expect such refined words from Logan. Everyone now eyed Boomie and with the way Boomie was looking at him from the start, Edmund could already guess the result. "I also vote for Mr. Edmund." "Okay then, I am sending the Party requests to all of you." Edmund hastily said, seeing the Timer. [ Sending Party Requests Party Requests epted Party Members: Edmund, Annie, Boomie, Hero, Matsumoto Sho Party Leader: Edmund ] "What? I feel like a hero sometimes." Logan gave a shameless reply, as everyone had been cringing at his RECORD name. "I wonder why it didn''t notify us of this Random-Allocation before." This was the first time Edmund heard Sho sharing his view. But unfortunately, no one had an answer to this problem. They all got a notification. [ Time Left: 00:00:00 ] The Sun, who just a moment before was standing proud over the world, was suddenly pushed behind the Night that had arrived. The muddy-yellow light pir gradually finally left the Yellow tinge and turned Green. And a blue-green portal, big enough for all of them, opened up just near the statue. Suddenly Edmund heard screamsing over from the forgotten people, crowded around the barren area of Statue. Edmund saw the officer running towards him and asked, "What happened?" "People, Mr. ADA, People! One of them vanished just in front of my eyes," the officer replied. This new information astonished the Party members. "Does this mean that there would be a fresh wave of Dreamers?" Annie asked. "I think so," Edmund involuntarily replied and, by the corner of his eyes, chanced upon the vibrant face of Boomie. ''What''s up with this guy? A sadist?'' Edmund thought. "By the way, Officer, at least tell us where we are and whose statue is this," Annie asked. "Oh! Yes, yes. This is Armenia." ''Armenia?'' Edmund didn''t realize that it could have transported him this far. The officer, with a shaky voice, said, "And that is the statue of one of the Deities of the Armenian Pantheon. Deity of Strength and Courage," the voice now seemed to shake with fanaticism, "the Great-Grandson of the Legendary Patriarch..." And before he could finish, Boomiepleted the Officer''s words. "Tork Angegh." At the same time [ Life Analysation Failed Re-initiating Dream Phase Iteration: 35th ] Chapter 16: ERROR!!! Chapter 16: ERROR!!! A lot can happen in 1 year. Kingdoms could be toppled from their power. Old Gods could be discarded by a Conqueror. And for some, even Love could be forgotten. A year was truly a long time. But some things can''t be toppled, can''t be discarded, and can never be forgotten, like someone''s loyalty, someone''s belief, and someone''s attachment. * Kingdom of Life-Authority Milky Way Gxy4th Quadrant The chamber of Queen Rhiannon had been only essible to one person sincest year. She had not allowed even her maids in the chamber. Odd for a Queen. Bouda had been quite busy after getting her promotion. But somehow she had found time to visit her aunt. "I didn''t know this thing, about maids. Aunt, why did you do this?" The Queen snapped her fingers in response. The surrounding space distorted, and a vibrant-green colored fairy, with a height of 2 feet, appeared in front of her. Combined with her transparent green-tinged wings, green hairs, and green dress, she looked like the embodiment of beauty. But then again, beauty differs with different perspectives. This fairy might have been the most beautiful creature in the world if it wasn''t for her face. She had neither eyes nor a nose. There was no mouth and if she had ears, they were small enough to be hidden behind her sparkling green hairs. "A Cursed-fairy?" Bouda did not know, why would the Queen summon a cursed-fairy here? "Who else can be a perfect maid other than one of her race? Isn''t she adorable?" the Queen pinched the fairy''s baby cheeks. Bouda didn''t find it cute at all. Books and experiences had advised Dreamers to not interact with the Cursed-Fairies. "Aunt, aren''t you afraid that you would lose your facial features if she stays around you all the time?" Bouda knew the immense powers and capabilities of the Queen, but in front of a Cursed-fairy, all were at the Curse''s mercy. "Don''t worry, it''s not like I keep her on myp all the time," the Queen jokingly said. "Come on girl, fetch my niece a ss of wine." The fairy flew away, leaving behind a scent of wet-earth and saplings. Bouda couldn''t help and took a deep breath. SLAP!!! BOOM! The Queen had pped Bouda so hard that she got mmed on the magically reinforced walls of the chamber. And the walls bounced her right back towards the Queen. "Foolish girl!" the Queen reprimanded her, healing her minor injuries. "I am so sorry, aunt." Bouda had known better to not lose her bearings at that moment. The presence of the Cursed-fairy was dangerous only in case of long contact, but even more deadly was her scent. "I must make you read all those books again, huh! Forgetting a simple fact, what were you thinking?" Bouda shuddered, thinking about the ''Books''. "No, no Ah! Aunt, I must go back to HQ. I think I have mistakenly sent out the wrong report. I will be back soon, I promise." Bouda almost ran out of the chamber, thinking that she would have to go to hell ''the Library'', if she stays here even a moment longer. A smile shed on the Queen''s face, seeing the naivety of her niece. "Elder sister, I promise I won''t let anything happen to that child," the queen murmured in a voice full of longing. The fairy returned with a ss of wine, but couldn''t find the recipient, so she just hovered by the Queen. One of the best treasures in the Queen''s chamber was a mirror at one corner. The mirror was big enough for Bouda but small for the Queen. And yet Eluned had often stared at it. This time, too, she approached the mirror and stared at the woman the mirror was reflecting. The fairy didn''t move; the Queen didn''t move, and even her reflection was devoid of any movement. If Bouda were to be still here, she would have found this strange stare down scary. She would have asked herself, "Does the Queen don''t know she should blink sometimes?" * 1 June 2021 12:00 PM (UTC) Earth This ''Time'' marked the weekly end of the Night. For one year, people had been vanishing and bing Dreamers regrly. But there was someone who had forgotten the concept of ''regr''. For some people, he probably had diedst year. ''This is a dream, this a dream, this wait, something is wrong,'' a thought shed within Aldrich''s mind. [ Life Analyzation Failed Commencing Forceful Termination of the Dream Phase ] But this time, Aldrich had found some time to act on his sudden insight. "This is a dream. I am sure of it. I remember hearing a sound by the end of the 2nd chant, but I didn''t hear it just then." Aldrich hurriedly came out of the tent. The world looked familiar, and yet everything was wrong with it. Aldrich saw the horizon of this ''World'' had been breaking down like blocks of Legos. And beyond it was a dark abyss. Aldrich had a feeling if this breakdown were to spread, he might never wake up. This wasn''t the first time Aldrich had gained lucidity in his dreams. But that had been the first time when he would have to fight for his life while trying to maintain his lucidity. The most effective way Aldrich had thought of was to put back the fallen pieces. But the rate of two processes, falling apart and restructuring, differed too much. The world''s boundary was now only a couple of hundred meters away from him. Even with all the knowledge, Aldrich felt pity for himself for not being prepared enough. ''Is there nothing I can do?'' Aldrich thought, looking at the crumbled pieces of his dream some 10 meters away. ''Dying like this won''t be that bad, right?'' the darkness was now only a few meters away. At the moment of his imminent death, Aldrich had an epiphany that the only chance to keep his consciousness would be to answer his third question. ''What am I? What am I? I won''t get an answer to this question that easily.'' Aldrich closed his eyes. The earth beneath his feet was now a mere rock in an ocean of abyss. ''Then let it be unanswered. I would answer another question.'' Aldrich decided. He reached into his subconscious and pulled out a question, a question that had an answer. Aldrich looked at the darkness around him and said, "What will I be?" He spread out both his arms, embracing his death, and shouted, "I WILL BE THE MASTER OF MY DREAMS." Would people be able to tell the passing of time if there was no reference for it? But Aldrich knew that time had stagnated in that dark abyss. A sudden wave of sleepiness washed over Aldrich and a point of light flickered in the darkness. A starry fabric, which seemed to envelop a globr object, soon followed the flickering light. Aldrich couldn''t move, even his thoughts were betraying him. But he could perceive a mass of veil within the depth of this darkness. He felt a gaze moving up from his feet. It was like millions of ants had been crawling their way up. The gaze soon reached his chest and his slowed down heart shivered in response. Chin, lips, nose, Aldrich''s eyes, which couldn''t be closed now, regretted their decision. BOOM!!! Aldrich''s mind imploded as his eyes met with that mass of Dark Veil. It''s like someone had crushed his head with a bat from all directions. [ERROR] [ERROR] [ERROR] [ Rebooting System Generating New ss Life Analyzation Complete Assigning ss Terminating Dream Phase ] * Milky Way Gxy The UGF-P02 was a ce everybody knew of, and yet they didn''t have ess to it. One could have called it one of the Gxy''s most sought-after mysteries. But how could one call it a secret when one could have confirmed its existence? In the gxy, there was such a ce that was neither known to exist nor one could imagine it. But today an inhuman scream that shook the nearby stars had made ite to light. And in the middle of this ce now stood a disappointed old man. The annoyance on his face became apparent when he looked in a particr direction. Behind him, even in the deep ck of space, shadows churned, and a person came out of it. The Shadow-Wearer was the first to feel the quakes in Mana, being the nearest to its epicenter. "My My Lord, what happened just now?" the Shadow-Wearer asked. The old man''s chest was now heaving up and down with frustration. "Did you also get the notification?" "Yes, my lord, it was for a moment, but I saw ''ERROR'' on the screen. I couldn''t believe my eyes. How could there be an error with ''Record''?" The same question was eating the brain cells of the old man. "Did you tell anyone about me?" he looked at the Shadow-Wearer, calming down his rage. But his calmness signified destruction to others. "No, how could I do something so foolish? I assure you, my lord, there is no one except him, alive or dead, who knows about you," the Shadow-Wearer answered. "My lord, do you think the other gxies had some hand in it?" "Humph!!! Do you think it is that easy?" the old man again eyed the same direction. The Shadow-Wearer became silent. He thought, ''There are still secrets that I am unaware of.'' "Let''s go. We havepany. Find me another ce soon and the sooner the better," the old man ordered. Both of them faded in the vastness of space. * A huge fireball appeared like a mini-sun at the same ce where the old man had been standing. And King Alvis came out of it. A mass of light, a tempest of Mana, and a tsunami of pressure soon followed him. King Antiochus, Queen Eluned, and King Hagen all shared the same puzzled look at King Alvis. "Did you find anything?" Queen Eluned asked. As the fastest among his peers, it was no wonder that King Alvis might have chanced upon something. "No. But the Mana here is being repelled by something." King Alvis gave his opinion. "Repelled? More like something has scared it away." King Hagen said. Both Kings eyed each other. "Is this the time for your squabbling? Don''t tell me you didn''t see the notification?" King Antiochus said, almost in a reprimanding voice. "What do you think it meant by ''ERROR''? I searched through all the documents and couldn''t find any mention of it," Queen Eluned said. "I don''t know. But I prayed to God, and by his grace, it''s nothing bad for Gxy," King Antiochus said, almost in a preaching tone. ''Humph! Not bad, my foot,'' the Queen could only retort in her mind. "We must find out what happened here. Let''s put out a notice to find anything that might seem out of ce." Everybody nodded at King Alvis''s proposal and went back to implement the idea. After some time, one could see a silent ripple in the space, and a person came out of it. "Why does it feel so familiar? Am I missing something?" the person muttered, seeing the reconversion of Mana. Chapter 17: ERROR!!! (2) Chapter 17: ERROR!!! (2) Earth The ensued events had etched the memories of people with a year of disastrous lessons. And the number of Dreamers could have formed armies if they were grouped together. The concept of Guilds, which were irrelevant and unknown to most of the world before the Night, had be the center of attention these days. Top Dreamers in most of the countries had been forming their Guilds and ns. And in some countries, the military had controlled these organizations, too. USA, Korea, Japan, India, and most of the European nations were at the top, among others, where there was a high synergy between Government and Guilds. Most of the other nations had a tilt in power bnce, to either the side of the Guilds or the Military. And yet there were no major issues that hade out in the open if there were any. The low-end Guilds were being registered in the USA almost every week. But one Guild had been in the top position since the descent of the Night. None other than the face of ADA led the zing Royals Guild. Baron Edmund Russell, the Fire Master. Edmund couldn''t enjoy the morning sun to its fullest. He had juste out from the Random-Dungeon when the sudden notification took him by surprise. The red shes of ERROR were like a menacing threat leering over his head. Since the first time when the System had teleported him, he had promised himself to always be prepared. Especially before and after the Random-Dungeon period. He made sure that everyone had received the same notification and then dialed the number of one person he believed to be his equal. The head of the Snow Oath Guild, Baron Matsumoto Sho, the Blizzard Swordmaster. Edmund: Did you also get it? Sho: Yeah, it has scared the Dreamers out of their minds. Edmund: And you? Sho: Does it matter? Edmund: No, you are right. It doesn''t matter. It didn''t matter, even if they were wetting their pants in fear, for the sake of peace, they wouldn''t let others know. Edmund: We must say something, you know. Sho: I do not know. Why don''t you ask him? He might have already thought of something. Edmund: Ugh Ok. Let me know if you hear anything. Beep! Sho cut the call even before Edmund had the chance to say goodbye. ''Why don''t you call that bastard?'' Edmund cursed under his breath. In just half an hour, the zing Royals Guild released an official statement. They had rted the notification of ERROR to the 1st anniversary of the Night. It wasn''t convincing at all, but most of the Dreamers believed it, as the source was credible enough. * Leavenworth, USA With a tinge of redness slipping out from the horizon, the ridges and mountains around the town weed the morning sun. The mountains were still the same, yet hardly anyone hade here in thest year. Well, they had a regr customer. The silence of the night had been broken not only by sunrise but also by the painful moans of a man in his twenties. Aldrich had been holding his head, and one could hear the heavy groans now and then around him. "Damn, my head! Ahhh!" The pain was just too much to bear for a single person. But out of nowhere, a greenish light had nketed him. And Aldrich felt like someone had erased his pain using a rubber. ''What? How?'' The sudden relief was pleasant, pleasant enough for a normal person to take sce in the chilly morning. But he wouldn''t be Aldrich Guo if he did not ask the right question at the right time. Aldrich looked at the rising sun, but the sun looked eerily blurred. He realized there was a screen between him and the world beyond. [ Wee to the RECORD Assign a name to continue ] Aldrich saw the message hoping it must have been some kind of prank. But except for the silence of the mountains, there was no one else. One more thing caught his attention, there were no traces of the campfire and his tent. The message on the screen kept shing, but Aldrich wasn''t a whimsical person. Everything else would have to wait until he finds out what had been going on. Aldrich didn''t have his mobile and wallet on him, so he went down the ridge and walked back to the town. Aldrich could see the pamphlets to join some Guild here and there. The traffic and running people were still the same, but the cheery atmosphere had felt dampened. Reining over his curiosity, Aldrich hurried towards home. But suddenly his gaze fell on the newspaper in the hands of an old man. The way Aldrich had snatched the newspaper out of his hands had frightened the old man, and he involuntarily took several steps back. ''How can this be?'' there was only one thought in Aldrich''s mind. ''Just for how long have I been sleeping?'' "1 June 2021, Tuesday" Aldrich shoved the newspaper back to the old man and asked, "What date is today?" "What are you? Mad?" "Tell me," Aldrich narrowed his eyes towards the old man. It already scared the old man a little, now seeing the young man''s murderous eyes, and an even more horrifying thought surfaced in his mind. ''Is he one of them? Damn it, my rotten luck,'' the old man cursed, but a smile had already nted itself on his face. "Haha young man, don''t be mad. I have a case of poor eyesight. I am just an old man. Yes, yes! Date, it''s as the newspaper says, 1 June 2021. Please don''t be angry." Seeing the old man so nervous with his shaky hands, Aldrich realized that this old man must have some misunderstanding. But there were more important things than to improve his stupid impression. Aldrich ran towards his home. An uneasy feeling had anchored itself in his heart, thinking of his parents. Soon, Aldrich saw a familiar face. The old man didn''t look tired, but anybody could feel the turmoil in his emotions by the way he kept stopping while cleaning the front door. Aldrich approached the old man, and his throat felt inhumanly dry. "Fa Father?" The old man jolted by the sudden call. He turned back, but an inconceivable thought had already upied his mind. The cleaning cloth fell out of his hands, and by the time its wetness dampened the floor, the father and son were already glued in a long-awaited embrace. "I am sorry father, it must have been hard on you." Aldrich apologized, cleaning his teary eyes. "It''s ok, it''s ok. Let''s first meet your mother. We will talkter." Mr. Ben held Aldrich''s hand and took him upstairs. It almost felt like the old man was afraid that Aldrich would disappear otherwise. "Sarah, look who''s here." Mr. Ben shouted as soon as he entered the upper floor. Aldrich''s mother feebly walked out of the bedroom, looking even more haggard than her husband. Mrs. Guo gasped in shock and approached Aldrich in a trance. The tips of her fingers traced the curves of Aldrich''s face. "My son our son." More words couldn''te out of her mouth, but she had somehow found the strength to hug Aldrich. An hourter, Aldrich told them almost everything that happened, only leaving a few details out of the context. It baffled the couple, imagining the turn of events that had taken ce. "Just thank God that you came back atst. First, we thought you were like the other Dreamers, but then you didn''t return even after a month. And Boomie, son, contact him." Mr. Benpleted his wife''s words and said, "He had been going into those mountains almost weekly. We have told him to take a rest. It''s hard enough, seeing that he has be a big celebrity now." Aldrich had also got the gist of things that had happened in thest year. But many things needed to be sorted out by analyzing himself. "Mom, I am going to have some rest, and I am hungry." "Ah! I forgot to even ask. Let me prepare your favorite dish." Aldrich''s mother ran to the kitchen and, seeing her cheerful face, even Mr. Ben''s face had gained some color. "I will be in the shop. Come and find meter." "Dad, just for some time, don''t tell anyone about my return," Aldrich told his father and closed his eyes in deep contemtion. Mr. Ben couldn''t fathom any exnation of this sudden request. But there had been moments like these in the past when Aldrich had turned into another person entirely. "Okay, but you must tell Boomie as soon as you can." Aldrich went to his room and searched the inte. The articles rted to Dreamers, the Night, the Guilds, and the Dungeons had flooded the whole thing. ''Find which Dungeon might be your next Random-Allocation!!!'' ''Want to join the zing Royal Guild?! Submit your DCR (Dungeon Clearance Rate) here.'' ''Finding it difficult to survive in Dungeons? Watch Brea Grill''splete guide on how to survive the Crawlers and Climate.'' ''Don''t be a burden on your Party Members and buy a Common-Rank Healing potion from ADA today.'' Thousands of simr advertisements and videos had left behind the traditional news and promotions on the inte. But among the plethora of hocus-pocus, Aldrich had chanced upon the dark side of things, too. Chapter 18: RECORD Chapter 18: RECORD Aldrich''s entire being went into an ultimate focus mode as he saw the video. The video started with an aerial view; something had scorched the ground ck. One could see red-ck fluid piling up even from the height of hundreds of meters. Various ambnces, military jeeps, and trucks were carrying bodies upon bodies and were dumping them in a huge ditch. It seemed like someone had detonated a pocket-nuke on the city. And the reason for this cmity was proudly pointing his sword towards heaven. It was an equestrian statue. In the first weeks, the Party allocated to this Random-Dungeon couldn''tplete the raid, and this horror hade alive. The statue, impervious to any bullets or missiles, had massacred around 12,000 humans. As reported by the news reporter, the statue stopped by itself at the end of 5 hours. And its brethren had carried out simr ughter in various ces. After that, the countries passed aw to evacuate people out of the area of influence of the Statues, before every Random-Allocation deadline. The authorities concluded only Dreamers could hold their grounds against these ''Animated'' statues. There was one more thing that Aldrich had been eager to find out. Were there others who hadn''te out after their initial 5 hours of ''Sleep''? One thing that was crystal clear to Aldrich, that he hade out alive only because he had gained lucidity in his dream. And the way he could only do it by the end of his dream, then it was undeniable that none of the other lucid-dreamers had done the same. Aldrich spent 3 hours chewing and digesting all the information thoroughly. But he couldn''t find the answers to a few questions even on the inte. He looked at the screen, which was still shing with the notification. And a defeated sigh came out from his mouth, "Here goes nothing." Aldrich took a deep breath and said, "Assign the name ''Aldrich'' in the System." He used the well-described words as mentioned by the onlinemunity. [ Assigning ''Aldrich'' in the System Wee to the System Aldrich You can ess your Stats window and other services by thinking or saying RECORD Best of Luck ] ''Best of luck?'' Aldrich made sure there wasn''t any mention of ''best of luck'' anywhere. He didn''t like the way how atypical his circumstances had been turning out to be. "RECORD." Many runic symbols in Aldrich''s eyes followed a light breeze in the room, and words and numbers materialized in front of Aldrich. Aldrich was ready for only a Stat window, and yet a superfluity of information surfaced in his mind. He could see his mother, his father in the shop, pedestrians on the road, vehicles running and even the birds and rats up and down. Aldrich knew he could perceive such things through the research that he had just done, but not to this unimaginable extent. And soon he found out the reason, within the numbers on the screen. [ Record of Aldrich Time Left: 157:30:00 hrs Status: Healthy Level: 1 (0/100 ExP to next level) HP: 158/158 SP: 107/107 MP: 895/895 Rank: Common ss: Generalist Title: NA Attributes --> Strength: 5 Defence: 4 Agility: 6 Vitality: 10 Perception: 100 Correspondence: 15 Unassigned Attribute Points: 0 Active Skills --> 1. Metacreativity: Lvl 1 Skill Points: 0 Passive Skills --> 1. Shared Vision Inventory --> (0/10) ] Aldrich''s mind processed all the information that the RECORD''s Stats window had spewed out. Even though Aldrich wasn''t a big fan of video games, he had researched most of them. ''A 100 perception? Wasn''t it supposed to be the lowest of all Attributes?'' Aldrichpared his results with the average Dreamers. And even the blue bar under MP Stat had broken the bnce by a tremendous amount. ''I know what this "Time Left" means. And he had also found an exnation for other Stats online. But even more important are the sses and Skills.'' Aldrich followed the instructions given on the ADA website for new Dreamers. He focused on the Stats to get an in-depth view of them. [ ss: Generalist Description: NA Warning: More Data required ss-Specific Skill: Metacreativity ] ''Hmm! If I am right, then this is because I had been sleeping for 1 year.'' Aldrich could only guess the reason for the unavability of the ss description. ''If there are others who have specialized in over one area, would they also receive this same ss?'' Aldrich thought. He again went through all the sses he had seen on the inte in his mind, and yes, there was no such ss mentioned. At least not publicly. ''It''s ok, even if there are others in this ss. If there aren''t, then this could create some problems. Do I have to use the trial-and-error method for it?'' Aldrich,menting over theck of data, could only proceed to the next one. [ Skill: Metacreativity Nature: Active Lvl: 1 (0/3 Skill Points to next level) Cooldown: 168:00:00 hrs Description: Dreamer can create Items and Skills of Common ss upon sacrificing Experience Points. Warning: Items must be equipped upon creation. Unequipped items would be destroyed. Warning: Only ''Active Skills'' can be created. The Skills created can''t be upgraded using Skill Points. Warning: Dreamer would permanently lose the ExPs once used. There is a high chance of dropping to the previous Level. Warning: The number of ExPs would be calcted based on the description provided by the Dreamer. ] Aldrich had been standing in shock since he saw the description. ''This this is unbelievable. If this is true, then.'' And a smile had surfaced on Aldrich''s face. One could have only called it the most viinous of its kind. ''Hmm, Experience Points. I must get ExPs and a lot of them to use this Skill. It''s not like I need to wait for the Random-Dungeon.'' Random-Dungeons were Dungeons in which RECORD forced Dreamers to raid. But Dreamers could still go on the raid in the Dungeons on other days if they wanted to. Aldrich checked the list of Dungeons, which Dreamers had cleared recently. These Dungeons would soon spawn Crawlers. ''Tch, I would have to register myself as a Dreamer first. Let''s leave it forter.'' There was still another Skill left to be discovered by Aldrich. He thought of the Skill and RECORD presented the details on the Stat Window. [ Skill: Shared Vision Nature: Passive Description: You can see what ?#?#?# sees. ] ''?'' "Damn it," Aldrich was now a little annoyed by this RECORD. No matter how offended Aldrich had felt, there was nothing much he could do about it. But the differing of norm hadn''t finished with the cryptic description. There was one more thing that had not hidden its peculiarity. The thing Aldrich was looking forward to the most was neither Skills nor his ss, but the Bonus Item that every Dreamer had got in their Inventory. Aldrich menacingly looked at the 0 in front of the Inventory and focused on the word nheless. [ Inventory: A storage space Description: Storage space that doesn''t upy any volume in the real world. The space in Inventory is calcted in Inventory-Units which increases with every ss Upgrade. Warning: Only equipped Items can be stored in Inventory. Warning: The total units of equipped Items stored can''t exceed maximum storage capacity. Status: 0/10 Warning: You don''t have any items in your Inventory. It is rmended to obtain an item before the next raid. ] "DON''T WARN ME." "What happened?" Aldrich''s mother came running to his room. Good thing he had locked the room. Aldrich closed the Stat window, rubbed his hands on the face, and opened the door. "Ah, nothing. I was thinking of registering as a Dreamer. So I''ll be going out for some time." Aldrich cheerily exined. "Oh! So, which ss do you have? You know, I have checked all the sses just now, it said Mages are allparatively good. They don''t have to go too near to the monsters." Seeing the expectant eyes of her mother, Aldrich didn''t know what to say, and yet something must be told. "You are right! I am a Mage, and don''t worry I''ll probably be back before you guys go to sleep." "Oh! That''s good. Let your father know too." Mrs. Sarah patted her chest. "Did you call Boomie? He was the one who brought your things from up the Ridge." ''This, he isn''t just anybody now. I need to be careful in this new world even more.'' "I''ll let him know. If hees again, just make him wait for me at home." Like Mr. Ben, even his mother put up a weird expression, not finding any reason for this secrecy. * The closest Dreamer Verification Center, or DVC, was in Wenatchee, Washington. Within an hour, Aldrich had reached thergest city of the County. A 10 storied building with glossy ck panels stood tall within the heart of the city. Most citizens had called the logo of ADA, a raised fist with the background of earth, a symbol of hope. People were going in anding out like a swarm of bees, and yet the elegance of the ce didn''t diminish at all. "Let''s do it." Only a few journeys begin with the first step, most of them drag one down unwillingly. Chapter 19: Panicked Dreamers Chapter 19: Panicked Dreamers 1 June 2021 "Good evening Sir, how may I help you?" A pretty receptionist asked. Aldrich felt a little out of his zone in the monumental building. This was the stuff he hadn''t handled for a long time. ''I will contact Mr. Edwinter,'' Aldrich took a mental note and said, "Good evening, I am here to register for a Dreamer''s Licence." "May I know on which night you had awakened?" "Today." "Ok, Rookies are being handled on the 3rd floor. Please fill out this form and wear this badge," the receptionist said, handing over a white badge to Aldrich. He headed over to the 3rd floor, and the first thing he noticed was the huge number of ck-suited agents. "Oi, you! Yes, you. Loitering is not allowed in the halls." One of the ck-suited agents ran towards Aldrich, but then he noticed the white badge. "Ah! Sir, please follow me." The agent took him to a corridor filled with doors. There were light bulbs over the doors, some were lit up in red color and some in green. "As you know, Sir, we need to issue licenses every week. So we had to trim down the process to the most essential parts only." The agent exined, seeing that it was Rookie''s first time here. He took Aldrich to the waiting room at the end of the corridor. The waiting room felt like an exquisite conference hall, with its pricey sofas and decorations. "Sir, please wait here. On hearing the number behind your badge being called, head to any of the rooms with a green light on." The waiting room was full of such white badges, but Aldrich noticed a group of people seated on the sofas by the two exit doors. By the look of their eyes and expressions, Aldrich realized they weren''t part of the security personnel or the Rookies. ''Hmm, the look of superiority? Must be members of Guilds. Why else would they be interested in Rookies?'' Aldrich took a seat at the far end, taking out his mobile. ''Here it is! I wonder what Mr. Edwin has been up to sincest year.'' ''That''s odd. Why didn''t he pick it up?'' Aldrich thought, hearing the automated voice response. "Excuse me." "Yes?" Aldrich looked up and found a man with a big smile on his face. "I am Raymond, a Tanker." The man said, puffing his chest. " and?" Aldrich could see the sheer disappointment in the man''s eyes for a second, but he soon hid it behind that big smile. "Well, you are a Rookie so you wouldn''t know, anyway. Let me help you out." Aldrich didn''t like the way that Raymond had tantly put a hand on his shoulder. But he was also curious about some things. "Can you see those men on the sofas?" Raymond pointed with his chin, "Well, they are here for geniuses." "Geniuses?" Aldrich had known what a genius meant, but he had found out that the meaning of the word ''Genius'' differed with different people. "Yes, geniuses. They are here to recruit Rookies with exceptional Stats. They are representatives of some of the top Guilds." "Then why aren''t you there with them?" Raymond''s mouth twitched at this sudden remark. "Haha, you are right. I am also here to recruit, but I am here to give this opportunity to Dreamers like you." Raymond had already misjudged Aldrich''s capabilities by Aldrich''s looks. But it wasn''t a bad sort of mistake. A normal person who looks normal, behaves normally, and talks normally must have normal capabilities. Raymond took out his business card and handed it over to Aldrich. ''Rising Sword Guild.'' Aldrich had already seen posters of this guild in his hometown. "You seem to have heard of it." Raymond proudly guessed, and continued, "Look over there, that one-armed man drinking tea." Aldrich took his eyes off the card and saw a man, far away on a single-seater. "He is from the Royal zing Guild. He doesn''t need to recruit. Genius Rookies go to him by themselves. Humph! Like they have a chance." The derision on Raymond''s face was quite visible. And Aldrich had always been smart enough to get the underlined meaning of things. Raymond had been saying unconsciously that he was Aldrich''s best bet to join a Guild and he shouldn''t dream too high, even if he was a genius. "Number 37." "Thanks for the invitation, I will think about it." Aldrich stood up, and his eyes briefly met with the one-armed man''s gaze. The eyes of the representative were shining with a blue glow of iprehensible symbols. And Aldrich saw him shaking his head in disappointment. ''Hmm, Perception?'' Aldrich thought, guessing how the one-armed man had been guessing other Dreamer''s abilities. Aldrich entered the room, and a middle-ageddy greeted him. "Hello young man, it won''t take long." The room was small but big enough for a table, two chairs, a CCTV camera, and an armed guard. Both Aldrich and the Middle-aged woman took their seat, while the guard had taken the position behind Aldrich. "Don''t mind his presence. We had faced some issues in the past, so now he must be with us as per the new rules." The middle-ageddy pacified Aldrich. It was one of those lines that hade out of an employee reflexively. "So, are you familiar with the procedure?'' thedy didn''t wait for an answer. "You would tell me the ss you are applying for and then show me the Attribute." Aldrich''s eyebrows rose at the mention of the Attributes. It would be a tragedy if someone were to see his Perception. "The one thing the ADA values the most is a Dreamer''s privacy. Just show the Attribute which applies to the ss you are applying for." "I am applying for Mage ss," Aldrich replied, seeing the Tablet that thedy had taken out. "Hmm, a mage, huh? ording to the rules agreed upon by the World Authorities, you would have to show me the Correspondence Attribute." Thedy saw the questioning look on ALdrich. She said, "The ADA has established that to register as a Mage, the Correspondence value of a Rookie must be 10 or higher. I know the values might change drastically in the future. But as Baron Edmund had once said, if one were to go against the path of his ss then the chances of his survival would be very slim." Aldrich nodded in approval. For the first time, Aldrich summoned his Stat window in front of others. "RECORD." Aldrich''s eyes shed with the vibrant blue color of runic symbols. The armed guard behind gripped his pistol even more tightly. An unseen wave passed through all the buildings. It covered the surrounding roadways, the various stalls and shops, and all the things in the spherical radius of 200 meters. The one-armed Dreamer from the zing Royal Guild was still sipping his tea when suddenly the hair on his neck stood up. His hand on the teacup clenched involuntarily, and it exploded in thousands of little shards. One could not surmise the horror that hade from his face just by seeing it. And his sudden reactions had already scared all the people in the waiting room. Aldrich gave themand to show the Correspondence Attribute. And the value materialized in front of thedy, but seeing herposure, it became apparent that she had seen this many times. "15. Hmm, it''s an average value for a Mage. Ok, that would be enough. I rmend you to join our Beginner Course for New Dreamers and choose a Guild from this list." After handing over a list to Aldrich, she said, "You can approach any Guild representative in the waiting room at your leisure. But before that, collect your license from the reception." ''Well, that was pretty fast. Someone must have put their brain to use while mapping the process.'' Aldrich went back to the waiting area, as the exit could only be essible from there. But themotion there took him by surprise. Guards, Dreamers, and recruiters had been running here and there. And one of them was the man who had tried to recruit Aldrich. "What happened?" Aldrich asked. Raymond had been opening and closing his Stat window when his ''future Guild member'' came to him. "Ah! The recruiter from the zing Royal Guild suddenly said that a Statue hade alive somewhere." "What?" Aldrich still remembered the horrible scene in that video. But he also knew that no Statue in this city was a Dungeon yet. "Yes, you know he had lost his arm during one of such incidents. And he had the same feeling now, like being watched by someone from all the directions." ''Damn.'' Aldrich knew what had tipped off the recruiter. It was his Perception. ''I need to learn how to control this.'' Aldrich quietly left the area and collected his Licence. * 11:00 PM USA Mr. Edwin came home after a hectic day at the guild. After the Night, he needed to wash his hands swiftly in theing current of opportunities. And yet, somehow, his client hadn''t contacted him since then. Nothing could have been a bigger blow than that to Mr. Edwin. A year had passed, hoping to return to his earlier lifestyle. Most of his vibrant white hair had turned to a dull gray. "Mom, Mom, Daddy hase home." The only thing that had held his will together was his daughter. The 13-year-old ran past all the toys and into the arms of Mr. Edwin. "Dad, are you a spy? Or a secret agent?" the little girl asked, expecting a pleasant surprise. The sudden question had surprised Mr. Edwin when his wife came out of the study room. "What she''s been watching these days? Spy? Agent?" Mr. Edwin said, pinching the cheeks of his daughter. "It must be my mistake. But it''s your fault too. You told me that your old mobile doesn''t receive any calls. But this afternoon someone named ''ATF'' called. I couldn''t pick it up, but she must have heard me jokingly mentioning Anti-Terrorist Force or something like that. Weird thing, I couldn''t call back at that number." Mr. Edwin''s mind couldn''t process anything, since his wife mentioned that his old number had received a call. The next moment when he came to his senses, he was holding the old worn-out mobile. He hastily opened the inbox, praying to God that he had received some messages. There were two unread messages there, and two messages meant two tasks. His old dying heart finally resounded with a lively rhythm. Chapter 20: Black Hand Chapter 20: ck Hand "HahaHaha" The entire house resounded first with theughter of an old man, then a middle-aged, and then a young man. When his wife entered the room, Mr. Edwin had already been wiping the tears. He hugged his wife, and said, "It''s a good thing don''t worry, I will remain a little busy from now on." After consoling his wife, Mr. Edwin opened the first message. ATF: Buy 100 Mana-Shockwave Grenades, 10 Health Potions, and 10 Stamina Potions. Time Limit: 3 days. ''Hmm, I can manage it.'' He opened the second message in session. ATF: Book a Dungeon for 1 Dreamer. I have sent the details to your mail. ''This?'' Only the Guilds had used the Dungeons other than the time of Random Allocation. It was to give their Rookies valuable experience and level-up them faster. It could be one of the toughest tasks his client had asked Mr. Edwin to do. But instead of worrying, a devilish smile hade upon his face. Mr. Edwin looked in the mirror,bed his hair, and said, "Right away, Boss." * Earth From thest few months, the name of an organization had been popping up. Both in confidential Government documents and in public online forums. Despite the content on both sides, none could argue against its capabilities. It even gotpared with the two most famous Guilds, the zing Royals and the Snow Oath. The infamy of the organization had been on the rise since the beginning of Dungeon''s emergence. But this infamy had been known to be restricted to the Government circle. The ck Hand Society, or ck Hand, was famous for its underground market deals and ease of ess to various Items and information. Nobody knew of the leader of this society, but rumors about the leader being a Baron were widespread. In a mountainous area, there was a small house. Smaller than the surrounding trees, the verdant backyard, and the highs and lows of the wind. "You could have told me beforeing," Annie said, picking up a few herbs. "I don''t enjoying here." "Humph! Who else is here to see you other than me?" "It doesn''t matter." "So what trouble have you brought me this time?" The yful smile on Annie''s face betrayed her stern words. "One of my boys has reported something crucial." Annie stood up, seeing the serious look on her counterpart. She hadn''t been a fan of these crucial details, and yet she had to deal with them. "From which Guild?" "zing Royals." Annie''s eyes narrowed at the mention of the name. It wasn''t every day they got to receive critical information from the Baron''s ''Home''. They went into the house and Annie served him a cup of hot tea and some homemade cookies. A few minutes of savoring the vor went by unnoticed. Before they ced the cups down on the table, a thick ck fog had already surrounded the small house. "Is it that serious?" Annie asked, looking at the darkness of fog overpowering nature''s green. "One of the Guild''s recruiters was in Wenatchee, Washington. You know him, the one who had lost his arm in thest Dungeon-Fail incident." Both of them felt the bitterness of tea leaves return at the mention of the Dungeon-Fail. "Yes, wasn''t he the one who tried to stop that ''thing'' by himself? A brave one." Annie vaguely remembered the scene. "Not brave, but undeniably stupid. Well, he chanced upon something extraordinary this time. The concise details are like this. First, he suddenly had a vivid feeling of being watched from all around, like being targeted by every living and non-living thing." Annie''s face distorted. "How we didn''t get any notice of Dungeon-Fail from that area. And isn''t he of the Rare rank? It''s not like he needs to call out ''Record'' to use his abilities like a Common Dreamer." "Yes, and no there were no failed Dungeons, there isn''t even a Dungeon in that city." "This makes little sense." The doctorate of Annie had no use in such baffling circumstances. "Then it was probably illogical to Edmund or other Dreamers either. But I have a theory." "Wait a minute, is that why you havee?" A look of disappointment came over Annie. "Yes, and for this." Annie blushed, seeing the ring that the man had taken out. "Are you still thinking about idiotic things? It''s a powerful Item." "Whatever" Annie hastily snatched the ring and put it on her ring finger. The man shook his head. "Anyway, there is another possibility which might seem outrageous but possible enough in these times." "What possibility?" "A Dreamer, a Rookie with the Perception Attribute over 50. And if there is one, then we, the ck Hand Society, must have him over our side." * 6 June 2021 Arizona, USA Thunder Guild was quite famous in the USA, with many branches spread over the southwestern states. On the monthly ranking of Guilds in America, the Thunder Guild had secured a 4th ce for the 3rd time in a row. The HQ of the Guild was in Arizona, famous for featuring a wonder of the World. The Grand Canyon was among the few ces which had faced the least drop in tourism since the descent of the Night. Mr. Roger Brown was the Guild''s Director of Dungeons. Booking the Dungeons in the ''Bright Day'' was among the many important tasks that came under his purview. Bright day was a term invented to represent the time other than the 5 hours of Random Allocation. The booking process was quite fluent and efficient, but had be exorbitant because of the rise inpetition. To let go of any booked Dungeon was one of the most heinous crimes in the business. And yet, Mr. Brown was standing in front of one of these booked Dungeons. He was waiting for a suicidal maniac. He still can''t believe the Guild leader would voluntarily let go of one dungeon. Every single Dungeon was a valuable experience for the Rookies. "And to let it go for a psycho who wants to go in and die? Damn! Even if these Dungeons differ from those from the Night, no Dreamer would in their right mind go alone in one of them." Mr. Brown saw the muddy-yellow pir of light, and thoughts of some unfortunate events had surfaced in his mind. The back of the Director had just be wet when a car came straight towards him. The headlights shed right in his eyes, blinding the thoughts of gore and unimaginable horror. He saw a man had stepped out of the car. He was already repulsed by the way this man had hogged a whole Dungeon, and he felt even more disgust when he saw the ck mask on the man''s face. One couldn''t even call it a proper mask, as neither there were holes to look through nor there was any mouth hole. The ck ''mask'' coupled with the ck jacket and the ck jeans portrayed a very dull sight. ''From where do these kinds of peoplee from?'' Mr. Brown thought, approaching the man. "Hello," Mr. Brown said, raising his hand in the hope of a handshake. He soon realized it was a futile attempt. The man just proceeded towards the Statue without even introducing himself. Now Mr. Brown in his circle was quite an important man. And let''s not forget the fact of him being respected, even by the Dreamers. Mr. Brown was more used to getting scared than to feel embarrassed these days. He clenched his teeth and followed the man, and thought ''I shouldn''t curse a dying man. No, I shouldn''t.'' An employee from ADA, with two armed men, had been standing near the Statue to verify the Dreamers. Mr. Brown saw the man had taken out his Dreamer Licence for the verification. A Dreamer Licence was inherently different from their other counterparts. There was no name, address, or photo on it. The only thing mentioned on the DL was an ID, which only the ADA''s employees could have used. Mr. Brown, being the owner of Dungeon for the next 36 hours, had already exined today''s queer circumstance to the employee. The employee didn''t react to the mask as much as Mr. Brown had hoped for. The ADA''s employees only stuck to their job and stayed out of unnecessary trouble. Seeing everything had gone down too smoothly, Mr. Brown ran to the man and said, "Wait a minute." "I know it''s not my ce to argue here, but you should at least give your life another chance." Mr. Brown couldn''t see the expressions behind the mask, he could only guess at the turmoil of emotions a man would face before his death. Upon not getting a response, Mr. Brown let out a defeated sigh. He took out a folded document from his pocket and handed it over to the man. "Ok, it''s your choice. Take this, it contains the information on different Crawlers that have spawned in this Dungeon." Mr. Brown eyed the back of the man as he approached the Statue, and the muddy-yellow pir gradually turned green. A portal had also opened up just beneath the Statue. ''What was the Guild Leader thinking before he sent me to witness this unpleasant event?'' Mr. Brown shook his head. Inside the Dungeon, Aldrich took off his mask and opened the document. It seemed one had deliberately highlighted the title in menacing red. MonumentBuckey O''Neill, Prescott (Arizona). Chapter 21: First Raid Chapter 21: First Raid [ You have entered a Dungeon ] Aldrich saw the thick forest in front of him. He put the mask in his backpack and focused on the shing notifications. And In thest three days, Aldrich had learned many things other than controlling his Perception. [ You have 3 new Quests ] "Open." [ Quest 1: Secure a Return-Stone Quest 2 (optional): Hunt an Elite Crawler Quest 3 (optional): Survive the fight with the Boss Crawler until its health drops down to 30% of its max HP ] Aldrich already knew what a Return-Stone was. Dreamers had also found Crawlers to drop Items, Skills, or Mana cores asionally. And the Return-Stone was a Mana core that would allow a Dreamer to return, otherwise, he would get stuck here forever. Many things differed about these Dungeons whenpared to the preconceived knowledge of them before the Night. The setting of the Dungeon had hardlye out to be a cave or tunnel. The thick forest in front of Aldrich was the proof of that. ''It''s like it has sent me to apletely different world,'' Aldrich thought. Another thing that differed from the norm was the Crawlers. Unlike in video games or some novels, people had found the Dungeon Crawlers in Dungeons to be based on the local myths. And different countries had different Crawlers. And they depended upon the myths of legendary creatures of that country or region. This alone had cost many lives. The data on these Crawlers had be the most lucrative business in thest year. And the third and the biggest difference between these Dungeons and the Dungeons of yore was that one didn''t need to kill the Boss toplete the raid. Like with Aldrich, whether during the Bright-Day or the Night, a Party had toplete only the Quests given to them. And yet, Aldrich could feel the cruel nature of things, seeing the ''Optional'' word. The Quests like these were only optional on the Bright-Day. What one could do if they were to be mandatory? Nothing. "I only have 36 hours avable to me. Unlike the Random-Dungeons, there is no time difference between the real world and here." Aldrich hade to the Dungeon for a specific purpose, to monopolize all the ExPs. Aldrich raised his Perception to the max and took a machete out of his backpack. No, it wasn''t an Item but only a normal weapon. Useless on the Crawlers, but was enough to make a way into the Jungle. The forest was dense, and he could hardly distinguish anything clearly a few meters ahead. But neither the forest nor the man was normal. Aldrich''s outrageous perception soon detected disturbance at the periphery of his limit. Before he could make out what it was, the sound of metal cking to each other reached him. ''This?'' Aldrich''s eyes became wide, now that he could see those things. The wind howled behind Aldrich, who was now running frantically in the opposite direction. He could hear a swishing sound around him now and then. Aldrich suddenly ducked, and an axe went hurling over him and lodged itself into the trunk of a tree. But Aldrich couldn''t take his eye off the axe. Four legs originated on the axe, two in front and two behind. And with a jerk, it pulled itself out of the trunk. The axe stood upon the ground using its legs, and Aldrich could see two menacing red pupils on each side of Axe''s de. A low growl came out of the axe, and the lower part of the de split in two. And there were rows of needle-sharp teeth in the axe''s de. "Grrr woof." And simr barking sounds came rushing towards Aldrich from his behind too. Aldrich had expected that different Crawlers could spawn in the Dungeon. But the arrival of these Crawlers had turned out too much different from the mentioned list. A pack of Axehandle Hounds had surrounded Aldrich. But Aldrich was even more astonished, seeing the disyed words over the head of those creatures. [ Record of Common Axehandle Hound Status: Pack Buff (Strength +1) Level: 3 HP: 116/116 SP: 168/168 MP: 179/179 Rank: Common Attributes --> Strength: 8 (+1) Defense: 9 Agility: 11 Vitality: 4 Perception: 15 Correspondence: 3 Active Skills --> 1. Hurling sh 2. Thousand Needles Bite Passive Skills --> 1. Enhanced Senses ] ''How am I able to see their Stats?'' Aldrich clearly remembered that the only thing Dreamers had seen was the Health Bar of Crawlers. With a slight turn of the head, Aldrich eyed the other hounds and he could see the Stats of every Crawler. ''Is this mean I can see other Dreamer''s Stats too?'' But Aldrich put a hold on his thoughts. The situation had already turned fatal enough to think about anything else. The growling of the strange beasts had reached a tandem. But Aldrich wasn''tpletely unprepared. Though he didn''t expect these Crawlers, he expected others. Aldrich''s hand reached into the void and took out a blue ball with a red switch. Even if he didn''t have a proper weapon, he had money, and plenty enough to buy these Mana-Shockwave Grenades. Some sses could use Mana cores as materials to create this type of Item. These grenades replicated a specific type of skill, Mana-Shockwave, from some mages. With only 20 of them being equivalent to a unit of Inventory, he could equip all of them. ''If only I could use a weapon-type Item, but they are useless without their apanying Skill.'' Aldrich had beenmenting when one hound hurled itself toward Aldrich. The sharpness of its mouth had sliced open the air. Aldrich wasn''t a marksman, but he had an unusual Perception. He pressed the switch on the blue ball and threw it towards the Crawlers. BOOM!!! The shockwaves sent Aldrich flying and so were the others that had surrounded him. And Aldrich could hear a whimpering sound at a far ce. He stood up, using the machete as a stand, and saw the crumbling body of the sted Axehandle Hound. [ You have killed 1 Common Axehandle Hound ExPs obtained: 120 You have leveled up You have obtained 6 Attribute Points You have obtained 1 Skill Point ] Among the broken branches and terrifying creatures, the smile on Aldrich''s face looked even weirder. * HQAmerican Dreamer''s Association Washington D. C. The Director of ADA was not a Dreamer, a fact that was known by the entire world. Mr. Owen Myers was a busy man. Let alone America, sometimes he had to oversee the data rted to other countries, too. But for the first time sincest year, Mr. Owen had wasted a full 30 minutes. And Ms. Wells, the Deputy Director, seconded it. Ms. Wells hadn''t been on this post since the beginning. The post used to belong to a Dreamer. But then the Dreamer died in one of Random-Dungeon, and the Government decided to just hire a normal human for the job. So maybe the truly busy person was she. Mr. Myers and Ms. Wells had both valued their time, and both had admired each other''s efforts. And yet, both agreed on the fact that they had wasted thest 30 minutes. "Sir, we shouldn''t." Ms. Wells suggested. Mr. Myers took a deep breath and said, "Olivia, I see a woman full of potential in you. They say that I got this job because I had sucked up to someone, or that I am ck or something else. But you, you could sit on this chair receiving no criticism." Olivia didn''t feel too embarrassed upon hearing the praise. People knew her as aposed woman. But that was not the reason she didn''t respond. She didn''t respond because Ms. Wells wasn''t as old as Mr. Myers. It wasn''t a big deal in the old world, but it did matter now. The data had shown that almost all Dreamers lie between the age group of 18 to 52. Mr. Myers knew why there was a silence in the room and he advised, "Even if you were to turn into a Dreamer, don''t let the post go." He again eyed the report in front of him. A verification employee from Arizona had submitted that to the Association. "Can I do it?" He asked Olivia or to himself. Or maybe he was soothing his conscience. "Sir," Olivia said in a stern tone, "We shouldn''t." The USA and all the UN countries had agreed upon the idea of using only the ID to verify a Dreamer ss. The most direct reason was to respect a Dreamer''s privacy, and the reason behind the curtains was to prevent unnecessary bloodshed. It wasn''t any secret that when one Dreamer kills another Dreamer, one could earn both ExPs and some or all the Inventory Items from the deceased. One could have easily turned the strength of the Licence into a weakness. But there was one organization in the USA which could see the information behind the ID. Or there was only one who could find out the real name, address, and contact information of a Dreamer registered with ADA. The Director of the American Dreamer Association wasn''t just a busy man, he was even, in some sense, more powerful than the President himself. "The things we do for our country," Mr. Myers resolved himself and typed the ID number in his system. Olivia eyed the projectedptop screen on the TV. Even if she was against it, she too wanted to know the Dreamer who had dared to raid a Dungeon by himself. Mr. Myers let the system scan his retina and pressed the enter key. The files in the hands of Ms. Wells dropped. And the sheer force of him standing up threw away Mr. Myers'' chair. There were no names, no addresses, and no contact information on the screen, but there were only two words. "Only once." Chapter 22: Level-Up Chapter 22: Level-Up The HQ of the American Dreamer Association had always been blustering with sounds. Sounds of typing, printing machines, regr meetings, and hurried steps. But since thest 2 hours, all noises had seemed to be directed towards the same goal. Among other departments, the Cyber Security, the DL Registrations, and the Anti-Dreamer were the loudest. The noise that these people were making was harsh and coarse and had a little of fear mixed within it. And yet themotion had shown no sign of culminating with time. The goal of these brilliant people was still ever distant from the moment they had started the pursuit. Ms. Wells, known for herposure in tight situations, had a deep frown on her face. This wasn''t some random ce, and this wasn''t some National-Level threat either. To hack ADA and manipte the data which only man had ess to was poking the nerve of the entire world. Smart people are called smart, not because they can top every exam or have an exceptionally high IQ. No, most of them had such abel because of their skills in logical deduction. ''There won''t be another chance for ADA,'' Olivia reminded herself of the two words that were on the screen. The sheer confidence of putting out a threat so openly had shown that the culprit wasn''t afraid of the Government''s reaction. Or maybe he didn''t even need to be afraid. The failed reportsying on her desk had proven the point that none could trace this ID''s owner. She picked up the reports and went to ry the oue of their ''little'' search. She could have never surmised the turmoil of emotions Mr. Myers would have been going through. He had betrayed the one foundational rule of ADA, and he didn''t even get the desired result. Olivia didn''t knock and entered the office. The Director had been standing by the window, watching the hustling and bustling city from high above. "Sir, we have sent a team from the Anti-Dreamer Department to the location of Dungeon. But this could very well turn out to be a poor decision. I know we shouldn''t let go of this situation so easily, but I have a hunch," Olivia didn''tplete her sentence. "It''s only me, Olivia. You can say whatever you want. I won''t put abel of traitor or coward on you, you know that." Olivia sighed, "I have a hunch that it''s better to leave this Dreamer alone." The words, by the end of the sentence, were almost inaudible. But the office was spacious. Even if one happened to just stand there with one''s mouth shut, one could hear breathing in the other corner. Mr. Myers finally turned to look at Olivia, and she could feel that the Director had aged considerably in thest two hours. The two of them hadpletely ignored the constant sound of mail notifications and rings of the telephone. "If I were inside that Dungeon then I would have exited the Dungeon just before the time of Random-Allocation. Given that I don''t have suicidal intentions. And as you know, the Dreamer can request to be teleported to any ce on the Earth aftering out of the Random-Dungeon. Notify everyone to apprehend the Dreamer the next time someone scans this ID." ''This is opposite to what I had been thinking,'' Olivia thought, being aware of the fact that Mr. Myers hadn''t gone insane just because of a terrible decision. "Don''t look at me like that. I know what I am doing. I will resign from the Director''s position," the Director said. As the ringing of the telephone seemed to be distant, he continued, "And you would criticize my decisions publicly. I want to make sure that the next director will be you. I want no more surprises." "That''s too much to ask from me, Sir. You aren''t saying that I should lie that I am not involved in this." "Yes, that is exactly what I mean." And with thatst order, Mr. Myers picked up the call. * Dungeon, Prescott (Arizona) Huff!!! Huff!!! The lush green bushes and the thick trees around Aldrich had absorbed the heavy panting sounds. Apart from his disheveled hairs and a few tears on his jacket and jeans, one could see no visible injury. But despite his tired look, he seemed lively with a smile on his face. He made sure that no other Crawler was around him. It had taken him two full hours just to take care of a pack of Common Axehandle Hounds. "With only 10 of them being in the pack, I can''t guess if the pack''s size was big or small. I think they got a whiff of me as soon as I entered the Dungeon." Aldrich''s hand reached into the void and took out a vial with yellow-golden liquid in it. It was one thing that he had asked Mr. Edwin to buy, the Stamina Potion. He emptied the whole vial with a big gulping sound. A wave of freshness washed over his whole body. The aching muscles had be ready to be put in another round of volley. "Finally!" He let out a satisfied sound, seeing the string of notifications that had surfaced. [ You have killed 1 Common Axehandle Hound ExPs obtained: 120 You have leveled up You have obtained 6 Attribute Points You have obtained 1 Skill Point You have killed 1 Common Axehandle Hound ] "This differs from the other games and systems that are mentioned in many MMORPGs. Usually, after throwing so many grenades urately, I should have gotten a Skill rted to it. And yet there is no such thing mentioned by the ''Record''. I guess the rumors of the rarity of Skills in this System are true." No one had mentioned any Criteria online for obtaining Skills other than their ss-specific Skills. The only thing widely known was that Skills drop as the rewards from killing Crawlers. But even then there was no mention of the nature of such Skills and their Rank. It''s like the upper level of Dreamers deliberately controlled the information. Who would have thought that there would be someone that could create Skills? Aldrich eyed the 3 blue crystals in his hands. These were the Mana Cores he had got from the Crawlers. He could feel nothing special about them other than their ethereal presence. He put the crystals in his backpack and focused on the task at hand. "Let''s wait a little more. I should first assign those piled up Attribute Points." Yes, he had a high Perception, but even then he wasn''t so self-conceited to believe that he could handle the rest of the Crawlers with just the Grenades. He willed for his Stats window toe up. [ Record of Aldrich Time Left: 33:30:00 hrs Status: Healthy Level: 5 (1200/1500 ExPs to next Level) HP: 140/158 SP: 97/107 MP: 895/895 Rank: Common ss: Generalist Title: NA (1) Attributes --> Strength: 5 Defense: 4 Agility: 6 Vitality: 10 Perception: 100 Correspondence: 15 Unassigned Attribute Points: 24 Active Skills --> 1. Metacreativity: Lvl 1 Skill Points: 4 Passive Skills --> 1. Shared Vision Inventory --> (6.5/10) ] Many things had caught Aldrich''s attention. First thing he had noticed was his Stamina Points, which hadn''t recovered even after using a Stamina Potion. The Stamina Points were rted to the tiredness of the Dreamer, but its use wasn''t limited to this. The Stamina Points were consumed whenever a Dreamer had exerted any kind of force. It didn''t matter if you were running, exercising, or fighting for your life. The direct result would have been a decrease in the total number of Stamina Points. Though it was a blessing that, unlike HP and MP, the rate of self-increment in Stamina Points was quite high. One would only need a rest, directly proportional to their tiredness, to get their SP back. And yet it was crucial to have the SP bar full at all times during a Dungeon raid. Why? The answer was quite simple. Unlike the Mages who consume MP for their Skills, the other Dreamers consume Stamina Points, or abination of SP and MP to use their Skills. And a ce where even the lowest Level Crawler could have turned out to be deadly. The idea of not being able to use a Skill was quite terrifying. But the more important thing for Aldrich was to find out what had been going on with his Title, so he focused on the (1) disyed there. [ You are eligible to obtain a new Title Generating Title Quest Title Quest (optional): Kill 100 Common Ranked Crawlers Title Reward: Enemy of Crawlers Do you want to initiate the Quest for this Title? ] Aldrich thought about it for a moment, but he couldn''t find any reason to say ''No''. As much as he knew, Titles were a big boon. One could find most of them with their Title-specific Skills. Titles were also known to provide Bonus Attribute Boost when equipped. "Yes." [ Title Quest had been initiated Title Quest (optional): Kill 100 Common Ranked Crawlers (10/100) ] With that done, Aldrich had analyzed where to assign his Attribute Points. To take full advantage of his Perception, the most important thing that had felt to him was Strength and Agility. "Assign Attribute Points" [ HP: 199/199 SP: 300/300 MP: 895/895 Strength: 15 Defence: 8 Agility: 15 Vitality: 11 Perception: 100 Correspondence: 15 Unassigned Attribute Points: 0 ] Aldrich wasn''t an alcoholic, and he wasn''t a narcotic user either. But for research, he had tested the effect of these things. Now, if one were to multiply that feeling by ten, then one could guess what he had been feeling. Every part of his body felt more powerful, sturdier, and in tune with each other. It was almost like someone had broken apart his body and had restructured it with better material. But the word that hade to his mind waspletely different. People of astute minds have apletely different view of seeing the problems. "Evolution." Aldrich was sure about this. Only this word justified that feeling, and only this word could answer all the questions at once. "Hmm, notpletely there yet. I wonder how many Levels one could evolve out of the Human Being''s shell," he said, looking at the top of the 150-170 ft. tree. He crouched down a little, and built up strength in his legs. The muscles of his legs writhed with joy and pleasure. With a sudden burst of strength, he jumped up to the highest bough of the tree. Even with the sudden stoppage, he hadn''t lost his footing. He inspected all around and found the thing he had been searching for. On his right, at the far end, there were dark clouds gathered around a hill. The dense shes of lightning seemed to be a pit of snakes. As the thick forest wasn''t particrly mountainous, the hill had stood out with its terrifying surroundings. Aldrich was quite familiar with the thing that had been upying that hill. As it had snatched the life of quite a few Dreamers. "The Boss Crawler," he took a mental note of the direction and came down on the ground. Running wasn''t an option in this ce, so with quick steps, he headed over in the hill''s direction. But he could enjoy the drenching humidity of the thick forest for only a few hours. His Divine Sense, an unofficial term for the detection range because of the Perception, caught a disturbance in the nearby area. The disturbance was so fast that he couldn''t even see its appearance, because he didn''t need to use his eyes to see it. A ''ck Blur'' or a ''ck Scar'' was the best way to describe it. But he knew how dangerous the things had be when even with his Perception he couldn''t get a good look. But he got to see the iing arrow. SWISH!!! The momentum of that greenish-ck arrow had almost approached a bullet. Aldrich slightly leaned to his left, and the arrow flew by towards the tree behind him. But he didn''t hear any sound of the collision. When he turned around to look, there was a twig stuck in the tree''s trunk. And vapor of greenish-ck color was emanating out from the point of contact. He realized the arrow wasn''t an arrow at all but a twig which someone had thrown at him. The situation had turned out to be even more dangerous than he had thought. Soon three more ''arrows'' came flying towards him, but as soon as it hadunched them, Aldrich had already made a run towards the source. The Agility Stat showed its effect, and the twigs missed their target by the breadth of a hair. And yet when he stepped on the branch, the attacker was already gone. Someone was hunting him, and if he didn''t kill it first, then this venture would really turn into a suicide. Arrows upon arrows were being avoided by him, and he could see the Stamina Bar emptying visibly. Aldrich realized he wouldn''t be able to catch it if he didn''t think of some solution soon. As his mind calcted at an unimaginable speed, he could only see one sure way to catch that thing. He stopped all movement and focused his Divine sense on the next arrow. The moment he got a view of the tip of the twig, with all his strength he dashed towards it, using different branches as stepping tforms. He had already taken out A Mana-Shockwave Grenade. Just as the thing was about to disappear and the arrow was about to pierce him, he got to see its appearance. It looked like a chimpanzee and yet was notpletely like him. Its size was too small for being a chimpanzee and its arms were too long. The only thing that had resembled themon animal was its body structure, ck fur, and face. But even then, one couldn''t have said that its facepletely matched a chimpanzee. For, like a cyclops, it had only one eye. A single huge red eye was almost popping out of its skull. Aldrich raised his left hand, and the arrow got stuck after piercing the palm, and he threw the grenade. The Crawler was so fast that it just ducked and the grenade flew right by him, even when they were so close. He could almost see a mocking grin on the thing''s face, but a simr mocking grin had alsoe upon Aldrich''s face. BOOM!!! The grenade exploded behind the Crawler, and the Shockwave sent the monster flying right towards him. Even with the speed that it had shown, once it was in the air, it couldn''t do anything. Aldrich had already made a fist and with a strength attribute of 15, he punched the monster''s face with all the momentum. SPLACH!!! The head of the monster exploded right on the impact. But before he could rise after being thrown away by the shockwaves, the sight of three more such monsters greeted him. All three eyes were gleaming with murderous intentions. [ You have killed 1 Common Agropelter ExPs obtained: 250 Updating Title Quest ] Chapter 23: Battered by Skills Chapter 23: Battered by Skills [ Time Left: 29 minutes ] "Ugh!" Aldrich pulled the twig out of his palm. The emanating vapors had prated deep through the wound, and the blood and flesh around had rotten considerably. As the vapors reached deeper into his body, it sent waves of pain to his mind from time to time. He looked above and the three monsters had already gone. But he got enough time to look at what were these ''things'' he would have to deal with. [ Record of Common Agropelter Status: Enraged (Strength +2, Agility +1, Correspondence +1) Level: 5 HP: 100/100 SP: 231/231 MP: 302/302 Rank: Common Attributes --> Strength: 9 (+2) Defense: 5 Agility: 21 (+1) Vitality: 5 Perception: 6 Correspondence: 21 (+1) Active Skills --> 1. Corrosion Breath 2. Minor Dash Burst Passive Skills --> 1. Whipping Throw ] "So they are applying this ''Corrosion Breath'' on these twigs and using their Passive Skill to target me." Aldrich''s hand reached into the void and had taken out a vial having red color potion in it, the Health Potion. The stock of which was the same as the Stamina Potion, but had found out to be much pricier. He drank the whole content and regained his lost HP in a matter of moments. The wound on his left palm sizzled, and the rotten part disappeared without even leaving a trace behind. He took out two grenades, running towards the hill. But only after 200 meters, several twigs came flying from his front and his left. He changed his route to the right, but the same attacks were being repeated, again and again. By the time Aldrich realized what was happening, he had already deviated from his original path. "They aren''t trying to kill me, but rerouting me in a particr direction. But why?" An uneasy feeling anchored itself in his heart. He couldn''t have remained passive now. The moment his Divine Sense caught a disturbance, he dashed towards it. Twigs came flying from here and there, but he had to get rid of at least one of the remaining Crawlers. He chased the Crawler to the bank of a river for 3 km (1.86 miles) avoiding the ''arrows'' now and then. But there was a vast difference between the Crawler''s and Aldrich''s SP. Aldrich, now only 100 meters behind, could see the monster slowing down. Screams of the other two Crawlers, full of rage, came from Aldrich''s behind. One needn''t guess the inevitable oue of the Crawler upon being caught up by him. He had been reading the movements of these Crawlers for quite some time now. He threw one grenade on his right and leaped towards the Crawler who seemed to be making a run for the river. The trees got sted apart by the grenade and the Shockwaves threw back a ck-furred beast. It was the crawler that had been running behind Aldrich and came to ambush him. With swift action, Aldrich took a hold of the ankle of his long-awaited prey and used all his strength to throw the beast towards his left. Thest Crawler jumped out of the bushes, trying to catch its thrownpanion. But Aldrich hadn''t just thrown the beast. The Grenade had followed the Crawler and just as the moment both Crawlers came in contact; it exploded. BOOM!!! Blood and pieces of flesh, along with the bloodied and injured Crawler, were sent flying. [ You have killed 1 Common Agropelter ExPs obtained: 250 You have leveled up ] This wasn''t the time to revel in his victory. Aldrich ran towards the heavily injured Crawler, who was now trying to climb the tree. With his hands holding the monster''s legs, he pulled it down and jumped back a few meters. WHACK!!! The monster''s long arms iled about like long whips and a greenish-ck vapor wasing out of his mouth and nostrils. But even the monster was left baffled by the way Aldrich had run in the opposite direction. And he hadn''t remained alive to get a proper answer. BOOM!!! Aldrich had left a present for the monster after pulling him down. [ You have killed 1 Common Agropelter ] Thest remaining Crawler hadn''t been running around as Aldrich had thought, after being thrown back by shockwaves of the first grenade. It had stood atop a tree and had watched itspanions being sted apart by him. The monster eyed him with so much hate that Aldrich almost felt its eye would burst out of its socket. The monster whipped its arms around and let out a roar of vengeance. ''AOOKKK!!! HOO! HOO! HOO!'' Aldrich got a bad feeling, the way it was beating his chest and had been roaring towards the sky. He knew it wasn''t just a way to let out pent-up feelings, but if he was right, then this only meant one thing. It was a way to call someone. And that might well be the same being in whose direction they had forced him to run. And his guess was right on the point. An even louder but distant roar shuddered the entire forest and reached Aldrich''s ears. Aldrich had been already making his way towards the crazed monster who seemed too tired to even climb down. As soon as he approached the foot of the tree, the monster let out a foul breath, which enveloped all the twigs in his hands. All the twigs were thrown towards Aldrich, but Aldrich had easily avoided all of them and climbed up. Seeing its failed attempt, the one-eyed monster covered its own hands with the corrosive breath. Aldrich could see those hands rotting vividly. The monster frantically whipped his arms around, trying to hit him. But Aldrich didn''t even need to approach him. Not taking any chances, Aldrich threw two grenades, one on the right of the Crawler and the other on the left. BOOOOM!!! [ You have killed 1 Common Agropelter ExPs obtained: 250 You have leveled up ] Aldrich couldn''t even collect the shining Mana Core that hade in the ce of the crumbled Crawler. The sound of trees being trampled and of the soft running water resonated with each other. Aldrich hastily used one of the Stamina Potions out of his stockpile. He had been just hoping that the approaching Crawler won''t have a Perception higher than his Attribute. He went away from the st site and covered himself using a bush. Running wasn''t an option, he had realized in a short distance chase, he couldn''t match up to these types of Crawlers. The trees nearest to the river bank were smashed aside, and the Crawler came into Aldrich''s vision. And his eyes became wide by looking at the sheer frame of that monster. The one thing that Agropelter hadcked was their size, and it seemed the world had made this Crawler to ovee that weakness. It almost looked like a 12 ft. high Agropelter, but with a robust ape-like structure. [ Record of Common Bigfoot Status: Berserk (Strength +3, Agility +5) Level: 7 HP: 273/273 SP: 437/437 MP: 191/191 Rank: Common Attributes --> Strength: 28 (+3) Defense: 13 Agility: 21 (+5) Vitality: 14 Perception: 5 Correspondence: 12 Active Skills --> 1. Mountain Stamp 2. Ape''s Rush Passive Skills --> 1. Target Lock ] Aldrich let out a breath of relief, seeing the Perception of the Bigfoot. He saw the Bigfoot was upied in roaring and thrashing around, so he assigned the 12 Attribute Points he had got by thest two Level ups. He distributed 5 points each in Strength and Agility, and 2 in Defense. [ Level: 7 (2200/2800 ExPs to level up) Strength: 20 Defence: 10 Agility: 20 Vitality: 11 Perception: 100 Correspondence: 15 Unassigned Attribute Points: 0 ] Not concentrating on the addictive feeling too much, Aldrich nned how to take down the oversized Crawler. It didn''t take him long to make a preliminary n. Aldrich took all the things out of his backpack and buried them lightly near the bush. He put about 10 grenades in the bag and came out from the cover of the bushes. The Crawler snapped his head towards Aldrich, and let out a heart-shaking roar. ''AaaOoooKkkkk!!!!!!!'' But Aldrich didn''t wait for the monster to finish its trivialities. He ran, as fast as he could, back into the forest. The forest''snd shook and Aldrich felt tiny quakes with every step. The chase didn''tst long; Bigfoot was just as fast as him and had even more Stamina. As soon as it came within 100 meters of Aldrich, he felt nauseated. One could havepared the feeling to being marked by a predator. Aldrich didn''t even get to turn around when something sent him hurling forward. The momentum was so great that only after smashing through three trees, the fourth one bounced him back. Blood seeped out from the corner of his mouth and he tried to open his eyes, but a dark shadow had blocked his view of the sky. A miniature version of an ethereal reddish-ck mountain had been hovering in between Aldrich and the rest of the world. Chapter 24: Rewards Chapter 24: Rewards The ethereal mountain crashed down and resulted in apletely realistic oue. And the only thing that it left behind was an impression of a pit of 1-meter depth and around 5 meters in diameter. Neither the mountain nor Aldrich were in the Crawler''s sight after the dust had settled. Aldrich had made ast moment escape from being turned into a bloody pulp. One could see two empty vials in his hands. He eyed the monster and could see a red aura had enveloped the Bigfoot from head to toe. The monster''s right foot was ankle-deep in the ground. The Crawler pulled out its leg with a jerk and looked towards him. Again, a sudden nauseated feeling overcame Aldrich. "This? I should have checked out those Skills too. This must be the Passive Skill ''Target Lock''." Aldrich couldn''t wonder about the Skill''s effects for long. He saw the faded red aura had been gaining its color back, and the Bigfoot had crouched down a little. A red line streaked towards him and in the next moment, he saw the big ape-like hand of the Crawler. He immediately got to know how the monster had sent him flying. But this time Aldrich was prepared and had replenished his Health and Stamina. The moment that hand was about to touch his head, he ducked. And with all his strength, punched its right knee. The punch worked as a pivot for Bigfoot and it went rolling in the distance, smashing everything that came in front of it. But Aldrich had a big frown on his face. He had hoped to take out that knee, but the only thing he had done was to make the monkey roll around. The monster stood up, shaking its head and roaring in anger. Aldrich saw the monster baring its teeth towards him and beating its chest from time to time. With every beat, the red aura became even redder. "Shit!" The Bigfoot charged towards him with even more speed. Aldrich couldn''t even distinguish the different parts of its body. He suddenly jumped and two enormous fists took his ce. Missing their target, the fists smashed down in the ground. In mid-air, Aldrich put a hand over the Crawler''s head and crossed over him. The moment hended back, he ran toward his bag, which he had thrown just before when the first attack had sent him flying. As soon as he picked it up, he saw the monster lifting its right leg. Aldrich''s eyes narrowed, and the earth cracked the moment it smashed the foot down. A gigantic shadow had covered him, but there was no trace of panic on his face. The reddish-ck ethereal mountain again stamped itself on the ground and left a big globule of dust and broken trees. The monster rushed towards the impact area to celebrate the sight of the gore of its prey. But it didn''t smell the bloodiness in the air it had been hoping for. Left, right, up, and down, the monster thrashed branches, trees, and even left deep holes in the earth but it couldn''t find the puny prey. From nowhere, a rock came flying towards it, but what could have a rock done to it. But it was gravely mistaken about the rock. The rock had a glossed blue surface and a red button over it seemed to be pressed deep. The moment it tried to flick away the rock using the back of its hand, the rock exploded. ''Aaaghhhhh!!!'' A low whimpering sound came out of the monster''s mouth, and the monster had seemed to lose a few fingers. Aldrich had been waiting for this chance. The moment the overwhelming pain distracted it, Aldrich dropped on the monster from the top of a distant tree. Before the Crawler realized what had happened, Aldrich had already put the backpack''s strap around its neck. The monster grabbed the bag, thinking of the head of its prey, and tried to crush it in one clinch. But the head seemed too hard, so it tried to pull off the ''head'' along with the wrapped ''arm'' around its neck. Aldrich threw another ''rock'' aiming at the backpack. "Gotta catch ''em all." BOOOOOOM!!! The sound of a tremendous explosion scared the breath out of every Crawler in the radius of 1 km. As nature regained its silence and only low painful groans could have remained at the epicenter of the explosion. Aldrich observed what was left of the monster. The Bigfoot had lost its lower jaw, and also the left hand by which it had grabbed the backpack. And a deep wound could be seen reaching to its chest from the left shoulder. With a thump, Bigfoot''s knees struck the ground, which almost looked like it had kneeled in defeat. But even then, it was a full head taller than Aldrich. Both the Dreamer and the Crawler looked into each other''s eyes. And Aldrich could feel the deep malice hidden behind the single red eye. He took out a grenade and slowly approached the dying monster. With a smooth thrust, he pressed the grenade into the monster''s wounded chest and moved back. POOF!!! The grenade exploded within the Crawler and sent the mangled head and pieces of flesh all around. [ You have killed 1 Common Bigfoot ExPs obtained: 900 You have leveled up You have obtained 6 Attribute Points You have obtained 1 Skill Point ] Aldrich could see many things appearing in the ce of the crumbling monster. The first thing he had noticed, which was also the most eye-catching among others, was a jet ck spheroidal object. ck shiny rays were shining out of the ck ball, hovering in the mid-air. It felt like a weirdbination of ugliness and beauty. He had also recognized the other things. One was a slightly bigger blue Mana core, and the other was a shiny green fist-size crystal. He put away the Mana core and touched the dark shiny ball. [ Skill: Target Lock Nature: Active, Not-upgradable Cooldown: 00:03:00 hrs Minimum Usage Condition: Perception 20, Correspondence 15 Consumption: 100 MP Rank: Common Description: Dreamer can ''Mark'' a target within the range of Perception or any visible object. Dreamer would gain a 30% increment in Agility while dashing in the ''Marked'' target''s direction Warning: The use of Skill would be noticed if the gap between Dreamer and the ''Marked'' target is less than 5 levels or if the target''s Rank is higher than that of Dreamer''s Warning: The skill would automatically get canceled once the ''Marked'' target goes out of the range of Perception or out of the visible range Warning: Only one target can be ''Marked'' at a time Do you want to equip the Skill? ] This was the first time Aldrich had seen a Skill dropping out from a Crawler. "Hmm, the system changed the nature of the Skill. It''s also not upgradable, unlike my ss-specific Skill. But the cooldown time of 3 minutes sounds tempting," he gave it a very good thought. But the most irresistible was the increment in Agility. It wasn''t just an ordinary buff, but a percentage increment. "Yes." [ Target Lock Skill has been equipped ] The hovering dark shiny ball crumbled into dust particles in an instant. And then he picked up the remaining green shiny crystal. [ You have obtained the Return-Stone Quest 1 has beenpleted Rewards: 1. Crush the Return-Stone to go out of the Dungeon 2. Map of the location of Elite Crawler ] A 3-D map materialized in front of Aldrich. And there were two dots, one blue and the other red, on it. The way the blue dot had been blinking and from its proximity to the river, he guessed the red dot must have belonged to the Crawler. The general direction seemed to be the same as the hill and along the river. He went back to pick up his hidden food supplies and the Mana core that had been left by thest Agropelter. Aldrich took care of another pack of Axehandle Hounds on his way to the destination. And in a couple of hours reached a steep gorge where the river had been falling to almost 600-700 meters. He had done little climbing, but after the boost in Strength and Agility, it mattered little. He made his way down to the valley, keeping his distance from the waterfall. As soon as he caught his breath after climbing down, he saw a Grotto at the undercut just behind the plunge pool of the waterfall. But other than the beauty of the scenery, two other things had caught his attention. The area around the waterfall was littered with Mana cores, both huge and small. By their structure, Aldrich got to know that most of them belonged to Bigfoot, the Crawler that had almost killed him. And the other thing was the deep red and orange shes at the entrance of the Grotto. From time to time, he could hear low but deep growls apanying sparks of fire. He used his Divine Sense to see the Elite Crawler. And what he saw had almost made him take out the Return-Stone. Chapter 25: Impotent Elite Chapter 25: Impotent Elite Ugly Yes, this was the word that hade into Aldrich''s mind upon looking at that thing using his Divine Sense. The Crawler, though smaller than Bigfoot, was still around 8-9 ft. tall. Red Draconic Scales had covered its entire body and two huge bat-like wings had wrapped its frame. The Crawler had a goat-like head with two curved horns, two arms with 5 sharp ws each, and legs with cloven hooves like a horse. The creature had a forked tail whose sharpness couldn''t have been any less than that of its ws. But Aldrich had be warier after seeing its Stats. [ Record of Common Jersey Devil Status: Healthy Level: 10 HP: 546/546 SP: 448/448 MP: 860/860 Rank: Common Attributes --> Strength: 21 Defense: 26 Agility: 25 Vitality: 28 Perception: 30 Correspondence: 50 Active Skills --> 1. Fiery Breath 2. Devil''s Rage 3. Intimidation Passive Skills --> 1. Acute Sense 2. Ripper ws ] After seeing the outrageous values, Aldrich realized something. That even if he were to assign all the Unassigned Attribute points to only Strength, he wouldn''t be able to face this monster. "I knew that the Quest''s difficulty would differ for a Party and solo Dreamers, but this is just absurd," he spat. Aldrich assigned the 6 Attribute Points, which he had got from thest level up. And as per his usual personality, he took a few moments to make the preliminary n. He hade here to hoard ExPs, and how would he be able to do it without at least killing this Elite? The time to use his trump card hade. "If 10 grenades won''t work, then I will use 20. If 20 won''t work, then I will use 40." There wasn''t any point in saving the expendable resources that he had brought with him. If he won''t be able to use his ss-specific Skill by the time of Random-Allocation, then it was sure death for him, anyway. Aldrich approached a boulder about 100 meters away from the grotto''s entrance. He took out 2 grenades and threw one at the grotto''s entrance, ensuring that the waterfall wouldn''t impede the trajectory. The grenade exploded just as it was about to cross the entrance. ROARRR!!! A heart-shaking roar resounded out of the grotto and the fallen rocks at the entrance got sted apart outwards. Aldrich saw the monster stepping out of its den and it menacingly tried to find which miserable creature had disturbed its rest. Aldrich had expected this behavior. And with the cover of the boulder, guessing the range of its Divine Sense, he threw the other grenade in the opposite direction. The enhanced strength worked wonderfully, but the billowing wind restricted the distance. And the grenade could only travel for 400 meters before exploding. The sudden sound of explosion caught the Crawler''s attention, and with a single p of its wings, it flew towards the site. The moment Aldrich saw it leaving the approximate range of its Divine Sense, he dashed towards the entrance. But unfortunately, the monster didn''t go all the way, and just kept pping its wings in the mid-air. Aldrich had been just about to enter the grotto when he saw the monster turning about. "Damn luck!!!" Aldrich saw a puddle just before the entrance and hastily dumped 40 grenades in it. Before the Crawler could see him, he had already entered the grotto. The inside of the cave was round and spacious. A serene pool of water could be seen on one side and the humidity had crossed the bearable limit for normal humans. Aldrich saw a crack in the wall opposite the area where the ground seemed scorched by intense heat and hid there. The Crawler soon entered the grotto, letting out sparks of fire from its mouth andid down by the pool. But in the next moment, it realized that something had infiltrated its den. The frustrated monster stood up, gnashing its fangs, and Aldrich came out of the crack. He had just wanted for the crawler to be away from the puddle at the entrance. If he had thrown the grenade when it hade, there was a big possibility that the monster would see iting. Or even worse would have been to get stuck in the cave if the entrance would get blocked as the result of the explosion. Aldrich threw a grenade at the monster as a courtesy. But the oue wasn''t in favor of Aldrich. The Crawler had only lost a few chips of its scales on the impact, but the shockwaves made it madder. The monster''s rage had seemed to hit a threshold, and it took a long breath and sent a pir of mes out of its mouth towards Aldrich. Aldrich had to hold down his momentum to keep himself from running into the mes. The mes were so hot that even after being away from it considerably, his skin almost got burned. Seeing the impudent being not getting caught by his attack, the monster let out a blood-curdling scream. SHRIEKKKK!!! Aldrich''s mind jolted at hearing the thorny scream. The feeling had approached the borderline of calling it fear. He knew the Crawler had used the Intimidation Skill, but it didn''t seem to work properly on Aldrich. The monster pped its wings angrily and its body''s frame was erging with a popping sound. Aldrich didn''t want to waste even a single second anymore. Just as the monster dashed towards him, he had also put his n in action. "Target Lock." Aldrich marked the boulder outside the grotto as his Target, and he streaked towards the entrance. The monster was caught off guard and mmed itself into the wall of the cave. Web-like cracks had spread all over the vast wall, but this didn''t upy the monster for long. And with a weirdbination of using its hooves and wings together, it chased Aldrich. Contrary to the crazed monster, Aldrich had been enjoying the thrill of his increased Agility. Another ming pir came towards him from behind, just as he was about to cross the entrance. Aldrich crouched down, and the monster couldn''t see Aldrich dropping a live grenade in the puddle of doom. The Devil didn''t seem to realize that its senses were being diminished by the usage of many Skills. Just as the monster was about to follow him out of the grotto, death descended to im its prey. BO**OOOOM!!! The tremendous gurgling sound of the waterfall, along with whispers of the forest, felt lost in the explosion. Silence reigned over the valley for the next few seconds. [ You have killed 1 Common Jersey Devil ExPs obtained: 1500 You have leveled up You have leveled up ] Aldrich approached the ruined site and no one could tell if there had been a grotto of poetic beauty here a moment ago. Aldrich could see his rewards hovering outside the piled-up stones. And he could see two of those shiny jet-ck objects. He couldn''t wait anymore to know what the Crawler had dropped for him. [ Skill: Intimidation Nature: Passive Minimum Usage Condition: Perception 25 Consumption: 50 MP Description: Dreamers can intimidate anything within the range of Perception. It can disrupt Skills before being executed. Warning: The effect would increase or decrease based on the gap of levels between the Target and Dreamer Do you want to equip the Skill? ] ''A Passive!'' thought Aldrich, taken aback by the first reward. Passive Skills were Not-upgradable by nature, but despite this, they were the most sought after. The reason was simple, they didn''t have a cooldown period. This meant that if a Dreamer had ample supply of Mana then the Skill could have been spammed repetitively. "Yes." The ck mass disappeared as fine dust particles. Seeing the unexpected and beautiful oue from the first shiny ball, Aldrich thrust his hands towards the second one. [ Item: Ripper ws Type: Dagger Rank: Common Durability: 100/100 Minimum Usage Condition: Strength 21, Agility 21 Description: Strength +3, Agility +4 Warning: Item would be lost permanently if the durability is not replenished using Inventory Warning: Item would upy 1 Unit of Inventory Do you want to equip the Item? ] Aldrich couldn''t believe his good luck and his bad luck. The chance of an Item drop was pretty minimal but with no apanying Skill, it would highly restrict the Item in its effects. Even after this undeniable fact, Aldrich didn''t want to let it just go to waste, or he could just sell itter. "Yes." The ck ball crumbled and two bright silver-colored 12-inch curved daggers took its ce. They looked like the ws of the dead Crawler. Tiny red scales had covered the handles of the daggers, the rough feel of which gave a very soothing sense to Aldrich. He put away the daggers and the Mana core and finally focused on the Questpletion notification. [ Quest 2 (optional) has beenpleted Rewards: 1. Skill Points +3 2. Skill: Beginner''s Dagger Proficiency ] "HAHAHA!" [ Skill: Beginner''s Dagger Proficiency Nature: Passive Minimum Usage Condition: Dagger type Item Description: Dreamer would obtain proficiency of using Daggers at a beginner''s level ] And with that, it was time to use the ss-specific Skill. Chapter 26: Killing Intent Chapter 26: Killing Intent ''CONFIRMED: ADA has been hacked'' The screen of news channels had been shing simr statements for thest few hours. They had found out that someone had hacked the HQ of one of the world''s prominent organizations. But the ADA''s spokesperson had assured the public that NO DATA was stolen or lost. The veracity of which was confirmed by the shocking deration of direct resignation of the ADA''s Director, Mr. Myers. And many heard whispers of the Deputy Director taking over the position as the New Director. Dreamers from all around the globe were taking an interest in the proceedings of the investigations. But, the most disappointed were the Dreamers of the USA. And why won''t they be? If you had taken the responsibility of one task and you couldn''t even do that properly, there wasn''t much left to say about you. To put their heart at ease, they revealed that the Deputy Director would make a statement. And that too in the presence of the Guild leader of zing Royals Guild, Baron Edmund. "First, I want to apologize to all the citizens of the USA, and the Dreamers around the world who are registered with ADA. Second, I want to reassure you that no data has been stolen from us. The hack was a briefck of security and was dealt with as soon as it had urred." Olivia said, addressing the room full of reporters. Baron Edmund was on her left and, seeing Ms. Wells finishing her statement, he nodded at the words. "But why did the hack happen in the first ce?" one reporter asked. "This" Olivia''s words seemed to be caught in her dry throat, but a nce from the Baron gave her the strength to proceed. "This fault lies with the previous director, Mr. Owen Myers." The entire room had buzzed with iprehensible sounds. But Olivia had to continue, "Mr. Myers, contrary to the ADA''s policies, had tried to ess the data rted to one Dreamer. Which probably gave a momentary path to the hacker/hackers to enter our systems. He is being inquired by the authorities as we speak." "Who is the Dreamer that made even the Director himself break the rules?" Olivia recognized thedy asking, and she had always hated this voice. Other reporters had also demanded this information. This news would be the cream of the crop for them. Olivia couldn''t see the face of the reporters because of the lighting, but she knew that bitch would have a low-quality smirk on her face right now. Who could have been this reporter, who had forced one of the mostposed women to swear out curses? But thedy on the seat at the far back hadn''t finished with her questions. "Where were you, Ms. Wells? Should we assume you didn''t even know about it?" The SecDef, seated on Olivia''s right, intervened on her behalf. "That would be all. Now please be understanding. Baron Edmund is a busy man. You don''t want him to be upied by these things, right?" Politicians always had a way with their words. Who would deny the fact that the face of ADA wasn''t a busy person? And who would deny that there were many important ces that needed his presence? A brief eye contact happened between Olivia and the unknowndy, now that they had stood up. Edmund shook his head and said, "How could such a leak have happened? Mistakes over mistakes. This isn''t the ADA we all had been hoping for." Hearing no reply from either Ms. Wells or the SecDef, Edmund went out to his car. Just as he was about to enter, his mobile rang. He received the call, gettingfortable in the backseat. The caller''s name, COD, was visible for a moment. Edmund: Yes? Samael: He hasn''t returned yet Edmund: What? Samael: First, it was you who made me Chief of Dungeons; I didn''t ask for it. Second, you brought him to our Guild; I remember I didn''t agree. Hees and goes as he pleases. Why do you even tolerate him? Edmund: When was thest time you saw him? Samael: I don''t know, maybe the time when the news channels had reported about the hacking. We have only 12 and a half hours for the Random-Allocation. Edmund: Don''t worry, he wille backter. Take care of all the preparations without him for now Samael: Just just don''t tell him I called you about this Beep!! Edmund threw the phone on the side and asked himself, "Where are you? Boomie." * Prescott (Arizona) USA The military and the task force from the Anti-Dreamer Department of ADA had surrounded the Dungeon. The excuse of preparing for Random-Allocation had masked the real purpose of their presence behind it. But there was one person who had guessed for what such a force had been dispatched. And his back hadn''t stopped getting wet from all the sweat ever since then. "You have done it this time, Andrew. By God, who had contacted you anyway? No matter how much money someone had given you, was that worth it?" asked The Thunder Guild''s Director of Dungeons, Mr. Brown, eyeing a blue-haired man. The man had blue eyes, blue eyebrows, and even the greatcoat which he had been wearing was blue. Not the blue of the ocean, but the blues of lightning. With a deep frown on his face, Andrew tightened the grip on the 2 ft long handle of a hammer which was resting majestically on the ground. "Humph! So what? Do I need to justify myself to these Government dogs? I, Andrew Thunderbird, can''t be scared that easily." "That''s right! That''s right. But why did you change your surname, Guild Leader?" Thest sentence was barely audible. "What did you say?" "Ah, nothing! Haha!" No matter how much of a clown their Guild Leader was, Mr. Brown thought, he was a powerful Dreamer. Mr. Brown hadn''t believed that someone would send such a massive force to only inquire about one suicidal Dreamer. There was a guess in his mind, but it was so outrageous that if it was right, then they had dragged themselves too deep into the muddy water. He saw the huge hammer,id down on the road, and thought, ''Maybe it was worth it. I can only guess how much money Andrew must have received to even buy his dream Item.'' Suddenly, a car approached the barricade. The two Guild members and the Anti-Dreamer task force weren''t expecting anyone at the moment. They all put their attention towards the man that hade out of the car. The man had worn shorts and a loose T-shirt, his hairs were like a red bush, and his straight frame looked like a lone tower in the desert. Everyone worthy to know knew that the zing Royals Guild was secured behind a ''wall''. It was high and sturdy enough for most to have called it insurmountable. Recruited by the Baron himself, and the savior of thousands. Most of the world only knew of Edmund. Not only because he had been famous for being the founding member of ADA but also because he was one of the strongest in the world. The mountains surrounding the highest peak are often underestimated. And this was the case with the strongest Tanker of America, Mr. Bernard Delmar the Blood Berserker. * Boomie had been in a state ofplete ecstasy since he saw the news about hacking. He cared little about the hack or whatever. No, but the two things surrounding it had made the news important enough for him to rush out of the Guild. First, he heard that one of their recruiters had chanced upon something extraordinary. So what? Everything had been extraordinary for quite a while by that time. But his location, Wenatchee, was just too coincidental. The second was the message he got from the Guild Leader. It informed him about a Dreamer attempting to raid a Dungeon by himself and how it might have been rted to the hacking. Boomie had neither rushed out towards the HQ of ADA nor had he rushed to Prescott, Arizona. Boomie, he had gone home. The joy after listening to the message which was given to him by Mrs. Guo had finally surmounted the ''wall''. And then he realized the ADA had sent a team of Anti-Dreamers and military to apprehend the Dreamer, so he immediately came to this location. "Don''t mind me," Boomie casually said, seeing that everyone had been looking at him. But the most uneasy was the Anti-Dreamer''s team, for they had the special privilege to collect some information on other Dreamers. They all looked at each other and warily turned around. Boomie had just wanted to rush into the Dungeon, but unfortunately, he could have only attempted it within a short time limit of the Dungeon opening. He looked at all the Dreamers, including the Thunder Guild''s Guild Leader, who had picked up the hammer at some point. ''I guess, I would just have to kill them.'' Boomie''s bushy hairs had waved like he was underwater. The veins all over his body wriggled like venomous red-purple snakes. The sharp red glint in his eyes made him look even more blood-thirsty. And this brought changes to others too. The soles of all the Dreamers became itchy. The tips of their fingers throbbed with pain. Their ears ringed with unknown murmurs, and the fear watered their eyes. Death was lurking right behind them. Chapter 27: Metacreativity Chapter 27: Metacreativity Dungeon Prescott (Arizona) Now that Aldrich had leveled up to the limit, the first thing he did after dealing with the Elite Crawler was to earn as much as ExPs as he could. So he spent most of the remaining time hunting Common Axehandle Hounds and Common Agropelters. It seemed only these types of Crawlers had spawned this time in Dungeon. And it wasmon knowledge that Dungeons during the ''Bright Day'' spawned weaker monsterspared to Random-Dungeons. After that, it was time to look at the ss-specific Skill. He had already got an Item that was apanied by a proficiency Skill. So, now he could experiment with different aspects of his ss-specific Skill. He had an idea about what would be an ideal Item for him. Yes, he had decided to create an Item. He had realized though Skills are more valuable, there were just too many restrictions on them. And in the starting phase, it would be better to have an Item with its specific Skill rather than having an exclusive Skill. Though the Item he had got (Ripper ws), didn''t have a skill of its own, it had been widely known that some Items had their Item-specific Skills. And there was a tremendous benefit from such Items. These Item-specific Skills could have been called Active Skills without the Cooldown. And that''s why such Items were not only pricey but also extremely rare. "Assign Skill Points." [ Unassigned Skill Points: 12 Avable Skills: 1. Metacreativity Lvl 1 (0/3 Skill Points to next level) How many Skill Points do you want to assign? ] Only one Skill, that Aldrich had, could be leveled up. Aldrich had known that every Skill had three more levels and the requirement of Skill Points grew with each additional Level. To level up Skill in Common Rank, a Dreamer needed 3 Skill Points at the start. And the next two level-ups required 4 and 5 Skill Points respectively, i.e. 12 Skill Points from Lvl 1 to Lvl max. And these few facts had described the most disgusting truth about the system. After leveling up a ss-specific Skill to Max, it could have only be upgraded once Dreamers would have reached the next Rank, i.e. Level 11. But reaching the next Rank wasn''t so simple. One couldn''t have just reached Level 11 by simply gaining ExPs. One of the most stringent requirements of reaching the Rare Rank was to first max out their ss-specific Skill. But with only 9 Skill Points avable from Level 1 to Level 10, there was only one other way a Dreamer had to get more Skill Points -The Quests. That''s why there were tons of Dreamers who, even after crossing the ExPs requirement level, weren''t able to achieve the Rare Rank. The interdependency of these two had be a bane for some Dreamers. The prospects of betting their life for Skill Points, just to achieve Rare Rank, had been eating the Common Dreamers. "Assign all of them." [ Skill: Metacreativity Nature: Active Lvl: Max (0/1 Skill Points to Upgrade) Cooldown: 132:00:00 hrs Description: Dreamer can create Items and Skills of Common ss by sacrificing Experience Points. Warning: Items must be equipped upon creation. Unequipped items would be destroyed. Warning: Only ''Active Skills'' can be created. The Skills created can''t be upgraded using Skill Points. Warning: Dreamer would permanently lose the ExPs once used. There is a high chance of dropping to the previous Level. Warning: The number of ExPs would be calcted based on the description provided by the Dreamer ] ''Hmm, even after reaching Level 11, I would need 1 more Skill Point to upgrade the Skill. This ''Record'' seems to be just too demanding,'' Aldrich thought and willed to see his Stats. [ Record of Aldrich Time Left: 01:30:00 hrs Status: Healthy Level: 10 (8900/9000 ExPs to next level) HP: 313/313 SP: 480/480 MP: 895/895 Rank: Common ss: Generalist Title: NA (1) Attributes --> Strength: 24 Defence: 15 Agility: 24 Vitality: 16 Perception: 100 Correspondence: 15 Unassigned Attribute Points: 0 Active Skills --> 1. Metacreativity: Lvl Max 2. Target Lock Skill Points: 0 Passive Skills --> 1. Shared Vision 2. Intimidation 3. Beginner''s Dagger Proficiency Inventory --> (4/10) ] Aldrich saw the Title Stat and, along with a quick look at his Inventory, he checked on its progress too. [ Title Quest (optional): Kill 100 Common Ranked Crawlers (48/100) Title Reward: Enemy of Crawlers Inventory Status: 4/10 Items: 1. Mana-Shockwave Grenades 30 2. Stamina Potions 7 3. Health Potions 8 4. Ripper ws ] "Tch! I have scoured the whole area around the hill but couldn''t find a single Common Bigfoot or Elite," Aldrich muttered to himself. He had been sitting by the campfire on a hillock 100 meters away from an invisible film of Mana, which had covered the hill from all around. The backpack had been lost while ying with the Crawler, so he had stored the food and other things in a makeshift bag using leaves and vines. He took a few bites of the home-cooked meal and prepared himself for the uing experiments he had decided for the Item-Creation. If it weren''t for the lightning''s bombardment, and the dark shadow of the dense ck clouds, this scene could be described as a beautiful pic. Aldrich took a mental picture of the scene and stood up. "Well, let''s do it then. METACREATIVITY." [ Skill Metacreativity is now active Specify your creation: Item or Skill? ] "Item." [ Skill Metacreativity is now active Fill up the temte for Item Item Name: Item Type: Item Rank: Item Description: Item-Specific Skill: Item-Specific Skill''s Details: Warning: The above data would be optimized ording to the maximum avable ExPs Warning: Item-Specific Skill would not be upgradable Warning: Item''s Rank can be upgraded using ExPs ] ''Hmm! Hmm? Hmm. This should work,'' Aldrich filled up all the Data one by one and spent most of his time on the Item-specific Skill. It wouldn''t be upgradable, so it was crucial to create a Skill that would be usable even despite that. [ Item Name: Soul Splitter Vial Do you want to submit this data? ] Aldrich nodded. [ Submitting request to create Item. Optimizing Item Item ''Soul Splitter Vial'' is beyond your reckoning Do you want to create another Item? ] ''Damn!'' But there were more ideas in his mind than even the total number of Items on Earth. [ Optimizing Item Item ''100 Blood Revival'' is beyond your reckoning Optimizing Item Item ''Oldest Change'' is created ExPs consumed: 8850 Warning: The consumed ExPs are permanently lost Warning: You have fallen back to Level 2 ] "Finally," Aldrich eximed. His happinessid not only in the created Item but also in the unchanged Attributes and other Stats. It had taken him a whole 30 minutes to get a result. And the oue was a mask. The material of which sometimes felt like a stone and sometimes like a coarse wood. The eye sockets and the gaping mouth with teeth had endowed the mask with an amalgam of dumbfounded and menacing looks. Aldrich put on the mask, and he felt like the mask had reced his face. Any other person watching couldn''t have even been able to tell if there was a face behind this mask or this mask was the face itself. One could vividly see the two dark eyes through the eye sockets. But the most frightening was the gaping mouth, which was like a twisted smiling expression that couldn''t be distinguished from crying. [ Time Left: 01:00:00 hrs ..] Aldrich looked towards the hill and took a deep breath. He recalled the information on the Boss Crawler. None had known much of its Skills, as nobody hadsted or needed tost over 10 minutes in its presence. The Dungeon was a monument. A monument of William Owen "Buckey" O''Neill, a captain in Roosevelt''s Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War. With his odd theories like ''an officer should never take cover'', many tales of his valor had reigned the ears of the mass ever since. He wasn''t just a captain, but also a sheriff, an editor, a miner, a politician, a gambler, and awyer. Buckey O''Neil was a legend. And someone had turned these legends into a nightmare. The RECORD had given the old tales a life and vicious strength. They weren''t the same as when they were alive. One could even say that by some unknown sorcery a projection of their past, with strange abilities, had been taken out of the memories of the people. Aldrich had never wanted to give a thought to the third Quest. But things had changed since then. Not only the Daggers, but now the mask had given him a tremendous boost in power. And the one thing he had found out which was pivotal in dealing with these contorted legends was patience. ''Of patience, I have only this notion; One by one I can even count the drops in the ocean.'' Aldrich remembered a forgotten verse and took a step into the Mana film that had covered the hill. [ The Boss Crawler has detected your presence ] Chapter 28: Reality vs Dream Chapter 28: Reality vs Dream The way the Boss Crawler had already detected him surprised Aldrich. It felt like within the Boss Chamber a Crawler had some special privileges. The lightning had be more destructive as he entered the Mana-film. The visibility wasn''t that great either. Aldrich could only make out the blurry top of the hill. With the help of asional shes of light, one could see a silhouette of approximately 10 ft high rock. The distance was still out of the range of his Divine Sense. Aldrich warily climbed up, eyeing the huge rock which had stood there like a menacing pir of death. The thunder had seemed to resonate with the silence of that rock. And by the time Aldrich''s Divine Sense reached the top of the hill; he had realized that something else shared this silence, too. Aldrich could see a person sitting at the top of that rock, looking directly at him. Aldrich had noticed that the rock was not a natural one. The chiseled edges and the markings on it had almost confirmed its identity as a gravestone. A 10 ft. high gravestone. But an even more peculiar scene was of the man seated on it. Without approaching closer, Aldrich looked at the Boss Crawler. The appearance of the Crawler had differed by little from his expectations or as told by other Dreamers. It was wearing a slouched hat, a blue nnel shirt, and brown trousers with leggings and boots. The ''rough and tumble'' appearance had been a signature of old times. The Crawler would have lookedpletely simr to a normal man with its well-trimmed mustache if it weren''t for that ''mark''. In the middle of its forehead, there was a hole. The hole was a finger wide and was like an oil pipe left open, reaching to the depths of the earth. If one were to throw a rock in it, the sound of impact at the bottom won''t even reach the top. But other, more important things had caught Aldrich''s attention. Like its peers, a Stat window could also be seen over the Crawler by Aldrich. Aldrich had been just analyzing its Attributes and Skills when his eyes became wide. Without waiting for any reaction from the Boss, he turned around and ran for the Mana-film. He had left a gust of wind behind but, unfortunately, couldn''t cross it. With all his momentum, he collided into the previous invisible but immaterial film and it bounced his body back. [ Generating Hidden Quest Hidden Quest: Survive the Boss Crawler for 15 minutes ] Luck didn''t seem to favor Aldrich. The Hidden Quests, as their name suggested, were "Hidden". They could have popped out anywhere and anytime. They were of high risk and high rewards, as found out by unlucky encounters. But the most troublesome issue about them was they were inherently mandatory. Only some specific actions could have resulted in a Hidden Quest, in both Random and other Dungeons. As with Aldrich, marching in the Boss''s Chamber alone was such an action. "Shit." Aldrich cursed out, fumbling to stand up. And along with pain, the Stats of the Boss Crawler surfaced in his mind like a lost memory. [ Record of BossMonument of Buckey O''Neill Status: Healthy Level: 13 HP: 502/502 SP: 572/572 MP: 1090/1090 Rank: Rare Attributes --> Strength: 30 Defense: 30 Agility: 26 Vitality: 30 Perception: 35 Correspondence: 65 Active Skills --> 1. Riders of Death 2. Old Gambler 3. Mana Burst Passive Skills --> 1. 10 miles shot 2. Adept Rider 3. Fearless ] Aldrich knew his Passive Skill Intimidation wouldn''t work, but that wasn''t the reason he had tried to run out of the Boss Chamber. The reason for his behavior, that seemed cowardly and shameless, had been shing right in front of his eyes. [ The Boss Crawler has used SkillOld Gambler One Item from each would be locked for 15 minutes Item locked (Boss Crawler): Blood Thirsty Sabre Item locked (Dreamer): Oldest Change ] "Ah, young man! Showing your back without even putting up a decent fight? Tch, Tch." Aldrich heard the words that had seemed to resound throughout the Boss Chamber. He turned around and could see the Boss that had been standing at the foot of the hill. It was holding a rifle on its right shoulder and smoking a cigarette with its left hand. ''.30 Krag?'' Aldrich thought, remembering the rifle''s name. "What? Do you like it? I can give it to you. Haha." Aldrich didn''t like the way these Bosses had been given personalities and traits that resembled humans. The way it was gesturing to its rifle and puffing out smoke from time to time, Aldrich thought he could have even talked his way out of this situation. But in the past 35 hours, he understood the nature of these Crawlers. "What a scary Mask? I knew something was wrong with it the moment I had detected you. This thing felt eerie and wrong, even to me. So I had to gamble a little. I hope you won''t mind. Young men like you should gamble a little now and then." Aldrich''s mind was focused on the Hidden Quests time limit only. He would use the Return Stone the moment it would be over. He threw a grenade at the Boss and ran towards the hill, taking out his Daggers. Aldrich had decided to keep avoiding a confrontation with the Boss. With his increased Agility he could maintain a safe distance from the Crawler if he kept using grenades. Or so he thought. Through his Divine Sense, he had monitored the action of the Boss. He saw the rifle shining with blue light and a visible bullet of mana was fired towards the grenade. The grenade blew up while still on its trajectory. Aldrich had to stop and threw out two more grenades. No way was he going to let it chase him so soon. But the Boss too had been thinking the same thing. As soon as the grenades had left Aldrich''s hands, two more Mana bullets were fired. The grenades blew up near Aldrich and the Shockwaves tore his skin. Because of his enhanced strength, he had managed to not be thrown back and lose his footing. "You didn''t even let me introduce myself? But I would have to say this game of hitting balls in mid-air sure seems fun." Aldrich had already turned his way towards the top. The high ground had always been a sound tactic to hold one''s ground. He hid himself behind the gravestone and threw grenades to keep the Boss at a reasonable distance. Even with his Daggers in his hands, he hadn''t thought he could take on the Boss without depending on other Skills and Items. The only reason he had even entered this god-forsaken ce was because of his Items. And now he couldn''t even use his most reliable Item just after it came into existence. Avoiding a constant barrage of Mana-bullets from behind, Aldrich somehow reached the top. Using the gravestone as cover, he threw many grenades at and around the Boss Crawler. The distance hadn''t affected his aim at all. But the distance wasn''t the only issue. The precision with which the Boss had been neutralizing each grenade couldn''t have been copied by any known human on the Earth. "Ah, young man! How many of these ''little things'' are left? I am getting a little bored." Aldrich heard the Boss shouting and taking care of the grenades while climbing up at the same time. "You seem too tired. You know, I know the perfect luby from my hometown. Let me put you to a pleasant sleep." ''Sleep'' ''Sleep?'' Aldrich''s mind jolted at hearing the word. He repeated the word over and over in his mind. All things had stopped existing for him for a moment. And only one question had been left that mattered. "Why can''t I remember myself sleeping at all?" Frantically, he looked around. The patience he had been piling up seemed to run out. And even the verses were felt being erased out one by one. Such a terrifying thought had upied his mind that he didn''t even notice the surface of the gravestone rippling behind his back. "Am I still dreaming?" He couldn''t remember a single dream since the time he had returned from that long sleep. He couldn''t remember when was thest time he had slept nor could he remember thinking about it. ''Why What''s happening?'' His thoughts stopped by the way someone grabbed his ankle from behind. He turned around and saw that the Boss Crawler hade up behind him using some unknown method. He could see only a faint ripple on the gravestone before the wave had vanished. Aldrich felt himself rising, and he saw a brief look of malice in the eyes of the Boss. With unimaginable strength, the Boss smashed Aldrich into the gravestone. CRUNCH!!! Nobody could have known how many broken bones Aldrich had. And a fountain of blood had risen from Aldrich''s mouth. He slid down along the gravestone, with his eyes looking in the distance, still in deep contemtion. "Thought it was just a prop, huh?" Aldrich didn''t reply to the Boss''s mockery. As the muzzle of the rifle was pressed against his temple, he closed his eyes. BANG! Chapter 29: Item vs Boss Chapter 29: Item vs Boss Where does one go after death? Aldrich hadn''t feared death. He believed it was a necessary transition. But if he could keep his ability to think, then he would have tried to learn more about that state. Even when the hot nozzle pressed itself against his temple, he was worried about the same thing. When he had closed his eyes, the only thing he said to himself was the same thing he had said before waking up thest time. ''I''ll be the master of my Dreams.'' With a little difficulty, Aldrich opened his eyes. If the darkness could have been felt, then it could only do so at that ce. He had been just floating in a ce which may as well had never seen a ray of light. But something in his mind told him toe forward. With a will from his current self, his ethereal body moved forward. He kept going in the same direction, but the end didn''t seem to be near at all. Time had lost its meaning and the only thing that had remained in his mind was the call. If he were topare it to something, it could have only been described as an earthquake. A sound that could only be felt and not heard. After uncountable months, or years, or centuries, Aldrich could finally see something else in this ce. Unlike Time, size always had meaning, as it was based on the rtiveparison. In front of him was another being, but so enormous that only his blurry face could be made out. Aldrich realized that the face, or probably the whole being, was separated by a transparent Veil from him. He could only make sense of the being''s eyes, which seemed to be closed. Who knew when it was thest time they had been opened? For a long time, Aldrich tried to study the being''s face but couldn''t make out anything of it. The call within him had been bing louder and louder. Suddenly the Veil shook by an unseen and unfelt breeze. A series of words had nted themselves within Aldrich. Even his ethereal body was on the verge of losing its presence when he tried to say those words aloud. But this was a chance that had been given to him. Aldrich had known that these words were a turning point if he would want to see any further developments. He wondered if this ce was like anything simr to the ce he had seen after losing the dream-worldst time. Then he could say these words out loud here, too. Aldrich tried to say something, but no sound came out. And time passed like an ever-flowing river. "Da" For the first time, a sound could be heard. Aldrich''s mind, now sharpened even more by the endless time, caught the crux of the feeling. "Darkest among Dark." "Devourer of Dreams." "End" His voice faltered to continue, but using the will that he had saved only for this moment, he shouted out thest words. "Endless Veil of Slumber." The Veil fluttered, and the call in his mind became an iprehensible whisper. Aldrich''s focus had been concentrated on the being''s face. The edges of its face had lifted, giving a vague impression of a slight smile. And in the next moment, the eternally closed eyes of the being shot open. Aldrich didn''t even have the time to look away. An extreme wave of pain had washed over his mind. From the colorless eyes of that being, a seed-like item came out and prated the middle of Aldrich''s forehead. A finger-wide deep hole could be seen in existence there. An ominous ck vapor had emanated out of that hole. Not only that, but his hair had also turned white. And white and ck in his eyes had exchanged their color. A corner of the Veil tore itself out and covered the naked body of Aldrich like a robe. He could see the Veil in front of that being parted like a curtain and beyond it there was a world. With a sudden force, the opening pulled Aldrich into it. When Aldrich gained his bearings, he had been hovering in mid-air, just over his dead body. All things around him seemed colorless, like a ck and white painting. And in this colorless scenery, Aldrich got to see more things than he could see before. Aldrich saw himself closing his eyes and the Boss Crawler''s smirking face. He saw himself standing behind the gravestone in a stupor. He saw himself entering the Mana-film around the hill and he also saw himself fighting the Elite, themon Bigfoot, and the other Crawlers. Scenes of his all actions flowed in front of him like a video reel. Aldrich realized if he wished to, he could have even gone further back in this flow of time. But for the moment, something had limited him to the second node only. "Shared Vision. So it was like this! I had never thought of sleeping because I have always been sleeping. I never had a dream because I have always been dreaming. My reality has intertwined itself with my dreams." Aldrich used his fingers to feel the hole in his head. He looked at the Boss''s forehead and some ideas had formed in his mind. But this wasn''t the time to ponder over them. The world had started to gain its color little by little and with his divine sense, he could feel his eyes gaining their original color back. With a feeling of falling, he plunged himself into his lifeless body. The first thing Aldrich had noticed after opening his eyes was a list of different notifications. [ Hidden Quest time limit is over Hidden Quest''s Status: Failed Dreamer''s ss ''Generalist'' is updated ss: Generalist Description: Dreamers of this ss can learn anything in the least amount of time. Dreamers can also create many Skills and Items using their Experience Points without facing repercussions from the System ss-Specific Skill: Metacreativity ] Aldrich stood up and saw a bewildered look on the Boss Crawler. Even it couldn''t seem toprehend the absurdity of the things that had happened right in front of its eyes. Aldrich took out the daggers and dashed towards the Boss. With a quick thrust, he tried to pierce the heart of the dazed Crawler but the Boss used the rifle to deflect the dagger and unsheathed its Sabre. Aldrich plunged the deflected dagger into the Crawler''s chest and with quick back steps created a distance between them. The Sabre was crystal clear and had vibrated the moment it smelled the blood on its master and Aldrich''s wounds. If it weren''t for the Crawler''s ''Old Gambler'' Skill being over, Aldrich would have already crushed the Return Stone. But things had taken a turn in favor of Aldrich now. He had regained his trump card. [ Item: Oldest Change Type: Mask Rank: Common Durability: 300/300 Minimum Usage Condition: The highest Attribute of Dreamer must be greater than the sum of the two lowest Attributes Description: +5% effect to all Perception-based Skills Item-specific Skill: Change Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Transfer 50% of any Attribute to another Attribute Warning: All effects of Item would be lost immediately upon being taken off ] "Change." [ Record of Aldrich Agility: 78 (+4 +50) Perception: 50 (-50) ] Aldrich felt like something had taken hold of his body. And that was - Pleasure. He took a long breath in and looked at the Boss. With a sudden motion, he disappeared. In the next moment, he appeared in front of the Crawler and shed with the dagger in his left hand. The Boss couldn''t even react to such a speed and had been caught off guard. CHOP!!! The right arm of the Boss was sent flying, and Aldrich followed the attack by a kick to its chest. The kicknded right on the dagger and, by the sudden impact, half of the de came out of the boss''s back along with flesh and blood. "Ahhhkkkk!!!" The Crawler howled in pain and threw the Sabre straight at Aldrich. But the Sabre changed its trajectory mid-air and went straight to the severed arm. The Blood Thirsty Sabre had always thirsted for blood and only more blood. The boss had already picked up the fallen rifle. And seeing Aldrich disappearing again, it shouted aloud, "You think you can kill me by just using that speed? Humph!" An explosion of Mana, like that of the grenades, happened with the Boss as the center. A flood of blue ethereal aura covered the Crawler''s body and the rifle. Aldrich had immediatelye to know that it was the SkillMana Burst. And then, even bigger and faster, Mana-bullets were fired at him. Aldrich dodged them easily and appeared somewhere else. But another Mana-bullet came right at him at the same time. The Boss had seemed to predict Aldrich''s fast movements just by depending on its ''experience''. Aldrich changed his strategy and ran in a circle around the Boss. It did not know where Aldrich was, but it didn''t seem to panic. With a slight smile on its face, The Boss took a step. The step created a ripple and in the next moment, it came out of the gravestone far from Aldrich. Aldrich had been waiting for this exact moment. There was a reason he had left the dagger in the Boss''s chest. There was a reason he had used his Change Skill first. "Target Lock." [ Agility: 101 (+4 +50 +23) ] Chapter 30: Return Chapter 30: Return [ Agility: 101 (+4 +50 +23) ] BOOM!!! A boom echoed in the surroundings of the hill. And Aldrich left behind a short cloud of dust where he had been standing. In the next moment, he appeared right below the eye level of the Crawler. The dagger''s efficiency could have been dropped considerably by the Mana Burst Skill, so Aldrich went with the ways of Old School. A left uppercut to the Boss'' chin sent it high in the air. After reaching the highest point of its short flight, with its face towards the sky, the Boss was about to fall. But Aldrich grabbed the dagger in its chest and pulled it out. The dagger came slicing out of the chest, but it jerked the Boss up a little. "Change." [ Strength: 77 (+3 +50) Agility: 28 (+4) Perception: 50 (-50) ] An evil, light red aura enveloped Aldrich''s whole body. Every strand of his muscles cried to burst out with sheer raw power. The sound of him making a fist was mind-numbing. An image of an enormous fist going towards the sky could be seen for a moment in the Boss''s eyes. "HAAAA!!!" And the almighty fist was smashed on the Boss''s face. CRUNCH!!! BOOM!!! The Boss''s body struck the gravestone, but it didn''t slow the Crawler down at all and the gravestone burst apart into a million small pieces. Then, with the force of a small meteorite striking the earth, the boss collided with the hill. The impact made the round top of the hillpletely fall apart. But it wasn''t the end. The momentum had dragged the Boss down the hill and only at the bottom; it stopped. Aldrich redistributed the Stats back to their original Attributes and came to the edge of the crater. He could see the motionless body of the Crawlerying face down at the foot of the hill. He saw several notifications had popped up and focused his attention on them. [ Quest 3 (optional) has beenpleted Rewards: 1. Skill Points +5 2. Buckey''s Cigarettes 10 3. 3 Miles Shot Item: Buckey''s Cigarettes (10) Type: Consumable Rank: Common Description: Restore 10% of maximum HP at Common Rank Warning: Effects would drastically decrease with every Level up in Rare Rank Warning: Effects would drastically decrease if the current HP is less than 10% of the maximum HP Warning: Item would upy 0.1 Units of Inventory Skill: 3 Miles Shot Nature: Active, Not-upgradable Cooldown: 00:10:00 hrs Minimum Usage Condition: Perception 30 Consumption: 200 MP Rank: Common Description: Enhanced visibility and uracy in a radius of 3 miles Warning: Skill''s effect is susceptible to the Rank of Item used ] Aldrich was quite satisfied with the rewards, and an even more outrageous thought had been birthing in his mind. But before he could act on that thought, he caught a movement at the corner of his eyes. The Boss was standing up and the frequent tremors in its body were visible clearly. Its entire face had been mangled up with blood. Aldrich saw as the Boss''s hand reached into its pocket and took out a Cigarette. The Crawler lighted it with the shaking hands and took a deep puff. "You must have been thinking of annihting me now, don''t you?" Aldrich''s eyes narrowed, seeing the HP of the Boss rising with every second. He also didn''t like how calm the Boss had been portraying itself. Especially after that harsh beating. The difference in strength was quite apparent now. Even if Aldrich couldn''t kill it with one attack, he could have drained its remaining Mana in a matter of minutes. But Aldrich had forgotten one thing. Or it would be justifiable to say he hadn''t needed to remember that one thing. The Boss raised his left hand, and a Sabre came flying in its hand. It was the Blood Thirsty Sabre. "Even if it''s such a rascal, I adore this Sabre." The Boss said, gently caressing the de of Sabre. And with a sudden force, he plunged the Sabre into the wound which the Dagger had left open. The Sabre, now soaked with blood, turnedpletely red and melted into a molten liquid. In a matter of seconds, the Sabre was no longer there, and the result was even more horrifying than the Mana Burst Skill. "RIDERS OF DEATH." Aldrich knew the Boss had not yet used one of his Skills. But the Old Gambler, Mana Burst, and the Mana Bullets he had been using since the start had already consumed his MP. He did not know that even such a thing was possible. There was no mention of any Skill that had a description rted to Blood Thirsty Sword. Even the Item itself had no detail regarding this. Then there was only one conclusion that he could draw. It was neither an Active Skill nor an Item-specific Skill. It was rted to a Passive Skill. Aldrich had checked the Passive Skills many times, but couldn''t find any relevant information. This only meant that the Passive Skills had some hidden aspects about them. And Aldrich was familiar with such hidden aspects, one of which he knew himselfShared Vision. As soon as the Boss used the Skill, a huge blue-green portal opened up behind him. The ground beneath Aldrich and even the whole hill had shaken in a rhythm. The first thing that came out of the portal was a horse of twice the normal size. NEIGHHH!!! The horse neighed fiercely as it stood up on its two hooves and the sound got scattered throughout the forest. The Boss swiftly jumped on the horse and tapped the neck of the beast. But that wasn''t the end. Hundreds of other riders came out of the portal, each with their horse, rifle, and sword. Following an unutteredmand, they lined up behind the Boss. "Men, you see that bastard over there?" The Boss called out, pointing the rifle towards Aldrich. "" The dead riders agreed silently. "Well, let''s teach him a thing or two about war," the Boss gave a menacing look to Aldrich andmanded, "March." BANG! BANG! WHOOSH! Even before they marched up, the summoned Crawlers behind the Boss had started the firing. A small party cut itself off from the group and went around the hill to attack Aldrich from behind. And another two groups separated themselves to surround him from left and right. But Aldrich had been observing all developments calmly. [ Time Left: 32 minutes ] He looked at the time and took a green-colored crystal out of the Void. Aldrich noticed how the smiling expression of the Boss crumbled as soon as it recognized the object. Aldrich didn''t waste a second more for the farewell and crushed the crystal. CLINK! "YOU COWARD!!!" A blue light had covered Aldrich, but he got to hear thest revengeful scream of the Boss. The next scene that showed itself to Aldrich wasn''t much different from the one he had left behind. He could hear the cracking sound of lightning now and then but not from the clouds, but a huge hammer in the hands of a blue-haired man. And five ck-suited Dreamers had been surrounding a man in shorts. ''Boomie?'' Aldrich made a guess why he could havee here. But a fight among Dreamers just before thepletion of the time limit had be too rare. Seeing Aldriching out of the portal, all persons present there looked towards him. The terrifying mask, blood-soaked jackets and jeans, and the traces of a bitter fight were distinctly visible. One of the Anti-Dreamer agents left his position and moved towards Aldrich with a hateful look in his eyes. But Aldrich and Boomie had already been looking at each other. Aldrich could hear the murdering thoughts in the air and as soon as he saw Boomie raising his foot, he shook his head lightly in refusal. Aldrich knew what Boomie had nned to do, but things hadn''t gone that badly yet. "On the authority given to me by the US Government, the ADA, and the UN, I arrest you for being a threat to National Security. Please hand me over your DL and take off your mask." Aldrich was amused by this sudden turn of events. He cooperatively gave away his DL but didn''t show any sign of taking off his ''mask''. The agent took this gesture as an insult and an act of defiance. There was no need to confirm the other Dreamer''s level as he had been informed that this masked man couldn''t be higher than level 5. He raised his hand to remove the mask in the hope to capture the masked man''s face using the hidden cameras. But suddenly, his knees buckled, the primal fear of being devoured by a ravenous beast took over his consciousness. The same thing happened to other agents, and all had whimpered, lying t on the ground. The hammer-wielding man had fared better than the others. He had remained in an upright position using his hammer, but he too couldn''t raise his head to look at the masked Dreamer. INTIMIDATION. [ Time Left: 30 minutes Commencing Random Dungeon Allocation ] A bluish-green light enveloped all the Dreamers. But just before Aldrich could be teleported, he turned his head to the left and looked towards a distant alley. Traces of a receding ck fog could have been seen in a dark corner. Chapter 31: Recognition Responsibility Honor Chapter 31: Recognition Responsibility Honor A few minutes before Japan The graceful katas performed by the youngdy had melted away the heaviness of the empty training hall. The asional swishing sounds of the hard strokes gently counterbnced the swiftness of the soft ones. One could see small beads of sweat all over the floor, but the young practitioner had hardly even moved from her position. Hisakawa Tomiko looked at her Naginata with a calm gaze, but the determination in her brown eyes had bested her beauty by a huge margin. She heard small footsteps approaching the training hall and gave herself some rest. Her ck hair shimmered with silvery radiance. And the sharpness of the Naginata''s de and her milky smooth skin contrasted each other wonderfully. She saw a man entering the training hall wearing a uniform, much like her Naginata Gi. The gigantic frame of that man and his quick steps brimmed with unrestrained power, and yet she could not see a slight hint of pride on his face. And Tomiko had dered this man to herself as her lifelong goal. She hit the butt of the Naginata''s hilt on the floor and let it go. But it didn''t waver from its position. "Master," Tomiko gave her master a traditional bow. "How are you feeling?" "Ready to fight." Tomiko saw the man''s brows rising upon her reply. She immediately got to know that she had again given a hastily reply. "You need to learn how to reign on your impulse." "You are right, master." "Hmm, do you still wonder why I didn''t let you go to any Dungeon after your awakeningst week?" "No" Tomiko took a deep breath and continued, "Yes, I wonder about it sometimes." "Good. What do you think Skills and ''Record'' are?" Tomiko hadn''t expected such a question from her master. How could she have provided a satisfactory answer about Skills to one of the strongest Dreamers? But all questions were to be answered at some point. "Skills gives a Dreamer means to do unachievable things. Not only do we use them for survival in Dungeons but the ss-specific Skills also let the Dreamer use their maximum potential in a battle. And ''Record'' gives a Dreamer ess to these Skills." The statement was concise and to the point. Nothing better could have been found on Skills from any contemporary source. And Tomiko was the brightest among her peers, physically and mentally. But Matsumoto Sho couldn''t bepared to just any knowledge hub out in the world. "There is nothing wrong with what you said just now. But if you follow this statement, you wouldn''t amount to anything more than a slightly stronger Dreamer." Tomiko''s whole bearing took a 180-degree turn. Her demeanor, her eyes, and even the Naginata by her side seemed more alert and straighter. There were plenty of lessons and things to learn in the inte''s age. But a lesson that was needed and that was given at the right ce and right time had be scarce these days. "If we consider the ''Record'' as our food, then the Active Skills would be our digestive system. There is one task it has to perform, and that is to provide energy to the body for its proper functioning. But Passive Skills are different. In the same analogy, the Passive Skills would be our taste, our smell, our vision, and even our sense of touch and other feelings. The ''Record'' isn''t a method to just level-up and raise our Rank, but it''s a process to tap into the hidden aspects of these Passive Skills." ''How much time I would have taken to realize the underlying meaning which master had let me know casually,'' she thought. This perspective of seeing the RECORD and the Skills overwhelmed Tomiko. And a shiver ran down from her spine. The feeling of gratitude overtook all other emotions, and she kowtowed to him. "Thank you, master. Tomiko would remember this lesson." "Are you ready then?" Tomiko''s hand reached out towards the Naginata and wrapped it up using a long cloth. She looked at her Stat window and said, "Yes." A blue-green light enveloped her, and the shes left behind the Baron in deep contemtion. * South Korea "Fuck this ''Record! Fuck its mother till the tenth generation! Motherfucking piece of shit****!" The distribution of Dreamers in South Korea had followed a little different trend from its counterparts. Instead of Guilds, the Dreamermunity was divided into four factions, each led by a General. The government tremendously supported these factions financially. And the factions were needed to supply Mana cores and other materials from the Dungeon. The General of the Northern Gate was a retired Korean military officer. The General of the Eastern Gate was the eldest son of the head of thergestpany in Korea''s business world. The General of the Western Gate was the head of the many organized crime factions which had been scattered before the Night. And the General of the Southern Gate only existed in papers. Nobody in Korea other than the three Generals, probably, had an idea about who had imed the title. In Seoul''s biggest fish market, behind the neatly assembled stalls and the hustling customers, there were rows of dpidated homes. And from one of the many alleys there, one could hear the shout of curses scaring no one but rodents. 22-year-old Choi Seong was known in Korean as kkangpae. From the schoolyard gangs to being a thug himself, Seong had seen too much dirt in this world. The local gang war had imed his father''s life when he was in her mother''s belly. His mother got herself a second husband 13 yearster, but he never returned after going out one day. And he had left behind a 1-year-old daughter. A mother, a sister, and a quiet kid. At least one of them had to take that abominable step. It had taken him 8 years to build a rapport with his small gang, but ECORD hadid it all to a waste. Who would hire him to take care of the dirt when the same thing could be done even more efficiently by a Dreamer? But somehow he had managed to earn bits and pieces from here and there. But only untilst week, when he suddenly disappeared and became a Dreamer himself. Bing a Dreamer was indeed lucrative, but who would take care of his 10-year-old little sister and his mother. The frustration of being not able to choose anything for thest 13-14 years could not have been understood just by imagining it. Seong kept cursing and kicking the crunched-up man on the dirty alley floor. His other three gang members were on the lookout. Each kick was hurting him more than the bastard lying t on the floor. He looked at the Stat window and with a grinding voice said, "If I don''t get my money by the time I return, consider yourself a fish food. You da" The blue-green light that had enveloped him cut his words off, and the shes left behind the smell of sewers and blood. * Myanmar Unlike most of the countries, the Dreamer''s organizations were still scattered around the country. Even after the Night, the status of being among the least developed countries hadn''t left it alone. The monopolization of resources and the immigration of Dreamers to other countries were two of the main reasons for this. But among the abundance of agriculture-dependent citizens, some people wanted nothing but glory for their country. There were Dreamers, independent of age, who had died trying to bring a change. From farmers to professors, and from miners to engineers, someone could find these people everywhere. 27-year-old Tun Bo Ag was one of these people. But he wasn''t some well-known gamer or a doctor. Tun Bo Ag had dedicated his whole life to perfecting the most brutal martial arts in the world, Lethwei. The Art of 9 limbs was famous for its use of bare knuckles with only tape and gauze. Not only that, the fighters were even allowed many means to bring down their opponent. Including but not limited to fists, elbows, feet, and even headbutts. When everyone was relishing their luck after bing a Dreamer, the World Lethwei Champion was just counting his days. He had known that one Night woulde which would awaken him as a Dreamer. But his goals were more sophisticated and grand than those of his other fellow citizens who had left the country. Tun Bo Ag wanted nothing more than honor. He had realized this word at a very early age. And aftering back from the dead in those bloody fights, he had earned the honor for himself. Now the time hade to earn honor for his country. Tun Bo Ag looked at the Stat and wrapped his hands in tapes like another normal day. Soon a blue-green light enveloped him and the shes left behind a proud father and a teary wife. Chapter 32: Old Night New Dreams Chapter 32: Old Night New Dreams The first thing that Aldrich saw after getting teleported reminded him of Greece. The front of the building had extended up to approximately 70 meters. And it had a wide portico, a porch leading up to the entrance of the building, an idea influenced by Ancient Greece. And the six massive columns seemed to support the entire sky. But even more eye-catching were the three statues on top of the building. Aldrich had just recognized where he was when he noticed five more Dreamers staring at the building, or the statues, with awe and horror. But all of those gazing at the majestic but twisted beauty of the statues sighed in relief. Upon seeing that, they didn''t have a muddy-yellow pir of light around them. But one could still see a simr pir rising from within the building. One of the local officers, along with many armed men, approached the newly arrived group of Dreamers. Most of the countries by now had detailed instructions to follow up with this situation. Aldrich could see that the officer had no trace of fear, even after seeing the group of foreigners. Though the soldiers behind him seemed to be more honest with their expressions. Gratitude, the word was on their smile, in their eyes, and their small and slow steps. The officer eyed the group and then, in fluent English, addressed them, "Wee to Irnd, everyone. Please follow me to get done with the procedure. May I know if any of you have been to a Random-Dungeon before?" ''So that''s how it is. It''s a Dungeon where mostly newbies get teleported,'' Aldrich thought. The Random-Allocation, even though being random, followed some rules. Some dungeons had been found to attract newly awakened Dreamers. And at least one among these would be a Dreamer who had survived thest two or three Random-Dungeons. This phenomenon had been highly debated upon and yet none had found a rational exnation for it. But a word had surfaced in Aldrich''s mind about this after reading it for the first time. ''Leaders. The ''Record'' is trying to generate traits of Leadership or amplify these traits.'' Even if this theory was to be released publicly, the only result would be public humiliation. Not that Aldrich had ever minded or cared for such things. Who would have believed that the one thing solely responsible for the gruesome deaths weekly was only trying to select leaders out of the mass? Aldrich saw as one dreamer took a step forward and replied, "Hello, I am Sonu Rana. I have been to five Random-Dungeons before." Aldrich knew Sonu Rana even before the Night. The 24-year-old had been the best contender for the title of Grandmaster. The chess prodigy had be face to face with the current World Champion many times. And many such prodigies had been dying without leaving behind their legacy sincest year. Aside from the colossal structure and the statues, Aldrich found out that the other thing they had taken an interest in was his mask. Unlike him, they had no means to tell if the Mask was an Item or not, unless he unequipped it. But in that case, it would have just disappeared as per the warning from his ss-specific Skill. Aldrich had already scanned everything in his Divine Sense range. He analyzed that apart from him and the veteran, the rest of the four Dreamers had shared onemon trait. They all had exceptional Stats. And the most noticeable were the Japanesedy''s Item and the funny-looking hippie man. As the Dreamers were walking towards the local verification post, the Korean man slowed down and neared himself to Aldrich. From the way Seong had been looking at the mask, Aldrich could guess what he was about to ask. "Oi! Give me your mask," Seong said in Korean. But Aldrich didn''t need an interpreter to understand what had been asked of him. He was a polyglot from the beginning. He studied Seong''s ss and his Skill and the Korean felt like he was being tickled all over his body. "It''s not for sale," Aldrich tersely replied. "Oh! Damn!!! You are also a Korean. Haha! Well, I guess you can keep the mask for now," Seong casually put an arm around Aldrich''s neck and yfully shook, "Youing from a Dungeon? Your bag looks funny. Tell you what? Work for me in this Dungeon and I would make sure you woulde out alive with all your limbs intact. Ain''t I the best hyung-nim, huh?" Seong couldn''t even distinguish Aldrich''s ent. The fluency of his reply wasn''t needed to be questioned by anyone, even if one would have heard it over one time. Aldrich saw the Dreamers taking out their respective DL and took one out from his pockets. He had given himself three days to prepare for his first raid. Three days were enough for him to do many things, ample to make fake copies of DL issued by ADA. All got their DL verified except Seong. The officer''s eyebrows squeezed, seeing his behavior. Aldrich thought there must be one or two such cases he was forced to handle during every Random-Allocation. The officer, without raising his voice, asked Seong, "Sir, do you not have a valid Dreamer''s Licence?" "No. So what?" Yes, even if he hadn''t had a license, there wasn''t much anybody could do about it unless they decided to just kill him. If one doesn''t enter within the first few minutes of Dungeon opening or with the other Party members, the Dreamers were found to get teleported. And that too to any random location within the Dungeon. Which would be a loss to both the Dreamers and the Party. "That wouldn''t be an issue," said the officer. He looked at probable Party Leader, Sonu Rana, and said, "But I can''t emphasize enough on the protocols that are needed to follow a sessful raid." Sonu nodded in response. A cut of 5%, from all the Mana cores, was to be deposited in the Dungeon''s country. At the least, in the countries where the government had imed a right on the Dungeons. All had publicly protested and mocked the arbitrary rule. But most prominent Dreamers hadn''t objected to it, so others let it slide, too. "Please collect the Dungeon''s information, 1 Strength Potion, and 1 Health Potion from the desk. We Irish don''t let a Dreamer go in empty-handed at the expense of our safety." One vial of Strength Potion and Health Potion each wasn''t much, but the Dreamers had well received this gesture. "I want to exchange these Mana-cores for Health and Strength Potions," Aldrich saw a good way to get rid ofpiled cores other than Elite''s core. The officer opened the makeshift bag and his eyes went wide. For the first time, they could see a foolish grin on his face. Those days, the Mana-cores were turning out to be the ideal currency. Their demand was unreasonably high, but low supply. "Sure. Wait a minute," the officer happily said, handing over the bag to one soldier. "I will evacuate the remaining personnel and let you guys do your thing. This Dungeon has a low mortality rate. We have found out that only 1 in 5 newly awakened Dreamers die within it. Anyway, best of luck. May the sun shine warm upon your face after the long and weary Night." Following the old Irish blessing, all the Dreamers received the same notification. [ Time Left: 15 minutes The Dreamers can choose to form a Party that would be in effect till the end of the Raid The Party members would be made aware of each other''s location and would be provided additional bonuses in different circumstances Every Party must have a Party Leader The Experiences Points will be distributed among the Party members ording to their contribution A fixed amount of 3% of Experience Points gained by killing Dungeon Crawlers, would be given to the Party Leader regardless of his contributions Bonus Skill ''Language Proficiency'' is now activated till the end of the Raid ] The atmosphere around the Dreamers became tense as soon as the ugly topic of choosing a Party Leader was mentioned by the RECORD. But even this had be a standard protocol. Aldrich wasn''t nervous at all, even when he had entered a Dungeon for the first time. But the strangeness of the situation was that even the other 5 Dreamers had been cid and casual about it. "Let''s share our Levels anyway just for the sake of it," Sonu said. There were no surprises in the oue. All, except Sonu, were at Level 1 while he had reached Level 7. Aldrich guessed a famous Guild in India must have recruited Sonu for him to reach Level 7 after only 5 weeks. This could only mean that he had been raiding Dungeons in the ''Bright Days'' too. [ You have received a Party request from Sonu Do you ept the request? Warning: Once epted 5% of total ExPs gained would be awarded to the Party Leader if the Dreamer decides to break away from the Party against the will of Party Leader ] ''Everything seems to be centered on team y,'' Aldrich again emphasized the point to himself and said, "Yes." [ Party request has been epted Party Members: Sonu, Tun Bo Ag, Tomiko, Seong, Aldrich, Mantis Party Leader: Sonu ] Everyone looked at each other with a little less wariness after that. "It would be best to do further nning and assign roles after confirming the situation inside." Aldrich heard the sweet and soothing voice of Tomiko. "You are right! Tomiko-chan," the hippieically said, and earned himself an icy re from the soledy in the group. "Ahh!!! It''s so boring. Let''s go already! I so want to crush some fucking things," Seong sullenly said. Aldrich saw a vague shadow cast by craziness and ferocity on the face of the quiet Burmese champion. [ Time Left: 00:00:00 hrs ] A portal could be seen opening up just in front of a window of the building facing the street. And all the Dreamers again confirmed the reason for the ''Low'' mortality rate and read the name on the documents. General Post Office, O''Connell Street (Dublin) DungeonSculpture of Cu Chinn Chapter 33: Broken Faith Chapter 33: Broken Faith An hour before Kingdom of Eternal Servant King Antiochus had followed the same routine for years. But the prayers still upied most of his time. The Name of his Lord was a legacy that had always been passed down from thest King to the next one. Since his childhood, he had known the Name which couldn''t be said out loud just by uttering it. The Name which couldn''t be listened to just by hearing it. And the Name which couldn''t be seen just by writing it. The only thing toment over was that the other Kings too knew of this Name. And instead of showing piety towards it, they preferred to use it as a mere contact method. But they all were foolish enough in his eyes to think that his Lord had responded to them ever. No one, not even the Kings, could have shown disrespect to this "Name" if the Emperor were to be still alive. But all traces of his holy presence had been lost 1,216 years ago. Antiochus believed he was born with a purpose in these tumultuous times. And that purpose was almost in line with that of thest Emperor. To show all beings of the Gxy the grandity of his Lord''s presence. To prove that all pain and suffering could be dealt with by believing in his Lord, and to show that his Lord is the only Beginning and the ultimate End. But Antiochus also believed that the methods of thest Emperor weren''t decisive enough. Sometimes, for the greater good, one must be ready to go against one''s conscience. That''s the harsh reality and a necessary sacrifice that a staunch believer of the Lord must pay. And true to these beliefs, Antiochus had taken steps that must have to be taken at different parts of life. And to regret those actions would be an act of profanity. ''Yes, an act of profanity.'' Antiochus thought, waiting for his guest''s arrival. A person of astute mind wouldn''t need to be told the importance of this guest given that the King himself had been waiting for him. These kinds of guests neithere with an announcement nor are they needed to be sent off grandiosely. Theye and go like the passing wind, leaving behind a whisper of pleasure, or sometimes a warning of inevitable doom. The door to the secret hall in the Pce opened without the usual creaking sound and a masked man in in ck garments came in. His clothing contrasted beautifully with the whiteness of Antiochus''s robes. The man took off his mask and took a seat at the table opposite Antiochus. The wine on the table was bound to be left untouched today. "I amte." "No one iste enough in the sight of the Lord," Antiochus replied with a slight smile. "Don''t hide behind your Lord. The situation has taken a drastic turn against us." "Haha, not all hope is lost. Every turn must pass through the vicissitudes of time. And we don''tck time, do we?" Antiochus asked. "Humph! What do you know of time? We have been losing out in strength in the 1st Quadrant since the new General has assumed her position." "Let her relish in her victory, we still have to deal with other critical issues." A brief silence was followed upon the mention of these critical issues. The spacious room wasn''t dark, but often this darkness depends on the matter being discussed. And for a moment, the dark shades in the corners seemed to overwhelm the lighting on the walls. "The new nobles in the 1st Quadrant have outnumbered the other kingdoms. If this goes on, the oue won''t be favorable for both of us." "This has been bugging me, too. But no one can interfere in this process. We had sanctioned the terms in the presence of our Lord. I would have to take action if someone were to go against the Lord''s will," Antiochus said, tightening his grip on the Papal Fer. The man opposite Antiochus narrowed his eyes, seeing the ominous shine of the ck globe on the top of the golden staff. He was about to retort when Antiochus visibly rxed his grip and continued. "But there are other ways through which we can serve the Lord in all reverence. The Barren Earths are unapproachable to foreign beings, yes. But cosmic cmities and destruction are still a part of natural phenomena." A beam of realization shined out of the ck-robed man''s eyes. Some paths had always been opened, but not everyone could see them. "But the innocent" "You? Are you, of all, considering Innocents? Every life has been and woulde into existence to serve The Oldest One. This wouldn''t be a meaningless ughter, but a pious act under the Lord''s Name. Let the awakened go into slumber and return to the Lord''s embrace. No matter if a path is bloody or merciful, they all have the same destination." The dark shadows gained a red tinge and even the lighting Mana globes hovering below the ceilings seemed to lose out against them. "I am not concerned if this Path goes towards The Oldest One or not. But it''s tempting enough to walk onto," the ck-robed man said. He looked at the dimming of the lighting globes and continued, "Alvis would enter the Dungeon within the next 2 weeks." "Hmm! Yes, he is nearing his time limit. Are you worried about the Supreme Commander''s interference? Huh! Someone could even scare you off?" The man didn''t retort to Antiochus''s remark full of mockery. Being scared or not, even then no one in this Gxy would go against the Judge of Cmity over some trivial agendas. But he knew that if the Last Saint had brought up that name, then he must have some way to ovee this hurdle. "Don''t worry about him. He won''t interfere. The more we would fight with each other, the more he would step back. Also, he has been missing from his office sincest week." "Missing?" "Hmm, who knows what that old monster is up to? But with him not avable and the Red Dragon being away on the hunt in the Dungeon, we can solve both issues simultaneously." "What do you mean by ''both''? Stop being so cryptic, Antiochus." "The Princess wants to assure her dominance by purging our forces from her Kingdom. That''s an endeavor full of merits, but merits can''t be earned without facing risks. And idents can happen to even those who aren''t meant for them." Antiochus had never lost his smile, for it represented his unshakable belief in the Lord''s Name. But for the first time after his arrival, the man opposite him also showed a grin. It wasn''t a viinous smile, nor was it foolish. One could have seen this grin on any average person, imagining the fruits of his/her efforts. The man stood up and put on his mask, and with no words of farewell, he exited from the secret room, leaving it in its sacred silence. Men of their status didn''t dilly-dally on pointless things. It had been only expected of others in their presence. * Antiochus felt tired after passing on the sentence to many lives. And the best tonic to this tiresome feeling had always been a heartfelt prayer. He went to the Hall of Prayers, which had been emptied following the daily schedule. The Hall of Prayers had a high ceiling, and it was long enough to keep on walking for hours. At the end, there was a massive ck Veil that had been hung since the Kingdom was first established. This Veil represented the God in whom the citizens of the Kingdom of Eternal Servant had been believing for eternity. King Antiochus, like other pious believers, kneeled under the fluttering Veil. The sight of the darkness of the Veil filled his old heart with pleasure and piety. Here he could be just another man pursuing his goals, here he could be just another man asking for forgiveness, and here he could be just another man cherishing his faith. "Darkest among Dark, Devourer of Dreams, Endless Veil of Slumber." Antiochus prayed, uttering the same words he had been saying since they had selected him as the next King. He could have always felt a presence watching him with an unseen gaze of sacredness. But something had changed since thest time he prayed. Something unbelievable and utterly impossible had happened to that presence he was familiar with. Antiochus felt himself being surrounded by darkness even darker than the Veil in front of him. He felt himself being cut off from his surroundings and every cell in his body felt the horror of being devoured alive. His blood vessels could hardly bear the pressure of his blood anymore. In sheer terror, Antiochus saw the Veil opening up little by little. But before seeing anything, he heard a sound. The sound came from the farthermost regions any being had ever been to, and it softly came into existence. It was faint and yet it was rhythmic. Antiochus unwillingly got reminded of a natural phenomenon: earthquake. And then he saw ''It''. "AAAHHHHHH!!!" The scream couldn''t hide the state of his body on which tiny bubbles filled with pus and blood had burst out. His skin had been torn open by the flesh underneath it, and it had iled about involuntarily. The most horrific were the visions that hade in front of his eyes like an unbearable itch. He saw himself gutting babies; he saw himself slicing throats, and he saw himself being annihted by a white-haired being. "NOOOO!!!" Antiochus tried to run away by concentrating all his Kingly strength. But his right hand didn''t listen to him and with a heart-tearing sound, it broke off from his body. "What What is this ABOMINATION!?" Chapter 34: Mantiss Thoughts Chapter 34: Mantis''s Thoughts I am Mantis, and I am not known by any other name. I have spent thest 34 years of my life scamming people. I have scammed them of their healthcare, property, and often their entire livelihood. Sometimes I hade close to getting caught once, but I have made many friends throughout my life. The title of Crime Lord was an inch away from my reach when the Night descended. Nothing seemed to change even after that. It felt like the world itself didn''t want me to change. The ss ''Record'' bestowed on me is also a scam, and it is a scam at a whole another level. At first, I used to scam people of material things, and now, I can scam any being of its life. The only question that''s bugging me since entering the Dungeon is how to scam these Dreamers of their life. These Quests are not my priority, let them worry about these notifications. The Fuck? They think that someone can remember all these details. Look at the number of "Potential Crawlers", and only 1 Health Potion and 1 Stamina Potion? Tch! What is this idiot bbering about? Does he think he could treat us like his bitch now that he has be the Party Leader? "Hmm, it looks like an underground setting. We have to figure out if we need to go up or down, but first let''s introduce ourselves to each other''s capabilities, Ok? I would start with myself. I am Sonu Rana, a Mage, and my general abilities lie in Buffing and Debuffing." "Hisakawa Tomiko, a Warrior. I am well adapted to mid-rangebat." Well, at least now I am sure who would be the first one to get scammed here. I bet her life''s essence would be as tasty as her looks. The only thing I need to worry about is that Item of hers whose potential danger I can even feel from here. What is it, a pole or a spear? "Seong Choi, a Tanker. I can create shields out of nowhere." This guy has the same eyes I used to have a long time ago. Scammers shouldn''t scam each other, right? Well, his oue would depend on his behavior then. The only one here that I am not sure about is this masked man. I hate when people try to present themselves as mysterious. And the way he has been looking at me creeps me out when I can''t even see his eyes. "Aldrich, a Scout." "Oh! There aren''t many scouts that I have heard about, even in India. I am so d that we have chanced upon a Scout here. It''s a blessing, they can be a lifesaver in Dungeon''s unpredictable environment." "Tun Bo Ag, a Warrior. I can fight." Who would think otherwise you moron, you are half-naked, to begin with. This motherfucker looks like a UFCC fighter with glistening muscles and fiery expressions. It seems like he would eat out alive the next thing thates across him. Guess it''s my turn now, then hear this, suckers! "I am Mantis. Haha! I am just aedian who is Healer. Funny people die early in movies. I hope you would keep me safe for all the ''free'' healing, right?" "Don''t worry, I have been to many Dungeons. Not once a Healer has ever made to go on the frontline unless the Party members had to. As the Party Leader, I assure you that your safety would be our prime aim. This tunnel-like area is dark and quite long. Aldrich, I want you to move in front of the group along with Seong and scout for potential Crawlers. Tomiko, you walk behind them with Mr. Mantis and look out for any surprise attacks. I and Tun Bo Ag would be at the tail of the group." Wow! Look at him go. How many times he must have repeated this speech in front of the mirror? This kid has the potential to be an average scammer. If he were to be my student, then he has a good chance of surpassing even me. "How long we have been walking for? There is nothing but rock, dirt, and dry and humid air here. I already miss the fish market, even if the smell is unbearable sometimes at least I know where it ising from." "Time can be different here from the real world. In my previous Random-Dungeon, we spent three days within it. So get used to it and enjoy the silence while you still can." "Something ising." Oi, scary-mask! Shout out loud these warnings, you idiot. What ising? Why can''t I see it? Ah! where''s my Tomiko-chan? "Hehe! Tomiko-chan, I am in your care. Don''t go too far from me, I need to be close to you for my healing magic to work on you." Why does she keep ring at me like that? Yeah, look cold as much as you can, bitch! Your father going to suck you dry, eventually. Hmm? What is this feeling, why I am having an urge to cry? Ah! Even Tomiko-chan''s eyes bing watery. Maybe she "AAAHHHHHH!!!" My ears! God, my ears! "Everyone we have encountered a Banshee and there might be more nearby. Cover your ears the moment you see one trying to open her mouth." Yeah? Then howe you and that Scary-Mask seems unaffected, Mr. Party Leader. It''s my turn to shine now. Can you see this blue sphere of light in my hand Tomiko-chan? It had taken me, three nice-ass women, to fill up these reserves. "Quick thinking, Mr. Mantis. If you were to contribute more than others, then I would let you have priority over any reward. I would even give you one from the Leader''s quota." Only one? We would see about that, kiddo. Let me first watch Tomiko-chan moves for a bit. Oh! what a sharp de? Can she even fling it or is this only to scare away lechers? Wow, she has taken it personally. I seem to catch an impulsive one this time. Come on, Mr. Leader, say something. "Wait Tomiko, don''t chase after that Crawler. Aldrich, stop her from going too far." "No, kid, let me go. I can heal her in case of any injury and she can protect me." "But" I must run as fast as I can, otherwise, this holier-than-thou idiot would hold me back from having a delicious meal. Why is this masked guy still looking at me like that? Fuck off, I don''t have time to fuck with you? "Hah! Hah!..." Damn! I lost her. Where has she run to? Oh! I am seeing stairs over there. Maybe we have to go up. I can even see a light, but the entrance seems too high for her to reach there withouting into my sight. Humph! She hid her Agility to fool us. Clever girl, but not clever enough. * "Huff! Thest step" This ce seems more lively than the lower floor. nts, water, and wet earth, it''s like a fucking garden or something. Now, where are you Tomiko-chan? Oh! There she is. Tch, tch! She is bleeding too. Well, the bloodier the better. It would be best to suck away her essence a little and use her to bait other Crawlers. "Where did that Crawler go or have you killed it already?" "Don''t worry about it and heal me already. Would you stop gawking at my breasts?" Bitch! No gratitude or anything? I havee here so far for you and not for your attitude. What are you being so grumpy about? Look at this ce, isn''t it romantic? Let me show you how to savor the vor of these moments. "Life-Steal." "Wait! What are you doing? No! AAHHH!..." "Haha" What a taste? Ah! This feeling, nothing canst in front of this. Hmm? What is that? Oh! The dying Banshee. This bitch didn''t tell me she had almost killed it. Wait, I would deal with youter. First, let me have some Experience Points. Where is this singinging from? It''sing from near too. "Oi, can you hear it?" Fuck, not even kicking is waking her up now. I need to check it out by myself. If these Banshees are nothing but 4 ft. tall ghostly girls, then I can handle them myself. Does everyone seem to forget why I am named Mantis? If I stalk the cicada, then who would dare to be the Oriole? "Oh, Warrior! Are you lost In the ocean, on a boat" Why can''t I hear it now? I could hear it clearly a moment ago now I can''t make out the words anymore. Wait! I can see something. What is that? "Ah... Oh! Oh, my God! No, No! Please don''t, please." No, I need to run. Yes, run Michael, get up. My legs, what''s happening to them? My eyes, why I can''t see anything. "No! Please spare me. I did nothing... NOO!!!" ... ... I am Mantis, and I am not known by any other name. Chapter 35: A Game of Chess Chapter 35: A Game of Chess From the moment that Aldrich had entered the Dungeon, it felt creepy and unnatural to him. The difficulty of a Random-Dungeon depended upon the average Level of Dreamers. The feeling this Dungeon had been oozing out was not something any Common-Ranked could detect. Aldrich didn''t know if the Dungeon would focus on his Level or his Attributes but after running into the Banshee he went for thetter. Like a ghost, it was drifting above the ground and wearing a loose gray robe. Its white hair was blowing without the wind and the white of its eyes was intensely red because of endless weeping. Aldrichpared it to the Common Axehandle Hounds he had fought in his first Raid. And the Banshee seemed to outperform those Crawlers in ferocity and pure strength. He peeked at the Quests and an rming thought ran to him that things weren''t as smooth as the Party Leader had been assuming. [ Quest 1 (Party): Hunt Elite Crawler Quest 2 (Party): Survive at least one of Boss Crawler''s Skills ] The whole situation made Aldrich second guess his idea of apanying a Party as a typical member. The Quests varied for solo Dreamers in a Random-Dungeon. Aldrich wasn''t clear if the Quests for the remaining Party would alter if he were to end his membership. He concentrated his Divine Sense on the Party Leader''s conversation to hear more. "You didn''t see him? At all? He went behind you almost immediately." "No, I didn''t. I chased after that Banshee for a few hundred meters but couldn''t find it, so I just came back," Tomiko answered. "We have been traveling in the same direction since then, and still can''t see a trace of him. Even if we can''t find him, there must be some signs of it," Sonu thought aloud. Aldrich could detect the symptoms of a psychopath in Mantis during his interactions. Aldrich didn''t believe that because of that, Mantis deserved death. He had been monitoring his potential patient for any odd behavior since then. He had also tracked both Tomiko and Mantis with his Divine Sense. And yes; they had gone in the same direction. Unfortunately, before he could have made any move, Tomiko returned and Mantis had gone too far. A disturbance in his Divine Sense brought Aldrich out of his reverie. He waited to approach a sensible distance and tipped off the rest of the members. "A group of Banshee ising fast towards us. And I assume the Elite is with them." "You four deal with the Common Banshees and level up as fast as you can. I am going after the Elite one and would try to keep her out of your fight." Aldrich nodded in approval after hearing an effective approach. Sonu took a curved path to circumvent theing Banshees. And a sizable group of Crawlers came charging towards them. A semi-transparent purple shield, as big as Seong, materialized in front of him. The Banshees, making a beeline towards him, mmed into the shield. Before it bounced them off, a simr shield came into existence behind them. Crunching sound echoed in the dark tunnel as two of the Banshees got crushed to death. Four Banshees who saw their brethren turning to a pulp couldn''t help but stop. Their eyes gained an even darker tinge of red. With a painful grunt, they opened their mouth to let out a deafening shriek. Stars seemed to twinkle in the ghastly atmosphere for a second and in the next moment blood spurted out from the four Crawler''s necks. Like a graceful dancer, Tomiko had made a stroke using her Naginata. The flood of Crawlers didn''t end there, and the Banshees had moved around the group of four. A sound of wail from them together would have made them lose their bearing on the spot. "HAAA!!!" Aldrich heard a scream of defiance from the Burmese Champion who didn''t seem to like this tactic at all. Tun Bo Ag poured some water on the ground and blocked his ears using the wet soil. With a sudden jump, he went into the group of the Crawlers who let out a wailing sound at the same time. Both Tomiko and Seong had already covered their ears using their hands. Amid the fight, they couldn''t see Aldrich disappearing behind them. The Lethwei practitioner pummeled the Banshees using kicks and punches. Taking advantage, Aldrich stealthily arrived at a corner where two Crawlers were hiding. Even before they could sense his presence, a deep fear of existential crises washed over them. A fear which was more dreading and horrifying than their mother''s. They were about to shriek to let others know of this unknown presence when two silvery daggers came out of their chests. The mournful voice had turned into nothing but a dying gasp. [ You have killed two Common Banshee ExPs obtained: 280 You have leveled up Warning: Attributed Points not applicable Warning: Skill Points not applicable ] "I never thought the ''Record'' would show mercy and reward me again for the same levels. But it''s ok too." Aldrich was a little disappointed, but he still got Experience Points, so he didn''t mind it. On the other side, he could see the three Newbies were on the verge of clearing out the suicidal Banshees. Seong seemed to only create two of those shields as he kept rotating between defending and attacking. Tomiko''s Naginata flowed like a brush with red ink whose each stroke signaled a dead Crawler. But the most brutal was Tun Bo Ag, who felt to Aldrich like a grinding machine. Two, three, and sometimes even four at a time, the Burmese champion bashed their heads with his own. THUMPPP! As the group was catching their breath, they heard a loud thump and could see a man slipping down the tunnel''s wall. Before the leveled-up Dreamers could approach their leader, three pairs of legs buckled, hearing the low keening of a woman. Aldrich also felt a slight irritation and looked at the source of the noise. A 10 ft tall, lean woman in a white gown was hovering above the ground. Its hair was blood red and its eyes, like the gown, were blurry white with no sight of pupils. The crying face of the Crawler had a ferocious expression on its face. Tiny droplets of fresh blood were dropping from its long, thorny nails. [ Record of High Banshee Status: Healthy Level: 8 HP: 456/456 SP: 440/440 MP: 760/760 Rank: Common Attributes --> Strength: 15 Defense: 15 Agility: 35 Vitality: 27 Perception: 25 Correspondence: 45 Active Skills 1. Banshee''s Wail 2. Illusory Gaze Passive Skills --> 1. Ghostwalking ] "It''s quick, don''t spread out." Aldrich heard Sonu''s warning and narrowed his eyes. He wasn''t afraid of the Crawler; it was the opposite. The High Banshee felt almost as strong as the Elite he had faced before. He again reminded himself to cut off from the Party as soon as he can. There would be no point in hiding his strength if something had set the difficulty of the Dungeon based on his strength as the threshold. The group approached the fallen leader, whose wound had almost healed after consuming a Health Potion. The importance of a Healer''s presence hadn''t felt more crucial than now. SCREECHHH!!! The High Banshee cried out and lunged towards the group. Seong created a shield, but the Banshee''s nails tore it off like paper. Tun Bo Ag and Tomiko were about to run towards it to gain some time, but Sonu stopped them. "Wait, Seong would protect me. I would focus on applying a Debuff on its movements while Tomiko and Tun Bo Ag, you chip away its HP. Aldrich, try to stay away from its reach and look out for any stray Common Banshee. We don''t want to shed blood because of overconfidence, do we? Let''s do it then." Both melee fighters brimmed with excitement and dashed towards the Crawler. Seong oveid his shield with another, and Aldrich, amused at the Leader''s behest, made himself distant from the fight. It was a splendid opportunity for him to analyze and think about his next creation. "Tactical Field. Pawn, Queen, and Rook." An illusory chessboard had materialized on the ground, covering the Crawler and the Dreamers. Brilliant blue light shined out of Sonu''s eyes as he used his Skill. A mark of pawn materialized on the High Banshee''s forehead. Tomiko''s forehead shined with the mark of a Queen''s chess piece, and everyone could see a mark of Rook on Tun Bo Ag. The Crawler let out a heart-wrenching wail of horror and pain, seeing the Dreamersing straight towards death. To its utter surprise, no sound waves affected either the Queen or the Rook. Aldrich, with his Divine Sense, noted that all the sound waves had gone diagonally away from the Crawler. Tomiko thrust the Naginata towards the Crawler''s forehead. As it was about to pierce it, the High Banshee became transparent. The momentum carried Tomiko forward against her will. The reappeared Crawler swung its needle-like nails viciously towards her. But its nervous system betrayed it as its hand involuntarily missed the target. Before it could again turn transparent a rain of punches, kicks, and knee strikes fell over her. The High Banshee didn''t seem to know the game of chess. Chapter 36: Grinding Chapter 36: Grinding Have you ever seen a fight where, after delivering a knockout blow, the attacker viciously pummels the other? The scene unfolding in front of Aldrich wasn''t much unlike that. The brutal attacks from the swarthy Burmese champion stunned the High Banshee. Even before its brain, if it had one, could process the pain from a punch, an even more deadly knee or kick had already followed it. Aldrich saw Tun Bo Ag bouncing back after using the Skill "Battle Rush Pounding". The Crawler couldn''t even catch its bearing when Tomiko, now behind it, raised her Naginata and shed at her back. ckish blue blood spurted out of the Crawler and it seemed to sparkle. The towering Banshee didn''t know about Chess but it could see the fluctuations in Mana. It hatefully looked at Sonu and Aldrich saw, through his Divine Sense, its throat rippling and shuddering to let out a scream. But before it could have wailed, a brief current of horrifying fear passed through its body, canceling the Skill altogether. INTIMIDATION Aldrich had been waiting for this moment to catch the Banshee by surprise. He knew no one here could find out what had happened. He saw an astounding expression on Tomiko''s face. She seemed to realize that it was a decisive moment. Aldrich saw her Naginata twinkling like Starry Night. Her hair fluttered without wind and her grip on the Item loosened to use the Skill. "Naginatajutsu 1st Kata - Stars scaling the Heaven." Except for Aldrich, none could see the trajectory of her weapon. Only a sh like that of a shooting star had brightened the darkness of the tunnel for a moment. When the eyes of the Dreamers adjusted to see again, her Naginata had already pierced the Crawler''s head. The High Banshee couldn''t let out herst wail and crumbled away, leaving a Mana core and a jet ck object hovering in its ce. Aldrich was pleased to get a little of the Experience Points to reach Level 4. The Party members gathered around the Drops of the Crawler. The ck globe was too valuable to be ignored. Most of them shared an intense feeling of obtaining it. But Tomiko and the rest knew that without Sonu''s Skill, it couldn''t have been this easy to deal with the High Banshee. But an even scarier thought had upied Sonu''s mind. "The Quest 1 is still iplete. This wasn''t the Elite," said Sonu, reminding everyone not to relish in their momentary victory. "Ah, man! You need to chill sometimes. Look, killing this Banshee or whatever was not that difficult, right?" Tomiko jeered at Seong''sment and said, "Humph! You didn''t even do a thing. Don''t talk about difficulty, given your paper-thin shields." Seong didn''t seem to mind the retort. "They aren''t that thin, you know. So, can I have that Skill or what?" said Seong, chuckling. "Tomiko was the one who had dealt the finishing blow. She would have the first right over it. After that, it would be Tun Bo Ag''s turn and if they don''t want that, then you can have it." "What''s with these rules and shit?" Seong didn''t like Sonu making the rules. Aldrich saw Tomiko looking coldly at Seong. She must have felt it was beneath her to even give a reply. Despite that, she said, "That''s the rule made by the strongest Dreamers to avoid unnecessary arguments. Are you saying their advice means nothing to you?" "Ok ok, let''s first see which Skill is it.," said Sonu, breaking off the tense mood. Sonu touched the hovering object, and the System transferred its data to all Party-members. [ Skill: Illusory Gaze Nature: Active, Not-upgradable Cooldown: 00:10:00 hrs Minimum Usage Condition: Perception 7, Correspondence 15 Consumption: 150 MP Rank: Common Description: Dreamer can induce illusions by looking directly in the target''s eyes. Warning: The Skill''s efficacy and duration of illusions depends on difference of levels and Rank Warning: Dreamer can select only one target at a time Do you want to equip the Skill? ] "I don''t want it," Tun Bo Ag utterly rejected the Skill. It seemed nothing that came under the group of direct attacks could catch his eyes. Aldrich also felt the Skill was more suited to Tomiko and Sonu. Upon seeing the nod of Sonu, Tomiko took a deep breath and said, "Yes." The ck ball crumbled, leaving behind a blue Mana core. Sonu handed it over to Tun Bo Ag, who didn''t refuse it. It was a better form of money. The group took a brief rest and continued traveling deeper into the tunnel, maintaining their earlier positions. A few hourster, Aldrich saw a stairway leading up to an opening. The members shared a look of alertness and made their way up. The scene that greeted themprised a rocky roof, tall but slim trees, and pastures and water pools. Even with all its beauty and fresh wind, it didn''t look natural. "Let''s keep moving. We also need to search for Mr. Mantis," said Sonu, addressing the other Dreamers. But just as Sonu had spoken those words, a shout came from a distance. The group could see Mantis came running towards them, huffing and puffing, seemingly out of breath. Aldrich was about to stop Sonu, seeing him run towards theing Mantis, but held himself back. He looked at the Stat window of the Mantis in his hippie clothing and a devilish grin surfaced on his face. Mantis approached the rest of the group with a greedy look in his eyes, and even Sonu, for the first time, looked tempted by what he had heard from him. "I went after Tomiko-chan but somehow I got lost and ended uping here. I thought it was better to wait for everyone toe here rather than trying to find my way back by myself," said Mantis, exining his absence. "Mr. Mantis is saying that there is a clowder of Cat-sithe Crawlers a mile ahead," said Sonu. He pointed at the pic and data on the document given to them by the authorities outside the Dungeon. The document clearly stated that these Crawlers were best known for grinding ExPs. And who would mind umting easy Experience Points given that they were in a Random-Dungeon. Aldrich saw Tun Bo Ag balling his palms into fists on the prospects of the uing fight. "I am putting dibs on the next reward," said Seong, looking at Tomiko. Tomiko, in return, just turned around and made her way in the pointed direction. "Tch! BORING," Seong shouted, catching up to her. The surrounding turned a little foggy as they crossed the halfway mark. Aldrich had been walking in front of the group giving an impression of being unaware of the events that were happening behind him. As the fog thickened, a shout of surprise and horror came out of Mantis''s mouth. Mantis had been walking with the captain at the back of the group, updating him on the terrain ahead. "Everyone, the captain''s missing." All the members, shocked by the high pitch scream, frantically looked around. But aside from the bellowing fog, there wasn''t much they could see. Even with the Sonu''s status as a Party member they couldn''t find his general location. Aldrich saw Seong looking at Mantis with a questioning eye. Thoughte, Aldrich knew that the first one to notice something amiss would be none other than Seong. "I say, let''s search for him in pairs before the fog thickens anymore," said Mantis, looking scared by the sudden turn of events. Aldrich, seeing an opportunity, interjected, "I would be fine by myself being a Scout. Mr. Mantis, go with Tun Bo Ag, and Tomiko and Seong can search in the opposite direction." Tomiko didn''t like the idea of her being with Seong, butpared to this Mantis, he was the lesser evil. "Okay. Keep marking the ground while on the search and we would meet here again in an hour," she assented. Just as the group separated, Aldrich dashed towards a predetermined direction. The fog churned as he heard a sweet voice singing an even sweeter song. But neither fog nor the song could affect Aldrich''s momentum. How could have he lost his sense of direction when he had already locked on his target? Aldrich came to a stop when he saw "it". This Crawler seemed to try too hard to make itself feel like a human. But its appearance was just too ugly and, for some, ghastlier than the scariest dreams. The Crawler''s limbs were skinny and twice the size of its torso. It had no eyes but only a gaping hole for a mouth. Strands of old hair drooped down from its head. The ckish gray colored skin looked frail and coarse. In ce of its stomach was a deep, well-like hole, and many cobweb-thin tentacles iled about within it. And these tentacles had tangled themselves around Sonu. The Crawler noticed Aldrich''s presence and let out a roar. But who knew by following what kind of twisted rules, its roar turned into a beautiful song. Aldrich didn''t wait for it to finish the task and his Divine Sense enveloped the whole Crawler, which left it shuddering in fear. The tentacles loosened their grip and Sonu came sliding down from its opened stomach. Like slicing a butter, Aldrich cut off the head of the immobile Crawler and climbed up a nearby tree while still holding it. He looked far in the distance, trying to find something amid the fog. As he found his prey, an ethereal red vapor surrounded him and his body had burst out with unimaginable strength. Aiming, he threw the head, and a boom resounded with him as the center. [ Strength: 77 (+3 +50) Perception: 50 (-50) ] CHANGE + 3 MILES SHOT Far away, Tun Bo Ag was searching for Sonu when he heard a loud swishing sound. Before he could even react, a thumping sound echoed behind him. He turned around and found the head of Mantis had sted apart like a balloon. But even more disgusting was the squirming flesh. Tun Bo Ag watched with disbelieving eyes as the body without head turned into a disgusting creature. And a mummified person in hippie clothing slipped out from its stomach. [ You have killed 1 Common Changeling ] It was truly a time for grinding. Chapter 37: Barred Paths Chapter 37: Barred Paths [ You have killed 1 Common Changeling ExPs obtained: 230 You have leveled up Warning: Attributed Points not applicable Warning: Skill Points not applicable ] Aldrich saw the continuous notifications and remembered the Crawler''s Stats. The monster wasn''t quite strong per se, but it''s Skills were deadly and unavoidable. The thing was a walking Mana tank. [ Record of Common Changeling Status: Healthy Level: 5 HP: 193/193 SP: 154/154 MP: 626/626 Rank: Common Attributes --> Strength: 7 Defense: 9 Agility: 9 Vitality: 10 Perception: 25 Correspondence: 32 Active Skills --> 1. Blessed Call 2. Identity Duplication Passive Skills --> 1. Fog of Thousand Illusions ] As Aldrich killed both the Crawlers, the fog around their bodies vanished. The fog took away the nearby trees and vibrant green grass along with it. And it left behind rotten and deserted earth, full of cracks. The patch of lifeless earth looked as being painted over a background of tropic scenery. The whole second floor was nothing but a breeding den of these Changelings. After using the 3 Miles Shot, Aldrich realized that the second floor wasn''t nearly as big as that of the 1st floor. It had taken them an entire day to cross that tunnel. He looked at two more Changelings approaching Tomiko and Seong. They were already in a deep state of illusion from the Blessed Call. A shield was rotating around the pair, meaning that the Korean Tanker had yet to lose his bearing. Aldrich checked on Sonu''s condition and put him over his shoulders. The dead Crawler couldn''t get the time to steal Sonu''s identity. Otherwise, his end wouldn''t have differed from that of Mantis. Aldrich dashed in Seong''s direction. It was a great opportunity to get back to his original Level. And there was one more thing that he could take care of along with it. [ Title Quest (optional): Kill 100 Common Ranked Crawlers (50/100) Title Reward: Enemy of Crawlers ] There weren''t enough Crawlers on this level toplete his pending Title Quest. But their numbers still approached a significant mark. Aldrich took care of the two Crawlers while heading over to his destination. By the time he reached there, Seong had already lost consciousness. And Tomiko, incapable of motion, had miniscule traces of intelligence in her half-opened eyes. Aldrich dropped Sonu off, gave a brief look to Tomiko, and vanished. The ughter that ensued needn''t be mentioned. Aside from their illusions, the Changelings were quite weak. The greenery of the second floor was getting erased at the rate of seconds. A dagger in the Crawler''s mouth cut short itsst call to the warriors of the ocean. The barren ground with spider-web cracks here and there had an ominous red tinge to it. In the distance, Aldrich could see an arch-like gateway followed by stairs leading up. By the time the group got back control over their senses, Aldrich had already cleared out the sources of their terrible state. Aldrich approached the group of four, who were looking at him like watching a monster. Tun Bo Ag still looked groggy from all the screams and songs even after consuming his Strength Potion. "Who are you?" asked Tomiko, clenching hard on her Naginata. It didn''t matter if they thought it was Aldrich or another Crawler. They had alreadybeled both as inhuman. The group had shared their Levels at the entrance of the Dungeon. There was no way one could have leveled up fast enough to survive such illusions and kill all the Crawlers on top of it. But Aldrich didn''t feel like exining himself. He threw a Strength Potion at Tun Bo Ag and walked towards the Arched gateway. He had a feeling that the Elite would be right behind it. "Thank you for saving my life," Sonu said, just as Aldrich passed by him. Aldrich nodded. "Can we trust him?" Seong said, directing the group''s gaze towards the mummified body of Mantis. It seemed like the only thing keeping him alive was the Crawler''s belly. "It doesn''t matter. If he wanted to kill us, who among us could have stopped him," Sonu said, taking a deep breath. The four of them headed over towards the stairs, maintaining a considerable distance from Aldrich. All things were silent around them. The bellows of dust, the creaking of earth''syer under footsteps, and their racing hearts did nothing but enhance this silence''s gravity. But the most silent among them was Tomiko. "What are you thinking?" asked Sonu, worrying if the horrifying events had traumatized her. "Nothing, I am alright," replied Tomiko, staring at Aldrich''s back. She hadn''t remembered how someone saved her or who saved her. When she woke up, both Seong and Sonu were still unconscious. But she had a vague memory that he had seen someone. But that wasn''t the reason for her silence. It was the feeling that hade with memory. Tomiko didn''t know if any of the other three by her side had seen or felt a truly strong Dreamer''s presence, but she had. And the feeling that she had undergone was enormous evenpared to her master''s standards. "How can that even be possible?" Tomiko asked herself inplete bewilderment. The group climbed up the stairs, and through a small opening in the roof, entered the third floor. Unlike the previous 2 floors, it felt like a dome building rather than a natural setting. The wall of the dome was made of mud, and the dry grass had covered the entire floor. The round walls converged on to a 50 ft tall archaic door. But the most eye-catching was the person or Crawler seated in front of it. The ck-armored Crawler in the meditation posture was headless, and one didn''t need to go far to look for its head. As one could see it clearly on itsp. The head was even more rotten and porous than the mummified head of Mr. Mantis they had seen. Just as the group had entered the floor, it also opened its eyes. Aldrich saw as the Crawler''s hand took hold of its head''s hair and stood up. It raised its hand and the head alongside it. The air fluctuated around its body with ck shes. And the members looked in horror as an ear-to-ear grin crept up on its face. The whole dome livened up with the echoes of its demonicugh. The left empty hand of the Crawler reached towards its neck and with a jerk pulled out its spine. Aldrich''s eyes shook as the normal sized spine shuddered and elongated to 15 ft. The whip''s bones shone with an ominous glow. The headless knight barred the road to outside. And the Party members behind Aldrich get to know that it was going to be a bitter fight. But Aldrich wasn''t thinking of fighting at all, his eyes were already glued to the Stats over the Crawler. [ Record of Common Duhan Status: Healthy Level: 10 HP: 546/546 SP: 448/448 MP: 860/860 Rank: Common Attributes --> Strength: 30 Defense: 26 Agility: 30 Vitality: 30 Perception: 25 Correspondence: 60 Active Skills --> 1. Will of ?#?#?# 2. Demonic breath 3. Banishment 4. Summon Passive Skills --> 1. Pain Maniption ] Aldrich got a disastrous feeling reading the Skill of Crawler, which he couldn''t see. This was the second time he hade across such a situation. The first being with his own. He still couldn''t see the name written in the description of his Metacreativity Skill. But now he knew to whom that name must have belonged. And if there was some connection between these two Skills, then none of them might leave this ce alive. Aldrich took out his Daggers, seeing the Crawler walking towards them like taking an evening stroll. "Let me out of the Party. It is beyond your capabilities," Aldrich said, without taking his eye off the Crawler. "Are you out of your mind? No matter how much stronger you have be, you can''t take on that thing alone," Sonu outrightly refused. "Or maybe he just wants to hog up all the ExPs," said Seong, berating Aldrich for his selfish demand. "Do it." Neither Sonu nor Seong thought Tomiko would assent to it. Her gaze towards Aldrich wasn''t of submission or trust, but it looked more aligned towards respect. PAH! A whip-cracking resounded in the dome. And all could see the heinous thing''s smile bing even more hideous, with its rotten tongue hanging out. "Hurry!" Aldrich urged. "Damn it! Okay," Sonu said through the clenched teeth. [ You have left the Party Updating Quests Quest 1: Hunt Elite Crawler Quest 2: Break at least one of the Boss Crawler''s Items ] The rest of the members got a notification from the System too. And the drastic change in the Quest''s difficulty had left the current Party-members totally bbergasted [ Aldrich has left the Party Updating Quests Quest 1 (Party): Bring down the Elite''s HP to 40% of its Max HP ] From facing the Boss''s Skill to bring down Elite''s HP meant only one thing. That the whole reason they were being forced to face the Boss Crawler in the first ce had lied with Aldrich and Aldrich only. Chapter 38: Who should I fight for? Chapter 38: Who should I fight for? RECORD had brought humans means to gain inhuman strength. But what it didn''t bring with it wasmon sense, not at least directly. One could easily prove this using an example of thieves and terrorists teleporting into banks and other ces of any importance, just after the first Night. But New Dreamers were always mortally vulnerable to bullets and other weapons. This strategy worked in a few ces, but humans weren''t a dumb race. By the time these groups of morons gained strength to resist the weapons, scientists had already developed weapons based on the Mana-cores. The Dreamers with such abilities had yed a major part in that. Another example that wasn''t this simple but equally crucial included the Party and its members. Among the first Dreamers, some loners had refused to join a Party. It took little brain cells to know, after seeing their end, that within the Random-Dungeon one should never go alone. People hadn''t realized, other than a select few like Edmund, that there must be a reason that the System had rmended forming a Party. The question ofmon sense was simple. What would happen if the mandatory Quest of the lone Dreamer would sh with that of the Party? One could rack their brains for hours and still note up with an answer. But how could a question ofmon sense have aplex answer? * BANG!!! Sonu watched, with an anchor of terror weighing down his heart, the earth getting sted apart in front of the enormous doors. A rotten head rose from underground, but a body did not follow it. A hand had held the head up and a monster in ck armor walked out. The Duhan approaching them stopped and turned around to look at its brethren. As their eyes met, the two tant demonicughs resonated with each other. BOOM!!! But an even more loud booming sound brought this sickeningugh to an end. Sonu watched in astonishment as Aldrich vanished right in front of his eyes, leaving behind cracks in the floor. He was astounded enough to even ask how fast Aldrich was. In the next moment, he saw Aldrich appearing in front of the newly arrived Elite with a glossy dagger in his hand. Sonu didn''t doubt for a second that if this creature still had its head attached to its body, then it would have been removed by now. But one second turned to two, and then to three, four, and five. Yet neither the Daggernded anywhere on the Crawler''s nor the attacked Duhan seemed to move. Sonu''s face crumpled as he realized that both Aldrich and Duhan were standing there stupefied. No change in posture, no clue of any movement, and no sign of living. It was like both were not living but a well-crafted living statue. It didn''t take long for Sonu and the rest to realize that something had turned Aldrich''s n into an utter fiasco. The only thing they could be ''thankful'' for was that the second Elite didn''t seem to move, either. "Everyone spread out. No matter what, don''t let yourself go in the reach of that Bone-whip," Sonu said, eyeing the remaining Elite. "Tactical Field. CASTLING." An illusory chessboard covered the entire ground under the Party members and the armored Crawler. And a transparentyer of Mana, like leather armor, had enveloped them. The buff effect got even more amplified by Seong''s ss. Tomiko and Tun Bo Ag made a run towards the Crawler''s nks, trying to make a pincer attack. The monster shook the whip and sent it flying towards Tun Bo Ag. But before it could hit him, a purple shield materialized in front of the champion. The sameyer had also covered the shield like that of the Dreamers. A thump came from the heavy contact and the whip bounced back from the shield. Taking the advantage of the Crawler''s recovery, Tomiko swung her Naginata diagonally upwards. TINKK!!! Sonu heard the harsh sound of metal colliding with metal and saw the impact had raised the Crawler up in the air. The irony of the situation was that demonic armor was still scratchless. Tun Bo Ag didn''t want the monster toe down at all and with all his strength, he jumped up directly towards it. Changing his posture mid-air, he barraged the Crawler''s belly with heavy kicks and took it even higher. Just as he was about to fall, he saw two shields, one above the creature and the other under himself. A ferocious light shined out of his eyes. And using the shields, he came to the back of the Crawler. Sonu only saw an illusion of a drizzle as Tun Bo Ag pummeled the monster back into the ground. BATTLE RUSH POUNDING BOOM!!! A cloud of dust enveloped the small depression where the Crawler had fallen. Before they could even see its current appearance, Sonu heard theugh he resented so much. He saw the Duhan stand up, cracking his shoulders, and on its face, there was a smile reeking of pleasure. Sonu saw as it let out a foul breath from its mouth. The stench was so unbearable that he felt nauseated, even when he was the farthest one. "Tomiko, Tun, group up," Sonu shouted out, seeing the time limit of the buff was over. The two melee fighters made a beeline towards Sonu and Seong. But just as they were about to reach them, something fell from the top between Sonu and Tun Bo Ag. The repulsive smell rushed into their nostrils, shocking them enough to not even move. The monster let go of the head, which kept hovering at its position, and the bone whip curled itself around the Naginata''s de. Sonu only heard a hoarse voice as Duhan put its palms on his and Tun''s chest. "Banish." SWISHHH!!! The two Dreamers were sent flying in the opposite direction and mmed into the dome''s wall. Sonu coughed out a mouthful of blood and his ribs seemed to be broken. He looked towards Tun, who seemed to fare a little better than him given his high Stamina. Sonu gulped down hisst Health and Stamina Potion and saw as the monster approached the kneeled Seong while Tomiko vainly tried to free her Naginata out of the whip''s grip. An ominous feeling took root in his heart and he ran towards them, trying to reach the boundary of his Skill''s AOE. But neither he nor Tun could have made it in time. Sonu looked desperately at Tomiko, who had given up on snatching back her de. Her hairs fluttered with starry light and a blinding light shined out from the de. Naginatajutsu 1st Kata - STARS SCALING THE HEAVEN KIRRRR!!! With a grinding noise, Tomiko sent the Bone-whip flying above and with a quick jump tried to sh at the monster''s back. Seong had already oveyed his shields for the uing attacks. But both Seong and Tomiko seemed to have missed something, which Sonu could see. The reason he had desperately looked at Tomiko wasn''t that he was concerned for Seong, but because he had guessed Tomiko''s actions. "No " Sonu hopelessly attempted to stop her. But she was already over the monster''s back with her Naginata raised high. But unfortunately, she couldn''t sh it on the monster''s bared back. As the headless body turned around and caught hold of Tomiko''s throat, she looked up and saw it. The forgotten head with its mocking smile was biting on the butt of the Bone-whip and had used it to stop the Item on its trajectory. Sonu frantically ran towards them but his Skill''s cooldown was still not over. He saw that the monster tried to bash Tomiko on the shield, but at thest moment, Seong had canceled them. The monster mmed Tomiko along with Seong on the wall behind them. But before they could even fall down, it put both its palms on Tomiko''s chest. And with an eerieugh, the hovering head mouthed. "Banish." BOOOM!!! Both Tomiko and Seong had gone so deep into the wall that Sonu couldn''t even see them anymore. He couldn''t help but slow down. His vision blurred as he turned around to see Aldrich, still maintaining his attacking posture. He wetted his dry throat and realized that even if Aldrich hadn''te with them; it was nigh impossible to clear their single quest. He closed his eyes and visions of the past shed in dark like an old reel. It was ''him'' holding a chessboard and surrounded by many adults. ''Him'' being pampered by his mother with an adorable smile. ''Him'' cursing after losing an online match with someone named ''Snowman''. And him shying away as a beautiful girl proposed to him. And a small but content smile found its way to his face. When Sonu opened his eyes and looked at Tun Bo Ag, he found him smiling too. Instead of a champion, Sonu saw a fighter looking at the Dome''s round ceiling. Both looked at each other and let out a dryugh. "Hahaha " Sonu felt that all, even Aldrich, hade here with a purpose in their mind. Everyone with their own goals. But seeing the heinous Crawlering towards him, now holding a Naginata, Sonu could only remember a sentence said by the ''Snowman''. ''You have yed for your teacher, for your mother, and your country. Have you ever yed for yourself?'' "Tactical Field." ZOOM!!! Sonu and Tun Bo Ag dashed towards the Crawler, and one could see a blue King''s chess piece on Sonu''s forehead. And a red-colored King''s chess piece could be seen on the monster''s head too. Both Sonu and the Crawler burst out with strength and the monster seemed to relish in the Buff applied by the foolish Dreamer. The armored Duhan thrust the de, and the head whipped from above to cut off its prey from jumping. But Sonu had no such thoughts. BULCHH!!! The de annihted Sonu''s right lung and came out of his back. From the start till the point of getting impaled by hisrade''s weapon, the little smile hadn''t left Sonu''s side. ROYAL SACRIFICE-ESSENCE OF THE TWO KINGS " Fuck You!" The engraving of both King''s pieces crumbled. A visible river of Mana came out of Sonu''s and the Crawler''s head and entered Tun Bo Ag''s body. And a blue me of pure strength had covered the crazed Burmese champion, who let out a beastly roar. "AAAHHHH!!!" Sonu saw a brilliant scene of hundreds of fiery fists and kicks raining down on the Crawler just before the darkness conquered his eyes. And if he could see behind his back, he would have seen a transparent ck Veil fluttering between Aldrich and the other Duhan. Chapter 39: A Delicious Meal Chapter 39: A Delicious Meal A few minutes before Aldrich used his maxed-out Agility to arrive in front of the freshly spawned Elite and redistributed his Stats to Strength. He wanted to dispose of this nuisance before something unknown or unpredictable could happen. He was about to sh the Duhan in pieces when he heard many snaps about him. It was like snapping threads, but these threads seemed to attach to him. Aldrich, taking caution, tried to back up. But his body didn''t respond to his brain. He couldn''t even blink or move his eyeball around. He helplessly watched as the surrounding area turned into a dark emptiness. Aldrich couldn''t move, but in the direction where he could see, he saw an archaic altar. He couldn''tprehend the distance, but he felt it was at least bigger than the full moon on a dark night. Unlike the moon, the entire altar shined with a low golden glow. But this glow had an unsettling vibe about it. Aldrich watched as the altar seemed to approach him, growing bigger by seconds. Or he was going towards it. None could tell, as motion had lost its meaning here. The altar stopped at a distance where Aldrich could still see it in its entirety. He saw the reason for that ghastly golden glow at the top of the Altar. Something was there, something iprehensible, squirming and rippling in golden color. And a foul and stenchful gas had enveloped it. But Aldrich was sure that the thing was emanating the gas from within it, which he could barely tolerate, even when he was so far from it. The ripples in the golden object subsided, and the object squirmed with a definite purpose. Aldrich''s heart pounded as the object turned in the shape of a golden man with his back towards him. The gas thinned out and turned into a stinking mist. A pressure of deep horror spread out in the darkness around the altar. And the snapping sound near Aldrich was loud enough to blow up his eardrums. Aldrich''s mind jolted in hopelessness, not because of fear, but because he was familiar with this kind of pressure. A pressure, horrendous and viler than this. Aldrich, with his eyes dead set on the enormous altar, saw that thing turning around frame by frame. BOOM!!! Aldrich heard a final snap, and his eyes spurted out with blood and other fluids. He couldn''t even wince in pain when deep and iprehensible whispers invaded his mind. The murmurs urged him to kill; the murmurs pleaded with him to bleed, and the murmurs demanded him to pray. With every passing moment, Aldrich felt he was losing himself, and a foreign Will was taking over his body. The murmurs were manifesting themselves in a deafeningmand. And for the first time in ages, someone learned of the words that shouldn''t be spoken. Foul Mist of Abyss Banished Golden Devil Dark Crooked One Aldrich couldn''t see anymore. But from the insufferable stench, he guessed that the Mist had enveloped him within it. It was horrible enough to make someone lose his consciousness, and it was tormenting enough to beg for death instead. Aldrich felt his skin rippling and squirming and he knew the same golden color must have been glowing out of his skin, too. Thebination of pain and stench mmed itself on his Will like a sledgehammer. The murmurs kept urging him to say one of the names out loud and assured him that all suffering would vanish for eternity. But neither Aldrich nor his Will was a normal one. The murmurs couldn''t have known that the Will they were trying to break down was a product of at least a million years of cultivation and patience. The time it had taken Aldrich to return from death wasn''t a short one. But even then, the urge to say the words was so strong that even his soul felt beseeching him to do so. All hope seemed to be lost, and Aldrich''s clenched teeth opened a little. "Foul.. " He was about to utter the words when a dark hole, like a deep well reaching to the earth''s center, surfaced on his forehead. And a memory came to Aldrich, and it brought with it the words he had forgotten. His hair turned white and a ck transparent Veil surrounded him like a robe. Another string of words upied his throat, but this time he didn''t feel repulsed by them. An archaic sound came out of Aldrich as he said those words. "Darkest among Dark" A howl full of rage and disbelief came from the distance to Aldrich''s ears. But he had no intention to stop now. "Devourer of Dreams " [HOW DARE YOU] A Will came falling on him like a huge waterfall. But this wasn''t the time to falter. "Eternal Veil of Slumber." There was no sky where these events were happening. But if it were to have one, one could see a ck Veil recing it entirely like a vast river of darkness. Aldrich couldn''t see what was happening, but he felt that the surrounding mist had receded and his skin had regained its color. And he could hear echoes of a familiar sound. A sound not much different from eating something. The crunching, the chewing, and the gulps of the throat could have made anyone hungry. It didn''t matter who was eating what, Aldrich felt it must have been quite a delicious meal. BREAKKK!!!!! Aldrich heard a shattering sound like that of broken ss and he returned to the Dungeon. Whatever had happened in that unknown ce had given him his sight back and had left a message. This message had neither words nor any scenes. It felt more like a call. A call to the ce where no living must go. Aldrich saw the monster gaining his senses back and his Divine Sense portrayed the scenes behind him. With a slight crease on his forehead, Aldrich shed maddeningly using the two Daggers. The armor was too strong for the Daggers, so he focused his rage on the rotten head. When Aldrich was done with it, not a trace of it could be seen. [ You have killed 1 Common Duhan ExPs obtained: 1950 You have leveled up ] BOOM!!! Leaving behind the crumbling Crawler and the dropped reward, Aldrich appeared in front of the original Elite. The armor on its body was full of dents and half of its face was bloodied, with a broken jaw. Tun Bo Ag hadid powerlessly on the ground and the monster was about to smash his head with its foot. Red vapor emanated out of Aldrich as he kicked the monster''s chest. BANG!!! The seemingly unbreakable armor shattered in pieces and the Crawler''s body struck its head in midair. But before it could even react, a vertical sh from the dagger cut its head in half. And Blood with foul mist oozed out from within it. [ You have killed 1 Common Duhan ExPs obtained: 1950 You are eligible for ss Update . ] Briefly ncing over the notifications, Aldrich dropped a pair of Health Potion and Stamina Potion near Tun Bo Ag. With slow steps, he approached the impaled Sonu''s body. The pool of bloodid like a red nket under him. Aldrich crouched down and checked for any sign of life, even when he already knew the oue. For a moment, Aldrich observed the smile on Sonu''s face and remembered the curses Sonu had let out during theirst encounter online. Aldrich saw the blue-green portal on his left, which seemed to repel him. The group of four must havepleted the Quest for it to open. He got up and made his way towards the hole in the wall where Tomiko and Seong were embedded. Only after pouring three bottles of Health Potion in each, they could regain their consciousness. Aldrich saw the painful look in their eyes as they saw their leader''s state. With teary eyes and shaky hands, Tomiko neared the body and took out Naginata. But Seong''s eyes were full of rage. "You Bastard " Aldrich saw the punching from miles away, but he didn''t avoid it. The punch didn''t seem to have any strength behind it at all. Other than jerking Aldrich''s head to the side, it couldn''t even budge him. Leaving Seong with his clenched fists, Aldrich turned around and walked towards the doors. As he passed by Tomiko, he said, "Send the rewards from this Crawler to Sonu''s fiancee." "You fucking heartless piece of shit" Seong raged behind him. Aldrich saw Tomiko''s nod and eyed the 2nd Crawler''s reward. The hovering globe''s glow couldn''t wash away the feeling that had taken root in Aldrich''s mind. Aldrich touched the reward, and the System showed its data on his Stat window. [ Skill: Banish (Common) Lvl: 1 (0/3 Skill Points to next level) Nature: Active, Upgradable Cooldown: 00:05:00 hrs Minimum Usage Condition: Will of ?#?#?# Consumption: Not Applicable Description: Dreamer can Banish the Laws Warning: The duration and effect of Banishment depends on the Skill''s Rank and Level Do you want to equip the Skill? ] "Yes." The dark globe crumbled, and Aldrich focused on the pending notification. "Update ss." [ Level: 10 (9800/9000 ExPs to next level) Warning: ExPs overflow ss-Specific Skill: Metacreativity (Lvl Max-upgraded) Unassigned Skill Points: 4 Conditions met Updating ss ] Chapter 40: Broken Faith (2) Chapter 40: Broken Faith (2) [ Congrattion Aldrich for obtaining Rare Rank Select one of these sses as the Update 1. Blessed Schr 2. Master of Words 3. Item Creator ] Aldrich immediately felt attracted to the "Item Creator" ss. Even those who could create Items of Common and Rare Rank didn''t have such a ss. The apparent boost in creating better Items was enticing. But Aldrich held back the impulse. The "Blessed Schr" felt nothing special to him, considering he already had Generalist as his ss. It didn''t seem to have any direct upgrade rted to his ss-specific Skill, which would apany him forever. The most out of ce was the "Master of Words". It was neither here nor there. He could only guess that it had something to do with the newly gained Skill. "Select Item Creator." Going with the obvious bet, Aldrich put forward his choice. "Blessed Schr" was out of the question and "Master of Words" just seemed a little fishy. [ ''Item Creator'' ss is selected Updating ss... ?#?#?#?#?##?#?#?#?# This ss is no longer avable Select one of the remaining sses ] The mask on Aldrich''s face did its duty and hid the ugliest face Aldrich had made so far. A man who had thrived to live a normal life was made to live an abnormal one. And now that he was about to walk on another Normal path, something just didn''t want him to. Two puffs of heavy breathing came out of Aldrich''s nostrils like an angry bull. "Select Master of Words." As Aldrich said the sentence, he looked towards the ceiling, seeming to search for something. [ ''Master of Words'' ss is selected Updating ss... ?#?#?#?#?##?#?#?#?# This ss is no longer avable Select one of the remaining sses ] BOOM!!! Aldrich punched the enormous doors, and it got sted outwards. Patience was patience, and rage was a pure outlet of emotions. One needn''t mix them up unnecessarily. Taking a deep breath Aldrich said, "Select Blessed Schr." [ ''Blessed Schr'' ss is selected Updating ss... ss is updated ss: Blessed Schr Description: 1. Perception +50 2. Dreamers can sacrifice Wills to ?#?#?# ss-Specific Skill: Metacreativity ] The seething rage in Aldrich''s rage hadn''t subsided yet. Not only he didn''t get an obvious advantage over his previous ss but also he didn''t get any new ss-specific Skill. It was like someone had chosen a worst-case scenario for Aldrich. But the target of this scenario seems to be his Perception. Aldrich turned around to watch the enormous mound. Who could have told that there were three more chambers full of dangers in it? With a swift jump, Aldrich reached to the mound''s top and towered above it. He looked straight ahead and could see an enormous cliff rising to heaven in the distance. And he could also see a blurry pir at the bottom of the cliff. Seeing a transparent film of Mana enveloping the cliff along with that pir, he guessed the Boss would be there. But this wasn''t the time to go there yet. Assigning the newly obtained 12 Attribute Points and the Unassigned Skill Points, he brought up his Stat window for a quick view. [ Record of Aldrich Time Left: 00:00:00 hrs Status: Healthy Level: 11 (9800/11000 ExPs to next level) HP: 413/413 SP: 500/500 MP: 1245/1245 Rank: Rare ss: Generalist, Blessed Schr Title: NA (1) Attributes --> Strength: 25 Defence: 20 Agility: 25 Vitality: 21 Perception: 150 Correspondence: 15 Unassigned Attribute Points: 0 Active Skills --> 1. Metacreativity: Lvl 2 (Rare) 2. Target Lock (Common) 3. 3 Miles Shot (Common) 4. Banish: Lvl 1 (Common) Skill Points: 1 Passive Skills --> 1. Shared Vision 2. Intimidation 3. Beginner''s Dagger Proficiency Inventory --> (2.5/20) Skill: Metacreativity (Rare) Nature: Active, Upgradable Lvl: 2 (0/7 Skill Points to Upgrade) Cooldown: 105:00:00 hrs Description: Dreamer can create Items and Skills of Common ss upon sacrificing Experience Points. Warning: Items must be equipped upon creation. Unequipped items would be destroyed. Warning: Only ''Active Skills'' can be created. The Skills created can''t be upgraded using Skill Points. Warning: Dreamer would permanently lose the ExPs once used. There is a high chance of dropping to the previous Level. Warning: The number of ExPs would be calcted based on the description provided by the Dreamer ] In Rare Rank, with every level up, one would get 12 Attribute Points and 2 Skill Points. But the total number of Skill Points required for the next Rank had also risen to 21. If one adds the newly obtained Upgradable Skills over it. Then one might as well forget about ever reaching the next Rank without attempting more Quests. But leaving this trouble for the future, Aldrich was quite happy about something else. The ss update had reset the cooldown for his ss-specific Skill. He had just reached Level 11, but this marked the time to go back to the beginning. "Metacreativity." [ Skill Metacreativity is now active Specify your creation: Item or Skill? ] "Item." [ Fill up the given temte for Item Item Name: Warning: The above data would be optimized ording to the maximum avable ExPs Warning: Item-Specific Skill would not be upgradable Warning: Item''s Rank can be upgraded using ExPs ] Aldrich originally wanted to upgrade his "Oldest Change" mask to the next Rank. But after analyzing his recent battles and seeing the uing one, he faced an immense problem. No Item of any Rank or Type would ever suffice his requirements. The existence of "Oldest Change" provided him with the means to use many types of weapons. But his Inventory restricted him, contrasting the most important Item he had. And Aldrich hade up with a simple but effective solution for it. [ Item Name: Shadow Homunculus Do you want to submit this data? ] Aldrich nodded. [ Submitting request to create Item. Optimizing Item Item ''Shadow Homunculus'' is created ExPs consumed: 9799 Warning: The consumed ExPs are permanently lost Warning: You have fallen back to Level 1 ] Aldrich saw the Skill sucking his Experience Points dry, but his Rank didn''t fall back from Rare. A gooey ck mass materialized in front of Aldrich. It tried to take the shape of something but couldn''t manage to. The squirming mass seemed to lose its substance with each moment. It leaped towards Aldrich''s shadow and, with the noise of dripping water drops, entered it. A weak will of hunger surfaced in Aldrich''s mind and he took out his "Ripper ws". Watching his shadow with a grave look, he dropped the daggers over it. BWAAA!!! An enormous mouth opened up from within his shadow, which gulped down the Daggers without even chewing. Aldrich waited for a few seconds and thrust his hands in the shadow. The shadow seemed like a chasm on the earth''s surface and Aldrich''s hands went inside it. He took hold of something and, for the first time in a while, a smile crept upon his face. ZIINGG!!! With a sudden jerk, Aldrich pulled out two ominous-looking dark daggers from which shadowy vapors were emanating. Aside from their color and horrifying presence, everything about them was the same. Aldrich eyed the distant pir and Sonu''s face, with a slight smile, surfaced in his mind. With rage brimming out of his eyes, Aldrich turned the dagger''s tip towards himself. SNAP!!! With two quick movements, Aldrich stabbed himself in the heart and took out the knife. Before he could even feel anything, blood spurted out and painted the ground red. The searing hot pain followed an itch of crisis, but Aldrich''s eyes were still dead set on the pir. Aldrich''s hot chest turned cold second by second and his breathing felt rough and forced. As his sight became dark and blurry, Aldrich closed his eyes and said the only thing he had wanted to say. "I''ll be the Master of my Dreams." Aldrich didn''t know if he coulde back. He didn''t know if he could open his eyes again. He didn''t know if the darkness would ever wee him again and would let him leave. But he went there, anyway. And the call that had summoned him was one of the main reasons for it. Yet one could still ask the question. Given that there was a possibility of nevering back, a possibility to lose oneself in that perennial darkness, and a possibility to spend millions of years to reach one''s destination. If one had a chance like this, how many could still die so easily? The same old darkness, like the destruction of a Dream-world, greeted Aldrich. His hair had turned white, and the ck and white of his eyes had exchanged colors. A bottomless hole opened up on his forehead and a ck robe materialized over his naked body. The call within him turned into a beacon, telling him of a direction. And a long journey awaited him again, for only he could travel freely on the path where none other could imagine treading. After a long time, Aldrich saw the familiar being behind the fluttering Veil. But this time, he didn''t need to say anything. The Call within him turned into a feeling, praising him for the sacrifice. Aldrich''s ethereal body throbbed with unweed pleasure. The Call turned into a feeling, thanking him for the meal. And the Call turned into a feeling, bestowing upon him an exchange. Aldrich saw an unusual flutter of the Veil and found a rotten arm full of pus and torn flesh in front of him. And he could see words hovering over it. [ Item: Broken Faith ] Chapter 41: Stone Splitter Chapter 41: Stone Splitter Aldrich returned to the Dungeon after getting pulled by the opening in the Veil. But he wasn''t alone. The world was white and ck, and Aldrich saw many versions of himself throughout the Dungeon. But like an inessible option of a windows function in aputer, he couldn''t approach them. Aldrich turned to his left and saw the ''Broken Faith'' hovering beside him. For a moment, fear took over him, but he pushed it down to the deeper depths of his heart. He didn''t want to bring this thing with him. It was ominous, saying this would be highly underestimating it. This thing shouldn''t even exist for all Aldrich''s care. Grrrrrrr!!! The world had been gaining its color back since Aldrich''s return. But with every new color, it shuddered. Aldrich didn''t know if it was just Dungeon or even the Earth outside. But the sound of paper tearing and breaking of sses came out of the surrounding space and it left him bbergasted. He eyed the Item beside him and knew that this world couldn''t possibly sustain this Item. And the world would rather break down than coexist with this thing. Aldrich couldn''t open his Inventory in this state. Even if he could, he wasn''t sure if he could store this "arm" there. The only thing he could do now was as told to him by that call before sending him back to Dungeon. Aldrich held the Item, the world still shaking like a boat in a storm, and pressed it on his forehead. The "arm" like returning to its home shrank and went inside the bottomless hole in his forehead. Aldrich saw his lifeless body on the ground. And before the calmed down world could regain its color, he plunged within it. When Aldrich opened his eyes, the wound on his chest had already healed and his shadow rippled with waves. It felt like there were millions of worms crawling under there. Shadow Homunculus had sensed its master''s presence. Only a moment had passed in the world, but Aldrich didn''t know how many ages must have passed in the solitude of eternal darkness. He remembered himself eyeing the pir with unbearable rage. An emotion he had deliberately let himself taken over by, beforemitting suicide. He feared he might not remember that feeling the next time he got to think of those faces. With slow steps, Aldrich approached the transparent film of Mana and thought of the Dream that had started it all. If it were in his hand, he would rather not have that dream. The only reason he had undergone all these events was that he had gained lucidity in his dream, just before getting his ss assigned. And for that, he had almost been annihted. For that, his existence in the Dream-world had almost been erased. But Aldrich didn''t regret it. He had dedicated his whole life to reign over his dreams. What he had done was only natural for him to do so. The only thing he could do now was to live with that decision. But he wondered sometimes what would have happened if he hadn''t gained his bearings at thest moment within the Dream. What kind of Dreamer he would have turned out to be? But Aldrich knew the world, and he knew himself even better. Anything that had gone wrong would have gone wrong, anyway. The epigram "Murphy''s Law" wasn''t just a joke. The one thing that baffled him was that he didn''t gain any Quest Rewards for hunting the Elite. He wondered if it was rted to the WIll, which had be a meal. Or was it rted to that enormous being who had savored its vor? There was no Return Stone in the Random Dungeon. Only those who couldplete their Quest could leave. Aldrich believed it was the prime drive behind Sonu''s decision to sacrifice himself. They couldn''t go back to the previous level and wait it out, and they couldn''t wait for Aldrich, who didn''t seem to survive himself. Aldrich stepped into the Boss chamber, and a notification greeted him. [ The Boss Crawler has detected your presence ] None needed an introduction to the being that Aldrich had determined to annihte today. Cu Chinn was a demigod from Irish mythology. He was an incarnation of his father, God Lugh. The stories rted to this mythical hero reeked with the blood of thousands if not millions. Cu Chinn wasn''t just a hero, he was a killer. There weren''t many in history who had faced him alone and remained alive. Aldrich neared the pir and saw the Crawler seated on top of it. Its waist-length ck hair fluttered with the hot and dry wind. The scorching temperature full of dust had surrounded it like an archaic aura. Its bare body was lean but muscr and Aldrich could see only loose trousers and a pair of boots on it. He focused the entirety of his attention on the markings that had covered its chest and arms, and probably it''s back. The hole in its forehead wasn''t any more unfamiliar to him. Slowly it opened its eyes, which were like two embedded emerald gems, and looked down on Aldrich. No words came out of its mouth, unlike Aldrich''sst encounter with a Dungeon''s Boss. The gaze full of contempt had conveyed all that the Crawler wanted to say. And seeing its Stats, Aldrich felt it had all rights to do so. [ Record of BossCu Chinn Status: Healthy Level: 15 HP: 554/554 SP: 1130/1130 MP: 605/605 Rank: Rare Attributes --> Strength: 60 Defense: 29 Agility: 50 Vitality: 27 Perception: 40 Correspondence: 25 Active Skills --> 1. Riastrad 2. Field of ughter 3. Perception Nemesis 4. Megaton Crusher 5. Summon Passive Skills --> 1. w Detection 2. Bloodlust ] Its hand reached just behind him towards the cliff. Aldrich could see a rod inserted into the cliff''s wall. The Crawler held the rod and with a sudden jerk pulled it out. CRUNCH!!! The rod wasn''t a rod, but the hilt of a sword. A sword, even bigger than the Crawler himself. Its brownish de gave an impression that it was made out by carving a stone. The enormous broadsword that the Boss had pulled out was a Buster sword. It had a length reaching 6 ft and a width of 1 ft. This sword was the primary object of Aldrich''s Quest. It was the sword that had in armies in the songs from the old myths. This sword was the "Stone Splitter". The Boss jumped down from the top of the pir with the heavy sword on its shoulders. BOOM!!! A boom rang out as the earth quaked from the impact. Aldrich could see an enormous dust cloud at the bottom of the pir. This Boss was the worst match-up for him so far. It had both high Strength and Agility, while he could only choose one of his Attributes. The Boss Crawler came out of the riled-up dust, with the sword still on him. Aldrich felt like it was taunting him to run while he could. Aldrich''s hands moved towards his shadow. The shadow, obeying themand, rippled and jumped up into his hand. As Aldrich tightened his grip, the shadow turned into two ck Daggers, with ominous shadowy vapor emanating out of them. "Change." [ Agility: 104 (+4 +75) Perception: 75 (-75) ] Aldrich dashed towards the Boss, leaving behind a blurry trail of ck shadows. Just as their eyes met each other, Aldrich vanished from its Divine Sense. The Boss raised his eyebrows and with a swift reaction put the sword on his back. Tink-krrr!!! The daggers struck the heavy sword, but couldn''t leave a scratch on it. The sword slid down to the earth and, using the hilt, Cu Chinn sent a kick to Aldrich''s face. But the kick passed right through his face. And as the Boss brought its leg back, the wind had swept away Aldrich''s afterimage. Aldrich appeared a hundred meters away from the Boss and looked at it, who had a smile on its face. The Crawler raised the sword high in the air and, like swatting a fly, mmed it on the earth. MEGATON CRUSHER BOOOOM!!! Within the 200 meter radius of the Boss, everything got turned upside down. Aldrich had already jumped in the air, searching for the Boss through his Divine Sense amidst huge piles of rock and sand. Suddenly, he sensed something falling from the sky right above him. Aldrich was still on the way to the highest point of his jump when he saw a massive rocking straight at him from above. Even with his Agility, Aldrich couldn''t fly in the air. As the rock was about to crush his head to a pulp, Aldrich struck the Daggers on it and changed his trajectory. But it turned out to be a mistake. Behind the rock, on Aldrich''s blind spot, high above in the air, was the Crawler. It was far away to not even be sensed by his enhanced Divine Sense. Aldrich saw the monstere falling down frame by frame. Cu Chinn aimed at Aldrich and threw the monstrous sword at him like a missile. Aldrich could only dodge one more time. With a slight twist of his wrists, Aldrich struck the sword and the dagger in his hands went flying. But before the sword could go past him, Aldrich held onto its hilt. A massive fist followed the sword. The expression in the Boss''s eyes had turned ferocious. Its eyes moved in search of something on Aldrich''s body and found his entire body was full of ws. The fist came crashing down on Aldrich''s chest with the force of many trucks. BANG!!! No one knew how deep it had sted Aldrich into the earth. With his entire body shuddering and dragging the sword, Aldrich came out of the ditch. He found the Boss waiting for him, standing just a couple of hundred meters away. For the first time, the Boss-Cu Chinn seemed to say something to him. A sweet but sharp, and heavy but gentle voice came out from him. "You are no fighter. But it was fun; brief, but fun. I will let you decide the manner of your death. Choose wisely." With that, the mythical being closed his eyes, awaiting Aldrich''s response. Aldrich touched the area around his chest and looked at the sword he was dragging out of the ditch. There was a reason he hadn''t managed to lift the sword. He looked at his Stats and straightened his posture. [ Defense: 95 (+75) Perception: 75 (-75) ] "Change." Cu Chinn was already looking at him with sheer shock in his eyes. Aldrich lifted the sword and pointed it towards the Boss. "You are right. I am no fighter. I... I am just a normal schr." Chapter 42: Aldrich Guo Chapter 42: Aldrich Guo "HAHA HAHAHAHA" A heartyugh resounded throughout the Boss''s chamber. Cu Chinn had a hand on his stomach and wasughing hysterically. Aldrich put down the sword and a weird feeling took over him. And he was no stranger to this feeling. He had felt this type of emotion from the people who had talked to him. "I get it now I get it. So let me get this straight in one time. When you are fast enough to catch me, you can''t actually hurt me. And when you are strong enough to hurt me, you can''t catch me. Isn''t that" The Boss lost hisughing demeanor and looked into Aldrich''s eyes, and solemnly asked, "Isn''t that PATHETIC?" Aldrich''s face crumpled, hearing the remark. In just two exchanges, the Crawler had found out the essence of his capabilities. For a moment, Aldrich glimpsed the scariness of the Skill w Detection. But knowing and not knowing changed little for Aldrich. He still had to do what he ought to do. Aldrich took his eyes off the Crawler and looked at the sword. "Humph! Do you think you can wield the Stone Splitter? Fool, the usage of that weapon requires more than some overpowered muscles." Aldrich knew what the Boss had said just now was right. Stone Splitter was a Rare ranked weapon. He didn''t have any proficiency rted to swords, especially heavy swords. Even if he had, it wasn''t practical for him to use it, as the only reason he had been holding this sword was his enhanced strength. The moment he would redistribute his Stats, he would also lose the ability to use it. Amid the fight, that would be nothing but suicidal. But Aldrich hadn''t suffered a devastating blow to use the sword. Aldrich lifted the sword and threw it upwards, like juggling a bottle. The heavy sword churned the hot air around it as it went up and came down. The Boss eyed Aldrich''s actions curiously, trying to figure out what Aldrich was up to. But Aldrich didn''t catch the sword. His shadow rippled and spread out with him as a center. It looked like Aldrich was standing over a dark well. An enormous mouth opened up within the shadow and gulped down the whole sword. Unlike the case with the Daggers, Aldrich could hear little chewing soundsing out of the shadow. And a feeling of satisfaction got transferred to him from his beloved Item. It was the Shadow Homunculus, initially designed toplete the Quest. But Aldrich was more than happy with the eventual oue. [ Item: Shadow Homunculus Type: Shadow Rank: NA Durability: NA Minimum Usage Condition: Needs to eat an Item every 3 hours Description: An indestructible Item that doesn''t need to be stored in the Inventory Item-specific Skill: Devour Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Can devour any Item and imitate its Skill and Rank Warning: It has living characteristics Warning: If not given an Item to eat within 3 hours, Shadow Homunculus would refuse to obeymands Warning: The digestion period would depend on the Rank of Item devoured Warning: If the imitated Item suffers damage greater than its original Durability, it would break down into Shadow Homunculus Warning: Only one Item can be imitated at a time ] Aldrich saw the Boss''s face in utter disbelief and couldn''t help but chuckle. A portal came into existence far behind him. And its presence meant only one thing. The thing which was also confirmed by the notification received by Aldrich. [ Quest 2 has beenpleted Rewards: 1. Skill Points +7 2. Experience Points +6000 You have leveled up You have leveled up ] Aldrich stared at the Rewards and couldn''t take his eyes off them. He did not know that Quests could reward ExPs. There was no such mention of it on the Inte. Aldrich thought he couldn''t be the first one toplete a Quest involving the Boss of Random-Dungeon. And so, he could infer only one thing from it. That the upper level of Dreamers had ssified this information. But this wasn''t the time to think about such things. Aldrich saw the crazed look on the Boss''s face and prepared himself for a brutal fight. "What did you do with my SWORD?" Cu Chinn shouted and lunged at Aldrich. BOOM!!! The two fists collided, and it sent the Boss flying back. But as soon as its feet touched the ground, it again dashed towards him. Aldrich concentrated his strength on his hands and again sent a punch towards it. But Cu Chinn didn''t face the punch this time. Instead, Aldrich saw a smile of mockery on its face. A feeling of doom overtook him. The shout of rage and the impulsive lunge was nothing but bait. "Change." Aldrich gave themand to enhance his Defence instead of his Strength. Unfortunately, it was toote. BANG!!! Just before the Defence Stat could take its effect, the archaic fistnded on his stomach and one could see the fist bulging out from his back. Blood came pouring out of Aldrich''s mouth. Aldrich''s knee buckled, and he got floored on the earth. "Cough! Cough! " "Change." Aldrich redistributed his Stats to Agility to create some distance. But again, the Boss was one step ahead of him. Aldrich was about to disappear when a foot struck him on his head. A muffled sound of sshing of mud came out from the impact. One could only see Aldrich''s body out of the ground and not his head. Cu Chinn went around and, holding Aldrich''s ankle, flung him into the air. A ck blur streaked through the hot air, as Aldrich threw the Daggers towards the Boss while turning and tossing. The Crawler effortlessly dodged the Daggers and jumped towards Aldrich. By throwing him in the air, Cu Chinn had already neutralized Aldrich''s enhanced Agility. The Agility not only increased the speed but also affected a Dreamer''s coordination and reaction. But no matter how fast Aldrich''s reaction would have be, he couldn''t avoid all the attacks. In the end, the Boss had forced him to increase his Defence Stat and Aldrich rolled himself up in midair like a ball. POW! The Boss''s punchesnded on Aldrich. Though it didn''t do any considerable damage, it sent Aldrich even higher. And the Boss didn''t show any inclination to fall back either. POW! POWW! POWWW! Every punch was heavier than thest. Cu Chinn focused the attacks on various points of Aldrich''s curled-up figure. The impacts sent painful vibrations throughout his body. Just before they began falling, Aldrich straightened up and increased his Strength. With an immense power behind it, Aldrich counterattacked with a fist. The fist struck right on the Crawler''s face and Aldrich heard the faint sound of cracking of nose and broken teeth. But contrary to Aldrich''s thoughts, the Boss didn''t go away from him. The mythical legend had tied up its legs around Aldrich''s waist. Its face had taken the full brunt of Aldrich''s devastating punch, but its hands were free. Aldrich couldn''t even say or think about his Defence when the two palms mmed against his ears. BUZZZZZZZ!!! Aldrich had momentarily lost consciousness before even feeling the pain. Cu Chinn held Aldrich''s face and came crashing down towards the deserted ground, full of rocks. As the Boss was about to hit the earth, it mmed Aldrich''s head with all its Strength and momentum. BOOM!!! When Aldrich came to his senses, he felt the pain coursing through every fiber of his body. As he turned around and looked at the sky, still lying t over the rocks, even his eyesight felt red and bloody. Except for the buzzing sound in his ears, he couldn''t hear anything. He had never felt so tired before. With raspy breathing, he stood up and thought about his actions so far. He knew he wasn''t overconfident when he had thought he could take on the Boss, but he had overestimated his capabilities. ''The Aldrich of now can''t defeat this being,'' Aldrich thought. Aldrich saw the Boss dashing towards him and closed his eyes. shes of his life before the Dream surfaced in his mind. Aldrich had never fought before. It was natural to say that he didn''t think like a fighter at all. But there were other things he was master of. Other things, ifpiled together, would be enough to take over the world. And the thing holding him back was nothing but his thinking capabilities. The only reason Cu Chinn had thrashed him around was that it knew that Aldrich couldn''t change his Attributes fast enough. ''Think Aldrich, surpass yourself again. This is just another day,'' Aldrich thought. BANG! A kick to his chin sent Aldrich back flipping, but before he could stop, the Boss had grabbed his ankles. ''Think Aldrich, it''s just another thing to learn.'' BANG! The Boss whipped Aldrich into the ground. ''Think Aldrich, remember who you are.'' The Crawler, still holding one of Aldrich''s legs, dragged him out of the ditch and again threw him into the air. Cu Chinn followed him up and was about to punch him in the head when Aldrich suddenly opened his eyes. With an unimaginable speed, a finger hit the Boss''s arm. Cu Chinn had just lost the sense of its one arm when hundreds of other fingers came flying towards him. Pok! Pok! Pok!... The Boss did not know what sorcery this was, as it couldn''t feel any part of his body. When it looked at the bloody mangled face of Aldrich, it saw a finger pointed at its forehead. The finger was vibrating so fast that one could only see an afterimage. The vibrating finger followed a certain pattern from right to left and back. Cu Chinn''s eyes couldn''t help but follow the blurry trajectory and its eyes rolled back into its head. A smile came to Aldrich''s face as he pummeled a massive fist on the Boss''s face. As he saw the Crawler''s body crashing into the cliff, there was only one thought in Aldrich''s mind. ''Why think so hard about something so trivial? I am the same person... Aldrich Guo, a Polymath of this era.'' Chapter 43: Flaw Chapter 43: w Aldrich knew clearly that he had caught the Boss off guard by attacking its pressure points. He saw it falling, after getting glued to the cliff''s surface by his punch. Aldrich had alsonded on the ground and took out a cigarette from his Inventory. He lit it up using the lighter he had asked from the officer before entering the Dungeon. Without taking off his mask, he took several puffs through the mouth opening. With each puff, he felt much livelier. Unfortunately, Buckey''s Cigarettes couldn''t heal the Stamina. Finishing his second Cigarette, Aldrich saw a red hue taking over the world. It was like a certain type of sunset, but with twisted beauty. Aldrich saw the vision of thousands of swords nking with each other. He saw the hundreds of women wailing while running around on the bloody battlefield. He saw one hero after another getting impaled with arrows and bolts. The blood-red color had overtaken the color of earth, the color of the sky, and even the color of the wind. FIELD OF SLAUGHTER Two rotten hands came out of the earth and grabbed Aldrich''s legs. Three warriors with their swords came running towards him. Four arrows and five spikes came flying over them, targeting him. And six riders with enormousnces surrounded him from all directions. But none of these things could touch Aldrich; they vanished in an ethereal red smoke. If Aldrich didn''t have a high enough Perception, he would have already fallen into the illusions of Field of ughter. Aldrich saw the same blood-red smokeing out of the Boss''s body, but in an even greater amount. Cu Chinn was an outstanding legend. And many things had contributed to this legend, like the sword Stone Splitter. But Cu Chinn was not feared for his sword skills. One of the two things about this heroic legend that had shivered the heart of friends and enemies alike was the state of Battle Frenzy. In this state, the honest and just hero had used to let himself be overtaken by the uncontrolled bloodlust. But in the myths, its another name had notoriously be a nightmare for people. A name worthy of belonging to this Demigod. RIASTRAD Aldrich saw the markings on the Boss''s body glowing red. Its emerald eyes had lost the gem-like appearance and had turnedpletely red. Its hairs gained a maroon shade and its entire body reeked with the smell of blood. But this transformation wasn''t the end. The second thing which had made this Demigod rule thends and skies was a weapon. A weapon feared by the gods. A weapon so destructive that once put to use, couldn''t be held back even by Cu Chinn. "Come! GAE BULG." Aldrich heard a maddening voice out of the Boss and he felt rhythmic quakes in the earth. Aldrich guessed their origin and eyed the pir, whose purpose wasn''t clear to him until now. Not even his Divine Sense had found out if there was something wrong with it. He got to know why the surroundings were scorching hot. He got to know why the air was bone-dry and why the earth was barren of any greenery. CRACKKK!!! Thousands of cracks surfaced on the pir and from the crevices came out a searing heat, flooding the Boss''s chamber. BOOM!!! Thousands of thorny spikes sted the whole pir from within. And when the dust settled, Aldrich saw a 9 ft and 9-inch long blood-red spear hovering in the pir''s ce. Waves upon waves of boiling air were getting sted out of it. The Boss raised its hand and the spear, hearing the call, vanished. When Aldrich saw it again, the spear was already in the hands of crazed Cu Chinn. The speed of this spear had already surpassed Aldrich''s maximum Agility without using Target Lock. As Aldrich saw the humming sounding out of the spear, a notification popped up in front of him. [ Generating Hidden Quest Hidden Quest: Survive the Boss Crawler for 3 minutes ] Aldrich remembered the 15 minutes that the System had given him in the previous Dungeon. He thought even RECORD doesn''t believe that he canst more than a few minutes against the Boss now. Aldrich checked the Stats of the spear and its wielder. The Boss had already gained an increase of 25% in all of his Attributes because of the Skill Riastrad. And now,bined with the mythical weapon, he couldn''t help but agree with the RECORD. But contrary to the System, he believed that three minutes would be enough to bring down this monster. Cu Chinn spun the spear and dashed in Aldrich''s direction. Even before the Boss neared its prey, Aldrich''s face got sted with scorching heating out from its body. The Crawler thrust the spear point towards Aldrich, who with a slight left turn of his body dodged it. Aldrich''s fingers left afterimages trying to hit the Boss''s pressure points again in counterattack. Cu Chinn''s eyes were full of savagery and couldn''t seem to distinguish anything in its path. But not even a single fingernded on its target. Aldrich''s eyes narrowed as the Boss evaded every attack by the margin of a hair. Aldrich was about tond a heavy blow when hundreds of red thorns came out of the spear towards him. The spear Gae Bulg, like its master, was infamous for its savagery and for leaving behind unrecognizable corpses. Aldrich couldn''t help but create some distance between him and the spear. As he appeared a few hundred meters away from the Boss, hundreds of different weapons and dead soldiers came running at him from all over. But Aldrich didn''t dare to use his Divine Sense this time toe out of the illusion. The arrows, spikes, andnces prated his body, and the soldiers mercilessly shed at him with the swords. Aldrich clenched his teeth and bore with the pain. It wasn''t as bad as the pain he had felt in the presence of the Will. Just as the illusion vanished by itself, Cu Chinn had already covered the distance. It again thrust the spear at Aldrich''s forehead, but Aldrich jumped in the air. Aldrich''s eyes became wide in shock when he saw the spear changing its trajectory and following him. The spear''s t side struck him in the chest and the sound of metal crashing into a stone echoed in the surrounding area. Hundreds of small thorns tried to prate Aldrich''s body, but failed. The only things they left behind were third-degree burns on his body. Aldrich''s body involuntarily used the Divine Sense to inspect the injury when he felt his brain getting pierced by thousands of needles. PERCEPTION NEMESIS Aldrich had chosen the lesser of the two evils when he got shed by the illusions. He tried to move back, but a hacking attack from the spear cut off his path. It had left the Boss and was charging at him on its own. Aldrich tried to dodge, but somehow couldn''t. Every sh seemed to follow him, leaving bloody trails and burned skin on his body. As he was trying to find a brief window toe out of the flurry of attacks, he saw the Crawler walking towards him. Red smoke was brimming out from the corner of its mouth. And even with the bearing of a savage animal, Aldrich saw a minute emerald glow deep in its eyes. "Where does a man''s ultimate w lie? I have spent my whole life thinking about this. And when there is none left for me to kill, I have realized the answer. A realization brought to me by boredom and solitude." Aldrich heard the voice like a growl of a beast. And he again reminded himself of the terror of the Passive Skills. "A person''s ultimate w neither lies in his body nor in his actions. It lies in his past and his future." Aldrich got to know why the spear seemed to appear wherever he was dodging it. Cu Chinn wasn''t just detecting ws, it was also analyzing the pattern of Aldrich''s movements and his possible future reactions. Aldrich saw the Boss''s murderous gaze and knew if he did nothing soon, he wouldn''t be able to survive. But even if Aldrich couldn''t see the future, he was a master of strategies and tactics. He had prepared a failsafe just for this kind of unforeseen situation. A ck shadow came out of the pile of rocks tens of meters away. The shadow squirmed and took a shape. A shape of a heavy sword, Stone Splitter. But unlike its predecessor, it was entirely ck, with shadowy vaporing out of it. The Boss seemed to sense something and looked back. But it was toote. The sword lifted itself and, with an inconceivable power, mmed itself on the ground. MEGATON CRUSHER Using the cover of the sted clouds of dust and rocks, Aldrich used his Divine Sense to find the Boss. Bearing with the piercing pain of needles in his mind, he appeared directly in front of it. But Cu Chinn was already waiting for him. The Boss thrust the spear towards Aldrich''s chest and he couldn''t dodge it. A thorn came out of the spear and prated Aldrich''s right lung. "Got you!" The bloodthirsty Crawler spat out the words in the sheer joy of its victory. But Aldrich was as calm as ever. He raised his left arm and put it on the Boss''s chest. "No. Got YOU! BANISH." Chapter 44: Law Chapter 44: Law What are Laws? Is there one Law superior to another? If there is, how does one decide it? One could go on like this and stumble upon either a hundred answers or none. But questions were the root of understanding and sometimes they were more important than the answers. If one wanted to speak of Laws in the simplest term, then it would have gone like this; Laws are the means to predict the future. Aldrich wasn''t concerned with the Law of Space or the Law of Time. No, not even one remarkable person on earth would have been able to say that they had entirely understood Space-Time. But the Skills were closing this gap little by little. Banish wasn''t a Skill to amplify these understandings, it provided means to act upon the knowledge of Laws itself. Being of Common Rank, Aldrich found out that he couldn''t Banish Laws around him. Even if he could, it wouldn''t havested more than a fraction of a second. The only workable method that presented itself to him was to Banish Laws within a target. The human body, one of theplex structures of the Universe, was an amalgam of Laws. And one of these Laws was the Law of Electricity. "BANISH." Aldrich put his left against the Crawler''s chest and banished the Law of Electricity. Billions of neurons in Cu Chinn''s body stopped functioning. Neurons needed electric signals to pass on the information. But now, the same electricity seemed to not exist within the Crawler''s body. Without the excess of these electric signals, how would its muscles respond to itsmands? The Boss looked like someone had rooted it in the ce it had been standing upon. Aldrich took out the extended thorn of the spear from his chest. The weapon Gae Bulg, even when it could function independently, couldn''t do anything. The grip Cu Chinn had on it was strong enough to not let it move by itself. Aldrich took out a Cigarette and his lung injury healed in a matter of seconds. Two ck Daggers materialized in front of him. One could surmise their sharpness by the way the shadowy vapor around them was getting cut by their own de''s edge. Holding them loosely in his hands, Aldrich walked in a circle around the Crawler''s body. One could have seen dark shes of Daggers asionallying into existence and vanishing. By the time the Banish Skill lost its effect, Aldrich had already severed Cu Chinn tendons and veins. Yes, it was a wonderful chance to kill it and gain Experience Points. And Aldrich would have done so too if he was a 13-year-old child living in a fantasy. As the Boss''s body slumped down on the ground, Aldrich got time to check on the notification. [ Hidden Quest has beenpleted Rewards: 1. Skill - w Detection ...] Who wouldn''t have smiled in a situation like this? Aldrich was just a touch away fromughing out loud. A ck shiny globe materialized and hovered between him and the Crawler. Aldrich flicked away the used Cigarette and touched the reward. [... Skill: w Detection (Rare) Nature: Active Cooldown: 00:03:00 hrs Minimum Usage Condition: Perception 40, Agility 50 Consumption: 500 MP Description: 1. Dreamer can detect the ws on the target 2. Any hit on the detected w would be a Critical Hit Warning: The numbers of ws detected would depend upon the difference of Levels and Ranks Do you want to equip the Skill? ] "Yes." The hovering ball crumbled, and another Skill got added to Aldrich''s arsenal. He looked down and saw the helpless Boss on the deserted earth. Cu Chinn was looking at the Dungeon''s sky, as it lost its red hue and regained its natural color. Aldrich saw the Gae Bulg moving around the Portal''s entrance, daring him to think of leaving. It didn''t attack Aldrich and only one being could have ordered the Spear to do so. A defeated voice came out of the Crawler''s mouth as Aldrich moved his eyes away from the Spear. "Don''t... mind it. Gae Bulg is too proud... proud enough to not ept defeat." Aldrich inspected the Boss''s body. Blood was perfusing out from it, making pools of blood around it. But the process seemed slow, as Aldrich intended it to be. Cu Chinn had little time left, which meant that Aldrich had little time either. With the Daggers still in his hands, he crouched near its body. Using his fingers, he slowly traced the runic markings. The Boss''s body felt cold to Aldrich, and the cold''s intensity was increasing by seconds. "I am sorry, I don''t have the proper instruments." Aldrich said the words offhandedly. It didn''t matter if it was the Crawler he had hated or an animal. Once on the table, it was just another experiment. But Aldrich wasn''t prepared for the answer he got from Cu Chinn. A shiver ran down his spine and for a moment his head throbbed with ethereal pain. "Don''t... worry about it. We both serve the same Lord." No words coulde out from Aldrich''s gaped mouth. Saying nothing, Aldrich used the Daggers to remove the skin, which had markings over it. In the silent atmosphere, the asional grunt from the Crawler and the humming of the spear resonated with each other. Aldrich eyed the blue marking and remembered the first impression it had given him. The marking was almost simr to the symbols one could see in the eyes of Newbie Dreamers while using the RECORD. The true value of any runic symbols was apparent to any Philologist, like Aldrich. And he wanted nothing but to study these symbols and make something meaningful out of them. Aldrich had originally decided to leave after the procedure. But the casual words from the Boss had clicked something within him. He just couldn''t take his mind off the underlined meaning of that statement. He looked at Cu Chinn and their eyes met. Aldrich saw him looking at him with a slight smile. And he couldn''t help but remember Sonu. He did not know what hallucinations the dying Crawler was going through. But the strange turn of events gave him an idea. An idea, more bizarre than anything he hade up with so far. He sat down in a meditation posture and waited. He waited for the cooldown of Banish Skill to be over. And focused his entire concentration on the feeling of the state after the death. The vision of that ce came back to him. The ce where he had spent many millennia traveling towards the origin of that Call. And in that emptiness and seemingly timeless ce, he had spent most of his time learning. Learning about his surroundings, realizing its meaning, and understanding its purpose. And if he could summarize this understanding, then it would be a word; Law. This was the terror of the ss-Generalist. Aldrich saw Cu Chinn going into a state of Coma and the cooldown had reached its limit. Death wasn''t far from iming the Crawler, but the limited time was enough for Aldrich. He put his hand on the Boss''s forehead where the hole was ever a ce of unimaginable depth. "Law of Darkness... BANISH." An archaic sound resounded around Aldrich, and the space seemed to fluctuate on the brink of copse. When Aldrich removed his hand from Cu Chinn''s face, he recalled his first encounter with that enormous being. There was no deep hole like a depthless well anymore on the Boss''s forehead. Aldrich could only see a seed. The tiny ck seed looked like a diamond, but Aldrich knew it wasn''t of the same substance. Many ck tentacles wereing out of the seed and had spread over the Crawler''s forehead like veins. And the tentacles seemed to pulsate with life. Aldrich''s hand involuntarily went and touched his forehead. Aldrich used the Dagger and tried to pluck out the seed. But no matter from which side he tried, he couldn''t move it out of its ce. Seeing that he was almost out of time, a beam of resolution gleamed in his eyes. Raising his strength to the Max using the Skill Change, he used both the Daggers to deal a powerful sh around the seed. BANG!!! Both the Daggers broke down in millions of ck vapory globules and merged into Aldrich''s shadow. But they had done their intended work. The ck seed came popping out, and Aldrich saw the Crawler crumbling down at the same time. Even the spear crumbled following its master. Aldrich reached out and picked up the fallen seed. Its tentacles were iling about maddeningly. As soon as Aldrich''s hand touched his, the seed and his forehead seemed to attract each other like two opposite ends of mas. The pull was so strong that even with his strength, Aldrich was struggling to keep the seed away. Ignoring the drops from the Crawler, Aldrich eyed the mysterious notification that had popped up. [... You are eligible to obtain a new Title Generating Title Quest... Title Quest (optional): Description Not Avable Title Reward: Will of Darkness Do you want to initiate the Quest for this Title? ...] Aldrich couldn''t take his eyes off the Title Reward. His heart thumped with an unfamiliar rhythm. For a moment, there was disharmony in his breathing. Aldrich took control of his emotions and, with a grave look in his eyes, let go of the seed. Like a prisoner longing for freedom, the seed lunged at his forehead. Aldrich''s hair turned white and the white of his eyes turned ck. His iris glowed with a color of pearly white and a dark hole opened up on his forehead. But just as the seed vanished inside that hole, he regained his original appearance. None could witness this strange phenomenon except the world itself. Aldrich took a deep breath and, with unwavering resolve, looked at the notification. "Yes... " "... I don''t serve any fucking Lord." Chapter 45: All Proficient Chapter 45: All Proficient Aldrich held up the markings in his hand and remembered the first time he had scanned these with his Divine Sense. He had found out that these Markings weren''t tattoos but a differentyer of skin embedded on Cu Chinn''s body. But both skins had merged so naturally that it was impossible to take one out, leaving behind the other. Aldrich had no way other than to remove the Boss''s skin from its body surgically. As the Crawler crumbled after its death, the Boss''s skin under the mystical Markings also vanished. It left behind the pure unknown markings having a blue glow. With things settled down, Aldrich finally got time to focus on the notifications. [ You have killed Boss - Cu Chinn ExPs obtained: 19950 You have leveled up You have leveled up ] Aldrich had obtained 60 Attribute Points and 17 Skill Points during this Boss''s fight. Preferring his ss-specific Skill he assigned most of his Skill points in that. He distributed most of the Unassigned Attribute Points evenly but left the Correspondence alone for the moment. For obvious reason, one Attribute of his was doomed tog to assure the usage of the Oldest Change Item. He brought up his Stats for a quick look. [ Record of Aldrich Time Left: 00:00:00 hrs Status: Healthy Level: 16 (25950/28500 ExPs to next level) HP: 513/513 SP: 700/700 MP: 1455/1455 Rank: Rare ss: Generalist, Blessed Schr Title: NA (2) Attributes --> Strength: 35 Defence: 25 Agility: 35 Vitality: 26 Perception: 180 Correspondence: 15 Unassigned Attribute Points: 0 Active Skills --> 1. Metacreativity: Lvl Max (Rare) 2. Target Lock (Common) 3. 3 Miles Shot (Common) 4. Banish: Lvl 1 (Common) 5. w Detection (Rare) Skill Points: 2 Passive Skills --> 1. Shared Vision 2. Intimidation 3. Beginner''s Dagger Proficiency Inventory --> (1.7/10) Equipped Items --> 1. Oldest Change 2. Shadow Homunculus 3. Buckey''s Cigarettes (7) Skill: Metacreativity (Rare) Nature: Active, Upgradable Lvl: Max (0/1 Skill Points to Upgrade) Cooldown: 75:00:00 hrs ] Aldrich nodded and approached the hovering rewards. The blue-green Mana core was the biggest he had seen so far. But Aldrich was profusely let down by seeing only one ck ball hovering beside it. It meant either he would get one Item or one Skill. One would have expected at least two of such rewards from the Boss of this caliber. Aldrich touched the ball, and the System transferred its data to him. [ Skill: Summon (Rare) Nature: Active Cooldown: 00:10:00 hrs Minimum Usage Condition: Bond with a Mythical Creature Number of current Bonds: 1 Consumption: 400 MP Description: Summon a creature from myths and legends Warning: Only creatures of Rare or Common Rank can be bonded Do you want to equip the Skill? ] He had seen the Skill Summon quite a few times by now. He could only guess the reason for Cu Chinn''s not using this Skill was that it was not a party that had raided the Boss but an individual. Another reason could be that the Boss didn''t get a chance. But Aldrich would hardly say no to any Skill, moreover a Skill from the Boss. "Yes." The ball crumbled, and a portal opened up in the desertednd. It was twice the size of the portal that had opened up for Aldrich. A rhythmic sound came out of the portal and the earth under Aldrich''s feet transferred the vibration to his body. With every little increment in the vibration''s intensity, Aldrich''s face distorted more and more. And the reason for this distortion came out of the portal with a leap. NEIGHHH!!! It was a horse, so beautiful that none could take their eyes off of it. And yet, so powerful that none could stay standing without feeling the dread of doom. The gray horse huffed and slowly approached Aldrich like the majestic creature it was. Every tap of its hooves on the earth could have shuddered the hearts of its enemies. Aldrich neither feared its strength nor its blood red eyes. But he knew that he would have to pay a devastating price to earn its loyalty. For it was not just a legendary creature but a King. King of Horses - Liath Macha. [ Summoned Creature - Liath Macha Rank: Rare Description: A Goddess''s gift to the greatest of heroes 1. All Stats +10 2. If the summoner dies in battle, Liath Macha would inherit the Dreamer''s Stats for 3 minutes Skill: Mark of Sovereignty Skill Description: Every creature in the Rare Rank would struggle to function in Liath Macha''s presence Warning: The Stat''s enhancement would only work while riding the horse ] The creature''s description had perplexed Aldrich. He was thinking of different scenarios when he got another notification. [ Liath Macha demands you to prove your worthiness ] "Fuck!" Aldrich couldn''t help but curse out loud. He knew he couldn''t prove his worthiness by mming the horse into the Cliff. There was only one way to tame a horse, no matter if the horse was a King or a beggar. He would have to ride it without falling off its back. And this was the reason for the ugly expression on his face. Aldrich didn''t know how to ride a horse. He might know things that none knew in this world, but some things still needed an on-hand experience to learn. Like riding a horse or driving a car. Aldrich knew the basic rules and stuff to handle a horse. But to apply this knowledge, especially when the horse imed to be a King, would be an exhrating process. Aldrich sighed and took a step towards the towering creature. * 3 dayster "Huff! Huff!... " The sounds of harsh and broken breathing resounded around Aldrich. He was floored on the pile of rocks with his arms and legs spread out. The sound of tick-tack came from behind him. Liath Macha was leisurely walking around him in circles. It had taken him 3 days to tame the legendary creature. But considering that even Cu Chinn had needed an entire day, it seemed justifiable. He canceled the Summon Skill, and the horse vanished with a grunting noise of reluctance. Aldrich looked at the darkening sky and analyzed his fights so far. There was one thing that had troubled him since the start, and it has be an even bigger problem after creating Shadow Homunculus. This thing was Proficiency Skills. He had obtained a Heavy Sword, a Rare weapon. But because of theck of Heavy Sword''s proficiency, he wouldn''t be able to use it. He had to coerce the Shadow Homunculus with an extra meal to act on its own. But Items didn''t grow on trees. In the end, Aldrich decided to deal with this problem once and for all. He was so tired he didn''t even get up andmanded with his sweaty back still stuck to the earth. "Metacreativity." [ Skill Metacreativity is now active Specify your creation: Item or Skill? ] "Skill." [ Fill up the temte for Skill Skill Name: Skill Type: Skill Rank: Skill Description: Warning: The above data would be optimized ording to the maximum avable ExPs Warning: Skill created would be Active and Not-upgradable Warning: Skill''s Usage condition, Cooldown, and Consumption would depend on the oue ] Aldrich took a deep breath and filled up the details. [ Skill Name: All Proficient Do you want to submit this data? ] Chapter 46: Witch Chapter 46: Witch Aldrich nodded as the System asked for his confirmation. [ Submitting request to create Skill Optimizing Skill Skill ''All Proficient'' is created ExPs consumed: 15000 Warning: The consumed ExPs are permanently lost Warning: You have fallen back to Level 11 ] Aldrich took a breath of relief. He wasn''t optimistic about the number of ExPs that the System would consume for this kind of Skill. But even after optimization, he still got the better end of the deal. [ Skill: All Proficient (Rare) Nature: Active Cooldown: 00:01:00 hrs Minimum Usage Condition: Dreamer must satisfy individual weapon''s usage condition Consumption: 3 MP per second Description: Dreamer has ess to all Beginner Level Proficiencies avable in the System Warning: The Skill would go to Cooldown once the current weapon is unequipped ] "Haha " Aldrich saw the warning and couldn''t help butugh. He got up and proceeded towards the portal to the outside. There was a specific time limit to Dungeon for the people on earth. But once inside, all that mattered was Quests. Nobody has ever tested the limit of time stretch within the Dungeon, but the longest someone had stayed ande out alive was 5 days. Aldrich took a step in the blue-green light, knowing no matter how long he had spent in the Dungeon, it was only 5 hours for others. Woosshhhh!!! As Aldrich stepped out, he saw the red pir of light surrounding the statue regaining its turbid yellow color. But that wasn''t the only thing that had greeted him. On the main road outside the building, there were rows of soldiers with their guns pointed at him. And there were hundreds of ck-suited men who had a strange pistol glowing with a blue color. It seemed 5 hours were enough for American forces to find out Aldrich''s position ande here. Aldrich saw the same officer, now with a deep frown on his face, in a heated argument with one of the American agents. Aldrich saw the officer shrugging off and spitting towards the mass of agents. The officer looked at Aldrich and came towards him. 2 soldiers followed him with almost the same weapon, but the glow on them looked dullpared to their American counterparts. "You have created some trouble, Mr. Masked Menace. It''s bing very hard for the Irish government to interject in this matter." Aldrich didn''t reply to the officer''sment. He eyed the agents and the weapon in their hands and felt disappointed seeing no Stats over these. He realized these were not the products of a Dreamer''s Skill using materials from the Crawlers and Mana core. These weapons were part of the mass-produced Anti-Dreamer weapons that were getting supplied throughout the security agencies of the world. Aldrich threw a bag full of Mana cores of Changelings towards the officer and, for a moment, every soldier and agent flinched in horror. "You can have all the contents of the bag. Give me two Common Rank Items." "Two Common Rank Items? You must be out of your mind! No matter what''s in this " The officer''s words cut short as he opened the bag a little to look. His mouth was left agape and his eyes became wide open. Aldrich watched as the red-faced officer from all the raging arguments gained a sheepish smile on his face. The officer took out amunicator and voiced a fewmands. Aldrich could hear an even more unrestrainedugh from the other side. "I knew you were one of a kind when I first saw you." The officer ttered Aldrich as a van came running down from the distance. The American agents tried to approach Aldrich, but the piercing re from the soldiers rooted them in their ce. Aldrich saw a brte in a blue one-piece stepping out of the Van. He raised his eyebrows as he saw the Stats hovering above her. There was no way any Dreamer could havee so fast from the Random Dungeon. The 5 hours time limit was calcted from the entry of the first Dreamer to the exit of thest. Aldrich knew that the rest of his Ex-Party members must have left only a few minutes before him. And it was hard to tell if other Dreamers were willing to leave a Party amid the raid in Dungeons. This meant only one thing. That thisdy never went to a Dungeon in thest 5 hours. Aldrich immediately opened his Stat window and was quite astonished by what he saw. [ Record of Aldrich Time Left: 331:00:00 hrs ] Aldrich again emphasized his understanding of the System. A brutal way to raise a force of Dreamers and selecting Leaders out of them. He closed his eyes and the visions of Broken Faith shed by his eyes. As he was thinking of the inevitable, thedy had already approached him. Aldrich had nevere in contact with many beautiful women so far. But even he felt that nature had blessed the youngdy with dazzling beauty. Her blue eyes and matching one-piece over long and slim legs could have palpated the heart of any young man. But Aldrich had be a thing who couldn''t be qualified as young and old now. "Hello. I am Fin. Leader of the n Hy-Brasil," said Fin, bringing forward a briefcase. Aldrich nodded in response. "Here are the two Items of Common Rank. One is a Ring that enhances Mana and the other is an earring." Aldrich had already scanned the content using his Divine Sense. He held the briefcase and was about to go when Fin took a step forwards and neared him. The scent of perfume smashed Aldrich''s nostrils. He distinguished white florals, musk, and vani, among many other ingredients. A gentle but heavy Divine Sense enveloped him. He couldn''t help but narrow his eyes. "I have a proposal for you. As you must have known by now that you are being wanted by the American government. And we just received a report that one of thergest Guilds from India has also dered war on you." Aldrich could only guess what must have happened over there. "Too many organizations are after your life. But I would guarantee your safety if you decide to stay in Irnd and be its citizen." Aldrich saw as Fin took out the documents and possibly a contract of some sort. Even the officer was smiling from ear to ear. And why wouldn''t he? Anyone in Aldrich''s position would be more than satisfied by this kind of proposal. As Fin was the strongest Dreamer in Irnd. * Fin was quite confident in her skills and persuading capabilities. But she was even more confident in her strength. Even if the Dreamer in front of her would refuse the proposal, she had determined herself to hire him in her Guild. In her mind, only an idiot would refuse a lucrative proposal from The Dreamer of her stature. She had also thought of a way to dispose of the American agents who seemed thirsty for blood. All pieces were in ce and the only thing left was for her "Charm" to take effect. But the dreams of all the people presented there got broken by one word from Aldrich. "Home." Fin''s Divine Sense shuddered tremendously as she heard the voice. She faltered and took several steps back. A blue-green light enveloped Aldrich, leaving the Rare ranked Witch of Thousand Charms with the utter fright written on her face. Chapter 47: The Price Chapter 47: The Price 8 June 2021 Leavenworth, USA The morning chill that Aldrich had been acquainted with throughout his life felt a little foreign. Aldrich looked at the same old Guo Antique Shop sign, but he wasn''t the same as before. In the distance, he saw Boomie waving his hand towards him. Aldrich took off his mask and put it in the Inventory. Before going back home, he needed a pleasant talk with Boomie. A change of clothes would be like cream on the cake. "I brought you a set of clothes. You can''t just show up looking like this, can you?" There wasn''t any talk of what, why, and when between Aldrich and Boomie. It almost felt like Aldrich had never been missing. After changing his clothes, Aldrich took out the Items from the briefcase and fed them to the Shadow Homunculus. Aldrich was quite pleased with the way Boomie''s mouth had gaped at the sight of the squirming shadow. "What the fuck was that?" asked Boomie, poking Aldrich''s shadow from afar like lighting a cracker. "It''s an Item. It can eat other Items." "Oh! so those were Items. Man! I think, only you can afford an Item that has such an extravagant appetite." Aldrich briefly told him about the year-long dream and how he woke up. He also told him about the events that had happened in both of the Dungeons. But he left behind anything rted to that ce of Darkness and Shared Vision. Aldrich believed he knew little of these things as of now. It would be stupid to let others get involved in them. Especially those who he cared about. "I knew if anyone could survive an event like the Night, it would be you. That''s why I kepting back to the mountains hoping to chance upon you." "What''s with you and Edmond?" Aldrich asked. Aldrich heard Boomie sighing and knew that something must have driven him to tie up with a figure like that. As far as he knew, Boomie would never work for anyone, especially who he had not known of at all. And yet he got to know that Boomie was a major figure in the zing Royals Guild. Major enough to let him do as he pleases. "Ah fuck! It all started with the first Random-Allocation. I was with Edmund and Matsumoto Sho there. And to tell you the truth, I was quite frustrated as I couldn''t find you that week. So when I saw Edmund, I thought he would have an idea about how to bring you back. Hah! But I was wrong." "Who were the others?" Aldrich saw Boomie raising his eyebrows, not expecting this question. "I thought you would ask, how strong are Edmund and Sho? Anyway, it was a girl named Annie, a brilliant Healer. And a guy named Logan, an Assassin type. Haven''t met both of them ever since. We almost lost Annie in that Dungeon." Aldrich remembered the details and put together the pieces of the puzzle. Aldrich wasn''t concerned with how strong whoever was. If no one would try to force him to walk on a path he didn''t want to, then Aldrich was more than happy to keep him to himself. But there was one thing that had troubled Aldrich about Boomie. He had his guesses about it, but he still felt the need to ask. "Did you hear anything from the Government or the Guild? Are there any issues?" "Haha! Al, you won''t believe it. The old-timers thought I was there to kill you and earn myself some merits or something like that." ''As I thought.'' Aldrich looked at Boomie''s Stats and thought about what must have led him to have this kind of Strength and Skills. There was no way the authorities would lose this kind of force over an unclear matter. Aldrich had got a good idea by now how well a country treats the top Dreamers. Just by looking at the privileges given to that Fin, he was sure that nothing unexpected would happen to Boomie. But he was still quite taken aback by the unnatural Statspared to the others he had seen so far. [ Record of Boomie Status: Healthy Level: 18 HP: 810/810 SP: 965/965 MP: 296/296 Rank: Rare ss: Frenzied Warrior, Blood Berserker Title: One against Hundred Attributes --> Strength: 50 Defence: 60 Agility: 45 Vitality: 30 Perception: 20 Correspondence: 12 Active Skills --> 1. Battle Frenzy 2. Stamina Leech 3. Damage Absorption 4. Blood Rush Passive Skills --> 1. Bloodlust 2. Intermediate Hand-to-Hand Combat Proficiency 3. Beginner Pole Proficiency ...] Boomie''s Stats immediately reminded Aldrich of the Crawler he had just dealt with. But aside from the umted Skills and Attributes, Aldrich wasn''t surprised to see Boomie''s ss. Aldrich made sure there wasn''t anything wrong with Boomie''s Skills and Title and took 3 Cigarettes out of the Inventory. "Keep them with you. They can''t help much, now that you are of Rare rank. But still, they are better than the Common Health Potion avable." Aldrich unequipped the Items and handed them to Boomie, who after checking out their data became serious. "These are not randomly obtained Items. It''s most probably a reward for Boss''s level Quests." "Oh! Our little Boomie is drawing inferences and pretty well at that." The embarrassing smile washed away all the build-up seriousness on Boomie''s face. Aldrich waited for Boomie to tell him thest thing he must have waited till now to do so. "I am leaving the Guild. Let us make our Guild." Aldrich sighed. Boomie was still Boomie. "No. I want you to remain there until I figure out a few things." Aldrich saw the ugly expression on Boomie''s face, but this wasn''t the moment of constion. He put a hand on Boomie''s shoulder and said, "Wait for my call. The time is not right yet." There were many things that Aldrich needed to clear out before letting out his identity, if ever. Aldrich said goodbye to Boomie and walked back home. For some time, Aldrich wanted to forget about the Dungeons and the Crawlers. For some time, he just wanted to go back to being the samezy Aldrich Guo. But the morning chill was yet to show any sign of warmth in remembrance. Aldrich rang the bell and thought of what to say to his parents. He wetted his dry throat and a rueful smile came upon his face. His eyes became blurry and his nose felt itchy. Aldrich traced back the distant memories, but except for a few scenes of darkness, he couldn''t remember anything. The ss Generalist helped him remember the knowledge he had umted but not anything else. He put his hand against the door with his head drooped down and looked at his feet. "I... I can''t even recall their faces." Aldrich got rid of the air of mncholy around him as the door opened with a creaking sound. Aldrich saw the old smiling face of her mother and walked in. "Mom, you didn''t need to wait for me." "Humph! Take a bath first, then we will talk about anything else." "Ok, give me a few minutes." Aldrich walked towards his room when the words from Mrs. Guo rooted him to the ce. "Son, you feel different." Thousands of years of realization, mastering the Laws and facing the horrors against all odds. And yet, his heart couldn''t help but ask the question. Would the price be worth it? Chapter 48: The White-Haired Assassin Chapter 48: The White-Haired Assassin It is the nature of men to oppose the constraints applied by the so-called councils and governmental bodies. A fact that has been proven throughout the history of humanity. And only a fool would think that if there are other intelligent races in the Universe, then there would be much difference in that thinking. No being is born with power over others. The only thing life brings with itself is freedom. And conflict arises when the validity of this freedom gets questioned by the men in power. * 2nd Quadrant, Milky Way Gxy The Hallowed Phantoms was a name abhorred by the Royals of every Kingdom throughout the Gxy. Underhanded deals, assassinations, and thievery were among the many crimes for which the UGF wanted to capture them. And the name again made its appearance recently. But for even a bigger and unforgiving crime. An assassination attempt on King Antiochus TheotimusThe Last Saint. It would baffle the people who don''t believe in a God upon realizing how people were getting goaded to do foolish and pointless things. And all in the name of religion. One could have got an idea about this by looking at the state of the Kingdom of Eternal Servant. The devastating news had turned the entire Kingdom upside down. The Pce had released a Royal document. It stated that The Hallowed Phantom had attempted the assassination of the King, the man of the God himself. But people were even more disgusted by getting to know that the assassin had caught the King off guard during his Majesty''s time of prayer. Yes, in the holiest ce within their Kingdom; The Hall of Prayers. It wasn''t a surprise to think how one had faced the strength of a King and then left with one''s life intact. As almost all the people knew, that the damned leader of the criminal organization was a King himself. It was no wonder that even after the assassin failed miserably, the Last Saint got wounded. The unrest in the hearts of believers was bing out of control. And as the old saying passed down by the ancestors goes; If one can avoid offending someone, it should be both the ruler and themon people. The former would just punish the offender, but thetter''s actions would probably destroy several generations. One could have only imagined the wrath of the mass of believers against amon goal. Within hours, some self-appointed saviors had arisen for purging the filth. As soon as a person got med for being a member or in contact with a member of The Hallowed Phantom, death was the best thing they could have wished for. Within the walls, what must have happened to the man''s children and his wife was a question best left to the imagination. But the most hated among all the things was the face that got released in scrolls, Mana devices, and through word of mouth. A man with white hair and white eyes had be the focal point of Gxy wide search. From the abandoned alleys, casinos, and temples to the farthest in the Gxy, people were searching for a White-Haired Assassin. * 4th Quadrant, Milky Way Gxy On the moon of an obscured, there was no visible sign of life to the naked eye. Even if a King were to scan the entire with his Divine Sense, the would hardly reveal its secret. And who would havee here, in this abandoned ce? This was the region in the Gxy that was called the Forgotten Realm. Forgotten not by people, but by Mana. Deep within the moon, there were hollow gorges and rivers. One could see thousands of artificial holes within the rocky walls. Dim yellow light was brimming out of the holes, telling of the sign of life within them. Even deeper, there was a pce. In reality, it was just a bigger hole. Butpared to others, it might as well be called so. This was the HQ of the organization cursed by many; The Hallowed Phantom. In one of the carved-out halls, there was a table and rows of chairs on its side. From the first look, the material seemed like volcanic ss. But the asional reddish glow within it would have denied this observation. At one end of the table, one could see an old man with a long gray beard and a bald head. Aside from his eyes, there wasn''t anything noticeable about him. His eyes, if they were eyes of a man, seemed to be of the same material as the table and chairs. The red shes within them looked even more bizarre as the old man blinked. There were ten people seated on the table with five each on his left and right. And all, including the silent old man, were looking at the scroll in their hands. The same scroll that had be the target of hate in the entire gxy. One could see a normal face with white hair and white eyes on it. The old man looked at the face deeply, stroking his long gray beard. He turned to his right, towards the ce of honor. "Who is this?" asked the Old man, increasing the intensity of the reddish glow of the table and chairs. All had their faces hidden by some means, except the Old man. But even on their blurry faces, one could have made out the mixed feelings of fear, respect, and trust. The person in the ce of honor put down the scroll on the table and sighed. "My Lord, I do not know. It seems to me that the pious fool is telling a ghost story to target us. It isn''t even a good one." The old man listened attentively to his wise subject. But years of experience could even surpass the best of brilliant minds. The old man shook his head and turned his head to look in a direction. This turn of the head was sudden and out of ce. One would have expected for the rest of the seated personnel to look in the same direction too. But their heads were even faster to droop down simultaneously. The old man closed his eyes and stretched his head outwards. He almost looked like someone was whispering words in his ear. But except for the shuddering shoulders of the members, one couldn''t possibly see any other movement. The old man brought his head back and the dark hall regained its silence. "No, something happened to Antiochus. And he is wounded, severely," said the Old man, shaking his head with amusement. This amusement would have been apparent if it were to be apanied by a slight smile. But none had ever seen the Old King smiling at any asion. The family of the person at Old man''s right had been serving the Royal family for generations. But even they had never seen or expected a smile of appreciation from him. For this old man was the one who had heard the deepest and the scariest whispers in the Gxy. King Nagendra - The Slither of Chaos The old man looked at every member and tapped his finger on the table. The red glow couldn''t help but follow the rhythm. "The world has be chaotic. Chaotic enough to turn the false to the truth. If the Hallowed Phantom has failed one assassination, they wouldn''t expect another one so soon, right?" Chapter 49: Golden Fury Chapter 49: Golden Fury In the meeting hall of the 1st Quad''s Army, Bouda fidgeted from time to time as she waited for the General. She looked at the Colonel who had brought the surprising news. The middle-aged man looked like an epitome of a statue with his straight back seated opposite to her. TCKK!!! The door opened with a clicking noise as Bouda saw General Eydis entering the hall. She stood up and saluted as per the protocol. Bouda had been seeing little of Eydis since her promotion. The Lt. Generals were getting rotated from post to post within a Quad. And this was Bouda''s turn to be in HQ. She couldn''t help but say out what was eating her up as soon as the midget slumped down in the oversized chair. "General, the timing seems way too coincidental with this one." She did not know why the General had been so adamant about purging out the vers and traffickers from the 1st Quad. These people had never ceased to exist no matter how many one would put behind the bars. And yet, she thought Eydis had some personal grudge against their entiremunity. She had to put up her work face seeing Eydis asking questions. "Colonel Adrian, who gave you the tip-off on this deal?" "It was one of our spies. The ck Wolves, one of thergest traffickers of Magical Creatures, are using the local gangs to dodge the bullet. But we had nted one of our soldiers within those gangs sometime ago." Bouda couldn''t tell why, but she had a bad feeling about this one. But General Eydis seemed to be on a centurial mission or something. There must be a reason for these mad attempts to root out every single Space Trafficker. Bouda sighed inwardly and thought to give it one more attempt. "But we can''t send out forces without the direct orders from the Supreme General. And we do not know when he will return to the office." Bouda felt she had checkmated Eydis, seeing the deep frown on her face. Someone had to keep the crazed General in check and Bouda was quite happy to have this responsibility on her shoulders. But the Colonel''s words cut short her dreams. "I have checked and verified it with the HQ central office. The General can order a substantial amount of force in the absence of the Supreme General if the probability of the tip-off being true is 100%. And we have holographic evidence for that." Bouda didn''t like the Eydis'' face, grinning from ear to ear. She knew that the mission would be unstoppable now. "Certainly, you don''t have to go there in person, General. Colonel Adrian is capable enough to handle a mere gang of lunatics. We have trained Dreamers, especially to handle a situation like this." "No, the leader of ck Wolves is a Marquess. ording to the tip-off, we would deal with at least two marquesses and potentially an Earl. I want to finish the job once and for all this time." Bouda heard Eydis''s reply and without a thought blurted out, "Then I would also like to go along with you." "You!?" Bouda heard the exmatory remark from the Colonel, which felt rude considering the difference in their rank. "Haha I meant Lt. General, I know you are the best Healer in the 1st Quad, or maybe in the whole UGF. But this is just a surgical mission. I am sure General Eydis would be done with it before she even loses a tenth of her Stamina." "No more dilly dally. Bouda, you cane if you want to. You have had little onsite experience. Let it be the first for you." Bouda''s eyes sparkled hearing the order. And in the moment of her wild imagination, she missed the drooping head of the Colonel. * In the southern part of the 1st Quadrant, there were many abandoneds. Theses had been mined excessively and had turned barren in the past. The only traffic they got to see, after losing their potential value,prised gangs and fugitives. In one of the mountainous regions on the, there was a valley surrounded by two of the highest peaks of the range. One could see at least hundreds of ck jacketed people with an image of a wolf on their back, transferring containers from one ship to other. Under thergest ship, two people were watching over the process. One was fat, with a craggy face and the same jacket. The other one was lean but ugly and with a yellow bandana over his head. Bouda eyed the two of them and heard Eydis speaking with a relieved tone. "Both Bastards are here. The report was indeed urate. Bouda and three others would stay and keep an eye out for any unexpected developments. The rest of you, let''s have some fun." BOOM!!! Bouda saw as the General jumped from the top of the mountain andnded among the mass of ck jackets. The vibrations of the impact got transferred from the valley to the mountain''s peak. The rest of the team, led by the Colonel, charged straight towards the two Marquesses. But just as the operation seemed to be executed with perfection, Bouda saw the Colonel turning around. His hand reached into the void and took out a transparent blue cube. Bouda''s heart skipped a beat seeing the cube, for not even she was qualified to have something like that. But she couldn''t even rm Eydis when three swishing sounds came from behind her. Bouda took herself to air dodging the attacks and saw the three soldiers with their ravaging expressions. The blood vessels in their eyes had turned ck and blood wasing out of their ears like water from a tap. Bouda immediately remembered a horrifying name that she would have forgotten if not seen by her own eyes. The Mind Rendering Skill As soon as the three soldiers missed their attacks, they slumped down on the mountain slope. Bouda''s face got shadowed by something and she looked up. The entire sky had been closed off by a Mana shield. And there weren''t many people in the Universe who could even attempt such a thing. In sheer terror, she turned around and looked at the General. Eydis had a foot on the head of the Colonel and was eyeing the huge portal that hade into existence in the valley. Three masked people in ck robes came out of the portal. Bouda''s eyes became wide, realizing the dire situation she was in. She saw ck scales surfacing on the General''s body and using her fastest speed flew towards her. But as she was about to approach Eydis, all three ck-robed people vanished. "You should just stay here." A hoarse voice came from her top as Bouda saw the remaining two taking out four enormous ck spikes and buried them in the ground around Eydis. The earth beneath the General became hollow and a giant rotten hand came out from the depth and grabbed her. "NO!!!" Bouda couldn''t help but let out a dreadful scream as the person over her head grabbed her by the hair and flung her back towards the mountain. Thousands of moments with the midget shed across Bouda''s eyes. And like old scraps, the blue color on her hair fell off. The golden color of her hair shined like a brilliant star, and all three ck-robed Dukes turned to look at her. "I WON''T LET YOU!" The Duke nearest to her staggered in the air and whimpered out, "You You aren''t" "Summon Ancestral Divine Spirit GOLDEN LUAN." SCREECHHHHHHHH!!! Chapter 50: Four Seasons (1) Chapter 50: Four Seasons (1) "Ten thousand flowers are yet to bloom, the swallows shivered, seeing the reluctant snow." In an unknown ce, the spring had taken its first steps into the world. The chilly air and snowy peaks had lost the allure of winter and the wildflowers on one side of the pathway had resurrected from the long slumber. On the other side of the rocky and sandy pathway, there was a stream that went along with it for a few miles. One could see a man riding a donkey on this pathing out of the mountains. He had long ck hairs which fluttered in the morning wind and deep ck eyes. With sword-like eyebrows, coupled with the red tinge on his smooth skin, saying he looked handsome would have been an understatement. One could see a torn old bag hanging down on one side of the donkey and on the other side there was a long cyan-colored parasol. From time to time, the young man had been tracing the parasol''s lining as he sang the songs looking at the sky. "Lin, what has four legs, a tail, and a sad face?" The man struck the donkey''s bottom and asked a question with sheer yfulness written over his face. "Heee, Grrr!" The donkey grunted in annoyance. Or it just refused to go along with the daily routine. "Well, of course, it''s your mother. Haha" "" "Cough Cough. Ahem, Ah! Look, someone''s there! Shit, it''s the old fart again." The young man pointed towards a small hut in front of which an old woman was sweeping the porch. "Old fart! Oi, Old fart!" He shouted, still on the back of the donkey, and threw a small rock to make some noise and get the attention of the old woman. The old woman flinched seeing the sudden rock and took a breath of relief seeing the pair of man and the donkey. But this relief turned into an annoying look with her narrowed old eyebrows. Unfortunately, none could distinguish them from the wrinkles on her face. "Oh! Ling Huang, you again? What is it?" "Old fart, do you know where this path goes?" "Tch! Is this one of your jokes? I swear to mother Spring, I would kill you if it is." Hee-Hee-Grrrr SLAP! The donkey''s head moved up and down, trying to alert the old woman. But a heavy p from Ling brought the donkey back to its senses. "Don''t mind this idiot! It just wants to hump something," said Ling, ring at the donkey. "Oh well! Let me see." The old woman approached Ling and put a hand over her eyes to look at the long and distant path. The path seemed to go on towards the east like a sleek snake and the rays from the morning sun hit her directly in her old eyes. Except for a blur some tens of meters ahead, she probably would have seen nothing. "Oh I remember, I remember," said the Old woman, gripping her bamboo broom tightly. "Where?" Ling brought his ear down towards her with a sheepish smile on his face. "It goes straight in your asshole, you motherfucker," said the old woman and pped the broom right on his face. THAPPP!!! The Bamboo fibers left deep red impressions on Ling''s face and with a thumping noise, he fell from Lin''s back. "You! You old fart. Lin, take a dump on the porch. I said, on the porch, not on the path. Fu" Ling pointed aggressively towards the donkey but didn''t get the desired result. With quick steps, he went into the hut and brought a small sack of rice. He tied it near therger bag on the donkey''s back and eyed the old woman meanly. "Someone ate a lot of salt for today''s breakfast." Swishhh!! BAM! The broom came flying and hit him on the head. "Run, Lin run. The old woman has activated Houyi''s Arrow Skill." Such were the adventures of Ling Huang in his spring. * As the pair of Lin and Ling kept going on the path, the morning turned to a scorching afternoon. Ling opened the parasol to get some shade, and the donkey drank the sweet water of the stream. "A feathered fan sced the quivering heart, remembering the warm eyes of a hundred peasants." Ling''s face got sted with the hot and dry wind as he reached an open field. In the middle of the field, there was a ginkgo tree, under which he could see a farmer and his daughter eating their lunch. He guided Lin towards the father and daughter. "Ba, look! Big Brother Huang is here again." The little girl with her ponytails iling about ran towards Ling, who had alreadye down from Lin''s back. The girl jumped in the air as she reached Ling''s feet. He caught her mid-air and swung her swiftly on the back of the donkey. Ling approached the middle-aged farmer and handed over the sack of rice. He took out a big bowl of hot cooked rice from the pot. Both men silently ate with chopsticks as they watched the girl ying with Lin. "I would trade one extra bowl of rice for this donkey. Man, I could sure use some help on the field." Cough!!! The mouthful of unchewed rice came spitting out as Ling heard the farmer''s offer. He used thedle to fetch out water from the bucket and drank it with heavy gulps. He finished the rest of the bowl and slouched down against the tree''s trunk. Enjoying thefort for a second, he looked at the middle-aged man. "Fucker, that''s a Qilin." The rugged farmer eyed the Qilin closely and said, "Humph! It doesn''t look like one." Ling''s face instantly became red with shame and anger. None had disrespected the creature like this so far. The vein on his head bulged as he blurted out. "Oh, I get it! So that''s how it is. You want to fuck it, don''t you? You shameless bastard!" "Have you gone senile?" The middle-aged farmer cringed hearing the disgusting remark. But this didn''t seem to be enough for Ling. "Oi, girl. Look what your father wants to do with" Ling''s words were cut short by the stalk of grass that hade shing down on his face. He dodged the grass and rolled down towards his parasol. The farmer followed the first sh with another one and it hit directly on the opened parasol. TINK!!! The loud grating noise caught the attention of the girl and the Qilin. Ling jumped andnded on Lin''s back. The parasol in his hand looked like a pagoda towering to heaven. "Big Brother, Ba, you two are fighting again?" Ling looked at the girl and a smile surfaced on his face as he said, "Tell your father to go easy on me. I still have a long summer ahead." A frown or a brief look of pity passed through the middle-aged man''s face. And the father and daughter saw the young man with his mount leaving on the old path. "Bye, Big Brother Huang. Bye, Lin." Ling shook the parasol and without turning back, shouted, "Bye, kid. Keep your father away from stray animals." Such were the adventures of Ling Huang in his summer. Chapter 51: Rumok Chapter 51: Rumok 15th June 2021 Leavenworth, USA Under the basement of Guo''s Antique shop, there was ab of the size of a basketball court with many small but high-tech instruments. It had taken Aldrich and Boomie only 3 days to form it from scratch since thest Random-Allocation. With the excuse of renovation, and being the old friend of now-famous Tanker, none questioned much about the many vans and noises. The rest of the week Aldrich had spentpletely shut off within theb, researching the markings from the Cu Chinn. On the first day of his study, he came up with an oue that once removed from the body none could reuse this marking anymore. And on the second day, he realized the markings were a veryplex structure to interact with Mana, independent of the user. This meant that to use the function of this marking, a Dreamer or a Crawler didn''t need to use their own Mana reserves. The third day went by in finding out a workable method to replicate the effect of these markings with the materials avable to him. Aldrich had already ordered a sizable amount of Crawler''s hides, which got dropped as rewards in some Dungeons. The raw material he had elected to use as the "ink" was molten Mana cores. And Aldrich had the perfect Mana cores to work with. Mana Cores of 2 Common Elites and 1 Rare Boss. But Aldrich found himself blocked by a major problem on the 15th of June. With what should he make the markings. Since morning, he was experimenting with Quills made of Crawler''s bones, Items, and even normal weapons. But even after wasting a whole Molten Mana-core of an Elite, he couldn''t find any solution. Atst, there was only one method that had left, which he knew would work. But it was costly. It would cost Experience Points. "Metacreativity." [ Skill Metacreativity is now active Specify your creation: Item or Skill? ] "Item." [ Fill up the temte for Item Item Name: Submitting request to create Item. Optimizing Item Item ''Schr''s Pen'' is created ExPs consumed: 1000 Warning: The consumed ExPs are permanently lost ] Aldrich held the bluish-green fountain pen and checked its stats. [ Item: Schr''s Pen Type: Pen Rank: Common Durability: NA Minimum Usage Condition: ss Generalist Description: An Item that uses molten Mana cores as ink Item-specific Skill: NA Warning: The legibility of the writing would depend on the quality of ink used Warning: The Item would upy 0.5 units of Inventory ] Aldrich had kept the consumed ExPs to a minimum. He restricted the Item to only one ss and sacrificed the use of any apanying Skills. As long as it worked as he had intended it to, Aldrich would have marked the creation of the Pen as a sess. Aldrich melted the Boss''s core and filled it in the pen''s barrel. Even though the Mana core was bigger than his fist, once melted, it was only enough to fill the barrel up to half of its capacity. As soon as he put together the barrel and cap, the whole pen shined with an ethereal blue aura. Aldrich''s heart gained back a little rhythm from his childhood. Taking out a square piece of parchment, of the size of his palm, he remembered the marking that he had analyzed out of the original one. In the silentb, Aldrich''s eyes shone with brilliance as he put the pen''s nib on the hide. As he traced the pen in a nned manner, the melted core came pouring out like a thread made of stars. But even before he could finish the first stroke, his head throbbed with unimaginable pain. VROOMMMM!!! The sound of a racing car''s engine at full power echoed within Aldrich''s head as his Divine Sense, out of his control, got sucked within the pen. Aldrich felt like someone was peeling off his skin, piercing his head, and eating his organs all at the same time. Karma seemed toe towards Aldrich like a sledgehammer towards a nail. But no matter how much pain Aldrich felt, he knew he couldn''t stop. Stopping now meant that he would waste a Rare Mana core and the entire process along with it. Aldrich kept going stroke by stroke and his Divine Sense got sucked by the pen, like the drainage of a bathtub. Before Aldrich approached the finishing strokes, blood had already been seeping out of his ears, nose, and from the corner of his eyes. His whole body shook as he tried to keep the blood drops from falling onto the hide and maintaining the fluency of the design. BOOM!!! A burst of blue and white light shed out of the hide and with a thunderous sound, it threw Aldrich back towards theb''s wall. Aldrich''s Divine Sense was on the brim of running out. And the scary part was that he did not know what would have happened if there was no Divine Sense that had left to feed the pen. Or what would have happened to him without his Divine Sense? The concept of Perception was bing more mysterious by seconds right in front of him. Aldrich didn''t know how topensate for losing his Divine Sense. Neither the Health potion nor the Stamina potion seemed to work. Aldrich dropped the two vials and faltered as he tried to stand up. With blood still dripping from his chin, he looked at the source of blinding light. And the pain in his eyes intensified by the way they had be wide in surprise after looking at that thing. There was a square piece ofplicated design hovering amid the air where he had been working on the design previously. But that wasn''t the reason for his agape mouth. Aldrich could see rows of words hovering over the design, words he had be familiar with after waking up from the long sleep. But before he could analyze the Stats, the System interjected with a notification. [ You are eligible to obtain a new Title Generating Title Quest... Title Quest (optional): Engrave 10 Common Rumok Title Reward: Divine Rumok Engraver Do you want to initiate the Quest for this Title? ] Aldrich did not know what these Rumok were. But seeing the System presenting the Title Quest after making the design, anyone could have guessed that these marks were termed as Rumok. But Aldrich could infer even more out of this deration. The notification from the Record stated that he wasn''t the only one to create these Rumoks in the Universe. Which meant that there wasn''t any harm in epting the Title that seemed even mightier than what he already had. "Yes." With an uncontrolled vibration coursing through his body, Aldrich approached the hovering Item and saw the Stats over it. [ Item: Force Rumok Type: Rumok Rank: Common Description: Dreamer can freely exert the force of Push and Pull over any object Warning: The Rank of Rumok would limit the range Do you want to equip the Item? ] " Yes." Just as Aldrich said the words with heavy breathing, the hovering parchment crumbled like dust particles. An even more scorching pain took over the backside of his palm. Aldrich brought his right hand up and saw the same design materializing, like being engraved by an imaginary person. A formless power overtook Aldrich''s body as he sensed the surrounding objects. Aldrich''s right hand reached out towards the Schr''s Pen, which had also fallen at one corner of the Lab. As he uncurled his fingers, the Rumok gave a brief but brilliant sh. "Come." Chapter 52: Black Hands Target Chapter 52: ck Hand''s Target Washington D.C. In the royal suite of one of the luxurious hotels within the city, Annie tossed and turned because of theck of sleep. Annie wasn''t a big fan of the excessive artificial feeling that these kinds of hotels used to give. Especially after bing a Dreamer and gaining her ss. It seemed she had be more attuned with nature and that made these things stand out even more. But that was only a part of the reason for her sleeplessness. Annie had buried her head deep within the cushion. From time to time, the color of shyness and bashfulness passed through her cheeks, the color of which almost matched with her light red hair. Frustrated, Annie''s hand reached towards her mobile and again checked the time. The mountainous wallpaper got reflected by her deep brown eyes. "Ughh!" Annie smashed a fist on the bed and jumped back to a seated position. She was about to dial a number when through the windows she saw a ck fog seeping into her room. Bizarre as it was, Annie couldn''t help but smile, seeing the fog. With a swift motion of her hands, she adjusted her hair and checked her face in the mobile. ''Hmm, it''s ok!'' Annie reassured herself for the hundredth time. The ck fog took over the room, the hall, and every other corner of the room. But it receded at a faster rate than its entrance. As soon as thest trace of the fog vanished, Annie saw a blond-haired man in a ck jacket and jeans, seated on the chair beside her bed. One could have seen a sliver of the ck fog twirling around his fingers. "What took you so long?" asked Annie. "Got busy with the newbies." Annie raised her eyebrows, hearing the reply. Neither the man nor she needed to go to the Random-Dungeon that day. And the responsibility to take care of the newbies came under her area of expertise, but her presence was required for an event. She couldn''t help but pity the new Dreamers. "You went easy on them, right?" The man shrugged for an answer. "Logan?" asked Annie, narrowing her eyes. "Alright, alright. There were a few injuries, but I needed them to experience the use of Health potions." Annie shook her head. The shaking of her head brought her eyes in contact with Logan''s smooth neck and his corbone. Annie wanted nothing but to open up the jacket a little to watch more. What secrets hadid behind that jacket, and how cold the chain in Logan''s neck must have felt? Questions like these had surfaced in her mind. "Oi, did you hear what I just said?" asked Logan, snapping his fingers. Annie fell out of her reverie, and the emotions of shame conquered her proud face. "Ahem, cough! Sorry, I was thinking of something important." Logan looked into her eyes withplete disbelief written on his face. But saying nothing, he leaned back in the chair and repeated his words. "The situation here is getting out of control." "Oh! By that, do you mean Mr. Masked Menace?" asked Annie, switching on the TV at low volume. "Hmm. The government and ADA are showing their aggressiveness now." "But isn''t that good for us? At least it would take their mind off the ck Hand for some time." Logan tapped his finger on the armrest and looked at the current news shing on the TV. A brief silence followed Annie''s question rted to the many involved parties. Logan looked at her and a slight smile came upon his face. "You might be only one step away from the Rank of Baron. But you are still as naive as the time when we met for the first time." Annie pouted at the sarcastic remark, but a wave of joy washed over her heart listening to Logan''s first sentence. In just a few Dungeons, she would probably be a Baron. And then she could spend more time with Logan. But not caring for Annie''s wild thoughts, Logan continued. "Cornering someone as strong as that Masked guy, with no knowledge about his abilities, could be the stupidest thing they have done so far." "Huh? What did you find out?" asked Annie, with a sudden grave look on her face. "That is the issue. I couldn''t find anything. He is like a shadow that got casted without light," replied Logan, massaging his head with his hand. "Did he notice you at the entrance of Arizona''s Dungeon?" Logan shook his head in refusal. "Humph! Then how strong could he be?" Logan stood up, listening to the question, and approached Annie. Annie''s heart thumped as she saw the tall stature approaching her little by little. Logan''s hand reached towards Annie''s forehead, but she had already closed her eyes. Tick!!! "O!" Logan flicked Annie and her skin became red from the impact of his fingers. "Naive! I met with the Burmese champion who was with this masked guy in thest Dungeon." "And?" asked Annie, with her tongue out. "Well, things aren''t as clear as the Indian Guild had stated during their press release. I went there to invite Tun Bo Ag, but he refused. So I traded a little information about the Masked Menace with him in exchange for providing him financial help to form a Guild of his own." Annie couldn''t help but feel sad upon thinking of the rising star of India''s Guild. She also only knew as much as the Indian government had publicly stated of the events that had happened within the Dungeon. And which led to an all-out deration of war against the one man that had left the Party amid the raid. "So, what did you get out of him?" Logan sighed before answering the question. "Sigh. Almost nothing. He seemed oddly loyal to a person who is imed to be responsible for their Leader''s death. But I can say for sure from the tidbits, that the Masked Menace is at least of Rare Rank." "What?" Annie jumped out of the bed in surprise and continued, "But how is this possible? What was a Rare Ranked Dreamer doing among a Party of Common Dreamers?" Logan approached therge window, looking out into the city. At this point what he had was nothing but a mere guess. He and Annie both knew it, but these guesses of Logan had saved many lives in thest year. And there wasn''t any good reason to not continue to do so in the future too. "I think I think he has some ability to mask his Rank or falsely portray his Rank higher or lower than his actual one." Annie''s mouth gaped, considering the possibility of this guess being true. And realizing the consequences, she immediately blurted out. "But this is in stupidity. He is ying with the lives of innocent Dreamers by doing so. The ''Record'' can''t be fooled that easily." Logan poured a ss of water and gulped it down. He looked at Annie and made her aware of a more brutal truth than she hade up with. "His actions, if continued, would cause a Dungeon Break. A Dungeon break, with a Boss of Rare Rank." Annie''s back became wet, irrelevant to the cool air circted by the AC. With heavy steps, she neared Logan and held his hand. "Logan, we must stop him." Chapter 53: The Menace at the door Chapter 53: The Menace at the door 03:00 PM, 16th June 2021 Washington D.C. HQ - American Dreamer Association Who hadn''t remembered the old fiasco of ADA''s director from almost a week ago? It seemed it was just yesterday when the ADA got hacked by an unknown hacker, as the result of the foolish and hypocritical action of Mr. Myers. And this action resulted in his retirement, apetent new director in the face of Ms. Wells, and a public enemy in the face of Masked Menace. Ms. Wells had already taken over the positionst week. But ADA had organized one more ceremony to address the International Community of Dreamers. And for this, they had invited famous Guilds and Dreamers throughout the globe. One could have seen many familiar and unfamiliar faces in the meeting that Ms. Well had addressed just now. Ms. Wells had addressed almost 300 Dreamers and the topics spanned from Dungeon-break protocols and cyber security to ongoing Mana Weapon Research. A number quite smallpared to the total number of Dreamers, but quiterge considering the quality. And one could surmise the importance of this group by knowing the name of the Chief Guest. Dr. Annie, the Breath of Forest. But the things that were rted to the two most trending names in thest week had outweighed every other topic in the 3-hour long meeting. One of these names belonged to none other but Ms. Wells herself. Olivia had finally be a Dreamer in the Night, a week ago. And not only that, but she had sessfully raided her first Random-Dungeon. The other name had also be infamous, but unlike Olivia''s, this name was as unfamiliar as a name could be. And that name was Masked Menace. None knew from where or from whom this name had originated after releasing his photo by ADA, but all hated him equally. Some hated him for the attention this single no-name Dreamer was getting, and some hated him for being a coward hiding behind the mask. But most of them hated him for his guts. It''s human nature to get jealous of a person who did a thing that they couldn''t do by themselves because of many constraints. And to name a few, this list would contain the constraint of strength, constraint of responsibilities, and constraint of societies. And yet they got to know that a fucking nobody had hacked the ADA, came out of a Dungeon alone, and left the party amid raid but still was out of hands of Law. None couldprehend the peculiarity of this situation and it''s also in human nature to fear what they couldn''tprehend. The headquarters of ADA wasn''t a single structure, but many buildings grouped side by side. In one of the many multistoried buildings, all the Dreamers had gathered to socialize and to enjoy the refreshments after the long discussion. The biggest group, among many segregated ones, was gathered around Dr. Annie. For many countries and Guilds, it was a God-given opportunity to get in the good graces of one of the Best Healers on the Earth. Receiving everyone''s wishes and offers, Annie''s eyes rested on a young girl standing by herself in one corner of the hall. Annie was aloof of what most people had termed as cunning nature. But she was knowledgeable enough to know the importance of a chance when she saw one. Annie excused herself from the group and neared to the lone Dreamer with two sses of Champagne. "Hisakawa Tomiko, right?" asked Annie, handing over the ss shimmering with the golden liquid. "Ms. Annie. It''s an honor. Yes, you are right," Tomiko replied and gave a slight bow. "How is your master? He should havee this time. Then maybe I could have invited Edmund too." Annie made some casual talk, sipping the liquor now and then. "Master Sho is in perfect health. He sent his regards to you," said Tomiko, taking out a pouch from her pockets. Annie opened the pouch and a smile surfaced on her face. Annie had always respected Matsumoto Sho. His decision-making capabilities and his attitude to not owing someone were among the many things that had contributed to this heartfelt respect. "It surprised me when I got to know that Sho, of all, had taken an apprentice. But seeing you justify his action." Tomiko neither blushed nor showed any air of pride at the remark. Annie couldn''t help but feel that she had met her natural enemy. Seeing the conversation going nowhere, Annie decided to be straightforward with the girl, as per her nature. "I heard you were with the Masked Menace in the Random-Dungeon." "Yes, Ms. Annie. I have been to another Dungeon since then," answered Tomiko. Annie knew the youngdy didn''t like the statement and didn''t want her to continue with it. The women of their mind didn''t need direct words to conclude such things. But Annie and Logan had nned regarding thisst night. And it was something that Annie needed to do, even if she had to be shameless about it. "Dr. Annie, you are bing red. I am sorry, I don''t remember the actual English word for it." Annie felt embarrassed to lose herself in dreams in front of a Newbie. She inwardly shook her head and came back to the topic at hand. "Can you tell me more about him? You know, I am always traveling around. It would be best for me to have some inside information on him." Annie yed the moral card and brought the ss in front of her face to hide the cringe on her face. She saw the deep frown on Tomiko''s face and was about to apologize when Tomiko replied to her question. "I don''t know if he is responsible for the hacking or not. But his decision to leave the Party was a good one." Annie''s eyes became wide, and murmurs in the hall couldn''t enter her ears. The stem ss of champagne in her hand seemed to be rooted in time. After a second, Annie asked the baffling question. "Then why is he being targeted as a murderer for this action? Didn''t you make them aware of the situation? What exactly happened?" As Annie''s sudden thoughts turned to actual words in a manner of a second, a bit of her Divine Sense sipped out. The ss in her and Tomiko''s hand couldn''t handle the uncontrolled Perception. And it broke down, sending the liquid sttering on their clothes. But this scene, which was limited to Annie''s proximity, couldn''t attract others attention. The noise of an rm and its red shes had already caught everyone''s eyes in the Hall. Annie and Tomiko ran towards the gathered Dreamers. In the lead was Ms. Wells, who seemed to ask a security agent about the situation. There was a screen over Ms. Well''s head that was advertising different artificial Mana weapons and products from ADA. Before Annie could get an idea of what was happening, the screen changed into live security footage. And the scene that hade upon the wall-sized screen belonged to the main gate of the ADA''s HQ. The Hall broke out into shouts of rage, gasps of disbelief, and shivers of slight fear. They could see a person with a paper bag in his hands and the hundreds of armed Agents that had surrounded him. But Annie''s eyes werepletely stered on his strange mask. A mask that looked like the face of a devil. Chapter 54: Indisputable Chapter 54: Indisputable ''What is the most important thing in a person''s life?'' Aldrich had thought about this question and studied it many times from a philosophical point of view. Love, family, knowledge, and wealth were the topmost answers to this question. And to say that there was only one answer would be a state of denial. These answers could have been right only before the Night. A few minutes before Aldrich put on his mask and made his way towards the main gate of ADA''s HQ. He hadn''t known about the event that involved International Dreamers until he came out of the Lab after 4 days of work. Aldrich couldn''t find any better opportunity than this one to make an acquaintance with his colleagues. So as soon as he could, he came to the city and waited for the event to be over. Aldrich had given a casual nce over the issues rted to him that ADA and other top Guilds had circted. He had given no second thought to something like this. Or it would be better to say he had never needed to think twice about these things with Mr. Edwin at his service. But things had changed since those days of normalcy. There were definite goals that Mr. Edwin couldn''t aplish in ce of Aldrich. But the idea of getting into a scuffle every time he was to enter a Dungeon even during the Bright Day troubled Aldrich. With worldwide orders of apprehending him on the spot, it would be that much difficult for him to get along with his routine, harming no one. And Aldrich had analyzed that he couldn''t work as the ck Hand too. The infamous group worked on the principle of obtaining information and leveraging it for their advantage. Aldrich could do the entire work of therge group of well-established spyworks all by himself, in a matter of hours. And why work in the dark, when one could work in the light. Aldrich entered the main door of the American Dreamer Association like any regr employee. He had a blue jacket with a ck t-shirt under it. Aldrich wasn''t that tall, but the blue jeans on his slim legs made him look taller than his actual height. He had a paper bag in his hand, but who would notice these things about him. All security agents posted at the main door had focused their eyes on his mask and mask alone. By the time their brain could process the bizarreness of the situation, Aldrich had already entered the door. Aldrich saw a long path around 300 meters long, with a small fountain in the middle. The path diverted into many other small pathways at the end, with each going to one or another department of ADA. The small pathway that extended straight went to the Hall in which the Dreamers had gathered after thepletion of the event. Aldrich had reached the fountain before getting surrounded by hundreds of armed Security Agents. One agent, who seemed to be the chief in charge, approached Aldrich. "Masked Menace, are you here to surrender? Put off your mask and get down on the ground with your hands behind your back." Aldrich eyed the weapons, and with a gentle stream of Divine Sense, analyzed itsponents. It almost looked like a forceful way to conjoin the Mana cores with the current technology. The most basic application he couldpare it to was the act of gluing two materials. Instead of making an alloy and getting the best properties out of them. The value of melting and mixing materials for better use was discovered in ancient times. And the Night had brought back Humanity to their first step. Aldrich saw the Dreamersing out of the building straight ahead. Most were of Rare Rank, and some were of Common. He identified some familiar faces, but the light red-haireddy had caught most of his attention. He also saw ady in a red one-piece approaching him withrge strides. Aldrich had known of her. She was none other than Ms. Olivia Wells, the new director of ADA. "Ma''am, you shouldn''t go near him. We can''t guarantee your safety near a Dreamer like him." Aldrich heard the high-level agent''s warning and saw Olivia turning around to look at the mass of the best Dreamers around the world. That must have given her some confidence as she made her way through the rows of security agents, anyway. Aldrich looked directly into her eyes as she said to him. "Come with me." "But...," a look from her cut the agent''s words short. Aldrich felt surprised hearing her words and a slight smile surfaced on his face. He couldn''t help but think that the ADA''s future looked bright with a cool-headed director like her. He got to know that Ms. Wells was trying to take him away from the non-Dreamers towards the key party that could handle him. Aldrich followed her and found himself surrounded again. But this time, those who had surrounded him were all the veterans and powerful Dreamers. Aldrich saw the look of disgust, felt the thoughts of killing, and heard the pounding of hearts. Olivia turned around, now standing just beside Dr. Annie, and asked. "Why are you here?" "I am here to apply for a new Guild." Simple question and a quick answer. But the people involved weren''t simple at all. A brief silence followed Aldrich''s words and the firstugh from a Dreamer shattered this silence. "Hahaha. " The smallugh of mockery and derision followed by many other ones. But some weren''tughing, and their faces were bing grave second by second. There was a deep frown on Annie''s and Olivia''s faces. And even Tomiko''s face had lost its icy beauty, remembering her master''s warning regarding the Masked Menace. "You are a fool to even think that you can leave this ce alive." A bearded Indian man came out from the group of Dreamers. The sheer redness in his eyes could only slightly show the hate brimming out of them. There was a pair of Katars in his hands. Aldrich had also known of him. He was the Guild leader of the guild to which Sonu had belonged. Aldrich saw all hands around him reaching into the void and taking out one Item or another. Items emanating the aura of power and might had flooded the area around Aldrich. Aldrich''s eyes even caught the slim vines breaking out from the floor, but seemed to be held back by their user. He looked at Annie and took a step. "ATTACK!!!" One dreamer shouted and, like being controlled by an unseen string, all of them almost lunged at Aldrich. But none could move even an inch from their ce. An immeasurable pressure had squeezed their chest, making their lungs empty of air. Their brain vibrated like being hit by a boxer''s punch. The primal fear of being devoured by their natural predator took over their consciousness. All knees buckled under the ethereal influence, including Annie''s. INTIMIDATION By the time the kneeled Dreamers could move their heads, Aldrich had already vanished. They all looked up and saw the Masked Menace seated on the edge of the rooftop with his feet dangling down, like a child on a swing. The paper bag in his hands finally revealed its mystery. Aldrich''s hand reached into the bag and took out the burger and a cold drink. He took a bite and looked at the Dreamers, who were shivering in fear. Only undisputed Strength had the right to enjoy freedom. And only Strength was the most important in the world of RECORD. Chapter 55: The Roots Chapter 55: The Roots A few hours before In the windowed office of the zing Royals Guild, two people peered at each other for a fraction of a second. Edmund again eyed the folded letter in front of him on the table. His hand reached towards his face and pressed the area between his eyes. He would lie to himself, believing that he hadn''t seen thising. But even then, it seemed too soon to be true. Without looking at the person sitting opposite him, he presented his thoughts. "Boomie, are you sure you want to do this?" " Yes." Edmund unfolded the letter and saw the content. But after reading the word ''Resignation'', he couldn''t go further. He had his doubts over the sudden turn of events, but it was neither ce nor the time to clear those out. The guess in his mind had still upied his mind when he heard Boomie''s next words. "Edmund, I am thankful that you gave me the opportunity when I needed it. And for that, I will stay until we can find apetent Tanker. After that, I would leave." Edmund knew how crucial Boomie''s existence was for the new Dreamers and the entire Guild. But even when he first approached him with the offer, he never thought to keep Boomie to himself. But he was more worried by the absence of the usual helplessness in Boomie''s eyes. As Edmund had guessed, this only meant that either Boomie had lost all hope or he had found the thing he had been looking for. And both cases could very well turn into a headache for him. "Sigh No, It''s me who should be thankful to you. I only asked for you to be with me until the Guild reaches its current position. And yet I selfishly never asked you for your dreams even after this long." A brief silence followed Edmund''s words, and he stood up from the high-back chair. He passed by Boomie and looked at the hustle and bustle of the new Dreamers about to go on their first raid. He looked at the slight reflection of Boomie''s back in the ss and asked. "If you don''t mind me asking, what''s your n?" Edmund came back to his chair as Boomie prepared his answer. He took out a pen, signed the letter, and handed it back to Boomie. There was no point for a Noble to force a subject for his services if he didn''t want to. "That You will find it out soon, I hope." Edmund raised his eyebrows at the mysterious answer, but his heart had already skipped a beat. The Baron''s mind buried the wild imagination deep within him again. It had kept cing a face beside Boomie''s, even whenmon sense dictated that it was impossible. "I must go now to handle the ''kids''; Maybe the new batch has someone that would suit the Guild''s need." Edmund nodded and saw the Guild''s "Wall" leaving the office. But as Boomie was about to step out of the office, Edmund saw his feet halting at the entrance. And he heard the two words from Boomie that he had never thought of hearing from him. " take care." For the next few hours, Edmund tried to concentrate on work but couldn''t manage to. The two words weighed like a block of ice on his head. And there was only one thing that could make him take his mind off the absurd and irrelevant things. On the wall behind his chair, there was a red door on one side. Edmund entered through the door and took the whiff of the familiar smell. In a small but spacious room, there was a gaming setup not much unlike the one he had before the Night. Even after bing a Baron, Edmund hadn''t forgotten about his roots. As he started the system, Edmund remembered the purpose of his actions after the Dream. The setting up of a Guild, proposing a structure like ADA, and hiring Boomie was all part of a n. A n to not face the situation that Masked Menace was facing now. Edmund wasn''t aloof from the events going on in the world. But he had cared little for the skirmishes into which most people loved to involve themselves. He was aware of his capabilities, and the only thing he needed was time. He had known that if not backed up by a potent force, then in the future, he would have to prove his worth to the world. And society, especially the one formed by Dreamers, would never ept a rebel Dreamer among them. As proved by the ongoing events. The only workable solution that Edmund had thought of in this case would be to crush every finger raised against him. But Edmund did not know that he would be one of the strongest Dreamers and thus had gone with a safe option. While the entire world had upied itself in a meaningless fight to bring down one Dreamer, Edmund stuck himself to the thing he was best at. Gaming. Only in this case, he thought that Matsumoto Sho was ahead of him. That Japanese Dreamer was the epitome of focus and a master at unraveling the hidden purposes within the RECORD. But Edmund had found out his way of doing the same. One of the most important things to a gamer at his level was the gear to y with. Edmund had made sure that the zing Royals Guild would stay ahead in the quality of Items for years toe. The other thing was practice and understanding the game''s mechanics. Edmund had turned his mindset that the whole raiding Dungeons was nothing but just another game. And this had be the driving force behind his determination to achieve an even higher Rank than Baron without looking back. How could he have the time to deal with senseless matters when the Dream that he had envisioned was at the end of a straight but long path? THUMP!!! THUMP!!! A loud thumping knock on the door beside him brought Edmund out of his reverie. His mind had been inputting uratemands in the game without using its full calction capacity. Edmund opened the door and found the colorless face of Samael in front of him. "You Why haven''t you been picking up my calls?" asked Samael, with heavy breath. Edmund reached out in his pocket and looked at the mobile. It seemed to be out of battery and needed to be recharged. Edmund saw Samael shaking his head in annoyance. "You are indulging yourself in-game? Do you know what''s going on in ADA''s HQ right now?" Even before Edmund could ask for an exnation, Samael had already barged into the room. Edmund followed him in and saw him opening up the live coverage of the ADA''s press channel. ''No'' Edmund''s mind went nk seeing the kneeled Dreamers, with their hands and legs shaking in fear. The camera zoomed in on the face of Dr. Annie for a brief second and then changed its angle towards the rooftop. Edmund saw a masked man leisurely eating a burger, his feet dangling down from the rooftop''s edge. "What in the name of devil is he doing?" Edmund heard Samael''s question and narrowed his eyes, seeing the blurry tattoo on the Masked Menace''s right hand. "It''s obvious. He is waiting" "Waiting? Waiting for what?" asked Samael, baffled by Edmund''s answer. "Not what, but whom. He is waiting for me." Chapter 56: Acting on Worlds Stage Chapter 56: Acting on World''s Stage HQ, American Dreamers Association SLURPPPP!!! The ce around the building was so silent that many got to hear thest slurps of the drinking down from the rooftop. It took a few minutes for Dreamers to stand up again after what had made them kneel on the ground. Some even seem to be reluctant and just wanted to stay kneeled and count out the evil time. But a few had done fairly to shake off the aftereffects. Annie had already stood up with a straight posture, but her eyes betrayed her outward appearance. The shade of disbelief with extreme fear mixed within was getting reflected by them. Tomiko and a handful, who hadn''t attacked or made an attempt for it, didn''t get subjected to that pressure. But seeing their seniors kneeling and shaking like a group of newbies made them aware of the mercy that the Masked Menace had shown them. But most of the veterans felt humiliated and embarrassed by the sheer difference in strength. Those who had stood up looked at Annie, seeming to ask for the next steps. "FIRE!!!" Aldrich heard the shout from afar and saw the waves of security agents who had aimed at him. The Chief in charge must have been trying to make an opening for Annie and other Dreamers. It was a sound strategy given that there was a Dreamer on their side who was an inch away from being a Baron. But they had underestimated the power that had Intimidated the group of International Dreamers. Aldrich bombarded their minds with his Divine Sense without the use of any Skills. The normal humans couldn''t handle a fraction of that, and their eyes rolled back almost instantly. By the time the Chief Agent''s words died down, all agents were already lying t on the ground unconscious. ''Tch! Tch! Too much anger and impatience,'' thought Aldrich, eyeing the fallen weapons. Aldrich was about to put away the trash when a sweet smell of wet earth and fresh grass surrounded him like a morning fog. Aldrich took a deep breath and couldn''t help but think of a forest. He closed his eyes and savored the vor of the scent. As he opened his eyes and looked down, he found Annie looking at him like seeing a monster for the first time. ''Ah, she used a Skill, huh!'' Aldrich amused himself with her expression. None other than a Baron or high-level Rare Boss could have survived the Forest''s Embrace Skill. The Skill had only one purpose and was almost impossible to counter. Deep sleep was the only result of this Skill. But the shaking head of the Masked Menace proved that he hadn''t fallen a victim to this. Aldrich couldn''t tell them or make them understand that the word Sleep had changed its desired meaning for him. If he had said that he was awake, then it would be true. But if he had said that he was asleep, then it wouldn''t be false either. An eternal Dream intertwined with absolute and immutable Reality. Two slim vines came breaking out the roof tiles and attacked Aldrich''s back like thrown spears. Being a Healer, Annie seemed to be limited in her damage potency. The vines left a green blur as they pierced Aldrich and came out of his chest. "Yeyyy !!!" The Dreamers, who still had some strength left in them, shouted in unison. The ambush nned by the experienced Dr. Annie turned out to be a tremendous sess. But their words got hooked in their throats as a gust of wind swept away the vanishing image of the devil''s incarnation. Aldrich reappeared, now standing at the tip of one of the vine, and looked downwards. The vines receded to the holes from which they hade from and Aldrich saw Annie''s helpless expression turning to be a determined one. The Doctor seemed to take out her trump card without thinking of the damage that would happen to the infrastructure nearby. ''Or maybe, what she considers a damage isn''t a damage anymore,'' thought Aldrich,nding back on the roof. The entire ground and the building shook like being in an earthquake. Thousands of vines, flowers, and trees hade into existence from every corner and cracks in the building. Aldrich saw the crazed look in Annie''s eyes and prepared himself to knock her out. But he halted, seeing a bright spark just a hundred meters away in the air. "Annie... Stop!" A heavy and mighty voice resounded throughout the Headquarters. Aldrich sighed as he saw the young Baron stepping out from within the spark. Aldrich noticed the casually dressed Edmund had a pair of boots. And they were releasing sts of the hot air, which made him stay afloat. Olivia saw the man and her eyes became watery. Even if the man that hade belonged to a different nation, the Dreamers felt like only he was qualified to be called a savior. The face of the ADA, the man who single-handedly brought down a Boss after a Dungeon-Break. Baron Edmund Russell, the Fire Master. Aldrich and Edmund looked into each other''s eyes and went through the same emotions. Aldrich knew that a person who had achieved such strength in just one year couldn''t be a fool. He had been waiting for the top Dreamer toe. Only then he could aplish the goal to make the little troubles go away. "You have created a mess," spat out Edmund, narrowing his eyes at Aldrich. "I just wanted to apply for a Guild. As per the rules, I am qualified to do so." Aldrich saw the Baron raising his eyebrows, hearing the honest answer. Edmund, hovering in midair, looked down towards Olivia. But she had her head down in shame already. The only thing that was nted towards Edmund''s and Aldrich''s direction was the camera. Aldrich and Edmund both knew that the entire world was listening to their conversation. And the world, as usual, demanded a Drama more than Justice. "You dare think that ADA or any organization would let you create a Guild of your own. Humph!" Edmund harrumphed and a visible wave of heat came out of him, scorching the little vines and flowers. Aldrich didn''t oppose the heatwave and slid backward from the impact with light burn marks on his arm. An unrestrained wave of cheer echoed from the Dreamers under them and a slight smile came upon both Edmund''s and Aldrich''s faces. But they had soon hidden it away, to not get it noticed by the camera. Aldrich saw Edmund''s face bing grave and knew the inevitable moment hade. The world had enough space for both of them to carry on with their normal life and goals of their own. But the human heart was fickle and small. It needed to be nudged with self-proimed righteousness and morals to be forgiving. And Aldrich knew for Edmund to nudge the world''s heart, the Baron''s next attack would be deadly. Deadly enough for any Dreamer within the Rare Rank. "Your actions have done nothing but set fire of unrest in people''s hearts so far." The Dreamers on the ground and the people watching on the TV and Inte nodded. "Let me teach you a lesson and exact justice in their ce " Aldrich saw the Baron opening up his arms and millions of streams of turbulent fire seemed to originate within his body. " LET THE FIRE COURSE THROUGH MY VEINS." Chapter 57: Consequences Chapter 57: Consequences The highest temperature recorded on earth approached 57 degrees Celsius. But none could evenpare that data to the proximity of Baron Edmund. It felt like the hovering Baron wasn''t a person but an active volcano. The heat seemed to increase with one''s nearness to him. And this volcano was about to erupt, holding nothing back. Hot red Mana rose from all around Edmund and the air around him distorted like a mirage in the desert. The people who had nted their faces on the screen could see the young Baron appearing and vanishing with every other second. Only the fluctuations of the Mana emanating out of him had ryed his unchanged position. Theva-like veins in Edmund''s eyes gave a bright sh. The boiling Mana that was seeping out from his body got pushed out in one go. It seemed like fumes that got released before a volcanic eruption. Edmund raised his hand and pointed towards the sky. The Mana couldn''t help but follow the Baron''s gesture and gathered on the tip of his finger like an enormous globe of squirming gas. This was the first time for most of the world to experience the might of the Noble in front of their eyes. But the Dreamers present on the field didn''t get to enjoy the scene. Almost all except Annie and a few had their eyespletely shut. They feared they would lose their eyes if they even dare to open them to peek at the Baron. A greenish-blue ethereal field had already covered the normal humans and the members of the Press, filming the moment of reckoning. Annie waved her hand and a simr field materialized around the Dreamers, who couldn''t seem to handle the heat. The entire world saw with a gaped mouth as the humongous ball of Mana, emanating waves of heat, churned and outlined itself in the shape of ance. It almost felt like someone had taken it as ink and had drawn the edges of the weapon. But this outlined weapon stillcked the substance. This weapon had yet to have a feeling of being solid. The fire coursing through Edmund''s veins heard the call of Mana and, through the pointed finger, entered the outlined weapon. A 20 ft long Lance pointed itself towards the Masked Menace. The Lance seemed to be made ofva, but there was nothing within it but pure fire. This was the Skill that brought down a Rare Ranked Boss in a single move. The name of which had already marked itself in the world''s memory. "Sacred Fire Blood Lance GO." BOOM!!! Edmund brought his hand down and pointed at Aldrich. The fiery Lance seemed to be thrown by an invisible hand and left a booming sound behind. The trees burned like it was the fire that had grown out of them and not leaves, and the puddles of water exploded in steam. Things that could melt had melted and the things that couldn''t burst into pieces. Nothing could survive, and none could have barred Lance''s path. For it was the ss-specific Skill of a Dreamer of the Rank-Baron. But Aldrich was as calm as ever. He had watched and analyzed the entire process through his Divine Sense. His focus was concentrated not on the Skill, but Edmund''s body. This was the first time Aldrich hade across a Dreamer above Rare Rank. And except for confirming his spections, he cared about nothing. From the moment of his first level-up to histest one, Aldrich had a theory about these Levels and Ranks. The first word that hade up in his mind was Evolution. And when he got his Rare Rank, he became sure of his guess. The only question that had yet to unravel was the threshold beyond which evolution would take ce. As Aldrich scanned the Baron''s body, he got his answer. The Rank of Baron seemed to be the breaking point for the human shell. There weren''t any visible changes, but Aldrich saw the quality of tissues, and many functions of the human body had evolved to suit the need of the ss. The only reason that Edmund could use this destructive Skill freely was his veins. They had evolved to let the pure fire course through them like blood. If every Dreamer was destined to evolve towards the direction of their ss, then what direction would he get to choose for his First Evolution? But the moments from hisst ranking up shed by him and his face crumpled like a squeezed lemon. The pointy tip of the scorching Lance took him out of his reverie and before the Lance could approach him, his entire body felt like being burned alive. Aldrich sensed the camera pointed at him and he didn''t want to reveal what he was about to do. As the Lance was about to annihte the Masked Menace for the good of the world, the people saw him making a fist. Just for a fraction of a second, many of them must haveughed at this pointless action. And it involved Annie and a few Dreamers who had seen the potency of the Skill. But they would remember this briefugh for the rest of their life. The puny and powerless fist of the Masked Menace smashed the tip of the Lance. For a moment, the world seemed to be stopped by an unnatural force. Baron Edmund''s and Annie''s hearts thumped loudly, sensing a power that made them remember their first raid. Annie''s teeth ttered as she recalled her state after being touched by that "Being". And the people of the world shuddered while standing, sitting, andying wherever they were. As they saw the entire Lance getting sted away like a puff of smoke after being hit by the unholy fist. BANISH!!! Aldrich had punched the Lance to give a false impression of strength. He didn''t know if anyone watching could guess what he had nned to do or not. Just as his fist had struck Lance''s tip, he Banished the Law of Fire contained within it. After losing its core, only Mana''s outline had remained, which he countered with his raised Defense. [... Defense: 115 (+90) Perception: 90 (-90) ] Aldrich looked at the pale face of the Baron and his utterly bbergasted expression. Aldrich knew Edmund must have his reason to think that Aldrich could handle and remain alive after getting hit by the Skill. But the young Noble could have never imagined such an outrageous result. Aldrich dusted off the slight burn marks over his skin and his clothes. He looked at Edmund and asked. "Can we talk like civilized people now?" Aldrich saw the Baron nodding reflexively and losing height tond on the ground. Aldrich also vanished and reappeared by his side. Every Dreamer around Aldrich faltered and took a step back. Aldrich saw Edmund gesturing to Olivia to prepare a room for further discussions. And he chanced upon Annie with her head down, standing behind Ms. Wells. From time to time, he could see a light shiver running from her head to her toes. ''Trauma?'' Aldrich guessed. "This way," said Edmund, pointing towards Olivia walking ahead. Aldrich was about to follow them, but then halted his steps and turned around to look at every one. The Dreamers flinched like naughty children caught by their mother. Aldrich''s head stopped at the camera. The people on its other side had yet to process what they had seen when Aldrich''s words resounded in their ears through the speakers of TV andptops. "The next time someone would trouble me unnecessarily... there will be consequences." Chapter 58: Warning Chapter 58: Warning Aldrich followed Edmund and Olivia to a spacious room lined with sofas and tables. Both the men sat down opposite each other while Ms. Wells went outside to bring the required documents herself. It felt like she wasn''t the director, but a secretary in front of the men upying the room. But none could haveined about the situation. After seeing the things that happened a few minutes ago, it was only natural to do so. Baron Edmund''s eyes were down, pointed at the shiny table. He could have seen his face reflected by it if he weren''t lost in his thoughts. The scene of a fist and hisnce couldn''t go away from his vision. Like a video on loop, it kept repeating itself in his memory. And it could have gone for a long time if it weren''t for the question asked by the Masked Menace. "You talked with Matsumoto Sho before arriving here?" "Yeah Wait! How do you know I talked to him?" "Isn''t that obvious? Only someone like him could have convinced you to use that kind of Skill on me." "That " Edmund couldn''t find any words to exin himself. He had called Sho to get the information on Masked Menace. And the only reply he got in return was to go all out. Even if Edmund hadn''t used all his Mana on that Skill, it was still enough to annihte any Dreamer of Rare Rank or at least heavily injure one. And Edmund''s mind was urging him to ask two questions that had been eating him up. "Are you a Baron too?" "" Edmund didn''t get an answer. The silent room regained its state for a moment. But Edmund was dead set on getting the answer to the second one. He leaned forward slightly and asked. "How much longer were you nning to wait if I hadn''t shown up?" "Actually I didn''t even need to wait for you. Someone had alreadye upon the scene. If you hadn''t shown up, then I am sure he would have taken some action. What had happened would have happened either way." Edmund heard the reply, and a name came to his mind. He had seen Annie on the ground. How could he have forgotten the person rted to her? At their level, it wasn''t some mystery to them who the ck Hand was. But that wasn''t the reason for the shiver that had run through Edmund''s spine. ''I I didn''t even know he was there,'' thought Edmund. Being a Mage type, Edmund''s Attributes had leaned towards Correspondence and Perception. And being an Assassin, Logan was equipped with Skills to counter Divine Sense. Even if Edmund weren''t a Baron, he would have the highest Perception. And yet the man in front of him could sense an Assassin which he couldn''t. Edmund''s breathing was on the verge of bing rough. And with every moment, he felt more suffocated being in the same room as the Masked Menace. But the approaching sound of footsteps assured him he would get to leave soon enough. "Don''t be anxious I am sure it won''t take as long as you are expecting it to." Edmund''s head snapped towards the voice and saw the deep ck eyes through the Mask''s eyeholes. He saw himself reflected by those dark-mirror-like eyes and felt like they would bound his soul to the depths of hell if he kept looking at them. The idea of his inner thoughts beingid bare in front of another Dreamer gave him utter fright and goosebumps. None had gotten a read on the young Baron like this in his 1 year of Dreamer''s career so far. Tick!!! The door opened and Olivia walked in with a stack of documents and other files. She took a seat between the two men on one side of the table. By the time she noticed something wrong with the situation, Edmund had already taken control of his rampaging emotions. "I I would need answers to a few questions," asked Olivia, followed by a big gulp of saliva which couldn''t even wet her dry throat properly. Edmund nodded at her to continue. Aldrich took out a letter from his jacket and handed it over to her. The rookie Dreamer opened the letter and saw the Guild''s name. Her eyebrows rose in shock and surprise. Edmund also feltplicated seeing the usuallyposeddy be so out of her zone. "This name " Olivia mumbled. "Hmm? Is there something wrong with it?" Aldrich asked. "NO! " Both men got taken aback by the sudden scream let out by the young woman. "Haha! I meant no, there''s nothing wrong with it," she exined, with a wry smile. Edmund saw the corner of her mouth twitching and couldn''t help but shake his head. "As per the rules, the Guild Leader needs to be rmended by a Rare Dreamer or another Guild Leader," Olivia said, looking at Edmund and not Aldrich. Edmund closed his eyes and the guess that he had buried deep within his heart resurfaced in his mind. And the same got confirmed by another letter taken out by the Masked man presented in the room. "It''s a rmendation letter by Mr. Bernard aka Boomie," said Aldrich, handing over the document. Edmund clenched his fist under the table and Olivia''s eyes went wide hearing the name. With a trembling hand, she epted the letter and put it into the file without even looking at it. Both Edmund and Ms. Wells seemed to have lost in their thoughts when Aldrich brought them out to reality. "Is there an issue with it?" Olivia shook her head, still looking at her file inplete disbelief. From time to time, certain incidents shed through both Edmund''s and her memory. Things that they had guessed and taken to be true with no justification, like Boomie''s rogue behavior in Arizona. "Ah! Yes We would need the address of the Guild''s HQ to contact you in case of Dungeon Break," Olivia feebly said. "No problem. You should have received an email by now. Anything else?" But Aldrich didn''t wait for an answer. He stood up and nodded at Edmund before walking towards the door. "Do not disturb me again other than in need," said Aldrich, giving a brief look to Olivia as he passed by her. Edmund stood up and voiced out his thoughts, "With you and Annie as Baron, we would probably get assigned the same Dungeon as a Party in the future." There were only three Barons in Edmund''s knowledge on Earth. And every time they had reached their time limit, they got teleported to a Dungeon to raid it solo. Edmund and Sho had guessed that it would need at least five Barons to change this pattern. Edmund was hoping for a positive response from the infamous Dreamer. But the words that he received from Aldrich had rooted him to his ce, even after Aldrich had gone for quite some time. The false sense of achievement from before left him ashamed. And after reciting the words many times, Edmund felt a hint of warning of the inevitable doom hidden within them. A drop of sweat trickled down from his chin as he repeated the words to himself. "Common, Rare, and Baron. Edmund, this is only the beginning. And we have little time left to see its end. The only thing we can do is to get strong as much as we can." Chapter 59: A Thousand Faces (3) Chapter 59: A Thousand Faces (3) 3 Days Later New York, USA Mr. Edwin craned his neck up to look at the three letters on the top of the multistoried building. He had been quite busy for thest four days. And yet, Mr. Edwin became happy with every passing second. Thebination of smooth skin and his white-silky beard gave him an irresistible charm. But the aura of authority around ''The Butler'' hadn''t lost its sharpness. Mr. Edwin walked up the steps and stood himself in front of the two huge ck sliding doors. The two guards on both sides of him were already sweating. Mr. Edwin had his eyes closed, but not a corner of dust and crease on paper had gone unnoticed by his old eyes. Nothing could go wrong today, and he won''t let it. Mr. Edwin was going to meet his client for the first time. And he won''t let the moment turn into anything but a pleasant wee. He had felt no short amount of joy upon seeing the messages a few days ago. And Mr. Edwin had squeezed everyone in his contact toplete the tasks fluently and efficiently. The first of which was to buy a building worthy of a top Guild. Mr. Edwin was only told to buy a building for a freshly formed Guild. But knowing his client for so many years, it was natural for him to guess unspoken things. And among these unspoken things were the private jet, a trustworthy staff, Items, and many Mana cores as the currency. Mr. Edwin had full reign over his client''s finances. Who could handle the money better than ''The Butler'', once dreaded as the greatest swindler? Everything had been trimmed and pruned to perfection for the members'' arrival. ''A Thousand Faces'' was going to enter the world''s stage. And with it, Mr. Edwin''s name would finallye out in the light, too. Mr. Edwin had his ideas about the people behind the unknown group he had been serving for thest many years. But only recently, after booking the Dungeon in Arizona, he came to see the genuine terror of its existence. The news regarding the ADA''s hack had shocked him. But he felt even more interested in the incident after getting to know the viable person behind the hacking. He felt nothing wrong or immoral for someone associated with the name of his client to do such a thing. Mr. Edwin wasn''t a merciful person himself, but he had never made a profit at the behest of innocent lives. And he had never found his client''s request going against his work ethics too. So he believed the cause of the atrocity must lie within the American Dreamer Association and not in the Masked man as portrayed. And he became sure of his guess after seeing the live coverage of the event that had taken ce in the ADA''s HQ three days ago. Mr. Edwin felt nothing but pride, finding a member of his Client''s group to be as strong as Baron Edmund. With a Dreamer like him, the uing Guild could make a grand entry. Mr. Edwin cracked his eyes open and looked at the time on his watch. It was about the time for their arrival. The only thing of nuisance was the horde of the press with their cameras and its shes. Since the news of the Masked Menace and his Guild hade out, Mr. Edwin had been dealing with the surge of vans and vandalization in front of the building. But the massive force of the hired security personnel had done a great job of keeping the people at bay. The only thing that had worried Mr. Edwin was him not being a Dreamer. In a world where the RECORD had be the prime source of ie, it was a tremendous disadvantage for him to not be a part of it. But at his age, there was little chance that he would be a Dreamer. But remembering the face of her daughter, he couldn''t help but relish being left out, too. A smile had juste on his face when Mr. Edwin caught a disturbance in front of him. Out of thin air, a ck-suited man had appeared at the foot of the steps. The mob gathered around the entrance of the building went into mayhem. And angry shouts and blinding shes had washed over like a tsunami. But everything died down as the Masked Menace turned around to look at the feeble people. Mr. Edwin saw the masked gentlemaning up and he took a step-down in his direction. It was time to greet one of the strongest Dreamers among the future members. As both distinguished people came face-to-face, Mr. Edwin put his white-gloved right hand on his chest and gave a slight bow. "Wee to the Thousand Faces Guild." * Mr. Edwin followed the Masked Menace in the building and saw him taking a nce at the various personnel stationed within it. Seeing him nod after the brief observation, Mr. Edwin sighed inwardly. He didn''t know how it worked, but he was familiar with the concept of Divine Sense. As they reached into the middle of the lobby, the Dreamer turned around to look at him. "Nicely done Mr. Edwin. Have you bought the Elites and Bosses Mana cores?" Mr. Edwin smiled and replied, "Thank you for your appreciation. Yes, what money could buy has already been bought." It was already a humongous task to even think of obtaining the cores of the Crawlers of these levels. Even with his level of cunning, Mr. Edwin had got only one Boss Mana core and three Elite Mana cores. And with buying the four cores, the ever-present funds in the ount had dwindled for the first time. "Don''t worry about the money, Mr. Edwin. More woulde soon." Mr. Edwin''s mouth fell open, seeing the masked Dreamer wording his thoughts exactly. But he hadn''t forgotten the decorum even after getting startled by the unusual coincidence. So he regained hisposure as the incident had never even taken ce. "Mr. Edwin, you would act as the Guild''s Director and handle all the Dungeon-rted activities. I am sure you have found out by now that Mr. Bernard from zing Royals Guild will join us in the future." Mr. Edwin nodded. "As efficient as ever. Have you booked the Dungeon as per the email?" asked the Dreamer. "Yes. Please enjoy the drinks while the others arrive." Mr. Edwin gestured towards the sofa and the drinks as a server poured a ss of wine with no verbal instructions. But he didn''t notice any movement out of the Dreamer before him. When Mr. Edwin turned his head to look at those dark-ck eyes and found them staring at him with a strange re. "What others Mr. Edwin?" "The other members of the group. I didn''t know the actual number, but I have prepared a celebratory feast for at least 100 people. I could only make a guess based on the past tasks." Mr. Edwin exined his words as solemnly as possible. But seeing the corner of the terrifying mask''s mouth rising horrified even his soul. He saw the Masked Menace taking a seat leisurely and heard the abysmal words that would keep him awake for nights toe. "This is it, Mr. Edwin. I am ''A Thousand Faces''." Chapter 60: The Doom Arrives Chapter 60: The Doom Arrives What is the best way to kill a schr? The schrs of ancient times could outsmart almost any conspiracy against them. None could beat them in debates and the y of words. One couldn''t catch them at a ce where they weren''t supposed to be. And their worst time was still better than the best of many. So it wasn''t a question of ''What'' but of how. How to find the best way to kill a schr? * 21 June 2021 New York, USA Aldrich had left 24 hours before his Random-Allocation. But even if the newly formed Thousand Faces Guild didn''t have any rookies to train, Director Edwin had booked a Dungeon for an entire day. Whoever heard of it was quite shocked and felt disgusted by the unting of money. What could have been a reason for booking a Dungeon and then not even using it? But two freshly surfaced facts, released by ADA, buried both the question and the doubts deep into the earth. Other Guilds soon got to know that it wouldn''t be the first time for the Masked Menace to go into a Dungeon and raid it solo. He had already done it in Arizona, as revealed by the authorities. The other fact was even more terrifying than its predecessor. The Dungeon that the TFG''s Director had booked had a history of remaining unbooked for the past 8 months. It wasn''t because it had a sky-high price on it. No, it was because none had dared to even look in its direction from afar. The Dungeon was notoriously famous for its difficulty, as proved by the unavability of data even on its Elite Crawler. And the coincidence was that this Dungeon was located in the most densely popted part of New York. Manhattan, the City. A car stopped at the entrance of the Ivy University Campus, and two people walked out of it. One of them was famous for being the highest Wall one could face in their Dreamer career. And the other was infamous for his recent actions against the entire Dreamer Community. These two were Aldrich and Boomie. Boomie had already taken care of the fresh batches of Dreamers within the zing Royals Guild. With no more work left, Aldrich had asked him toe with him. Aldrich had his reasons for such a request, but Boomie was already on cloud nine. Even while approaching their destination, one could have seen him smiling frequently. Quite unusual of a Dreamer who was one of the closest to get Ranked up. Boomie had a red jacket and the usual shorts under it as his Dungeon getup. The red-bush-like hair over his head matched perfectly with his attire. And Aldrich had apletely ck outfit over him. Only the mask on his face gave goosebumps to whoever saw it, trying to distinguish it from his face. Those who knew Boomie would have noticed many changes about him. Changes that had only recently popped out of nowhere in thest two days. And the most prominent of these changes was the tattoo on the backside of his right palm. It looked almost the same as the symbols in the eyes of a rookie Dreamer. And none could have differentiated it from the tattoo at the same ce on Aldrich''s arm. But Boomie knew it was different. And Aldrich knew even better, being the one who had made it. Aldrich had spent thest two days researching even deeper with the symbols. The Rumok on Boomie''s arm was the product of this extremely focused research. A concept still miles away from the reach of the other Dreamers. Aldrich and Boomie took a turn, following the ADA agent on duty. The ever-present muddy yellow pir of light was glowing with its sadistic beauty. But both of them, for a second, couldn''t take their eyes off the masterpiece in front of their eyes. Theplex structure was an epitome of beauty and might. "The hero of Greek mythology," Boomie mumbled, looking at the 30 ft tall sculpture in awe. "Before the days of Heracles, he was the greatest hero and yer of the monsters," Aldrich added, as they kept taking step after step towards it. One could only feel the immensity of the statue by standing close to it. With a total height of 60 ft, including the pedestal, it was one of thergest sculptors in New York. Aldrich and Boomie could vividly see a human figure tying a rope around the neck of a winged creature. It was the statue that represented the true state of a man taming Nature. It was the statue of the being that had ridden the Pegasus and marched towards the Gods. And it was the statue of a defeated soul. The son of Poseidon, Bellerophon. "Among all the Dungeons, why this?" Boomie asked, with his eyes still nted on the massive being. Aldrich kept looking at the man with a strange conviction in his eyes. There were many reasons for which he had selected to bang his head with this Boss. But one among them had outweighed everything else that had happened so far after his awakening. "You will know eventually," Aldrich said, turning around to look at Boomie. Both stared into each other''s eyes and a smile surfaced on their faces. After almost an entire year, the friends of the past had againe together for a joint activity. And this would be more fun than a normal hike. Aldrich smiled, thinking of the answers he would be getting. And Boomie, well, he smiled for the future toe. [ Party request has been epted Party Members: Aldrich, Boomie Party Leader: Aldrich ] "Shall we?" Aldrichmented, taking a step towards the statue. A bluish-green portal opened up and both the party members entered through it. And the muddy and dreadful-looking pir of light around the statue gradually changed to green. * 600 million km away from the earth, in deep space, a disturbance happened just as the pair of friends entered the Dungeon. This was part of the region famously known as the Asteroid Belt. It housed countless asteroids also called Minors. And one of these minors was "31 Aroma", with a diameter reaching up to 200 km. It was orbiting in the solitude of space when a portal opened up on it with a brief sh of light. A ck cube with red spots came flying out of the portal and just as it touched the Asteroid it melted into it. The entire asteroid shuddered with quaking vibrations from its core to its surface. The portal had already vanished, leaving no sign of its presence. With an unimaginable ferocity, the asteroid made a turn in a vast arc and got sped up towards a predetermined direction. Target - Earth. * There were many ways that one could find to kill a schr. But the most efficient way had its roots within nature. No matter how knowledgeable a schr was, all were helpless, facing the wrath of nature. A schr, unlike others, would wee death willingly, seeing a hopeless situation. All one had to do was to drown the schr in a flood, to burn the schr in a forest fire, or do as the old Emperor Swordless had written. Just st away the entire. Chapter 61: Have What?! Chapter 61: Have What?! [ You have entered a Dungeon ] The world inside the Dungeon was in its twilight. The reddish-yellow hue of the approaching dusk seemed to be stagnated in a perpetual time loop. Aldrich saw the burned and leafless trees spread wide apart on a ck ashynd. And on the horizon, he saw a vague silhouette of three volcanoes. The rising flood of fuming gas had clouded most of the distant sky. Aldrich couched down and touched the gray ash and felt its warmth through his palm. He saw Boomie approaching a shaggy branch of the barren tree. Boomie wrapped his fist around the branch and clenched it. As he opened it back, the hot air blew away the fine particles of the burned wood. The entire Dungeon was arid and deserted because of the frequent eruptions of the three volcanoes. Aldrich took his eyes off Boomie and saw the System''s notifications shing in front of him. [ You have 4 new Quests Quest 1 (Party): Secure a Return-Stone Quest 2 (Party): Survive the next Volcanic Eruption Quest 3 (Party-optional): Hunt Elite Crawler Quest 4 (Party-optional): Have sex with Boss Crawler ] " ?" For a moment, Aldrich kept looking at the fourth Quest. But before he could analyze any hidden meaning behind it, a burst of hystericalughter emerged on his right. "HAHAHAHA " Boomie had both hands on his stomach and wasughing maniacally. If he hadn''t leaned over the tree, he would have already rolled over on the ash. The tiny drops of tears on the corner of his eyes could only describe a part of his emotions. "Al Haha Al, look System is also taking pity on a virgin." Aldrich narrowed his eyes at Boomie and let him have his moment. It would be a lie to say that the unusual Quest hadn''t baffled him. Aldrich tried to make something out of the historical facts, but even then it made little sense. Aldrich hade to this Dungeon with a clear aim in his mind. And he didn''t want to waste time trying to bypass any Quest. Aldrich stood up and saw Boomieing towards him. He had stoppedughing, but an even more hideous grin had taken its ce on his face. Aldrich hated that grin. It just meant Boomie was about to say something weird again. "Al What did you make out of this Quest?" Aldrich couldn''t help but raise his eyebrows upon hearing a genuine question from that sheepish mouth. Sometimes, even with all knowledge, one couldn''t peek into the depthless mind. Aldrich had always tried to not think too much when talking to family and Boomie. For him, experiencing the everyday emotions of the general people was also a type of cultivation and a part of learning. "That''s the issue, Boomie. I couldn''t make out anything." Aldrich gave an honest reply but soon regretted it. Boomie put both his hands over his shoulders and shook his head, treating Aldrich as a mere child. "I told you to turn the Aldrich mode off more often after graduating high school. But No, you didn''t. And here we are, with me exining an obvious thing to you." "Would you just let it out in one go?" said Aldrich, shaking off Boomie''s hands. "Did you not see the ''party'' in front of Quest 4? We not only need to have sex with the Boss Ahem! we need to have a threesome with it." Aldrich shut his eyes and clenched his teeth. The grating noises of his mr rubbing against each other were loud enough to be heard outside. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Aldrich shouted and turned around, eyeing a particr direction. Aldrich dashed towards the volcanoes and Boomie followed him at the same pace. From time to time, a littleugh came pouring out from Boomie, giving Aldrich shivers. They had just crossed a distance of a few miles when a greenish fog, lightly scattered in a wide area, came into their sight. But the pair didn''t stop after seeing it and marched right into it. "Damn, what''s this disgusting smell?" said Boomie, pinching his nose. Aldrich knew what the smell was but refrained from exining about it. A yful smile came over his face, which would have made Boomie shudder in terror if he were to see it. Some twisted revenge had always followed this smile for Boomie. But running behind Aldrich, he was oblivious to such a change. Aldrich and Boomie soon came up to an open area with hundreds of gigantic holes running into the earth. The dense green fog wasing out of the well-like holes, but it soon got thinned out in the surroundings. Aldrich saw Boomie''s face on the verge of vomiting and nodded his head in satisfaction. They were still a couple of hundred meters away from the first few holes. Unlike Aldrich, Boomie didn''t have a crazy Perception and couldn''t sense what was going on inside those holes but could only see the surrounding ground. Aldrich nudged Boomie''s hand and pointed to a location. "Look." In the distance, near one hole, there was a creature. Its ugliness could have made anybody turn away their eyes in disgust. The 5ft tall Crawler looked like a fat Pig. But its entire body was covered in warts and moles. Tiny streaks of yellow pus were running out of its nostrils, and there were two sickly yellow tusks pointed upwards. But even more bizarre was the constant weeping sounding from its mouth. The pair of Dreamers saw the tears running down from the Crawler''s eyes and felt the aura of sadness, even when they were so far from it. But the worst was yet toe in their sight. There was a reason that Aldrich hadn''tmented on the fog after entering it. Aldrich had been holding his breath ever since he got a whiff of the fog and analyzed it with his Divine Sense. The massive Crawler was lying t on the floor, and its tears were wetting the gray ash constantly. But soon a vibration coursed through his entire body. Boomie saw the sudden shuddering of the disgusting beast and narrowed his eyes towards it. As the vibrations reached the Crawler''s bottom, it lifted one of its hind legs. FRRRRRRRTTT!!! Yes, the Crawler had let out a massive fart. Boomie''s eyes became wide in shock, seeing that the fart had a color and it matched the fog surrounding them. He turned his head to look at all the holes and the rising fog. From the periphery of his vision, he caught the slight smile on Aldrich''s face, and his entire mind went numb. Aldrich took two gas masks out of his bag and threw one of them towards Boomie, wearing the other himself. "You You You let me smell the fart all this time. You already knew which Crawler it was, didn''t you?" Boomie mumbled in a shaky voice. Aldrich had not only guessed which Crawler had spawned, but he could also see the data on its head, which Boomie couldn''t. [ Record of Common Squonk Status: Sad Level: 9 HP: 446/446 SP: 583/583 MP: 760/760 Rank: Common Attributes --> Strength: 26 Defense: 21 Agility: 35 Vitality: 23 Perception: 25 Correspondence: 45 Active Skills --> 1. Stinky Fart 2. Drove''s Buff 3. Trampling Charge Passive Skills --> 1. Contagious Misery 2. Tears Dissolution ] Chapter 62: First Title Chapter 62: First Title Titles, an irrefutable necessity for any Dreamer. Only one word could do justice in describing it, advantage. Unlike Skills and Items which targeted only a particr aspect of Dreamer. The Titles improved a Dreamer''s capabilities in its entirety. There was neither limit on their equipment nor there was an issue of being Passive or Active. And that''s why every Title was a prized possession of any Dreamer. * One of Aldrich''s goals in selecting this Dungeon was the data that showed the spawning of hordes of any type of Crawlers. Aldrich couldn''t find any better way to at least achieve his first Title within the shortest time. Putting on his gas mask, Aldrich dashed towards the lone Crawler. The sadness tried to be a hindrance, but couldn''t even make him flinch. By the time the Crawler sensed something wrong, Aldrich was already over its head in the air. One could see a pair of ck daggers, with shadowy vapor rising from them, in his hands. BULCHH!!! UuuuAAAA!!! [ You have killed 1 Common Squonk ExPs obtained: 1250 You have leveled up ] The disgusting creature wasn''t strong at all, but it''s newborn-like cry in the moment of its death had teased its brethren to their core. The smooth wave of rising fog out of the holes became turbulent, and the earth beneath Aldrich''s and Boomie''s feet quaked with increasing intensity. UuuuuuAAAAAAAA!!! An even more loud and terrifying cry of dozens of simr Crawlers resonated with each other. Aldrich saw Boomie putting his hands over his ears and, just for a moment, he had a vision of his parents waiting for him in front of their shop. CONTAGIOUS MISERY! Over 30 Squonks crawled out of the holes. Aldrich and Boomie stood shoulder to shoulder as they saw a fog, or the fart, in the air churned and gathered towards the grouped Crawlers. Warts and moles pulsed in and out as the foul gas entered within their body. Aldrich''s grip on the daggers tightened, seeing the throbbing muscles on the pig-like beasts. "What is happening?" asked Boomie. "It must be a group''s buff," replied Aldrich vaguely. Just as Aldrich had uttered the words, the Crawlers inted to half of their original size, like a balloon on the verge of bursting out. DROVE''s BUFF! Aldrich and Boomie looked at each other and ran in opposite directions. More than half of the Crawlers separated themselves from the entire horde to chase Aldrich, while the rest targeted Boomie. Aldrich felt the vibrations coursing through his legs by the stampeding Crawlers behind him. The constant sound of weeping and the aura of sadness had already engulfed him. TRAMPLING CHARGE! It wasn''t a wonder that even at RARE rank, the Party of Dreamers had faced difficulty in handling the Common Crawlers. But Aldrich and Boomie differed from such Parties, in both strength and wits. Just as the Crawlers were about to trample the puny Dreamer, a horrifying Divine Sense covered them entirely. INTIMIDATION! The Crawlers'' eyes rolled back into their head, the weeping halted, and their legs buckled. The Squonk''s Skill that could have crushed a boulder, now crushed the back of their own. One upon one, the Crawlers in the front had their spine broken with crunching noises as the beasts behind them came crashing onto their backs. What Aldrich had left to do was to carry out a ughter. "Change." [ Strength: 128 (+90 +3) Perception: 90 (-90) ] Hundreds of ck blur ravaged the Crawlers like a skilled butcher handling a pig. By the time Aldrich''s image resurfaced into existence, thest Squonk had already crumbled into dust. The only thing they had left behind as proof of their existence was a bunch of Mana Cores. [ You have killed 1 Common Squonk You have killed 1 Common Squonk You have leveled up ] Within the first hour of their arrival, Aldrich had regained his lost levels and had even gone beyond that. The thing that had terrified others became a mere tool for farming ExPs for Aldrich. Aldrich turned around to look towards Boomie and found an even amazing scene. A long wooden pole had impaled all the Crawlers, and Boomie was swinging the pole around like a child''s toy. The whimpering sound of some ten Squonks with their overgrown size and short legs turned into nothing but aical sight from afar. Aldrich knew that even if there were hundreds of Crawlers, the result would have been the same. This was the terror of Title One against Hundred. With a sudden sh, a notification materialized in front of Aldrich''s eyes. [ You havepleted the Title Quest: Kill 100 Common Ranked Crawlers Title Reward: Enemy of Crawlers Title: Enemy of Crawlers Description: 10% increase in all Attributes while facing all Non-Boss Crawlers ] "Simple enough," said Aldrich, with a slight grin on his face. This was the beauty of the Titles. They were direct and had almost no limit or warnings about them. "ALDRICH!" Aldrich was about to cancel the Skill when a shout from Boomie made him snap his head in Boomie''s direction. Aldrich saw the previously impaled Crawlers had changed. Not only did the volume of tearsing out of their eyes had increased, but tears were alsoing out of their all pores. The pole in Boomie''s hand suddenly became a fountain as all the Squonks burst out like a watered balloon. But this wasn''t the end. Aldrich dashed towards Boomie as he saw the dense liquid on the ashy ground squirmed and gathered at a single spot. The liquid got reassembled in the shape of a Squonk but even bigger than all of thembined. The 15 ft tall and fat Crawler mmed his legs on the ground and let out a sorrowful cry of despair. WuuuuAAAAA!!! TEARS DISSOLUTION! Aldrich saw Boomie''s skin gaining a red tinge and his veins squirming like tiny snakes. Boomie pounced at the humongous Crawler and he couldn''t seem to bear the vision''s agony that must have surfaced because of the erged Squonk''s Skill. But before Boomie could reach the Crawler, which was charging towards him, Aldrich tackled him midair and took him out of the creature''s path. A sharp gust of wind came out of nowhere, sting Aldrich''s face with pounds of ash and dust. Through the squeezed eyes, Aldrich saw a winged creature swooping down and wrapping its ws onto the enormous Squonk. But despite the difference in their size, the bird-like Crawler easily lifted it and took it to air. Aldrich and the calmed down Boomie took in the baffling event. The newly arrived Crawler dropped the Squonk from the height. The fat beast had been farting uncontrobly in fear. But before it could reach the ground, two more flying Crawlers prated its body with their sharp beaks. Bits and pieces of the erged Squonk came raining down on the ashy earth. And the flock of winged Crawlers looked at the pair of Dreamers lying t on the ground. Aldrich narrowed his eyes, seeing the Stats hovering on their head. "What are the chances?" said Boomie, flicking away the ash on his clothes. Aldrich saw the red steel-like feathers and their serpentine tail. The winged beast had only one eye in the middle of its forehead, and its beak had a metallic shine. But even more bizarre were the dozens of sleek tentacles hanging down from its mouth like octopus''s arms. "A flock of Rare Snallygasters!" Chapter 63: Stamina Leech Chapter 63: Stamina Leech [ Record of Rare Snallygaster Status: Healthy Level: 13 HP: 640/640 SP: 770/770 MP: 614/614 Rank: Rare Attributes --> Strength: 35 Defense: 45 Agility: 45 Vitality: 25 Perception: 45 Correspondence: 23 Active Skills --> 1. Confusion Inducement 2. Enhanced Pration 3. Target Lock 4. Toxic Binding Passive Skills --> 1. Sound Cancetion 2. Draconic Hide ] Aldrich looked at the attractive red feathers which gained a blue tinge depending on the light that got reflected off them. It was the first time for Aldrich to have the feeling of anticipation for a material. The Rare Snallygasters were the strongest Crawler that Dreamers had to face in this Dungeon so far. And on the records, these Crawlers dropped at least one Item rted to their hide as mentioned. It was the first time that three Snallygasters had appeared out of nowhere simultaneously. "Do you think it''s because of that erged Squonk?" asked Boomie, twirling the wooden Pole in his hand. Aldrich nodded. The three Crawlers came swooping down from different directions towards the pair of friends. The heavy flutter of their wings didn''t make a single noise in the gurgling surroundings of volcanoes. One of them came straight for Aldrich with its 1-meter long beak pointed at him. Aldrich felt like being targeted by an unknown force and knew what Skill the creature had used. TARGET LOCK! Boomie had already separated himself from Aldrich to thin out the attacks. The huge winged Crawler came towards Aldrich like a bullet. Its serpentine tail swished like a whip behind it constantly. The Snallygaster showcased its steel-like ws to grab its prey in one swoop. But with even greater agility, Aldrich ducked down from its flying path. The result, though, wasn''t as expected by Aldrich. Just as the Crawler flew by him, a purple and porous tentacle wrapped itself around Aldrich''s left arm. Aldrich traced it back to its source and found dozens of simr tentacles wereing out of the Snallygaster''s mouth. Aldrich felt his left arm going numb and at the tip of the tentacle a needle-like mouth had protruded out. TOXIC BINDING! The Snallygaster had used the extremely fast tentacles, which seemed to move on their own, to stop itself in midair. The needle-like mouth repetitively struck itself onto Aldrich''s arm but couldn''t prate it. Aldrich had raised his defense the moment ittched onto his arm. Another dozen tentacles cameshing towards him at the same time. And they wrapped themselves around different parts of Aldrich''s body. Aldrich didn''t resist and let the creature do as it pleased. The Snallygasternded on the ground and approached the numbed-down prey. The sight of it using its wings and ws to move its humongous body, with tentacles in its mouth, looked even more ghastly. But Aldrich''s eyes shined with a strange emerald color amid this sense of crisis. FLAW DETECTION! The reason for his bankruptcy wasn''t the Guild''s building or the Boss Mana cores. But the vast amount of Common Items that he had purchased to feed the Shadow Homunculus. The Item with its intelligence had already be even more lifelike in thest two weeks. The Snallygaster was about to devour Aldrich with its wide-open mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth when a gigantic shadow enveloped the entire winged creature. The Crawler turned its head up to look at what could have dared to target it, but it was already toote. A shadowy but real heavy sword with an ominous aura came crashing down over its head. BANG!!! [Critical Hit] [... You have killed 1 Rare Snallygaster ExPs obtained: 12000 You have leveled up... You have leveled up... .... ...] Aldrich saw the crumbling Crawler and the materializing rewards. But he was even more ted, seeing the two back-to-back level-ups. The Critical Hit had turned out to be as lethal as he had expected. To take down a Rare Crawler in one attack was nothing but a stupendous feat. But even more fatal was the Stone Splitter and its Megaton Crusher. Aldrich looked at the remaining two Snallygasters and an incredible scene presented itself to him. The two Crawlers had surrounded Boomie with the many tentacles tightly binding his body. Unlike Aldrich, Boomie didn''t have the means to enhance his Defence crazily. And yet, Boomie didn''t seem to need this enhancement. The needle-like mouths had prated his body, seeming to suck Boomie''s blood. But Aldrich could easily sense the opposite was happening. Boomie was absorbing the Snallygaster''s blood and Stamina like a leech. With every passing moment, the Crawlers became paler. The frail creatures couldn''t stand anymore and came crashing onto the ground helplessly. The tentacles had shriveled and loosened like old dying skin. Boomie stood up and gave a sudden jerk with his body. The Snallygasters, looking like sun-dried tomatoes, couldn''t even handle the simple jolt and crumbled into dust. The Blood Berserker thrived on the blood of others. It was nothing but foolish to try to suck his blood instead. The two Crawlers had already signed their death warrants the moment their tentacles had prated Boomie''s skin. Aldrich eyed the three hovering rewards near him. Two of which were quite familiar to him. The blue Mana core and the Return Stone with its green glow. Aldrich picked up the third reward, which seemed like a piece of clothing. The long nket-type clothing was the Draconic hide of the Rare Snallygaster. The brilliant red and blue hues of the hide had be little useful to the beasts. But Aldrich could put it to even better use. His mind raced with ideas as he touched thest reward and found a familiar Skill within it. It was Target Lock, but of the Rare Rank. Boomie approached Aldrich with two more Mana cores and hides. But he didn''t seem to get any Skill out of them. Aldrich gestured to Boomie to check out the Skill and Boomie''s eyes became wide in shock, seeing the boost it could give in Agility. "You don''t want it?" asked Boomie, looking at Aldrich with disbelieving eyes. It was perfectly justifiable to equip this kind of Skill even if one hadn''t killed the Crawler oneself. It was even weirder for the Dreamer who did the deed to not equip it. "I already have this Skill," shrugged Aldrich, without exining the difference of Ranks of Skills. Boomie happily agreed to equip the Skill in that case. Aldrich had just put away the hides when the ground beneath them quaked. They snapped their heads towards the volcanoes and found the fumes seemed redder than thest time. The second Quest was about to present itself. "What level are you at?" Boomie asked, putting his Pole back into Inventory. "19, and you?" "I am close to 21." Aldrich knew very well what that meant. With one more kill, Boomie would be the next Baron. He had already maxed out his ss-specific Skill. A smile crept upon their faces and both dashed towards the volcanoes, leaving behind a blur. * BOOM!!! The mouth of the volcanoes erupted like a giant fountain ofva at the same time. Tons of volcanic gas got spewed out in the atmosphere. Boulders the size of multistoried buildings rained down on the blurry silhouettes of the two Dreamers. A flood of broiling hot ash clouds made its way towards them, sloping down from the volcanoes. And from afar, two pairs of eyes with a red glow watched them in sheer madness. Chapter 64: Divine Beast Chapter 64: Divine Beast There was a theory that had circted after many observations of Crawler''s spawning. It stated that the Crawlers spawned within a Dungeon were based on the local myths of the Dungeon''s country. The first challenge to this theory was about to present itself. * Countless boulders rained down over Aldrich and Boomie like a shower of meteorites. It wouldn''t be much if it weren''t for their size. The smallest was of the size of a truck, and thergest among them had yet to have a limit. But even deadlier was the tsunami of hot ash andvaing straight towards them. "How did the other Dreamers survive this?" Boomie shouted, flipping over a boulder. "Apparently, one can hide within the Squonk''s holes. They had covered them up using the Snallygaster''s hide," Aldrich replied, remembering a passage from the data on the Dungeon. Aldrich didn''t think that even with their Skills and powers they could survive being drowned in that ocean of ash for long. Aldrich''s face got smashed by the scorching hot air and he saw the outer reaches of the eruption plume was only a mile away. Boomie approached Aldrich, worried about the entire situation. At the same time, one of the enormous boulders impacted a few hundred meters ahead of them. Aldrich saw the opportunity he had been looking for and his muscles squirmed with tremendous power within them. "Change." [ Strength: 125 (+90) ] Aldrich, emanating an ethereal red aura from his body, arrived at the rolling boulder and stopped the boulder''s movement with a single wave of his hand. Boomie became agape at the disy of this unimaginable strength. Neither any Skill nor any Item in the current world could justify this power. But an even stranger scene was yet to be disyed. To the amazement of whoever watching Aldrich, he crouched down under the boulder and lifted it like a mere pebble. Boomie had only seen this scene once before while learning about the different statues. The sculpture of As holding the heavens on his shoulder got reced by the current image of Aldrich''s actions. But even then, it wasn''t the end of surprise. Aldrich changed the two-handed grip on the boulder and, using only one hand, he threw it towards the volcanoes. Boomie looked at the boulder, which looked like a projectile, in disbelief when Aldrich grabbed him. As the ash plume was about to burn them alive, both of them vanished from their spots. [ Agility: 162 (+90 +37) ] Change + Target Lock The 30% increase in Agility was bing overpowered spam with every spike in Aldrich''s Perception. By the time Boomie could distinguish his surroundings, they were already riding the boulder. Aldrich had bypassed the most dreadful threat that had kept almost all Rare Dreamers from approaching the volcanoes. Amid their trajectory, Aldrich saw the volcanoes had lined themselves in a triangr shape. And there was a vast rocky in between them. Aldrich couldn''t see the entire in even after enhancing his visibility using the Skill-3 Miles Shot. He finally found out the location of Boss''s chamber, at least if not the Elite''s resting ce. The boulder made an impact on the settled dust particles on the slope of the volcano. Aldrich and Boomie came down and the first thing that they saw was a gigantic cave spanning almost all the footing of the volcano. The cave''s mouth looked like the jaws of a beast and it must have run deep into the volcano, for hotva was spewing out of it in streams. The appearance and weirdness of the cave wasn''t the only thing that had caught Aldrich''s and Boomie''s attention. Low and deep growls wereing out of the cave, seeming to beckon them towards the depths of darkness. The pair of Dreamers looked at each other and got to know where they needed to go now. The notification ofpleting the second Quest was still shing in front of them. But before heading into the cave, Aldrich and Boomie both wanted to do one thing that they had been postponing since their level up. Aldrich opened his Stats window and assigned the piled-up Attribute points. And leaving behind the required Skill point to upgrade his ss-specific Skill, he assigned them to one other Skill that was upgradable. A wave of freshness washed over him as he saw the change in his Stats. [ Record of Aldrich Time Left: 22 hrs Status: Healthy Level: 19 (43500/45000 ExPs to next level) HP: 779/779 SP: 800/800 MP: 1455/1455 Rank: Rare ss: Generalist, Blessed Schr Title: Enemy of the Crawler (2) Attributes --> Strength: 40 Defence: 37 Agility: 40 Vitality: 40 Perception: 180 Correspondence: 15 Unassigned Attribute Points: 0 Active Skills --> 1. Metacreativity: Lvl Max (Rare) 2. Target Lock (Common) 3. 3 Miles Shot (Common) 4. Banish: Lvl 2 (Common) 5. w Detection (Rare) 6. All Proficient (Rare) 7. Summon (Rare) [Bonds: 1] Skill Points: 5 Passive Skills --> 1. Shared Vision 2. Intimidation 3. Beginner''s Dagger Proficiency Inventory --> (2.4/20) Equipped Items --> 1. Oldest Change 2. Shadow Homunculus 3. Buckey''s Cigarettes (4) 4. Health Potions (10) 5. Stamina Potions (10) Skill: Banish (Common) Nature: Active, Upgradable Lvl: 2 (0/5 Skill Points to level up) Cooldown: 5 minutes ] Aldrich didn''t know what changes the Banish Skill had undergone after getting leveled up. The cooldown hadn''t changed and Aldrich didn''t think that without ranking it up, there could be any substantial change within it. Aldrich observed Boomie smiling and looking at his Stats. Aldrich noticed that Boomie only needed a few thousand ExPs to level up and be a Baron. "Let''s go," Aldrich said. Aldrich felt tinypared to the vast opening of the cave but didn''t feel weak at all. As they made their way into the cave, walking on the bank ofva stream, the surrounding growls became madder with every step. Aldrich and Boomie walked for an hour before they could see another opening. As they entered it, an immense shock greeted them. It was a big cubical chamber, and vast enough for Aldrich''s Divine Sense to not see within it from outside. In their direct front, there was a raised rocky tform. And behind the tform, there was a red and orange waterfall that gathered in a pool on the ground. But it wasn''t colored water, as told by the incredible heating out of it. It was a Lavafall. Aldrich and Boomie hadn''t got a shock after seeing it, but the thing that was sitting on the tform like a king. "How can this be?" Boomie said, taking the Pole out of his Inventory almost involuntarily. The Crawler in front of them had a lion''s body. The lion''s mane glowed the same as theva behind it. There were two huge eagle-like wings on his back and with every flutter theva pool under them rippled with high waves. But that wasn''t the only thing on its back. A disfigured goat''s head with two curved horns had protruded out of its back, too. And as Aldrich looked into their red eyes, he chanced upon its tail. It was a snake, baring its fangs and slithering in madness. This was a Chimera. The Divine Beast that got in by Bellerophon and made his name resounded through all humanity. Chapter 65: Authority Chapter 65: Authority "I have been waiting for you two to show up." Aldrich heard a hoarse voice and felt like his eardrums would burst if he kept listening to it. The words that he heard echoed within the suffocating chamber dozens of times. The majestic creature stood up from its resting position. But Aldrich couldn''t figure out the reason for so much hate within its eyes. ROARRRRR!!! The Divine Beast roared, shaking every nook and cranny around it. Even Aldrich and Boomie couldn''t help but take a step back. But this wasn''t just a meaningless show of power. The Lava-pool under the Crawler churned as hundreds of different beasts came out of it. These tiny crawlers didn''t have a normal body like others. Instead of flesh, they had rocks and ash. And sleekva streams had reced the blood in their veins. Aldrich noticed lizards, cats, apes, boars, and goats among many as they crawled out of the pool. "Boomie, no matter what, don''t deal the killing blow on it." Boomie raised his brows, listening to Aldrich''s instructions. But he didn''t refute them. This wasn''t the first time for Aldrich to tell Boomie what to do and what not. And unlike other Dreamers, Boomie didn''t have any ill thoughts about being bossed around by Aldrich. Aldrich had his reason to utter such demanding words. He had be much warier since hisst encounter with an Elite. And now whenever he felt something wrong with a Crawler''s Skill, it sent him into a frenzy mode. Aldrich didn''t want what had happened to Sonu repeating itself. And he had been feeling strange vibes since he saw one of the Chimera''s Skills. Aldrich saw the data over the towering creature and only one skill had its description hidden from his Shared Vision. [ Record of Rare Chimera Status: Enraged Level: 19 HP: 735/735 SP: 935/935 MP: 1060/1060 Rank: Rare Attributes --> Strength: 45 Defense: 40 Agility: 50 Vitality: 35 Perception: 40 Correspondence: 60 Active Skills --> 1. Heartburn Venom 2. Lava Breath 3. Devil''s Whisper 4. Minor Golem Summon Passive Skills --> 1. Divine Authority 2. Mark of Vengeance ] The army of Lava golems marched towards the pair of Dreamers. With every step of the summoned creatures, globules of Lava came pouring out of their pores. Aldrich nodded towards Boomie and dashed towards the Elite Crawler, leaving the golems for Boomie to handle. But before Aldrich could approach the beast, the Chimera''s lion-head opened its mouth and sucked in the air. The suction created a vacuum around the Crawler and Aldrich felt an immense sense of crisis. The Chimera had seemed to wait for one of them to be in midair. Aldrich''s eyes reflected a red and golden glow as the lion''s mouth opened and sted out a pir of Lava towards him. But Aldrich wasn''t as helpless as before amid his temporary flight. There was one thing that he could use to change his trajectory without using his footing. "PULL!" The Rumok on Aldrich''s right hand shone with a blue glow as Aldrich gestured towards the wall of the chamber. And because of the difference in their sizes, Aldrich got pulled towards the wall instead. The Lava pir went straight towards the ground and impacted the pool. A sshing sound resounded in the chamber as the different Lava met each other. Pooshh!!! A tsunami ofva originated from the pool and covered almost half of the chamber in an instant. Aldrich watched the incredible scene as he kept going towards the wall. But a disturbance in his Divine Sense soon took him out of his thoughts. Aldrich saw a twisted rope getting whipped towards him. The snake-tail of the Chimera which was only a couple of meters long had elongated to bite Aldrich. By the time Aldrich could react, its fangs were only a couple of inches from him. Aldrich saw drops of purple venom on the sharp fangs as the snake tried to bite Aldrich''s left arm. But to the amazement of the beast, the fangs that had pierced even the demigods couldn''t leave a scratch on Aldrich''s skin. The snake, failing in its attempt, was about to go back. But how could Aldrich let go of such an opportunity? The moment Aldrich''s feetnded on the sidewall, he grabbed the snake-tail. The Chimera too got to know the weirdness of the situation. Aldrich, for the first time, saw the goat-head turning itself towards him. The goat on the Chimera''s back opened its mouth, but no words came out of it. Contrary to theck of sound, Aldrich''s mind got filled with countless whispers. Devil''s Whisper!!! The silent iprehensible words ravaged Aldrich''s thoughts and filled his mind with strange visions. But before the visions could take a definite shape, the whispering stopped like it was never there. For any other Dreamer, this Skill could have been the most dangerous threat. Unfortunately, for the Chimera, Aldrich had tolerated the whispers of a real Devil. Compared to them, what he heard now wasn''t a fraction of their dreadful nature. Aldrich tightened his grip on the snake-tail and it hissed with pain and suffering. "How How are you " The Divine Beast got a shock of its life and stuttered toplete the question. But before it could ask what it wanted to, Aldrich''s word reached its four ears like a ring of doom. "Change." [ Title: Enemy of Crawlers (10% buff applicable) Strength: 143 (+99) Perception: 99 (-99) ] Like flicking a whip, Aldrich mmed the Crawler into the chamber''s roof. The Chimera whimpered, and its pain got transferred to the red pupils of the snake. But Aldrich didn''t give it a chance to catch its breath. Before the debris from the roof could fall onto the ground, Aldrich smashed the hybrid back onto the tform. BOOM!!! Aldrich reappeared by Boomie''s side, who had already taken care of all the golems. They could see the pieces of the tform getting drowned in the pool ofva, one by one. And there was no sign of the beast being alive. But Aldrich and Boomie had yet to get any notification regarding their Quest. The entire chamber quaked as the fire engulfed theva on the ground and something came bursting out of the pool like a canon. BANG!!! "You mere mortal dared to touch me?" The bloody Chimera hovered in the air using its huge wings and its red eyes had gained a golden hue. A strong feeling to bend their knees tried to take roots in the Dreamers minds. DIVINE AUTHORITY!!! With his head held high, Aldrich looked at Boomie and found his veins had swollen in defiance. "Would you like to try it out?" asked Aldrich. "You Are you letting me?" Boomie reacted with an amazed expression. Whatever Aldrich was letting him try out wasn''t supposed to happen at this moment. Aldrich nodded, and a childish smile surfaced on Boomie''s red face. With brief steps, Boomie neared the hybrid creature as much as he could. The Chimera looked at him like watching an ant. But even in its dreams, the Crawler hadn''t thought of what was about to happen next. Boomie raised his hand towards the Divine Beast and the Rumok on the back of his palm shed with a golden glow. A voice, mightier than the beast, came out of Boomie as hemanded. "KNEEL." Chapter 66: Mark of Vengeance Chapter 66: Mark of Vengeance It had been 6 hours since the members of the Thousand Faces Guild entered the Dungeon. The scenes within the Dungeon were full of excitement, the asionalugh, and a showcase of power. Contrary to them, the world outside was even quieter. None knew why the world had fallen silent, but most of the Dreamers could feel this silence''s heaviness. Maybe the source of this heaviness was because of the approaching Random-Allocation. Or maybe the source of this heaviness was a single hall, upied by the three Barons, scientists, and the world''s prominent leaders. Despite the presence of the infamous ck Hand, all eyes had been staring at the vast screen and the man under it. Mr. Santino, chairman of the World Space Administration. The bald chairman had a trimmed beard and tall stature. But all could see the word ''Defeat'' written in the chairman''s eyes. For the first time in his career, Mr. Santino had no solution to a problem. And if he didn''t have any solution, then it meant that none in the world coulde up with any either. "How long?" Baron Matsumoto Sho asked. It wasn''t apparent what the Dreamer had asked, but all questions had been pointed in one direction since the beginning. One of the scientists stood up and approached Mr. Santino. The answer to this question differed and shortened every time. "3 days," the Chairman said, mming the report back onto the table. Baron Sho closed his eyes and rubbed the butt of the sword on his waist. None knew what he was thinking, but the tiny snowkes appearing and vanishing around him could portray the conflict in his emotions. And the same confusion and emotions were visible on the other two Baron too. On Sho''s left, the ck hand had a swirl of ck fog masking his face. But even Baron Logan felt this secrecy was bing unnecessary. The time of the world''s gaining strange abilities had barely crossed the mark of a year. And heaven''s tribtion had alreadye knocking on its door. The only difference being one could have at least some hope to survive a heaven''s tribtion. Baron Edmund, sitting on the right of Sho, had been staring at the ceiling of the hall. He didn''t know if it was a coincidence or not, but the Masked Menace''s warning kept repeating itself in his mind. In a bleak but clear voice, words came out of his mouth. "Can''t we do anything?" The hall was as silent as it could be. Who could dare to answer such a question when the stakes behind itprised the entire human race. But in the end, someone had to say the words that none wanted to hear. The WSA''s chairman approached his chair and, with a loud thump, slumped down within its embrace. "What can we do? This ''thing'' is like a machine running on a powerful engine. It keeps getting sped up towards the Earth. Just look at its size!" Mr. Santino pressed a switch, and the blurry object''s data flooded the screen. And the easiest thing to read was also the deadliest among them. This reading spanned the entire asteroid and the sheer value of it gave goosebumps to all who knew its meaning. Baron Sho opened his eyes and saw the 200 km written across the object. Even after not being a man of science, he had a basic idea of the earth''s limit. An asteroid of this size was big enough to wipe any trace of life on the. "I am out of here." All eyes moved towards Edmund as he pushed back his chair and meekly said the words. Everyone''s breathing was already rough and heavy. And seeing the Baron leaving the hall like that made them again face the inevitable doom. "Where?" Sho asked, and probably only he dared to. "To find the person who might have some answers." * "KNEEL." As Boomie''s word reached the Chimera, its entire body became heavy. The pull towards the earth was so strong that it struggled to keep itself in the air. But even if it could resist the pull, the huge wings seemed to be incapable of supporting its increased weight. Sumbing to its fate, atst, the monster came crashing onto theke of Lava. BANG!!! "Seriously? Kneel?" asked Aldrich, approaching Boomie from behind. "What? Oh! You are the one to lecture me about names. Humph! It at least sounded cooler than just saying ''Gravity''," Boomie harrumphed. Unlike Aldrich''s, the Rumok on Boomie''s hand specialized in Gravity maniption. Unfortunately, Aldrich could only figure out the symbols to increase it for now. But it already seemed to be a tremendous boost in Boomie''s fighting capabilities. Aldrich had theorized that Boomie could easily handle himself against a Baron with its help. The Divine Beast tried toe out from the Lava pool but with its increased weight, it couldn''t even move its head properly. Aldrich approached the pool withva spilling out of it from time to time and stopped at its bank. To the amazement of Boomie and the Chimera, Aldrich crouched down and his hand reached towards theke of molten rocks. "BANISH." The entireke shuddered and the st of heating out of it vanished. Without the heat, theva solidified in a matter of seconds. And before the Rumok could lose its effect, the Crawler was already embedded up to its knees in the earth. "Who Who are you?" The Chimera was so shocked that it even forgot to break out of its binds. The blurry shadow under Aldrich''s feet squirmed as a long pole came out of it. But it wasn''t the pole, it was the Stone Splitter. Aldrich approached the Crawler and looked up into its eyes. They had lost the madness and only the traces of fear and hate were visible within them. Aldrich enhanced his strength and remembered the Item''s stats. The Stats that had suited the Item of a Demigod. [ Item: Stone Splitter Type: Heavy Sword Rank: Rare Durability: 3000/3000 Minimum Usage Condition: Strength 55 Description: A heavy sword that absorbs its wielder''s strength Item-specific Skill: Megaton Crusher Item-specific Skill consumption: 300 SP Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Deals damage proportional to the increase in Dreamer''s strength Warning: The Strength absorbed would decrease with an increase in Dreamer''s Rank Warning: The Item''s durability would remain unchanged ...] The biggest w of the Stone Splitter was its Durability. Even if Aldrich could use unimaginable strength, there wasn''t much he could have done if the Item couldn''t handle the blow. But the Shadow Homunculus had eliminated this w. Within Rare Rank, Aldrich could freely pour his strength into the beast-like weapon. The shadowy vapor emanating out of the sword churned in happiness. Aldrich jumped and reached the beast''s eye level. His muscles wriggled as he raised the sword and brought it down like a judgment. MEGATON CRUSHER! As the sword''s edge was about to crush the Chimera''s head, in that fraction of a second, an evil smile came upon its face. "Vengeance will be sought upon who defies the Divine. Humph! You think you can have sex with" BOOM!!! The Shadow Homunculus wasn''t an Item of patience. Despite Aldrich''smand of canceling the Skill, it crushed all the Crawler''s heads. The image of the next meal, after killing the Rare Crawler, had already upied the intelligent Item''s thoughts. Aldrich frowned, but before he could berate the Item, his forehead itched with a slight burn. A purple tattoo of a goat''s head and a snake coiled around its two horns shed with an ominous glow on his face. Chapter 67: Betrayal Chapter 67: Betrayal Betrayal; the first thing that woulde to mind after hearing this would be love. If anything could im the right over the most usage of this word, then that would be love and friendship. But the boundaries of the word ''Betrayal'' weren''t limited to only these two rtionships. The core meaning of this word had its roots in the feeling people call ''Expectations.'' * A purple sh of light took over the darkness within the chamber for a second. Even Aldrich''s mask couldn''t stop the outline of the mark on his forehead. It almost felt like with him, the Item ''Oldest Change'' has also got marked. But the visible changes hadn''t concerned Aldrich as much as the other feeling. Aldrich looked up, seeming to look through the rocky ceiling of the hall within the volcano''s depth. He had be sensitive about being looked at and getting observed by a being that shouldn''t exist in the concept of reality. And the sense of crisis being observed by a thing of the same level as unnamed beings, he hade across so far, overtook Aldrich''s mind. Aldrich, fortunately, or unfortunately, didn''t get transported to strange ces this time. But he knew that something or some being had locked onto him through the mark on his forehead. The only thing thatforted him was the existence of the two ck seeds within his head. The unseen and unfelt tentacles of the seeds had seemed to reach out towards the mark. They entangled it and toned down the reception it was getting from that unknown being. Aldrich knew something was wrong with this Skill the moment he had realized that he couldn''t read its description. That was the only reason that he had told Boomie to not go with the death blow on the Crawler. Aldrich took a breath of relief and focused his attention on the notifications and the changes in the Stat window. [ You have killed 1 Rare Chimera ExPs obtained: 15000 You have leveled up Quest 3 (Party-optional) has beenpleted Rewards: 1. Skill Points: +4 2. Entrance Permit to the Boss''s Chamber ] Aldrich realized that the RECORD must have disturbed the Skill Points and Experience Points among the Party members. And their contributions were the prime factor for the base of this distribution. Otherwise, there was no way he could get only 4 Skill Points frompleting a Quest rted to Rare Crawler. Assigning 5 of his 9 Skill points to the Skill Banish, he brought the Skill to level 3. Aldrich was about to approach the rewards when he smelled the scent of blood. Aldrich looked towards Boomie and found him encircled by an illusory river of blood. Tiny streams from the blood-river entered Boomie and his veins seemed to wriggle with joy. Aldrich watched in amazement as the river, with no end, turned into a Red Armiry Sash around Boomie''s shoulders. A noble aura filled the entire chamber as the Sash fluttered. Boomie slowly opened his eyes and a red-golden glow came out of them. "Evolution," Aldrich mumbled, seeing the incredible scene. Boomie approached Aldrich and Sash disappeared within him. For a moment, both friends looked at each other as Aldrich scanned Boomie in his entirety. A smile came upon their faces and a burst of resoundingughter emerged in the cave''s solitude. "HAHAHAHA " But Baron Bernard''sughter soon became a frown as he saw the purple tattoo on Aldrich''s mask. "Don''t worry, I have ways to take care of it," Aldrich reassured Boomie. Even after bing a Baron, Boomie still believed Aldrich''s every word. If he said he could take care of it, then there wasn''t anything to be worried about. The pair of friends approached the hovering rewards and checked them out one by one. Aldrich put away the shining Mana core and touched one of the two ck glowing balls. [ Item: Heartburn Venom (3) Type: Potion Rank: Rare Durability: NA Minimum Usage Condition: Strength 55 Description: +25% Strength, +25% Agility, -50% HP Warning: Dreamer would die if the potion is consumed when the current HP is less than 20% of the Max HP Warning: Item would upy 1 Unit of Inventory Do you want to equip the Item? ] "Give it to me. It suits me better," said Boomie. A crazed look shone in Baron''s eyes, which didn''t go unnoticed by Aldrich. The idea of losing 50% HP was truly an absurd one for any Dreamer. And the fact that the Potion was a Venom, could only justify this loss. But Boomie didn''t seem to mind it. Aldrich also felt that the potions suited Boomie, seeing his Stats. "Ok, you can have two," Aldrich said, handing over two of them to Boomie and keeping one for himself. As Boomie stored the Items in his Inventory, Aldrich touched thest reward. [ Skill: Devil''s Whisper (Rare) Nature: Active Cooldown: 5 minutes Minimum Usage Condition: Correspondence 60 Consumption: 700 Description: 1. Dreamer can inflict the target''s mind with illusions 2. This Skill is indefensible Warning: Continuous use of the Skill might bring unwarranted attention from a foreign being Do you want to equip the Skill? ] "What''s foreign being?" Boomie asked, scratching his chin. But before Boomie could do anything, Aldrich replied to the System. "Yes." Aldrich and Boomie came out of the long tunnel and eyed the vast open rocky in from the top of the volcano. An invisible Mana film had covered the entire in. But Boomie''s expression was quite visible, and it was ugly beyond reason. "Why did you remove the Party Status?" "It''s necessary," Aldrich spat out. Aldrich gave Boomie a look and jumped down into the field. Boomie, though mad at not being a Party member anymore, followed Aldrich. But even before the pair of friends couldnd on the hard ground, two soft and sultry giggling sounds reached into their ears. "This is impossible!" Aldrich''s eyes became wide as he saw the appearance of the Bosses. The renowned yer of the beasts and the hero, Bellerophon, was a woman. * The betrayal for the schrs depended on their expectations. And schrs had high expectations only from the documented facts and figures. For them, the betrayal of history was undeniably paramount. Chapter 68: Choice Chapter 68: Choice Aldrich couldn''t believe that the son of Poseidon and husband of Philonoe, the princess of Lycia, was not a man. How could history be so wrong? Another thought that kept repeating itself was even scarier for him. If the facts were indeed wrong, then what other lies the written history had been speaking to him? The thoughts of Boss''s gender had still upied Aldrich''s mind when the notification shed in front of him. [... The Boss has detected your presence Boss-Bellerophon is in Aroused State All Stats +10% ...] He got to know why the Record had put up such a Quest. Having sex with the Boss was no less than saying Survive one of its Skill. The Quest was hard enough for the Raid during the Bright-Day by a Party of Rare Dreamers. But Aldrich didn''t just want toplete the Quest, rather, he wanted to evolve within this Dungeon. The reason for which he had brought Boomie with him was to break up the Party just before entering Boss''s chamber. The result was as expected by Aldrich. RECORD had created 2 Bosses as per the changed Quests. Unfortunately, the Quests didn''t change for them. [... Updating Quests Quest 4 (optional): Have sex with Boss Crawler ...] Boomie approached him and also looked at the same notification. An illusory red-armiry sash had appeared around his shoulders and it waved like having a mind of its own. They both looked in the same direction when Boomie asked. "What to do now?" Aldrich did not know the answer to this question. For him, killing the two Crawlers was a task he couldn''t avoid, even if he wanted to. From getting Ranked up to getting two more Darkness seeds, as he had named them, both were equally important. Aldrich had been postponing the creation of another Skill or Item just to Rank up. Aldrich walked in the direction above which two winged creatures were majestically flying. Even from afar, he could make out the legendary Pegasus. If the sky were to be white, none could have seen them. The purity of their color couldn''t bepared to anything else. Both the Dreamers walked for a good part of an hour before they saw something other than cracks in the ground and streams ofva. There were two huts in front of them. Ordinary in appearance, but the waves of Manaing out of them were anything but normal. Before they could go any nearer, two sizzling beauties came out from each hut. One of them had a blue armor on her chest and a short blue skirt, the other had a red armor and a red skirt. Apart from these details, their appearance was exactly the same. Both had emerald eyes, silver hair, and a catching redness on their faces. The heavy breathing made their plump breasts rise and fall seductively. Their thighs were smooth and gave an impulse to take a bite of them. Combined with the long boots and the voluptuous hips, Aldrich didn''t know who could call them one of the greatest yers of the myth. "I want the masked one." The Red Bellerophon pointed towards Aldrich and said to the other Boss. The Blue Bellerophon gave Boomie a deep look and shrugged. It seemed both had an obvious goal to achieve first, before ying the two Dreamers in front of them. Aldrich looked at their Stats and got to know the source of their unmatched arrogance. [ Record of Boss Bellerophon Status: Aroused Level: 23 HP: 1030/1030 SP: 1165/1165 MP: 1330/1330 Rank: Baron Attributes --> Strength: 66 (+6) Defense: 49 (+4) Agility: 60 (+5) Vitality: 60 (+5) Perception: 66 (+6) Correspondence: 77 (+7) Active Skills --> 1. Flood Rider 2. Supreme Tamer 3. March of Arrogance 4. Divine Call 5. Boulder Rain Passive Skills --> 1. Innate Lust 2. Athena''s Blessing 3. Soulless Hero ] "Humph! I don''t think these two were worth sacrificing a Skill." The Blue one said, tilting her head from one side to the other. Aldrich found the hidden meaning in the sentence the moment he heard it. It meant that the Boss Crawler got to know about them as soon as they had entered the Dungeon and not the Boss''s chamber. And the requirement to see the actual notification was to enter the Mana field. An even more obvious fact that got revealed to both of them was that the Quests they had got weren''t as impartial as they had thought. If the Blue Bellerophon''s words were true, then the Bosses had sacrificed a Skill to RECORD for this particr Quest. Aldrich wasn''t unfamiliar with the concept of sacrifice, but he didn''t know this could be done with the RECORD, too. "Oi, didn''t you hear what I just said?" The Red Bellerophon flicked her hair and narrowed her eyes towards Aldrich. It was clear what she had been referring to. The words that she had spoken weren''t a request, but amand. Amand from the demigod itself. "You either do it willingly, or unwillingly. The ease of your death would depend on your cooperation." The Blue Bellerophon picked up the Bone spear resting on the hut''s wall. The redness on both of the Crawler''s faces was increasing by seconds. Aldrich heard the cracking of knuckles as the Red Boss also held up the Bone Spear. By hook or by crook, the mythical hero would have satisfying sex today. Aldrich and Boomie looked at each other and dashed in the opposite direction. There was no way either of them could trust the words of a Crawler. Aldrich had reached only a few hundred meters when he heard the neighing of horses behind him. NEIGHHH!!! Aldrich used his Divine Sense to look behind him and couldn''t help but turn around. His heart skipped a beat as he saw the Boss Crawlers. For the first time, he felt the horror of the RECORD. Unlike the norm, the two Bosses didn''t separate and chased him, but had gone for Boomie on their own. Aldrich saw as both of the ravishing beauties had their foot on Boomie''s chest and were giving him a mocking look. The Red Bellerophon pointed her spear at Aldrich and her sweet but dreadful voice reached Aldrich''s ear. "Sex or Death, choose." Chapter 69: Divine vs Mortal Chapter 69: Divine vs Mortal The Bone Spear''s tip shimmered in volcanic heat with Aldrich at the receiving end. Aldrich saw the two Pegasussesing down, giving the redness in their background a stark contrast. The winged creatures trotted around the two Bosses and kept nudging them from time to time. Historical documents stated that Goddess Athena had blessed the mythical hero and had given the means to tame the beast. How much truth these lines contained was yet to be seen. Aldrich was about to take drastic measures when he realized a change in the situation, and a smile crept upon his face. The mocking face of the Red Bellerophon gained a slight frown, too. The face of the beauty in Blue was even uglier and there was only one outlet for her wrath. BANG!!! The Blue Bellerophon''s foot crushed Boomie''s chest and drops of blood got sshed everywhere. Fortunately, not a single drop could touch the Pegasus standing beside her. As her foot touched the ground, except for the spots of blood around her, there was no sign of the newly titled Baron. A red sash came into existence a few hundred meters away from the Bosses. Its illusory nature painted a picture of a Blood-river, about to descend from heaven to the mortal realm. The sash fluttered and shook the surrounding space. Countless drops of blood came out of the ethereal river of Blood and gathered under it. An enormous drop of blood, having strange symbols, floated in midair before changing into the shape of a man. Baron Bernard had sessfully escaped from the grip of the Bosses. The momentary failure in leveraging on Boomie''s confinement had fumed the Red Bellerophon''s emotions. White smoky fog sipped out of her mouth as her silver hair fluttered in the hot wind. The Blue Bellerophon eyed Boomie like it had a personal grudge with him and her emerald eyes gained a darker hue by seconds. "Death it is." "No Mercy." The two Bellerophon muttered. The conviction in their voice made the winged creatures around them crazily p their wings. Both Pegasusses took to the air, and the Bosses jumped on their backs. Aldrich sighed in relief as the Red Boss came towards him and the Blue one dashed towards Boomie. He just hoped for Boomie to hold his ground against Boss in heat until he took care of the things on his side. Aldrich knew what riding a summoned creature meant. The spiked Stats of the Bosses, because of their Aroused state, again got a boost. The fact of a rider and its mountplementing each other in battles had always been clear. Aldrich saw Pegasus making a round turn in the air and came swooping down towards him. The Beauty and the Beast felt like a part of an angelic painting. "Summon." For the first time in a battle, Aldrich used his Summon Skill. The space rippled behind him and a massive portal opened up. Even before the summoned creature coulde out, its authority enveloped the two other flying beasts. The Divine horses in midair shuddered as a towering beast came out of the portal. NEIGHHHHHH!!! Liath Macha, the King of Horses. Pegasus was a Divine creature. It was the mythical beast who had apanied the demigods for many centuries in conquering the dark forces of the world. In the end, it had marched towards the abode of the Gods and had been immortalized for generations toe. Liath Macha was a mere mortal among its brethren. All its life, the creature had seen blood and gore. One couldn''t count the times that it had to fight alongside its rider, just to survive. The Title it had was earned and not given. It was a beast who had died fighting for its master, its friend, and for itself. The blood of a King coursed through Liath Macha''s veins, and the pride in its eyes was unquestionable. Even if the Pegasus was not of Rare Rank, how it would fare against Aldrich''s summon was about to be revealed. Aldrich jumped on the beast''s back and took out the Sword Splitter. The main reason to use the Summon Skill was the buff in his Stats during its usage. The Title Enemy of Crawlers was useless in the Boss''s presence. Red Bellerophon had an iprehensible expression on its face. With its fiery red thighs wrapped around the Pegasus and the Bone Spear in its hand, the scene looked poetic and erotic beyondpare. And like salt on a cake, Aldrich and his mount stood on the ground below them in defiance. Even after being looked down upon, both Aldrich''s and Liath Macha''s eyes didn''t waver. The Pegasus came as a bullet was fired from the gun. Every flutter of its wings had boosted its speed even further. From afar, the Blue Bellerophon eyed the scene, still hovering in midair. Boomie had an even more incredible expression of awe written on his face. A tsunami materialized behind the Red Bellerophon when the Pegasus was only a couple hundred meters away from Aldrich. The flutter of its silver hair resonated with the roiling waves. All things under the sky shook beneath the might of an ocean and theva sizzled in futile resistance. Aldrich felt like a hand, weighing tons of kilos, was pressing him down. The hooves of the beast under him had already made holes in the rocky in. The Boss Crawler had shown its true colors and had used the Skill granted by a God himself. FLOOD RIDER!!! "Go." Aldrichmanded through clenched teeth, and the mount''s eyes became redder as it pulled out its hooves, defying the pressure. The summoned creature puffed out two heavy breaths of air and grunted in eptance of themand. As the beasts were about to collide, Aldrich waved his sword upwards, targeting the pressure itself. MEGATON CRUSHER!!! The ethereal ocean behind the Boss shattered like shards of a mirror and tiny drops of blood sipped out from the corner of Boss''s mouth. But the Skill had already raised the momentum of the Pegasus to the most. A ball of hot air surrounded the winged creature as it came crashing like a meteorite on Aldrich and his mount. BOOOOM!!! Chapter 70: Oldest Change Chapter 70: Oldest Change The world seemed to quake from the impact between the two parties. Countless rocks rained down as the vast cloud of fuming ash settled, leaving behind a crater of 100 ft in size. As the gurglingva came pouring down in the fresh hole, one could see the shimmers of white feathers dropping from the sky on to it. No sizzling noise came out as theva engulfed the feathers within it, leaving no trace behind. BANG!!! A fist came sting out from the center of the crater. The ckened hand grabbed the earth and pulled out its body with a jerk. Aldrich dragged his body out of the ground after getting buried by the Boss''s attack. At the edge of the crater, above his eye level, he could sense the Red Bellerophon lying t with its face down. The oue of the impact was quite clear from theck of presence of the two beasts. Aldrich had already unsummoned the heavily injured Liath Macha. The kingly beast had done its work effectively and had brought down the Pegasus but at a heavy price. Aldrich still felt the vibrations as the heads of the beasts had rammed into each other. But this wasn''t the time to waste. Aldrich used his enhanced strength and jumped towards the Boss. SWISH!!! A Bone Spear came flying at him as he crouched, making him duck out of its way. Aldrich saw the Blue armored beauty swooping down towards the other Boss and ced it on Pegasus''s back. The remaining beast seemed unaffected by the loss of its brethren. As the Pegasus reached the heights of the sky, Aldrich saw the Red Boss waking up from the concussion. Even with the burned marks and ash on her body, the dust couldn''t diminish its beauty. Aldrich saw its perky chest rising and falling, apanied by heavy breaths of rage. The reality of losing her mount seemed to have hit her hard. Aldrich saw the two Bosses looking at each other and couldn''t help but feel apprehensive about the gleam in their eyes. He dashed towards Boomie and found him already running towards him. But it was already toote to gather up. Grrrrrr!!! The three volcanoes around the rocky in shook as a massivendslide urred on their slopes. The baffling scene wasn''t thendslide, but the massive boulders rising in the air, defying the gravity. Aldrich and Boomie looked up and found the entire Sky had got covered up by thousands of boulders ranging from 50 to 100 ft in diameter. The Pegasus fluttered above the sheet of boulders and the two Bosses smiled as they pressed their hands down towards the Dreamers. BOULDER RAIN!!! There was neither a ce to hide nor a way to outrun this Skill. Even if they were to run constantly, Aldrich knew it was impossible to not get wet in this downpour. He found only one way to survive this crisis and assigned all 12 unassigned Attribute Points from hisst level up to his Defense. The result was as expected. "Change." [ Defense: 139 (+90) Perception: 90 (-90) ] There was still quite a distance between Aldrich and Boomie when the Sky couldn''t seem to hold on to the Boulders any longer and let them go. Contrary to the normal rain, the ''Raindrops'' seemed to be concentrated upon Aldrich and Boomie. Tink! Tinkk!! Tinkkk!!! This was the sound of a child throwing marbles at a metallic wall and it got exactly replicated by the scene within the Dungeon. The only difference being the marbles were the enormous boulders, and the metallic wall was Aldrich''spact frame. Whatever touched him either got sted away or cracked on the spot. The juicy lips of the beauties riding the beast had be agape, seeing the incredible scene. Even Boomie forgot to dodge a few boulders while lost in the unbelievable picture portrayed by Aldrich. Aldrich ran towards Boomie, whose face looked quite pale by the frequent use of the Sash around his shoulders. Aldrich stood beside Boomie and whichever boulder Boomie couldn''t dodge got bounced off Aldrich''s body. By the time this downpour halted, Boomie had already lighted up a cigarette and was leisurely letting out small puffs of smoke. But Aldrich knew things were far from over. He had felt two bursts of Mana when the Bosses had pressed down their hands. It could only mean that they have used two Skills sessively. He narrowed his eyes as the fallen boulders rolled by themselves and seemed to gather up at the same location. "What the fuck these bitches up to now?" Aldrich thought that the two Bellerophon must have heard Boomie''s question. As he saw them furiously plucking out the feathers of the flying beast. But the light derisiveughter on their faces gave him a warning that something even bigger and mightier was about to happen. The gathered boulders rolled upon each other and stuck together without falling. As hundreds of rocks took shape of a massive Golem, Aldrich got to know what Skill they had used. DIVINE CALL! Roarrrrrr!!! The humongous stone Golem roared towards heaven and then looked at the two puny ants under it. Aldrich eyed the mile-tall Golem and a brilliant sh of emerald beam came out of his eyes. w Detection! Aldrich''s eyes stopped at a ce near Golem''s abdomen. "Change. Target Lock" [ Agility: 169 (+90 +39) ] For the first time, Aldrich sensed the word horror written on the faces of the aroused Bosses and took a mental note of it. He crouched down and aimed at the marked spot on the Golem. No booming sound, no blinding sh, and no poetic picture could be heard, seen, and felt. Only Aldrich''s mind knew that he had used the Oldest Change again and enhanced his Defence just before smashing the target. By the time Aldrich''s blurry image could have vanished, he had already returned to his position. And all could only see a tiny hole, pierced through and through in the Golem''s abdomen. [Critical Hit] Crackkkkk!!! No visible crack could be seen, but the sound of countless cracks originated out of the Golem like thunder in a stormy sky. Boomie''s cigarette fell out of his mouth as the colossal Golem turned to dust, losing its existence within the ashy Dungeon. Chapter 71: Secrets Chapter 71: Secrets Was there a person who didn''t have any secrets? Some people kept secrets to protect their loved ones or themselves, while some kept them to harm others. Some kept secrets because of fear and shame brought to them by the truth, while some kept them just to experience the thrill of keeping one. None could argue that it was human nature to have Secrets. And if revealed out of ce and time, these secrets might have serious consequences. * Aldrich saw the grave look on the faces of the two Bosses. The redness of lust and heat overpowered their faces no more, and no more there were the expressions of looking down on someone. If they couldn''t understand the boundless power flowing within the Masked Dreamer by now, they wouldn''t be the Demigods who had be a part of a myth. Boom! The two beautiesnded opposite each other with Aldrich and Boomie in the center. Aldrich felt Boomie turning around to face the Blue Bellerophon, and both of their backs touched each other. Aldrich narrowed his eyes as the Pegasus in the air vanished in the depths of the Dungeon. Whatever would happen now had nothing to do with the flying beast anymore. "You are a strong man, masked one. But being strong isn''t enough." Aldrich heard the Red Bellerophon''s words as he saw hering towards him with heavy steps. The rock-bed and theva fumes around her shook as an ethereal golden-red Divine aura came out of her. The marching Boss looked as being lit with a huge fire, and the red armor cracked under this fire''s intensity. With the Bone Spear in her hand, it eyed Aldrich with unmatched arrogance as it had once eyed Mount Olympus. MARCH OF ARROGANCE! "I remember many like you. Most of them had choked themselves to death hearing the cracks of lightning." Aldrich sensed a simr golden-blue Divine aura rising from the Blue Bellerophon. But the words that they had spoken had be a focal point of Aldrich''s focus. He had found little details by looking at this Skill and there was one more Skill that didn''t have any description for it. He could only try to guess the results by analyzing their words and the two Heroes had yet to halt their voice. "Being too Strong is nothing but an act of HUBRIS." BANG! Aldrich heard the Crawlers saying the same words at the same time. And with a bang, their knees impacted on the ground, leaving web-like cracks under them. Aldrich''s eyes became wide as he saw the kneeled mythological heroes and his heart thumped, guessing the possible oue. The two heroes bowed their heads and put their Spears on the ground. It seemed like they didn''t dare to hold on to the weapons any longer. The aura emanating out of them kept growing until it reached the Sky. Aldrich didn''t want to keep waiting for them to finish what they were doing. The thing that kept him rooted in his ce was the hunch of something extremely bad happening to Boomie if he were to leave his ce. The Crawlers closed their eyes, and in a gesture of prayer, brought their heads to the ground. They outstretched their hands in Aldrich''s and Boomie''s direction. The pirs of golden-red and golden-blue aura flickered as their prayers echoed in the empty volcanic in. "Athena, bless us with thine wisdom Athena, bless us with thine protection Athena, bless us with thine sight We bow under Mt. Olympus''s might." Ringggg!!! Hoooooottt!!! The world ringed with the chimes of thousands of bells and the hooting sound of owls deafened the ears of the Dreamers. Aldrich looked up towards the Sky and Boomie''s legs were already shaking. The entire Sky had vanished and a vast Shield with no ends had taken its ce. The pirs of aura separated themselves from the kneeled beauties and gathered at a single point in the air. Aldrich took in the incredible scene as the ethereal mass of the auras churned and took the shape of two golden-red and golden-blue Owls. The owls came swooping down to their respective masters andnded on their shoulders. Both the Bosses and the owls had their eyes closed, but it didn''t remain so for long. "Boomie! Close your eyes!" Aldrich shouted instantly, but even he couldn''t close his eyes. An illusory image of the same shield as that in the Sky had kept their eyes from being closed. Their legs refused to move and their heads refused to turn away. If Aldrich were to paint the unchanged scene of the beauty and the owl, money wouldn''t be enough to buy it. Hooott! Another hooting sound shuddered the Bosses, and the Owls snapped their eyes open. Aldrich didn''t see any pupils within them, but only a globe of golden light. The two Heroes followed the owls and opened their eyes too. The emerald of their eyes had also turnedpletely golden, and they looked straight into Aldrich''s and Boomie''s eyes. Hooooottt!!! Aldrich felt the image of an owl had taken over everything in his life. A golden-red owl pped its wings and traced Aldrich''s past. The owl pped its wings and saw Aldrich getting the cursed mark, and with another p, it saw him sitting in theb making Rumok. The owl kept going and saw Aldrich''s struggle to tame Liath Macha. It swooped down as it saw Aldrich taking the Darkness Seed out of Cu Chinn''s forehead. But it didn''t hover there for long and with another p, it arrived in front of a Veil. "This " The golden-red owl had never pped its wings ever since. Thump!!! Aldrich''s mind came out of the visions as his knees struck on the ground. "Huff Huff!" Aldrich breathed heavily as he saw the beauty in front of him twitching maniacally and with foaming out of her mouth. Aldrich snapped his head towards Boomie and found him staring nkly at the Sky. The Blue Bellerophon had a twisted smile on its face as the golden-blue owl turned into a portal and two heads came rolling out of it. Athena had blessed the Hero with gifts to tame Boomie. The Blue Bellerophon lifted the heads by their hair and the two bodiless heads opened their eyes and looked at Boomie. The female head had a gentle expression in her eyes as she said. "Son you''ve grown up." Chapter 72: Winter Chapter 72: Winter Winter 2010 Leavenworth, USA "The fuck you looking at?!" Boomie was a tall kid even among the tallest of middle schoolers. Leavenworth, being a small town, had a tightmunity. The events of a morning could have spread to the town''s edge by the afternoon. In the group of middle schoolers and a few lurking fresh high school bullies, Boomie had be quite famous in thest three years. ''The red chicken and its psycho chick.'' Every parent knew the names by which Boomie and Aldrich had got called back then. It''s not just because of their looks, but also the unusual way the two friends, if friends they were, behaved among themselves. None could remember a single time when they had seen Aldrich walking side-by-side with Boomie. Aldrich felt the towering Boomie behind him. Again! It wouldn''t be much if it were not for the mean look Boomie gave to everyone who looked in their direction. Aldrich was too busy studying human anatomy. A thick book that could very well be the satanic bible in the eyes of kids of that age. When one had a photographic memory like Aldrich, every moment had to be used efficiently. He had his ways to avoid any confrontation, but Boomie seemed to have taken things on his shoulders. As was clear by the countless bruises on Boomie''s body and the reasons for these bruises. Aldrich and Mrs. Delmar, Boomie''s mother. Thedy who couldn''t walk or understand any words had be a major point of teasing for Boomie. Even worse was theck of his father''s involvement in Boomie''s life. The support that Boomie got from the teachers and his parents'' friends wasn''tcking, but it wasn''t the support that Boomie needed. The other was a boy. Even when people hadn''t noticed Boomie around him, Aldrich was quite infamous for ruining children''s days in the school and neighborhood. What could Aldrich do when he didn''t have the brawn to pass through this stage of life in silence? Counselors had begged Aldrich to let them know what he had whispered in the ears of a few children. What in the world could make a couple of vibrant children lose the brilliance in their eyes? The punishment of just pping Aldrich''s face seemed too harsh. Aldrich closed the book and put it in the bag. The turn hade for Aldrich and Boomie to go separately towards their home. The alleys were chilly, and winter''s cold made them shiver, but the school was near enough to not opt for the school bus. "Oi, keep reading. Let''s y at your home for some time." Aldrich turned around and noticed the sudden offer had differed from the norm. Boomie, as rough in manners as he was, had never for a single time gone anywhere other than home after school. His father hardly took care of his wife, and it came upon Boomie to check up on her every day. "Ok." Aldrich saw the smile on Boomie''s face but his mind had already caught many unusual things about Boomie with a single look. To let him go as it is without probing further would be a crime for him. "Festivals areing up," Aldrich said. The two children didn''t leave any heavy footprint on the snowy road. The surrounding people looked away as they noticed the "whisperer" followed by Boomie. "Yay! This time I will get a customer." "Boomie, no one would want to learn bouldering from a child." "Ugh! I have an idea. How about you whisper something in their ears too? HAHA !" Boomie seemed the same as always to Aldrich. The sameugh and the same expressions. For the first time in Aldrich''s life, he hated himself for not being prepared enough. The 14-year-old had yet to master Psychology. "Hmm, I can think about it. Your bruises have faded away too. You wouldn''t look like a creepy child, right Boomie?" " Yeah." Aldrich very well knew the source of these bruises. Only less than half hade from the skirmishes with other kids. Most of the bluer ones were from his father. Aldrich''s mind raced, thinking of the slight pause in Boomie''s voice. But Boomie ran past him like a wind, seeing the Guo Antique shop''s sign. As the evening approached, Boomie said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Guo and left for home. Aldrich saw him vanishing in the noise of the joyous town. "Mom! Boomie forgot his homework. I will be right back." Aldrich shouted and ran in Boomie''s direction. He wasn''t an expert sprinter, but his destination was clear. Aldrich eyed Boomie, taking out the keys and entering the house. With a quick look around, he made sure that none was noticing him. He went around the house and lock-picked the backdoor. "Ma! I am back!" Aldrich heard the shouts of Boomie and hid behind the curtains in the hall. He observed in silence as Boomie took out the hot soup from the oven. Aldrich crept his way towards Mrs. Delmar''s room as he saw Boomie entering it with a te in his hand. "Here! Careful, it is hot." Aldrich heard Boomie''s voice and craned his neck to look at the scene inside the room. If it were to be anyone else, this was the moment for them to let out a gasping noise. Aldrich''s eyes became wide as he saw Boomie dripping the spoon in the soup bowl. But there was no sign of Mrs. Delmar on the bed in front of him. The house wasn''t big and as close to the basement as Aldrich was; he had already caught a familiar scent. Aldrich approached the basement, leaving Boomie in the room, and found a big lock over it. But the lock couldn''t fight back for long. Aldrich stepped down and approached a corner without lighting the basement up. Even in the darkness, the bloody prints were vividly visible. He crouched down and saw the rotting body of Mrs. Delmar. "This " Aldrich felt the wound on her head as he inspected the body and sighed in relief. No children of their age could have this much strength. Aldrich was about to stand up when he noticed something under the body. He gently slid the dead body away, and his hand jerked back in shock. Creakkk!!! The sudden creaking noise made Aldrich look at the basement''s door. Boomie was standing there with a nk and lost look on his face. But Aldrich''s eyes couldn''t move away from the shing kitchen knife in Boomie''s hand. Chapter 73: The Generalist Chapter 73: The Generalist Bees only minded their business unless one dared to poke their hive. A Phoenix didn''t cry unless one dared to look down on it. And a Dragon didn''t roar unless one dared to defy its might. The essence of all Beasts had lied in their unpredictability. * 2021, Dungeon (New York) "AAAAAHHHHH !" Boomie''s eyes were entirely red and, from their corner, tiny streams of blood were seeping out. His beastly screams echoed in the Dungeon and drool mixed with blood came out with it. Aldrich had tightly wrapped his hands around Boomie''s torso, trying to hold him down. Even with his strength, Aldrich saw himself getting dragged just a little. He narrowed his eyes, seeing Boomie''s ruptured muscles and the visible flesh under his skin. "BASTARD! I will kill you!" Boomie shouted, looking at his father''s head. Mr. Delmar''s face had many knife wounds, with blood dripping down from it. Both father and son had the same hair and the hate in their eyes for each other was the same too. "Shhh Boomie, it''s an illusion." Aldrich had never thought that Boomie''s condition would act up in a situation like this. He remembered the day when he found Mr. Delmar''s body under the murdered Mrs. Delmar. There were hundreds ofcerations on his body which seemed nothing but a work of the beast in Aldrich''s eyes. Aldrich had found Boomie to be in a state of extreme denial. Boomie''s mind had denied the truth of her mother''s death, and that he had killed his father. Spreading the rumors of Mr. Delmar''s disappearance was easy, as the retired Medical Examiner had developed a reputation for being an asshole. Even easier for him was to take care of the bodies. The fact of contacting the police had never even crossed his mind. Aldrich had his ns for Boomie. As he mastered Psychology, focusing on Denialism, he had one of the best patients with him. The treatment of whom had been going on for thest ten years. Aldrich looked at the two heads in the hands of Blue Bellerophon. He knew nothing could be more disastrous for Boomie than meeting eye to eye with the truth. But the bodiless heads had not stopped speaking. "You Beast! You killed ''me'', your father! I knew this bitch had birthed a rascal." Aldrich saw the mocking smile on the Boss''s face and knew that she had controlled every word spoken by the supposed Boomie''s dead parents. But what he feared had already taken ce. The Sash around Boomie''s shoulders got ripped apart by unseen ws. A blood mist originated out of Boomie''s head and an image of a face with a single eye and two curved horns materialized in air. Aldrich''s mind shook as he saw the face made of Blood-mist. The ferocity of that single eye had surpassed everything he had seen so far. Aldrich''s blood boiled, influenced by its sheer presence and he got to know what secrets lied in Boomie''s new ss. This was the ss-specific Skill of Baron Bernard Delmar, the Blood Devil. Houuuuu!!! As the Devil opened its mouth, an unusual howl of turbulent wind came out. Aldrich was still holding onto his friend when Boomie exploded in a shower of Blood. Aldrich got sted away and saw the shocking scene unraveling in front of his eyes. The blood came together and made a naked body under the Devil''s head. But everything about it was blood-red. The red skin on its hands, legs, chest, and back wriggled like millions of worms were crawling under it. The Devil''s head looked at the Boss and let out a bloodcurdling roar. ROARRRRR!!! But the Blue Bellerophon had already seemed to be prepared for it. A golden ve cor with an image of an owl carved on it materialized in front of her. The Devil dashed towards the target, but before it could reach the Boss, the ve cor vanished and reappeared around its neck. No Skill was useless in the world of RECORD. SUPREME TAMER! Aldrich saw the Boomie''s parents'' heads vanishing, serving their purpose. "HAHAHA !" He also heard the crazedughter of the blue-armored beauty and knew things had turned for the worse. The Boss pointed her finger at Aldrich and the Devil couldn''t help but follow hermand. Grrrrrrr!!! Aldrich heard the Devil''s growls as it jumped towards him. Its body squirmed in midair as meter-long ws came out of its hand. With a tremendous force, it shed at Aldrich using them all. Aldrich saw many ws in the Devil''s body, enough to kill it in one blow, but deep within the Devil lied the will of his years-long friend. Swishh!!! Aldrich left an afterimage as he dodged the ws, but it turned out to be a mistake. The ve cor tightened as the Devil missed its target and only the painful roars could tell of its unbearable agony. Aaaaargghhhhhh!!! "You !" Aldrich eyed the Boss and her smile told him what would happen if he kept dodging the Devil''s attacks. The single eye on the Devil''s horned head almost popped out in pain as it again rushed towards Aldrich. The dilemma of getting ripped apart by the senseless beast and letting Boomie suffer made Aldrich clench his fist. Aldrich was angry. And the anger of a patient man was one of the scariest emotions. Aldrich looked at the ve cor and the owl engraved on it. As he closed his eyes, his mind raced through the golden red and blue owls and the Shield that had reced the sky. The Devil was only a few meters away from him and its rage even closer. Aldrich''s heart stopped, remembering his encounter with the Will of The Foul Mist of Abyss. The insight was instantaneous, and the realization was natural. If there was a Law of Divine, then there must be a Law of Devil. No ss could master the essence of these Laws just a few weeks ago. But an ERROR happened, which made the RECORD that surpassed the boundaries of the Universe generate a unique ss. The Generalist. "If the essence of a Devil is Pain. Then let this Pain be Banished!" Chapter 74: Harmony Chapter 74: Harmony "BANI.. ..SH!" Aldrich took a step and appeared under the Blood Devil. His hand looked small and feeblepared to the enormous chest as he touched it with his palm and tried to use the Skill. But every syble of the word shook his organs. Aldrich''s throat felt dry and the tips of his fingers throbbed with pain. He put all his understanding into Banishing the Law, but it didn''t seem to be enough. BANG!!! "Cough !" Aldrich''s body got sted dozens of meters away and he coughed out dark red blood. A shiver ran down his spine and his eyes, nose, and ears bled from the aftereffects. He got to know that his understanding, though not wrong, was notpletely right either. Unlike other Skills, failure in using Banish had serious consequences. [WARNING] [WARNING] The Warning notification, with a red tinge, shed in front of Aldrich''s bloody eyes. He chanced upon the gobsmacked face of the Blue Bellerophon and saw the twitching Blood Devil with an immense struggle in its single eye. [ Warning: Dreamer HP has fallen to less than 10% of Max HP Warning: The effectiveness of Health Potions would be 50% ] "Fuck!" Aldrich took all Health Potions out of his Inventory and poured them into his mouth. He was barely able to stand up as his HP reached the 30% of Max value. The Blue armored Crawler was still rooted at its ce as if she hade across a ghost. Grrrr! Urghhhh!! Haaarghhh!!! As Aldrich approached the Blood Devil grunting and howling in a strange voice, he heard the low mumbles of the Blue Bellerophon. She had her hand raised and her shaky finger pointed at him from afar. "You That Law Nodes How !" Aldrich narrowed his eyes as something seemed to interfere with her voice and made it iprehensible. He only caught on to the broken words here and there. But they were enough for him to know that it wasn''t the first time for the mythical legend toe across such a Skill. Aldrich dropped all Stamina Potions towards the transformed Boomie and saw him gulping them down. The Stamina Leech Skill was nothing but a cheat as it could take out the 100% effect of the potion. The Blood Devil stood up and towered in front of Aldrich. Its height was twice that of a normal person, and the madness in his eye had not lessened at all. Aldrich and the Blood Devil looked at each other and he felt a little familiarity seeping out from the Devil. Even if Boomie hadn''tpletely gained his senses, the Blood Devil wasn''t an unpredictable Beast anymore. Crunchhh!!! The Blood Devil grabbed the Golden ve Cor around his neck and crushed it in pieces. But the Blue Crawler didn''t care for it all. Its eyes were shaking in fear and with every passing second, an inhumane conviction came upon them. "You shouldn''t exist." Aldrich heard the Blue Bellerophon words as she looked at him. Strangely enough, he also wanted to shout out the same words at her. The anger from moments ago hadn''t subsided yet. Before he could retaliate, the Blood Devil took a step and let out a crazed roar. ROARRRR!!! "AAAAHHHHHH!" The Boss Crawler let out a scream in response at the same time and Aldrich saw her skin falling off. The Blue Bellerophon''s eyes burst out in a shower of blood and the beauty that could topple mountains decayed as a dead body in minutes. Contrary to her rotten appearance, Aldrich saw her HP rising to thrice of her maximum limit. The Hero of myth had seemed to sacrifice her soul. SOULLESS HERO! "And You should have never existed!" A whisper echoed in Blue Bellerophon''s ears, and the eyeless Crawler shuddered in terror of not sensing its nemesis any longer in front of her. Aldrich grabbed her by the hair and threw her in the air. Houuuu!!! A foul wind swished around the Boss as the Sky got reced by a blood redness. The Blood Devil appeared like a gust of wind and grabbed her ankles. Boom!!! The Devil smashed her on the ground and as the Bellerophon coughed out blood, rebounding from the impact, Aldrich grabbed her ankles again. Boom! Booom!! BOOM!!! The pair of angered Schr and the Devil repeated the cycles countless times. Before the Boss could make any sense of what was happening, it was already buried deep in the earth. The air rippled miles high in the Sky as two blurry figures appeared there. Aldrich''s eyes met that of Blood Devil''s for a second. He put his feet on the wide red chest and looked at the Bellerophon directly under them. "Change. Target Lock!" [ Agility: 169 (+90 +39) ] BANG!!! Aldrich put strength in his legs and with a tremendous bang sted himself towards the ground. The Blood Devil''s chest couldn''t bear the recoil and burst out in a mist of blood. But there was no pain in its eye, only hate and more hate. "KNEEL!" For the first time, a humane voice came out of its mouth as a golden mark shed on its hand. The target of this Rumok wasn''t anyone else but Aldrich. Tons of pressure squeezed Aldrich''s muscle and sped him up towards the ground. The air friction made his skin be red hot, but it still wasn''t enough for him. Aldrich struggled to stretch out his hand towards the earth and jerked it backward. "PULL!" Soooshhhh!!! A Red Comet seemed to divide the entire Sky and the Dungeon in half. Aldrich''s eyes shined with a deep emerald glow as he was about to impact the Blue Crawler. He brought down the razing fist like a judgment on the rotten beauty, as a word came out of his mouth. "Change." [ Strength: 130 (+90) ] BOOOOOM!!! ... * A dense eerie silence greeted the world after the deafening sound that felt like an eruption. Volcanic clouds full of dust and ash rose from at least a 100-meter deep crater in the middle of the rocky in. One could only see a blurry silhouette of a man at the crater''s edge, dragging out a female''s body with his hand wrapped around her face like holding a ball. [Critical Hit] [ You are eligible to obtain a Dual-Title Generating Dual-Title Quest... Dual-Title Quest (optional): Kill a Demon with the assist of a Dreamer having the same Quest Dual-Title Reward: God-Devil Perfect Harmony Do you want to initiate the Quest for this Dual-Title? ...] Chapter 75: The Price (2) Chapter 75: The Price (2) What could be the greatest mystery of humanity? Lost cities? Tombs? Holy scrolls? Or where did the mane from? These were the top contenders among their kinds. But even higher, to the extremities, lied a mystery which some men didn''t even dare to seek. Men had in many schrs of curious and astute minds to prevent them from saying this mystery aloud. The existence of Gods! * ''Yes.'' Aldrich thought and epted the strange but tempting Dual-Title Quest. More so because he believed Boomie must have got the same Quest too. Aldrich was sure there was no Godly attribute about him, unlike the Blood Devil, and the reason for this Quest could be one of his Skills or Items. He remembered the Title Quest which was still pending and had divine attributes about it. The Divine Rumok Engraver. Aldrich walked out of the crater covered in ash and saw the Blood Devil standing afar, with a hole in his chest and filled with seething resentment. Aldrich knew what the Devil had been waiting for. A ripple originated from his hand, by which he was holding the face of the Blue armored Bellerophon, as he Banished the Law of Darkness. The abyss-like hole in the middle of her forehead vanished as a seed with many web-like tentacles appeared in its ce. Aldrich clenched his hand and ripped out the Darkness Seed, along with a part of the Boss''s skull. The only reason the Blue Bellerophon had yet to die was because of her HP, which she had increased to three times its Max value. Aldrich threw away the Boss, at herst breaths, towards the Blood Devil. Aarghhh! Houuu!! Low growls and howling of wind came out of the Devil''s mouth as it towered over the bloody Boss and looked down at it. BANG! Arge blood-red foot smashed the Boss''s head open like a watermelon. Even before the brain matter and juice could stain the Blood Devil, the Blue armored Crawler crumbled away in dust, indistinguishable from the ash under it, and left behind three hovering ck balls and a huge Mana core. Roarrrr! The Blood Devil let out a roar towards the sky and then looked at Aldrich. The understanding passed between them was mutual. Aldrich saw the Devil''s body burst into a Blood mist and gathered together to form Boomie. The Devil''s head also soon turned into an ethereal red mist and entered Boomie''s head. The space rippled above Boomie as a Red Armiry Sash appeared out of nowhere and wrapped itself around Boomie''s shoulders. Aldrich rushed towards Boomie, seeing him falling onto the ground with no consciousness. Heid him down gently and eyed the three rewards. "Are you going to kill me like that too?" A tired and defeated voice came from Aldrich''s back. He turned around and saw the Red Bellerophon lying t helplessly. More bizarre were her flesh and skin that kept rupturing and amending themselves. Her eyes kept losing their sense of sight and whenever she saw the ckness, her body twitched maniacally. Aldrich made his way towards the remaining Boss, leaving the rewards forter. Even after what had happened, Aldrich didn''t forget the real reason for which he had selected this forsaken Dungeon. The Rank of Baron was important to Aldrich, but in the end, he had a schr''s heart. And that heart desired answers, answers to the unknown mysteries. "Have you met God?" Aldrich had lost his unconditional trust in ''History'' after finding out that Bellerophon wasn''t a man but a woman. He only expected the vague facts and myths to have some substance backing them up. If there was some reality mixed with the story stating that Bellerophon had fought and got defeated by the Gods of Olympus, then Aldrich had to find it out. Aldrich saw the Bellerophon raising her eyebrows and looking at him in shock. A slight yful smile also crept up on her face as the redness of the lust returned, mixed with tormenting pain. "Haha Cough! You want answers?" The Red Bellerophon raised her chin to look up at Aldrich. Along with the agonizingugh, Aldrich saw two tiny streams of tears rolling down from the corner of her eyes. The two streams met at her lovely chin, and a teardrop fell on the hot ash under her face. "Have sex with me, and I can tell you about much more!" "Why ?" Aldrich didn''t get toplete his words when the Red armored Bellerophon interjected and asked the same question to him instead. "Why I am so adamant about having sex, right?" The mythical hero struggled to sit up on her knees. Every movement brought her unimaginable anguish and suffering, but the Will of a legend had yet to be swayed. Aldrich''s eyes met those of Bellerophon''s as the Boss voiced out the words which would haunt Aldrich for many years toe. "The price of every Blessing is Curse, the price of every Insight is Horror, and the price of all Dreams is Reality. Or have you forgotten who we serve, Aldrich Guo, the Blessed One?" HAHAHA!!! The resoundingughter echoed like countless thunders in Aldrich''s ears. The umted Will of millions of years seemed to be on the verge of being shaken out of its roots. Aldrich struggled to open his eyes as his eyelids felt heavier by seconds. He took a deep breath, and the heat in the air tickled his lungs. An aura of Schr rose from his pores and when he opened his eyes again, there was no trace of fear or anxiety, but only a bottomless ocean of patience. "I don''t serve anyone." "" The Bellerophon looked at Aldrich with wide eyes and gaped mouth. But the silence around the Dreamer and the Boss overtook her emotions. Aldrich picked the Red Beauty with a sudden motion, using one hand around her head and the other around her legs. And a trace of shyness overwhelmed the Boss''s plump cheeks. "What What are you doing? I I''d rather die here." "Die!? You can''t die yet. I need my answers." Chapter 76: First Evolution Chapter 76: First Evolution Ahhhh! Ummm!! Sweet and sultry moans came out of the hut at one side of the rocky in. The other hut hadn''t survived the onught that had happened moments ago. Unfortunately, the noise of fierce tosses and turns of a sweaty naked body within the hut got covered up by low devilish whispers. The whispers seemed to bring a gust of foul wind with them, but the hut''s door was closed shut to this wind. Aldrich was sitting in a meditative posture on the hut''s floor. His lips moved like reciting thousands of short Japanese Haikus. With every other word, pleasure came brimming out of Bellerophon''s mouth and her rough breathing gained the sweetness of honey. Touch! Feel!! Taste!!! "Hmmm!" Strange murmurs ravaged her blushed ears and the imaginary fingers tracing Bellerophon''s curves made her bite her soft lips. The mythical hero let go of all alertness of a legend and spread her legs, waiting to be taken out of this tragedy of pleasure and pain. Aldrich had to follow the lead. Sweat came pouring down from his forehead and his back as the whispersing out of his mouth intensified. The space rippled around Bellerophon''sscivious body and she shuddered by the sense of pration. "NoohhhHah!" Aldrich''s throat felt drier with every passing second. He could hear the pping noises of Bellerophon''s perky breasts as they moved up and down. Even unbearable were the asional low moans. Aldrich opened his eyes and looked at his right hand. Bellerophon had been gripping it, transferring all her vibrations to him. Aldrich saw her tightly closed eyes and the sultry smile appearing and vanishing on her face. The time hade. "Mother of AHHH!!!" "" Huff! Huff!! Following two low tired but satisfied intakes of air, her body slumped down on the ground. Aldrich saw her raising her hands and running them through her hair. He ended the whispers, and the Crawler got a sense of reality amid illusions. "Thank you!" Aldrich nodded at her. He looked into her eyes and knew that she had caught on to something. The two let the silence reign for a minute when the Bellerophon sat up. The pinkness of her breasts had yet to subside as she uttered a word. "GODS" The words full of derision and mockery came out of her mouth and she continued. "Humph! They are" * Aldrich stepped out of the hut. His eyes were out of focus, and his steps were directionless. He looked up at the sky and clenched his fists. The pressure from his toes made the tip of his shoes dug into the earth. A sudden hot squall came from the top of the volcano''s mouth and swept away his tattered jacket with it. HAHAHAHA... Aldrich raised his hands, and let out a burst of roaringughter. "Indeed What more could I expect!" The cryptic words seemed to rx him down. Aldrich looked at the freshly gained Darkness Seed and umted it on his forehead. The change in his appearance went unnoticed again. [ You have killed Boss - Bellerophon ExPs obtained: 70000 You are eligible for ss Update ] Aldrich assigned the 1 Skill Point to upgrade Metacreativity. He eyed the notification and expectantlymanded. "Update ss." [ Level: 20 (128500/63000 ExPs to next level) Warning: ExPs overflow ss-Specific Skill: Metacreativity (Lvl Max-upgraded) Unassigned Skill Points: 3 Conditions met Updating ss Congrattion Aldrich for obtaining Baron Rank Select one of these sses as the Update 1. Spawn of Darkness ] None. Aldrich had expected something wrong was bound to happen. But not even presenting other options was stretching the limits of absurdities of the situation. "Select ''Spawn of Darkness''," Aldrich said, gritting his teeth to not let out any curses. [ ''Spawn of Darkness'' ss is selected Updating ss... ss is updated ss: Spawn of Darkness Description: 1. Perception +100 2. Dreamers are immune to Skills and Items based on Darkness 3. When in Darkness: Perception +100%, All Other Attributes +50%, ss-Specific Skill: Metacreativity ] The entire world got overtaken by Darkness and the sky lost its red hue. Nothing could be seen, heard, and felt within this new world. The strange growling of creatures of Darkness weed one of their own among them. Aldrich hovered in midair, and the Shadow Homunculus under him struggled to take a humane shape. The ethereal Darkness traced Aldrich''s body and stopped at his forehead. The four Darkness Seeds within the depths of his mind throbbed with pleasure as their tentacles reached out for nourishment. The Darkness of the entire world got sucked dry by the Seeds. One by one, they came out from the depthless abyss-like hole in Aldrich''s forehead. Drip! Drippp!! The four seeds melted and dripped down into a single spot. A protrusion bumped out of that spot in a matter of seconds and a dark sapling came out of it. Thrummmmm!!! The Dark Sapling had a single dark leaf and as it swayed, the entire Dungeon quaked with a thrumming noise. Before the Dungeon could break down, the Dark Sapling rushed to Aldrich''s forehead. Few changes had seemed to happen within Aldrich''s body from outside. But as he opened his eyes, Aldrich felt the entire world had been changed. His dark hair fluttered without wind and the growls of hundreds of unseen creatures reached his ears. Few things had the title of extremely ck throughout history. But nothing seemed to be cker than the eyes of Baron Aldrich Guo, the Spawn of Darkness. Aldrich let out a breath, and ethereal darkness came seeping out of his mouth and nostrils. He reached out with his hand and touched his forehead. He had been observing all the changes and also saw the Dark Sapling controlling the Curse Mark on his forehead. Aldrich felt if he could get all the Darkness Seed, then he could also trace back the source of the Curse. Aldrich wildly let his Divine Sense roam through the entire Rocky in, the Volcanoes, and beyond. He assigned the piled-up Attribute Points and Skill Points, and thought of the three rewards he had got from the Red Bellerophon. The Item Beast yer had already been used as a meal by the Shadow Homunculus. The noble voice of the young Baron shook the creatures of Darkness around him as he brought up his Stats. "RECORD." Chapter 77: Hero Chapter 77: Hero Greece Deep within the towering mountains, amid theyer of a dense forest, there was a long and narrow valley. And there was a small house with a beautiful backyard in the depths of this valley. Baroness Annieid the blue and white checkered pic cloth over the vibrant grass in her backyard. The birds and small animals sang a song of longing apanying her mood. The wind gently swept away the dry leaves, bringing nostalgia. Two teardrops fell on the nket as she put the tes for food. A smile struggled to keep itself alive on her face, but its effort was bound to be a failure. Annie loved Logan. She never tried to hide it. Annie had always been a girl who liked to do things openly, with a breath of fresh air. She could count things she regretted on one hand. And one more thing was going to be added among those handfuls of regrets. Annie wiped the traces of tears from her smooth cheeks and waited. Her mind wandered away to the time when Logan had helped her survive during her first raid. But that wasn''t the reason she loved him. She traced back her memories and found Logan asking her to be a part of ck Hand. To help the Dreamers who were considered the scum of Earth, even after the Night. To assist the families of deceased Dreamers who weren''t strong enough to get a hefty amount from the government. And yet it wasn''t the reason she loved him. A sudden swirl of ck Fog took her out of her reverie. Before the fog could have vanished, Logan had already sprawled over the pic nket. His golden hair shimmered against the surrounding greenery. "I am hungry." Annie took out the sandwiches and handed them over on a te. Logan had be used to Annie, but not to such sophistication. Hisrge hand grabbed two of the sandwiches and munched them down like a hungry wolf. Annie got herself busy making a cup of tea. "Is there any chance?" Annie asked. The feebleness in her voice was apparent, but Logan just shook his head. "Edmund thinks the Masked Menace might have some answers." "He is always like that." Even when they were not in contact with each other, the Ex-Party members knew each other very well. Annie felt Logan sitting up and closing the distance between them. "Annie." "Hmmm. " "I love you." Annie''s hands shook, and her head snapped towards Logan. Her mind had just only processed the words that she longed to hear when the tears broke away from her control. Snifff!!! Annie bawled her eyes out. Her hands, on her face, couldn''t hide the pain and sobbing sounds. Her entire body shuddered without the chill of winter. Two arms engulfed Annie within their embrace. The warmth of Logan''s chest gave her some strength to stutter out a few words. "I I" Sniff! "I just wanted to spend some more time with you." The reason for Annie''s love could be called a child''s fetish or a whim. Annie loved Logan because he was her Hero. * Dungeon, New York "RECORD." [ Record of Aldrich Time Left: 348 hours Status: Cursed Level: 25 (128500/138000 ExPs to next level) HP: 1249/1249 SP: 1400/1400 MP: 2285/2285 Rank: Baron ss: Generalist, Blessed Schr, Spawn of Darkness Title: Enemy of the Crawler (3) Attributes --> Strength: 70 Defence: 67 Agility: 70 Vitality: 60 Perception: 280 Correspondence: 25 Unassigned Attribute Points: 0 Active Skills --> 1. Metacreativity: Lvl 1 (Baron) [0/9 Skill Points to next Level] 2. Target Lock (Common) 3. 3 Miles Shot (Common) 4. Banish: Lvl 2 (Rare) [0/7 Skill Points to next Level] 5. w Detection (Rare) 6. All Proficient (Rare) 7. Summon (Rare) [Bonds: 1] 8. Devil''s Whisper (Rare) 9. Supreme Tamer (Baron) 10. Flood Rider (Baron) Skill Points: 6 Passive Skills --> 1. Shared Vision 2. Intimidation 3. Beginner''s Dagger Proficiency Inventory --> (1.4/40) Equipped Items --> 1. Oldest Change 2. Shadow Homunculus 3. Buckey''s Cigarettes (4) 4. Heartburn Venom (1) ] Aldrich sighed in relief, seeing his Rank and other Stats. Just killing 1 Baron Ranked Boss had brought him to Level 25. The difficulty of raising levels was going to get even higher, and Aldrich knew the importance of being a step ahead of others. He eyed the Cursed Status and had a feeling that it wouldn''t get removed soon. Two Baron Ranked and four Rare Ranked Mana cores had already made this Raid worthwhile. Let alone the fact that he got the answer to the question he had sought after the most. Aldrich approached Boomie and looked at the three hovering rewards from the Blue Bellerophon. Aldrich had a hunch that the rewards would be the same, resulting in a sh with his Skills. The best way to put these rewards to use was to give them to Boomie. By killing the Boss Crawler, Boomie must have reached Level 24 or 25 too. ''But what to do with him?'' Aldrich saw the unconscious Baron and could onlye up with one way to make Boomie equip the Skills. Aldrich crouched down and hit a few pressure points on Boomie''s body to rx his muscles. He held up one of Boomie''s hands and touched one of the hovering rewards. [ Skill: Flood Rider (Baron) Nature: Active Do you want to equip the Skill? ] ''As expected!'' Aldrich saw the Skill and got to know what other rewards would be and touched the rest of them with Boomie''s hand, too. [ Skill: Flood Rider (Baron) Nature: Active Do you want to equip the Skill? ] [ Item: Beast yer Type: Spear Rank: Baron Do you want to equip the Skill? ] Aldrich crouched down and whispered in Boomie''s ears. "Boomie, say Yes." The distinct murmur entered Boomie''s ears, but Aldrich didn''t receive any response, or not yet. Aldrich aimed at the backside of Boomie''s head and pped it hard. SLAPPP! "AHH! Yesss" Boomie shouted subconsciously and the first Skill crumbled away. The corner of Aldrich''s mouth rose like a viin''s evil smile and he brought his hand down again. SLAP! SLAPP!! Chapter 78: Hope Chapter 78: Hope Earth The people were as busy as they were ever. Doctors were still attending to the patients. Waiters were still serving the customers. And mothers were still waiting for their children toe home. Millions of people fell in love, and more had yet to understand this word''s meaning. Only a minor group of people in the world were cowering behind the prayers and wealth. It was then that a piece of strange and terrifying news had surfaced on the inte and local news channels. The top Dreamers and big shots of the Governments knew it was impossible to hide such an event from the world. With the presence of themunity of amateur astronomers, spread throughout the world, it would have been a foolish task. Unfortunately, it was already toote. 2 days was the estimated time when the Asteroid would hit the Earth, wiping out all the viable life and the itself. This time wasn''t even enough for this devastating news to reach all the ears and contemte over what to do next. Those who understood this time''s gravity were only a handful. The World''s powerful countries hade together to deploy a central team of scientists. The primary purpose of which was to see the continuation of the human race outside the, in the shortest time possible. Many hearts and minds were on the verge of breakdown with every passing second. * "Why have youe here, Baron Edmund?" Edmund looked at the aged Director of the Thousand Faces Guild. He felt a weird sensation upon hearing the question, which seemed topel him to answer it. Edmund had heard about Mr. Edwin, but he didn''t find any outstanding qualifications about him. Contrary, the reports stated that Mr. Edwin was a normal man. The fact of him being the Director of a Guild, with Masked Menace as its chairman, was alone worthy enough to throw those reports in the trash. "I have found out that the Masked Menace and Boomie are raiding this Dungeon right now. I need a word with him." The choice of Dungeon by the newly formed Guild had shocked Edmund. A memory of amon fist impacting his ss-specific Skill shed through his mind. Edmund believed that with the help of Boomie, the weird Dreamer couldplete all the Quests easily. But the itch in his heart couldn''t wait for them toe out. The moment he got to know the location, Edmund hade to New York and chanced upon Mr. Edwin, already waiting there. "Word? You can pass on the information to me, Mr. Edmund. I would let the Chairman know about you." Edmund shook his head and eyed the tall statue of the Bellerophon and the green pir of light around it. "I need to speak with him privately." Edmund saw a slight smile on the old man''s face. The ck-suited Director went to the table at a corner and picked up a cup of ck tea. An irresistible urge took over Edmund''s emotions that made him go towards the table too. But his steps faltered, hearing Mr. Edwin''s next words. "Hmm! Is it rted to the ''31 Aroma''?" "You?" The astonishment in Edmund''s eyes was genuine andical at the same time. Edmund could process the fact that somehow a hidden ace of the Masked Menace had found out about the asteroid. But even among the astronomers, the name of the asteroid was a puzzle. Not because of the mystery behind the asteroid''s origin, but because of the variation in its size. The 200 km wide Minor had been erging as it rushed towards the Earth. It was near impossible to pinpoint its real name for anyone. "How... How do you know about ''31 Aroma''? It''s ssified information." Edmund heard the low chuckle and found out the ssified information wasn''t as important to this old man as he thought it was. "It''s my job to know." The exnation was simple, and that''s why it was unordinary and unbelievable. Edmund took a deep breath and approached the old man, whose existence was bing a mystery in his eyes with every moment. "If you know about it, then why are you here and not with your family?" "Baron Edmund, what good being with my family would do to me?" Edmund himself couldn''t find any point in spending thest period of his life with his family. It was time for him to do or die. But the old man in front of him, sipping the tea, had more to speak. "You might think that you are here for answers, young man. But that might not be the case." Edmund''s mouth gaped, hearing the words out of Mr. Edwin''s mouth, but before he could ask anything, the green pir around the statue shook. He looked at the familiar scene as the pir regained its original muddy-yellowish appearance. The space under the statue rippled as a blue portal opened up in front of the two men. Edmund looked at the Masked Menace. The infamous Dreamer was carrying the previous ''Wall'' of the zing Royal Guild on his shoulders. Edmund still couldn''t get a read on the Masked Menace Rank. But the fluctuation of Mana originating out of Boomie reminded him of the top Dreamer in the entire world, Masumoto Sho. ''Baron...? How is this possible?'' Edmund saw an emerald glow shing out of the eyeholes of the mask of the terrifying Dreamer. The surrounding air became as dense as mercury as it contorted his muscles. The shivers in Edmund''s spine made his sight go blurry. Edmund felt the change in the might of the Divine Sense that scanned him just now. The Masked Menace seemed even stronger from their previous encounter. His eyes couldn''t help but fall on the Statue, and an absurd thought came upon his mind. Edmund felt a hand on his shoulders and found Mr. Edwin standing by his side. The reverence in the old man''s eyes, seeing his chairman, didn''t go unnoticed by Edmund. "Mr. Edmund, we both are here for the same reason... ... Because this is where Hope lies." Chapter 79: Hidden Wrath Chapter 79: Hidden Wrath Aldrich used the Return stone toe out of the Dungeon and the first scene that greeted him was already unexpected. He saw Baron Edmund standing in awe and surprise, just a few feet away from him. Aldrich couldn''t help but try out w Detection and his Divine Sense on him. For the time being, he couldn''t sense any ill intentioning out of Edmund''s eyes. The thing that surpassed the boundary of being ''Bizarre'' was Mr. Edwin''s presence. Especially when he had given him specific orders to note out of the Guild. There were still quite a few haters and Dreamers who would do nothing but try to harm him in any way possible. Mr. Edwin, being the new director, would be the prime target of such low-life idiots. ''Why are they here?'' The question was simple but ominous and the hunch of something bad happening had already crossed Aldrich''s mind. Aldrich approached the rooted Baron and passed by him, saying no words. The brief eye contact took Edmund out of his reverie as Aldrich heard him asking an obvious question. "Have you two hunted the Boss?" Aldrich looked back and nodded at Edmund. "Mr. Edwin, what''s happening?" The old man bowed and was about to speak when Edmund butted in again. "Look at this..." Aldrich saw Edmund taking out a bunch of documents and shoving them towards him. Two Common Dreamers, hired by Mr. Edwin as security guards, came and took away Boomie for healing. A Healer, contracted by the ADA, was always required to be present at a Dungeon. Aldrich took a seat at the table and Edmund sat opposite to him. Mr. Edwin poured two cups of ck tea for the gentlemen. "Sugar?" "No, thank you." Mr. Edwin only asked Edmund about his preference. As a skilled Butler, he had already memorized all of Aldrich''s tastes and quirks. Aldrich took a sip of the hot tea and savoured the vor. He took his time reading and analyzing all the data within the document. It didn''t take him long to read through it and handed it back to Edmund. As he put the empty teacup on the table, his head involuntarily craned up, looking into the depths of vast space. The afternoon sun ruled the entire sky, hiding the approaching horror behind its radiance. "What do you want me to do about it?" "You... " Aldrich saw the disbelief mixed with disgust written on Edmund''s face. He closed his eyes and the words of Bellerophon kept repeating themselves in his mind. BANG! Edmund mmed his hands on the table, shattering the empty cups. He stood up and shouted at Aldrich, who seemed to be seated leisurely in his chair. "How can you be so calm? You warned me about something like this. Did you know it would happen?" Aldrich shook the pieces of ceramic off his t-shirt. Theck of a jacket had made his muscles, pulsing with immense power, quite visible. He looked at the fuming Baron and replied. "If I had known about it, there was no reason to keep it to myself." As mad as Edmund had been feeling, Aldrich knew his words were nothing but the truth. All petty schemes and underhanded nning failed whenpared to a tragedy at theary level. The undeniable sentence calmed Edmund''s rage but he couldn''t just sit back and do nothing. "We must do something about it, otherwise there is truly no hope left for humanity. You don''t believe that the thinging towards us is natural, do you?" Hahaha! Aldrich tapped his finger on the table and couldn''t help but chuckle upon hearing Edmund''s words. The shock on Edmund''s face was a thing to be gawked at. The idea ofughing in a situation like this could have flipped anyone''s mental state, even if one were to be one of the strongest men on the entire. "You seem to be mistaken about something, Mr. Edmund. Let me ask you, why do you think it''s some moral obligation for me to do something about it?" The question made Edmund speechless. He had never even thought like that. If it was rted to all the lives in the world, he thought it was his duty to stand up for it. But Aldrich had yet to stop asking questions. "Even a child could tell that it''s targeted to annihte the entire. But let me ask you, why should I give a fuck about it? Isn''t it better for all to die than struggle unnecessarily?" For patients like Edmund, Dr. Aldrich Guo knew that only evil words mixed with harsh truths could take them out of their denial. Aldrich saw Edmund slump down in the chair with incredulity written all over his face. For the first time, it seemed to hit Edmund that no matter what they would do, it would be nothing but a futile struggle. Aldrich saw sweat pouring out of Edmund''s head and gestured to Mr. Edwin to give him a ss of water. Edmund gulped down the water and his heavy breaths receded a little. Aldrich realized it was for nothing that the RECORD had chosen a person like Edmund as a leader. Even if it took Edmund some convincing, the rate at which he had taken control over his emotions had surpassed others by miles. Aldrich stood up and approached Edmund, whose eyes seemed blurry and wet out of a sudden. He put a hand on Edmund''s shoulder and a sweet but gentle voice came out from the infamous Masked Menace. "Go home, Edmund. People often seem to underestimate the power of rtionships as they gain wealth, fame, and strength. If there was a time to put up a struggle, it has already passed. And cherish the thought that they gave us all some time to spend with our family." * It was truly a thing to contemte how the minds like that of Aldrich''s had worked. Mr. Edwin couldn''t feel anything out of ce. Edmund, as lost as he was in his thoughts, couldn''t feel something amiss either. Only one man in the world could catch the subtle hint within Aldrich''s words, but he was unconscious. If Boomie were to listen to Aldrich, the terror he would have felt couldn''t be lesser than the Doom arriving towards the earth. For Boomie knew no one should ever fuck up with Aldrich''s parents. At that moment, Aldrich was calmer than he had ever been in his entire life. Chapter 80: Never Stay Still (2) Chapter 80: Never Stay Still (2) Time Left to the Impact: 50 Hours Aldrich had arrived at home by early morning after his brief meeting with Baron Edmund. The remaining time for his Random-Allocation to Dungeon had extended to 2 more weeks. A Baron had the luxury of 1 month before getting teleported by the RECORD. Aldrich had already shut him off in theb under the basement as soon as he came. Aldrich came out of theb and let out a breath of foul air. He raised his right hand and eyed the Runic symbol on the back of his palm. The symbols had almost crossed his wrist and seemed to climb towards Aldrich''s elbow. None could have distinguished that the engraved symbols were not one but two different Rumoks. A slight smile came upon his face, seeing the efforts that hadsted the entire morning. Aldrich had sessfully made two Rare ranked Rumok using the two Baron-level Mana cores. He used one for himself and the other was for Boomie. With thepletion of these Rumoks, he had alreadye closer to achieving his next Title. The RECORD had counted the two Rare Rumok as four Common ones. Adding with the two he had already made before thest night''s raid, Aldrich needed four more to obtain the Title. He still had the 4 Rare Mana Cores with him, but Aldrich deposited them as the Guild''s treasury. The reason was simple. Aldrich had found out that the efficiency of a Rare Rumok was more than twice that of a Common one. It was better to hunt another Baron-ranked Boss and use its Mana core to make Rumok than using the low-quality cores. ''I wonder what Boomie must have said if he had heard me calling the Rare Mana cores as inferior quality. Haha!'' Aldrich amused himself, climbing up the basement stairs. As he entered the shop, he found Mr. Ben sitting behind the counter. The old man was fidgeting with wooden carvings, but his coat and the hat on his head made the delicate movements difficult to execute. "What are you staring at? Go bring me some tea." Mr. Ben said, with his eyes still upied by his work. Aldrich sometimes wondered who had high Perception, he or his parents. He went to the tea counter and poured a hot cup of tea. Baron Aldrich Guo served the tea as he had always done in the chilly mornings and the busy winter days. The only thing that differed in his eyes was the deep wrinkles on his father''s face. Time had left its mark for all to remember its might. "Your eyes can''t exert themselves any longer, Dad. Why are you so bent on doing this?" Aldrich tried to sway Mr. Ben away from wooden carving as he handed over the tea. Mr. Ben put the little wooden piece and took a mouthful of refreshing tea. Aldrich noticed the rough outline of a stamp on the whittled wooden piece. He took a secret breath of relief, seeing that it wasn''t an idol of some God or other historical figure. The time after the Night had turned out to be a period of Sin and Poverty for many sculptures and other such artists. The absolute ban on making any sculpture had affected many families. "An ancient Chinese Royal Stamp?" Aldrich asked. "Yes. Just this one, then I am thinking of investing some time in learning Guqin." Aldrich heard the name of a stringed musical instrument that had been a choice of many schrs in ancient China. The thing that baffled him was his father''s choice of the instrument rather than his will to learn it. "Are you trying to trace back our Chinese roots? Learning a modern guitar won''t make you any less Chinese or any more American, you know?" Aldrich saw his father''s face crumpling up in disgust as he heard Aldrich''s words. "Humph! Your mother is right! I should have sent you to college sooner. Look at you, you can''t even understand this simple thing." Aldrich scratched the back of his head, hearing his father''s snort. And Mr. Ben''s next words reminded Aldrich of the random cravings of a person''s heart. "A gentleman does not part with his Qin without good reason." It was a popr saying among ancient schrs. "Dad, don''t tell me you want to learn Guqin just to say this sentence aloud in front of mom." Aldrich''s eyes met with Mr. Ben''s, and the slightly gaped mouth of Mr. Ben told him he was right. Aldrich saw Mr. Ben trying to exin himself when he heard a voice out of nowhere. "Oh, Dear! I didn''t know you still wanted to impress me." Both father and son had been taken aback by the sudden arrival of Mrs. Guo. Aldrich saw a thick book rted to different varieties of mushrooms in her hand. "Mom? When did youe?" "Al, I was just behind you. But I think it''s wonderful, the idea of your father learning Guqin. They say it''s the instrument of Sages and" SLAP! Mrs. Guo cut her words short and pped Aldrich''s head. Her lovely voice instantaneously took a turn and seemed to fume in anger. Aldrich saw his mother gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes at him. "I thought you were making preparations for tomorrow in the basement. Ben, look at this! I told him to remove the tattoo, but he has extended it even further." Mrs. Guo held Aldrich''s right hand and shouted, pointing at Rumok. Aldrich saw the frown on his father''s face as he took a sip of the tea, which was getting colder by seconds. "Leave him be! Young men these days have tattoos at even weirder ces. This is still alright." "Mom, this isn''t" "Shut up! Humph! Boomie finally got you a job at zing Royal Guild. First, you epted a three-year contract without telling us. And now you want to shame our family name by acting like a thug." Aldrich saw his father slumping back in his chair. The old man seemed to forget that he was whittling a piece of wood just a few moments ago as he searched for something to do. The wet corners of Aldrich''s eyes went unnoticed by the Guo couple on a sunny afternoon. Chapter 81: Guo Chapter 81: Guo "Have you packed everything?" Aldrich heard her mother''s words as he put the bag in the car. The early morning chill of the old town had yet to recede and Aldrich''s eyes kept wandering from the alleys to the distant ridges'' tops. "For the hundredth time, Mom, yes! Where is Dad? I am gettingte, you know." "He''sing call me after settling down there, Ok?" Mrs. Guo kept tucking Aldrich''s white jacket. Aldrich could vividly see the uneasiness in her eyes, as it would be the first time for Aldrich to be away from his home for a long period. Huff! Huff! The rough breathing of an old man made the pair of mother and son look towards the entrance of the shop. Mr. Ben came running towards them, huffing and puffing balls of white fog. The sun, below the horizon, had yet to make the surrounding air bearable for the old man. "Hah! Hah Here I am!" "Ben, you couldn''t put away that wooden carving even now? Look how nervous our Alu is?" Mrs. Guo rebuked the strange habit of Mr. Ben. The old man had spent the entire night shut in the basement, whittling the small piece of wood. Aldrich brought his hands up to look at them. The slight shake in them made him realize he indeed was a little nervous. "You What do you know? I had to do it." Mr. Ben replied and took out the product of his night-long efforts. Aldrich looked at the tiny, round wooden seal. It was around 4 cm in diameter and almost as tall from top to bottom. Mr. Ben shoved the seal in Aldrich''s front pocket and tapped the pocket two, three times, making sure it wouldn''t get lost anywhere. "Don''t forget our roots." The weary smile of the tired old man was unbearable for Aldrich. He took a deep breath, which made his lungs feel the surrounding coldness. A stray orange and yellow ray of sunlight lit up his face. "I should go now." Sniff! Aldrich opened the car''s door but the slight sobbing sound jolted his entire body to its core. The ever-present howls of the creature of Darkness lost their presence in Aldrich''s mind. Aldrich turned around and fell to his knees. His head touched the cold pavement as he gave a deep kowtow to his parents. The acknowledgment of the debt for nurturing him did not need to be said out aloud. "I told you he is not entirely hopeless. Humph! Now would you just stop crying?" Mr. Ben said, snorting at his wife as he held Aldrich''s shoulder and lifted him. "I I am sorry. I couldn''t help it." "Bye Mom, bye Dad." Thump! Aldrich closed the car door. The engine had already been running, warming up the old vehicle. His foot on the gas pedal struggled to put strength in it. And the blurry faces of two old people were still visible in the rear-view mirror. Aldrich reached into his pocket and took out the tiny wooden seal. The bottom of the seal had a Chinese character carved into it. The Guo family had a small history in the town called Leavenworth. The Chinese character ''GUO'' had a massive history everywhere else. * Mayhem had reced everything at the HQ of the World Space Administration. The incredible piece of news that Mr. Santino had received 24 hours ago had shaken his entire existence. The only contrast was that the news itself wasughable despite the gravity of the topics involved within it. If the news hadn''te from the two most powerful Dreamers of the world, he would have discarded it, too. The idea of someoneing up and iming to stop the inevitable doom looked like a child''s fantasy. Even bizarre was the man who had imed it, the infamous Masked Menace. Mr. Santino approached the towering Japanese swordsman who hadn''t left this ce since he hade. Baron Matsumoto Sho was eyeing the thousands of workers, engineers, and scientists working on a rocket. "Baron Sho, do you think he can do it?" Mr. Santino looked at the Dreamer, considered as the pride of humanity. The middle-aged Baron had long ck hair tied in a bun on his head. His left hand had never left the butt of his sword and his thumb kept rubbing it, which seemed like it was pacifying a child. "It doesn''t matter, Mr. Santino. If he can, then there would be nothing better than that. And if can''t, then let''s consider this rocket as thest achievement of humans. The question is, can it go to a safe distance within time?" Mr. Santino heard the question and looked at the outline of a rocket-like spaceship, glimmering with an ethereal blue glow. It was a prototype WSA had been secretly developing on the demands of a joint table of many governments. He still remembered the anger on the faces of Baron Sho and Baron Edmund when he had let them know about it. There was no way around it. All lives on earth depended on Mr. Santino''s decision. "Yes, it can. Our research team had found a method to modify the fuel and structure of the rocket using Mana cores and other Items from the Crawlers. It should be able to take him to a distance equivalent to the moon within 6 hours. I" Mr. Santino stopped amid his sentence, but looking at the Baron raising his eyebrows, he continued. "I don''t think we should trust the Masked Menace. Maybe it''s one of his repulsive ns to escape the before the impact." Just as Mr. Santino finished his sentence, a snowke dropped from the skyless dome onto his nose. Cold, incredible cold, and terrifying sadness shuddered his entire being. He struggled to raise his chin and looked at the calm in Baron Sho''s eyes. Disgust was written in bold letters within them. "Trust, Mr. Santino? I''d rather trust my most viinous enemy than my dearest friend. If the ''Trust'' you spoke of could be counted on, humanity would have been doomed to dust hundreds of years ago." The intense shame made Mr. Santino dare not look at the Baron. As he turned his eyes away, shivering from the uncalled Cold, he saw the words blinking on the screen by his side. Time Left to the Impact: 35 hours Chapter 82: A True Devil Chapter 82: A True Devil [ Submitting request to create Item. Optimizing Item Item ''Light-Year Teleportation'' is beyond your reckoning Do you want to create another item? ] "" [ Submitting request to create Item. Optimizing Item Item ''Cellr Breakdown'' is beyond your reckoning Do you want to create another Item? ] [ Submitting request to create Item. Optimizing Item Item ''Space Walk'' is beyond your reckoning Do you want to create another item? ] "Sigh!" In the spacious office within the Thousand Faces Guild, Aldrich slumped down into the chair. A tired sigh rang out from his mouth and the only one who could see these gestures was the old man standing outside the window-walled office. From the moment he had arrived in New York, Aldrich had been trying to create an Item or Skill that could help him survive the Doom. There was a reason that he had imed to face the erged 250 km wide asteroid. But to use that Item, he would have to die first. Aldrich was more concerned about his actual body rather than how he would save the disaster from happening. Therefore, he had been preparing for both oues; himing back safely and him getting lost into oblivion. Nothing seemed to work regarding the creation to survive a thing like that. Whatever or whoever had sent it towards Earth seemed to have a Rank way higher than Baron. Aldrich just couldn''t guess the purpose of such cruelty from a powerful being like that. Aldrich knew that the moment he woulde back from the abode of that enormous Veil, he wouldn''t be able to use his Inventory. He let out a breath of air and decided to modify an Item that he already had. "Metacreativity. Update Rank." [ Skill Metacreativity is now active Specify the Item to update? ] "Oldest Change." [ Item: Oldest Change Type: Mask Rank: Common Durability: 300/300 Minimum Usage Condition: The highest Attribute of Dreamer must be greater than the sum of the two lowest Attributes The Item is eligible to be Ranked up Specify the number of ExPs Dreamer is willing to lose? ] "All." [ Optimizing Item Item ''Oldest Change'' is updated ExPs consumed: 128000 Warning: The consumed ExPs are permanently lost Warning: You have fallen back to Level 3 ] The entire area within the office became foggy. ''Oldest Change'' left Aldrich''s face and hovered in front of Aldrich. He watched in astonishment as the single horn protruded out from one side of the mask. The curved horn on the other side struggled to rise but ultimately couldn''t. The devilish horn wasn''t the end of this transformation. Two red lines appeared, running from the corner of the mask''s eye holes to the jawline under them. A simrly colored blood-red circle appeared in the middle of the mask''s forehead. The rugged mask of terror emanated a noble but devilish aura. Aldrich''s hand reached out and brought the updated mask near his face. He brought up the Stats and his mouth opened wide. He had only encountered one other Baron Rank Item, even that didn''te close to this thing. [ Item: Devil''s Oldest Change Type: Mask Rank: Baron Durability: 12000/12000 Minimum Usage Condition: The highest Attribute of Dreamer must be greater than the sum of the two lowest Attributes Description: 5% addition in the Item-specific Skill while facing the Divine Item-specific Skill: Change Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Transfer 70% of any Attribute to another Attribute Warning: All effects of the Item would be lost if unequipped Warning: The Item would influence the Dreamer to be a Devil ] After hours of trials and failures, a slight smile came upon Aldrich''s expressionless face. The smile wasn''t for the sessful oue of his mask, but its rank Baron. There was a reason he had put so many ExPs to bring the Oldest Change to this level, and not Rare. A tremendous fluctuation appeared under Aldrich''s feet as his pale shadow squirmed and gained a jet ck color. The emotions of gratitude, hunger, and love got passed down from the Shadow Homunculus to its master. After devouring the ''Beast yer'' spear of Bellerophon, it only needed one more Baron Item to reach a level where it could freely devour Baron rank Items. A shark-like wide mouth with sharp teeth opened up in his shadow and Aldrich dropped the transformed mask into it. Crunchh! Crunchhh!! Gulp!!! With only two crunching sounds, the Shadow Homunculus gulped down the Item. The shadow wriggled like having millions of worms under its illusory skin. Aldrich''s hand reached within the depths of his shadow and pulled out a jet ck mask with one curved horn on its side. The two red lines running across the mask''s cheeks and the red circle on its forehead looked even more ominous. But the shadowy vapors rising from the mask, like a morning fog, were the most heart-shuddering. Hahaha! Aldrich looked at the updated warning, and a chuckle escaped from his mouth. The result had surpassed his guesses about the various changes the Shadow Homunculus could go through. [ Item: Shadow Homunculus Type: Shadow Rank: NA (Baron) Durability: NA Minimum Usage Condition: Love Description: An indestructible Item that doesn''t need to be stored in the Inventory Item-specific Skill: Devour Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Can devour anything Warning: It is Alive Warning: The Item would only work if it feels the emotion of Love Warning: The Item shows the characteristics of forming an unnatural bond with the Dreamer Warning: If the imitated Item suffers damage greater than its original Durability, it would break down into Shadow Homunculus Warning: Any number of Items can be imitated given their total Inventory Units don''t exceed the maximum Inventory-Space avable to Dreamer ...] Aldrich watched the usage condition and other warnings and contemted them for a bit. He couldn''t feel any rejection from the Item itself, so he thought little about it and put it to the back of his mind. The foggy room regained its visibility, and Aldrich brought the shadowy mask up to its face. Swish! Houuu!!! "Hah!" A satisfied breath came out of Aldrich as he felt the power coursing through his veins. And the creature of Darkness howled, seeing him covered with a devilish aura. Aldrich was unaware of a popr saying among the nobles of the Gxy. ''A Baron wasn''t truly a Baron without an Item of Nobility.'' Chapter 83: A Swordsmans Oath Chapter 83: A Swordsman''s Oath Aldrich walked out of the office and saw the awe mixed with slight fear written on Mr. Edwin''s face. A devilish voice resounded in the hall and a gust of wind appeared and vanished instantaneously. "Mr. Edwin, have you gone through all the details?" Aldrich had prepared many documents for different scenarios. He looked at one corner of the hall where many boxes had been lying on top of another. Those boxes contained many paintings, research materials, and ideas rted to conjoining Mana cores with the existing technology efficiently. That corner, with its many boxes, was worth billions of US dors. Only a few Dreamers and scientists could undeniably say that it was priceless. "Yes, I would serve the Thousand Faces Guild with all my heart." Mr. Edwin put a hand on his chest and gave a deep bow. Reverence and attachment came seeping out the old man''s gesture. "Good! Where''s Boomie?" Aldrich had brought Boomie to the Guild''s HQ after his initial treatment at the Dungeon''s location. The Healers had stated that he was in a deep sleep state and he could wake up any moment. More than a day had gone by, but Boomie had yet to wake up. "Baron Bernard is in the medical facility. Please follow me." Aldrich followed Mr. Edwin to a corridor. Many doctors and Dreamers were roaming about there, busy with their respective tasks. At that moment, all felt their chest being squeezed by a pressure unknown to them. Aldrich''s figure, with the single-horned mask, towered at the entrance of the corridor. The staff worked for Mr. Edwin, but it had be a fact who he worked for. The Masked Menace was exactly as they had heard about. Aldrich entered the room and found Boomie sleeping silently on a bed surrounded by many doctors. "Leave." Within seconds, the room got empty as they heard the singlemand from Aldrich. Aldrich approached Boomie and sat beside his bed. Many blurry memories shed through his head, clouded by a strange darkness. Their adventures in the mountains, the countless hikes, and many unknown psychological sessions. The time he had spent with his only friend seemed minusculepared to the time in that Darkness, where no living being must go. Aldrich''s hand reached out towards Boomie''s hair and he gave them a slight shake. He took out a neatly folded paper and handed it over to Mr. Edwin. "Give this to Boomie as soon as he wakes up." "Ok" The stretched eptance didn''t go unnoticed by Aldrich. "Emotions can be as strong as the danger posed by them, Mr. Edwin. Don''t hold them back when there is no need to do so." Aldrich hadn''t finished his sentence when soundless tears dropped onto the tiled floor. The buried feeling of deep sadness came erupting out from Mr. Edwin. It was already a Sin for ''the Butler'' to portray his crying figure to his employer. The only thing he could do was to let out his emotions as silently as possible. But Aldrich could read Mr. Edwin''s feelings quite well. He stood up and put a hand on Mr. Edwin''s shoulder and said. "Let''s go." * An open-roof hall, within one of the Rocketunch sites in the USA, was filled with a dense air of anxiety and helplessness. On a table, in one corner, Mr. Santino was shouting at two of the scientists in a rage. Yet, this rage couldn''t affect the other five Dreamers in the hall, having an unfazed attitude. Baron Matsumoto Sho was standing at the windowed wall, and his eyes kept staring at the giant Rocket. Baron Edmund was on a sofa with his head craned up, lost in the vastness of the Sky. None knew what the two had been thinking since their arrival. At the other corner, Baron Annie had been holding hands with a man of blond hair and a thug-like appearance. This unknown Baron''s arrival had shocked many, but he was weed just as the others. The fifth Dreamercked immensely in strengthpared to the other four. But her demeanor wasn''t much different from them. Ms. Olivia Wells, the director of the American Dreamer Association, also had a lost look on her face. All people were waiting for a man they had never thought to be this important in their life. * Aldrich entered the hall, with Mr. Edwin following him. He felt the immense burst of Mana and knew the Barons had been quite nervous about his possible refusal regarding the task. But Aldrich had no thought of walking away from this. As soon as he entered, all heads turned towards him and many felt the horror of the new mask on his face. Aldrich''s eyes met with the Japanese man, named as the strongest Dreamer on the. Before anyone could say something, they both took steps towards each other. By the time the other Barons and Mr. Santino rushed towards the center of the hall, Aldrich and Sho had already been standing a few steps from each other. All knees buckled as soon as they came near the two, irrespective of their rank. Hundreds of snowkes and irresistible coldness came falling towards Aldrich. But before they could touch him, a depthless Darkness appeared around every single snowke and devoured them. The coldness got lost in the deep admiration reflected in the eyes of the two Dreamers. "Impressive." "Admirable." Aldrich and Sho said the words to each other, and none had any idea what had just happened. Only a feeling of doubt and a frown were visible on Edmund''s face. Aldrich wouldn''t have praised the middle-aged Baron if he hadn''t felt the trace of Law around Matsumoto Sho. Aldrich knew it couldn''te close to his understanding of Darkness. The thing he admired was the fact that Sho could understand even a minute amount of a Law in just one year. But Aldrich hadn''t expected what Sho did next. Edmund, Annie, and Logan got such a shock that for a moment, they even forgot the situation the earth was in. Aldrich watched as the Swordsman in front of him took out his sword and kneeled on the floor. Baron Shoid his sword at Aldrich''s feet and put his head on the sword. "If I get to live, I will never forget this debt." Chapter 84: Savior? Chapter 84: Savior? HAHAHA! None had expected a resounding burst ofughter from the Masked Menace, while Baron Sho had still to get up from his kneeled position. Aldrich crouched down and looked at the Swordsman. Sho felt the change and raised his head to look up. As their eyes met, Aldrich''s words echoed in the roofless hall. "You talk of debt like we are still human!" Sho''s eyes shook as soon as he processed the underlined meaning of the words. On their side, Baron Edmund took a step back and looked at the Masked Menace with deep fear in his eyes. Even those who didn''t understand knew that something was wrong with the situation. Aldrich stood up, and he saw the questioning eyes of Baron Annie as she approached him. She held Sho''s shoulders and urged him to stand up. Her eyes weren''t as helpless as theirst encounter, and Aldrich saw a trace of conviction on her face. "I admire you, Masked Menace. I truly do. But for you to show disrespect to Sho like this is low even for your standards." Aldrich''s eyebrows raised upon hearing the remark, but Annie had yet to finish. "Think about it! If you can prevent the Impact from happening, people will praise and pray to you as the Savior of humanity." Aldrich''s head craned up to look at the Sky. Even Sho shook his head at hearing Annie''s words. It was apparent that except Aldrich and Sho all had shared the same feeling as that of Annie regarding this task. "Savior?" A devilish wind howled in the Hall as Aldrich continued. "Turn the pages of history. When had a Savior experienced a good ending? Unless they get to live at the end, people don''t give a fuck about any Savior." The loud beating of many hearts apanied the silence in the hall. The time they had was limited. Aldrich looked at Mr. Santino and gestured to lead him to the preparation room. He would have to wear a spacesuit as how much a Dreamer would fare in spacepared to normal humans had yet to be tested. * "Mr. Menace, are you feelingfortable?" Aldrich heard the voice of Mr. Santino over the radio as he took a seat within the Rocket. The team from the World Space Administration had done a good job and up to his destination, Aldrich won''t have to even lift a finger. "Yes, you may start anytime." "Ok Initiating engines in T minus 1 minute." Aldrich took a deep breath and closed his eyes. To maintain the secrecy of the event taking ce, they hadn''t even given a name to the rocket. Even in a time of no hope, people had a habit of preparing for the future. Through a camera ced outside the rocket, Aldrich saw the gathered-up Barons and the director of ADA in the distance. It would be a lie to say that Aldrich didn''t hope for the same as them. Aldrich was lost in thoughts when the sudden announcement took him out of his reverie. "T minus 10, 9, 8, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. May God bless you!" BOOOM!!! The four boosters fired at the same time. But instead of the usual red and orange color, there was a deep blue color mixed in it. Using Mana cores propelled the Rocket with tremendous eleration. Aldrich felt little pressure as he got buried into the chair and the words he had spoken also got buried with him. "Fuck the Gods." As they saw the point of light leaving behind a trail of smoke, only a handful of people knew what was at stake. * 6 hourster A blue metallic spacecraft hovered in the emptiness of space. Its lifespan was only another 30 minutes. Aldrich looked at the screen and saw a big green dot approaching straight towards a small one. 31 Aroma had only him blocking its path to the earth. Aldrich followed the procedure toe out of the rocket and stood up at the tip of the rocket''s nose. In the distance, he saw a tiny ball of rock that seemed to rest motionless in the dark space. Aldrich looked around and found the Darkness had ruled every ce in the space. The distant Sun did little to wash away this Darkness. And the howls of creatures around him had be deafening. But Aldrich knew something had cut off the source of Darkness from the dark space around him. He could feel the Mana around him holding the Darkness back from taking over everything. ''No wonder I couldn''t feel Mana''s presence at that ce.'' There was a camera on Aldrich''s helmet which transferred live feed to theunch site. Dozens of people were seeing what Aldrich saw on a big screen. Unfortunately, they couldn''t feel what he had felt. The small motionless ball of rock grew bigger and bigger. By the time Aldrich could see it in its entirety, its gravity had already influenced him. Aldrich saw the rockets'' side boosters firing to bnce the rocket against the asteroid''s gravity. He turned around and looked at the blue. His mind wandered to a small shop in a small town. As he thought of the two old people, his hands reached towards his helmet and, with a jerk, pulled it out. * On one half of the earth''s hemisphere, people were gobsmacked by the strange beautiful scene in the Night Sky. They stopped still on the road and came running out of their homes to see the incredible sight. Along with the curved one, a second moon shined right over their heads. Though it was small and blurry, it had already roughened many breathings. Within the observation room, all mouths gaped at seeing the camera moving unnaturally. They couldn''t find a reason for the sudden movement in the camera, but they could see the vital signs of Aldrich on the screen. "NO" Olivia had a hand on her mouth as she faltered back against a table. Sho looked at the t line showing Aldrich''s death and his grip on the sword loosened for the first time. Annie''s eyes were red with anger and loss. Boom! Logan approached the screen and punched a hole in it as he shouted. "That fucking suicidal maniac!" Chapter 85: Broken Faith (3) Chapter 85: Broken Faith (3) "I will be the master of my dreams!" Aldrich''s words echoed in his mind as he opened his eyes and faced the familiar Darkness around him. But something had changed this time. The Darkness was never ufortable, but it felt excessively weing to him this time. It was like taking a hot bath after working for many hours continuously. The Spawn of Darkness felt the power of his element for the first time. Aldrich took a deep breath and waited for the Call of that enormous being that would guide him to the Veil. Hours, months, and years passed, but Aldrich didn''t hear that Call. Yet Aldrich wasn''t concerned about it. He had a hunch that if he wanted to, he could walk through this Darkness by himself too. Aldrich made a meditative posture as the ck robe on his naked body fluttered. His white hair shimmered like a candle in the dark and his white eyes glowed like those of a feline in the Night. If there was Time in this ce, it meant nothing to Aldrich. He traced back his memories and his understandings of different Laws one by one, solidifying his insight. Aldrich didn''t want to waste anything in this ce and started contemting the Law of Devil. Thew that had failed him in the Dungeon. Hooott!!!! Aldrich had just reorganized his thoughts when a hooting sound of an owl reached into his ears. He opened his eyes and found a pitch-ck owl pping its wings in front of him. Aldrich recalled the golden-red owl that had lost itself in front of the Veil and got to know the fate of the Divine Skill. The owl turned around and flew in a particr direction. Aldrich followed it, just as he had followed the Call in his mind thest two times. Who knew for long he would have to travel in this Darkness before seeing the flutters of that vast Veil? * Hooott!!! The owl took out Aldrich from his deep meditation and he saw the enormous being again, separated by a ck curtain. After ranking up to Baron, Aldrich felt the being''s mysteriousness had deepened even more. Millions of different whispers ran through his mind as an eerie pressure surrounded him. Aldrich''s breathing grew ragged as the pressure concentrated on his forehead. The sapling with its one leaf shuddered in terror in response. But in the next moment, the pressure receded like it was never there, to begin with. Aldrich let out a breath of relief and realized how different the thinking process would be for a powerful being, like the one in front of him. Aldrich saw the corner of the being''s mouth lifting as if it was smiling. The Veil opened and Aldrich saw a dark space on the other side. The owl kept flying in circles around the opening as Aldrich got sucked into it. Billions of unseen creatures howled in pain, seeing him leaving the ever embracing Darkness. * Aldrich hovered in space and looked at his lifeless body. The world around him seemed to stagnate as he saw the enormous asteroid being motionless in space. Another change came as a big surprise to Aldrich. When he looked at his body, he saw himself pulling out the helmet. But unlike before, he could feel that if wanted to, he could go back to that time. His ck robe fluttered, and Aldrich realized the significance of this discovery. He also saw himselfing out of the rocket, scenes of him and others, standing in the hall, but they were all still inessible. Aldrich wanted to test out this newly discovered tracing of time, but unfortunately, his purpose wasn''t the same as before. Aldrich touched his forehead, and a rotten arm came out of it. Puss and flesh iled about from the arm as it hovered beside Aldrich. This arm was the reason that had given Aldrich a premonition of something happening in theing years. This arm was the reason that had given him the strength to im that he could save the from this Doom. This arm was Broken Faith. The surrounding space shuddered as Aldrich felt the period of stagnation bing over. s, Aldrich had no n to plunge into his body this time. His white hair turned ck but soon turned white again. His eyes became ck, but the whiteness in them returned too. For a moment, the ck robe around him vanished, but it got pulled back and wrapped itself around Aldrich''s body again. A brilliant burst of Mana originated in the space just as everything seemed to return to normal. The fingers of the lifeless arm wriggled and moved up and down, sensing the influx of Mana. It faced a direction and was about to go away as if being called out by something. But how could Aldrich let it go so easily? Aldrich''s hand reached out and grabbed the arm. The fleshy tentacles wriggled and squirmed, but the arm seemed to be powerless in Aldrich''s grip. Aldrich tightened his grip over the arm and it burst out into pieces of flesh and blood. Even the ck rotten bones within the arm crumbled into dust. The ck robe iled like the vast Veil in the enormous Darkness. Aldrich hadn''t forgotten that thousands or millions of years ago this robe was part of that Veil too. Tiny ck threads separated from the veil and entangled around the pieces of the Arm. Aldrich stretched out his hand as the ck threads, along with flesh and bones, molted and took an outline of a sword. Aldrich felt the sting in his eyes and every part of his ethereal body felt being sliced open, as a sheathless ck Katana came into existence. Its de seemed to be made of flesh, but it also looked like it was made of bones. The katana''s handle had ck threads wrapped around in a diamond formation, and many of them just dangled down from the butt of the sword, like the hair of an old witch. This was the true form of Broken Faith. A sword that could slice through Dreams and Reality all the same. A sword that could be called one of the strongest Items in the Gxy. Chapter 86: The Collapsed Sky Chapter 86: The Copsed Sky nk! nkkk!!! The entire Earth rang up by the nking sound of swords. It didn''t matter if the swords were Mana Items, or normal ones, all vibrated with an unknown frequency. Those that were held up didn''t dare to remain upright and fell to the floor. Those that had emanated a powerful might be timid suddenly. Irrespective of them being a Dreamer or not, all eyes felt like being pricked by a needle. Their skin felt being sliced open, and those who had less willpower died a painful death. Even Barons were the same. Olivia could be seen twitching in one corner of the hall. Annie was panting with her disheveled hair and Logan had clenched his teeth as he tried to hold down the two daggers in his hands from running away. Worst of all was the look on Matsumoto Sho''s face. The Blizzard Swordmaster had been gripping his sword with all his strength. Unlike others, there were many wounds on his body that seemed like a product of a sword fight. As Sho''s sword shuddered with an unknown terror, showers of blood kept pouring out from his mouth. BANG! The sheath of the sword got sted into many pieces. Sho felt the incredible weight of the naked sword. His knees buckled and the bones in his upper body were about to shatter. The defiance on his face was absolute, but his sword might not survive the ordeal. nkkkk!!! Sho let go of the sword, and it struck the floor with a relief. Huff! Hufff!!! Sho sat down and looked around. Then his eyes moved up to the sky and ultimatelynded on the broken screen. The question which couldn''te out of other''s mouths finally got asked by him. "What''s happening!?" * "AAAAHHHHHH!" In a chamber of the holy pce within the Kingdom of Eternal Servant, blood-curdling screams had been ringing out for quite some time. Only a few highly ssified Healers could stand within this chamber. But even they didn''t dare to look or hear the state of King Antiochus with their naked eyes. The Holy being had seemed to lose his ethereal grace after the ''Assassination'' attempt. Puss and terrible itch had made the wound on his shoulder their home. Antiochus''s body had many gashes that kept oozing out blood and strange slimy liquid. The most unusual and horrifying was the image of a vast Veil that kept shing in and out of his eyes. The missing arm was the least of his worries. But today something reminded him of his arm. The arm that got ripped apart and the arm that he dared not to think about. Thousands of illusory ck threads seemed to prate his wound. Antiochus felt his lost arm again, but only for it to get shredded into pieces. The process of his arm molting and restructuring got transferred to him as vividly as possible. The screams that echoed in that chamber told a story of a lost Will of Repentance. * Aldrich eyed the cker than ck Katana in his hand. The witch-like hair on the butt of its handle kept iling around as if they were alive. The t of its de reflected the vast space like a mirror, and its edge was unseen with an unknown sharpness. Aldrich looked at the Stats and couldn''t help but take a deep breath. [ Item: Broken Faith Type: Sword Rank: King Durability: ??? Minimum Usage Condition: The Oldest One''s Authority Description: A Katana forged with some of the best materials in the Gxy. Gives a King''s Rank to the wielder for 3 seconds. Item-specific Skill: Dream Annihtion Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Turn the Reality into a Dream Item-specific Skill: One sh to Reign the Universe Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Disintegrate All Creation in its Path Warning: Unknown Warning: Unknown Warning: Unknown ...] 1st second Pop! Poppp!!! An iprehensible power coursed through Aldrich''s body. Popping sounds echoed in his Mana-rich surroundings and his hair lengthened to his waist. The ck robe extended to many miles and fluttered like a Veil floating in the darkness. Aldrich felt the presence of every being on the earth and his Divine Sense kept going outwards. Sun,s, and the farther ces yet to be discovered came into his vision like a clear picture. 2nd second "DREAM ANNIHILATION!" An incredibly mighty voice shuddered the surrounding space as Aldrich used the first Skill. A shock wave of Mana originated from the Katana and in the next instant, the shock wave covered everything in hundreds of thousands of miles. The space lost all colors, if it had any, in that area. The asteroid looked like a dull ball of gray dust, a figment of imagination. 3rd second "ONE SLASH TO REIGN THE UNIVERSE!" Aldrich''s hand stretched outward and pointed the Katana towards Heaven. He looked at the asteroid, with his eyes brimming with a Royal presence. Everything in this Dream seemed to be his Creation. All Creations within this dull space were for him to annihte. SLASH! Aldrich brought the Katana, and the asteroid disintegrated. s, that wasn''t the end. The space shattered like it was made of ss; the Mana shattered like it was not ethereal but solid, and the Reality lost its existence around Aldrich. 4th second Aldrich looked down and saw his ethereal body turning into dust. His actual body couldn''t be seen anywhere. His long white hair turned to dust, starting from their tips. Only the endless Veil kept fluttering like it had nothing to do with him. SWOOOSH!!!! A ck ball came into existence at the crumbling space, much like he had seen as a reward during Dungeon. But only now he realized what those ck balls were. The Wormhole sucked everything within it, leaving no trace behind. The crumbling pieces of Aldrich also got sucked into it. But something strange and truly incredible was happening at the corner of Veil. The devilish mask on Aldrich''s actual body wriggled as a mouth opened and devoured the lifeless body. A tentacle reached out towards the Katana as it was getting sucked. A shark-like mouth opened up at the tentacle''s end and devoured the Katan too. As the veil was getting sucked into the Wormhole, the mask leaped at it and bit down on one of its corners. 5th second Silence ruled again the emptiness of the space. Chapter 87: Aftermath Chapter 87: Aftermath What is the sound of space? Scientifically, it isn''t possible. But at that moment, all people on earth heard a sound like millions of mirrors had shattered simultaneously. Through naked eyes, or on the inte, almost all saw the distant Sky above them copsing before going back to normal. The only perceivable change was the absence of that blurry second moon. It would be better to describe it as being erased out of the Sky. The most immediate change was noticed through the calmed-down swords. The nking had stopped, and those who survived the torture of being sliced open had a brilliant sh in their eyes. Yet, no sh came close to an intensity that sipped out from Sho''s eyes. Sho picked up his sword, which seemed like a newborn child. It was like a butterfly popping out from a cocoon for the first time. Tiny ethereal blue and white snowkes appeared around him. If one could look at each of them individually, they would have found that these weren''t snowkes any longer. These were swords. Millions of swords poured around Sho like snow during a Blizzard. Sho''s hand shuddered as he carried the sword. The urge to sh something was unbearably exciting. "What just happened?" Sho asked, looking at Mr. Santino. Themand in his voice never had an edge so sharp. Mr. Santino put his hands on his ears, hearing the question. Sho looked at the miserable state of themon human and took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The ''snowkes'' around him vanished gradually and the thrill within him and his sword calmed down. Sho looked around and found Logan and Annie helping each other out. There were some changes about Logan too, but they weren''t as apparent as his. Edmund was standing against a wall with fire-like blood trying to burst out of his veins. "Somebody, transfer all the data to the second screen." Sho heard Mr. Santino voicing out some orders. The first screen had already be useless from Logan''s punch. Sho used his Divine Sense to check for any casualty, but it looked like other than Dreamers, most were the same as before. Tink! The second screen turned on as the Barons gathered and saw the first scene that most people had already seen. The Sky had shattered like a mirror and its shards got lost in the vastness of space. But they could see much more than an average human who could only wonder at this sight. "Bring up the live feed from the WSA''s space telescope." The World Space Administration had arge telescope in an orbit around the earth to observe distant parts of the Universe. And the objects in the Sr System if needed. The screen shed, and everyone saw the Masked Menace taking off his helmet. The visible remarks of disgust and scorns were quite audible to Sho. But unlike the three other Barons, his eyes had a trace of doubt in them. All looked with halted breaths as they saw the massive asteroid approaching the tiny spaceship hovering in space. But the sudden fluctuations on the screen took them by surprise. Sho''s mouth gaped at what he saw and he involuntarily took a step towards the screen. When the fluctuations receded and the unobstructed view came back, he saw the image of an ethereal being between the asteroid and the earth. "Who What is he?" Sho heard Edmund and others approaching behind him and had the same questions on their lips. To the amazement, fear, and horror of all the Barons, the white-haired being in his ck robe looked like nothing but a Divine messenger. His face wasn''t as clear as other things, but there was an incredible whiteness in his eyes that shimmered like two stars in the surrounding darkness. For some baffling reason, none could see the depthless dark hole in his forehead. Just as everyone was rooted in their ce, hoping to see what would happen, the screen shook again. Within the blurriness and tremendous vibrations, Sho chanced upon the shadow of a Katana, raised high in defiance of heaven''s might. Sho''s hand, gripping his Katana, shook. The pleasure and awe brought hotness to his throat and chest. Sho had never craved for something so much in his entire life. He knew what he wanted the moment he saw it. This feeling was unforgettable. By the time all could see clearly, everything had vanished from the telescope''s sight. There was neither a trace of an asteroid nor a trace of that being. None cared about a man that had gone alone to face the Doom. Onlyter did scientists theorize from the data that the unknown being had opened a wormhole to save the earth. Onlyter people got to know what had taken ce and what kind of apocalypse they had survived. And wherever there was talk of the asteroid, there was also the talk of a name. A name that had be more holy than any religion, and more reverential than any ritual. All prayed, thanked, and showed piety towards a being. A being that had transcendent reality and had arrived to save them from beyond the reaches of humanity. Their Savior, the God of White and ck. END OF VOLUME 1: FIRST EVOLUTION * Epilogue: "Grrrrrrghhh!" Drag! Draggg!!! In a metropolitan city, on an asphalt road, dragging sound reverberated along with heavy grunting noises. Aldrich peered through his heavy eyelids and saw the blurry sky. But in the next moment, the eyelids dropped shut again. His back felt itchy and from the pain in his hand, he thought someone was dragging him. He tried to speak or move, but his body didn''t respond to his call. The smoothness of the ck robe was still present on him. From the little Divine Sense he could use, he saw his white hair and the hole in his forehead. The helplessness gave him a weird feeling, so he struggled to open his eyes one more time. The Sky was still blue but now there was a notification shing in between. [5 Dreamers have entered your Dungeon] Chapter 88: 3 Stories Chapter 88: 3 Stories "A shot of vodka." "10 CMC." "10? 10 fucking Common Mana Cores! Why not just rob me?" "Taketh it or leave it, yeh bastard! Plenty of yeh roacheseth and goeth all the time around here. And don''t even bother showing me yeur faceth hidden under that fucking hat." The man seated at the bar lifted his hat, anyway. "Ye" The old man''s eye went wide as he recognized the identity of the man sitting among the crowd of many drunk men. His wrinkled throat felt dry, and he forgot to breathe. The vodka in his hand shook as he poured half a cup, spilling some on the old but clean wooden bar. Gulp! Gulppp!!! With two big chugging sounds, the old man emptied the cup. His other hand went to his bald head and coursed through it, erasing any trace of sweat. Buried deep in his skull were his two whitish eyes. But despite the blurriness in them, they reflected a clear image of the man in front of him. There was a thick blue beard on the man''s sunburned face. His blue eyes and blue fair could have made him stand out if not for the shadow of his hat. And there was a horizontal scar just under his left eye with three old stitches over it. Thwack! The old man mmed the oversized shot ss, but in the overcrowded tavern, it caught no attention. "Hah! So yeh haveth returned. Well Very well. 3 CMC then, tch!" The old man tsked and reluctantly served a ss of vodka to this strange but familiar customer. "Come on, old man. Don''t be like this! For the sake of times, huh?" The man lifted the ss and made a gesture to toast. The old man couldn''t help but raise his empty ss in reply. None had dared to refuse a toast from this man. Surely, the old man didn''t want to be the first either. Clink! "From Death!" "To Death!" This was the only time that there was a reverential and pious look surfaced on the old man''s face. Even the pride on the blue-haired man''s face subsided a little. The old man took out another bottle from the shelf behind him. As he refilled the vodka shot, the man''s words made his ears twitch with irritation. "What''s the fresh story around here? You know, it''s been a long time since I resurfaced." The old man took a deep breath and leaned forward. At this age, the old man had lost the hardness in his dick, but he was still proud of knowing many stories. Especially the ones that came from the other side of his world. "There isn''t any story." "Ah! What? No ''Story''?" The disbelief in the man''s blue eyes was quite apparent. The old man was waiting for this exact expression. These expressions gave him excitement in his boring life. A smile struggled its way upon his face as he feebly said. "Yes, no story. But ''Stories'' Tomiv, I haveth stories." Tomiv tipped his hat down on his face again and leaned forward too. The old man felt a sour breath mixed with the sweet smell of vodka. He was about to move backward when he saw Tomiv taking out a sizable chunk of rock wrapped in a piece of cloth. The old man''s hand went towards the eye-catchy thing and lifted it in his hand. He let his hand feel the weight and one of his old eyebrows went up in surprise. "A Rareth Mana Core? This will be barely enough." "Your greed will be the end of you, old man." Tomiv took out two more simr cores and despite the disapproval on Old man''s face, all three were soon moved away from the sight. The old man again leaned forward, but this time, the breath he smelled wasn''t as sour as before. "Haveth you heard of the Eldest Princess of Kingdom of Divine Beast?" "Hmm? Do you mean General Eydis? Humph! Who hasn''t heard of her? Isn''t she the one who got promoted to the rank of General some 1 and half years ago?" "Yes, that''s her. She hadth spawned wings after bing a General and started to flush out traffickers from the 1st Quadrant. I haveth heard that the ck Wolves ambushed her along with three fucking Dukes fromth the Hallowed Phantom." "3 Dukes?" The old man imagined Tomiv''s raised eyebrows seeing his perked-up tanned ears. "That isn''t the endth of it, Tomiv." "Hmm? "Lt. General Bouda, that niece of Queen, I heardth she was with her too. A few saidth that" "Oi, Oiii! Old man! Hup! Another ss here!" The old man''s sentence got cut off by a shout in the distance. Nothing pissed off this old man more than when someone broke his flow while telling a story. "Fuckth Off! Yeh fucking rotches! Let Death imth you in your next raid." Spit came flying from the Old man''s mouth. The few teeth were like a piece of jewelry in his mouth; shiny, but scarce. None took the old man''s words to heart. These curses were quite normal in the Boneless Tavern. Another skinny man with heavy eyebags came out from the door by the shelf behind the old man. "Don''t giveth a drop more to these rats!" The old man shouted, looking at the skinny man, and took a deep breath. He looked at the tavern''s old roof, trying to recall what he was saying. "Bouda, Niece, Eydis" The old man heard Tomiv''s words and continued the story from where he had left it. "A few saidth that they saw a shadow of a Golden Luan there. You knowth what that means, right?" He winked at Tomislov, not caring that there was a brown hat between his and Tomiv''s eyes. "Golden Luan? How can that be possible? Isn''t that family" "Shhh! Not here, Tomiv. Don''t taketh that name here." The old man clenched Tomiv''s hand and let it go as suddenly as he had held it. He backed off as the narration was over and took a big gulp of vodka right from the bottle. But the next words of Tomiv almost made him choke on that drink. "What about the third story?" Cough! Cough!!! "Thirdth? What nonsense are yeh talking abouth?" "Old man, don''t hide it from me. What''s the story behind that strange Dungeon?" Chapter 89: Christin Chapter 89: Christin The Boneless Tavern Christin looked at the name written in bold letters on a wooden board. It wouldn''t be strange if not for the four sentences carved under it. -No Perception -No Bargaining -No woman with Big Tits Christin stared at thest condition and then looked down at her chest. They were perky and of the size of two ripe oranges. Her jacket let out a trace of her smooth cleavage, which shimmered with a few drops of sweat. She tucked a few strands of purple hair behind her ear and a pinkish blush came upon her cheeks. ''They They seem alright, I guess!'' Even this little thing made her rethink her decision to go in and seek her captain. But then her eyes chanced upon the little writing at the very bottom of the wooden board. -No conditions apply to a woman with Big Ass A slight smile surfaced on her lips, and she pulled the tavern''s door. Creakkkk! The excessive creaking noise of the doors seemed to be a deliberate attempt to announce a new customer. The buzzing of drunk Dreamers stopped for a moment. Christin felt the eyes of many men staring daggers at her butt, which seemed to burst out from her tight pants. There were a few sounds of gulping here and there, and most of the men almost stood up. The lure of those round and juicy things was undeniably irresistible. But before anyone could even move, Christin unbuttoned her jacket. There was a ck sports bra under her white jacket, which made her unnoticeable breasts stand out even more. The men, not savoring the beauty of that well-ced cleavage, had their eyes nted on the tattoo around her belly button. "That" Christin heard a few gasps and the men sitting back down, not daring to approach her anymore. Several women in the Tavern seemed to be intimidated by her arrival too. She flicked her yellowish hat and made her way towards her captain. The towering man in front of her had already stood up from his stool and was looking at her with his face hidden by his hat. "A ss of milk." Christin took a seat beside Tomiv and ordered her usual drink. She didn''t like the way the Old man in front of her had been staring through her at her butt, but she had be used to such things at this ce. "Let me touch that ass and you can haveth all milk you want." Christin saw a drool dripping down from the corner of the Old man''s mouth and she couldn''t help but force her eyebrows together in disgust. But a hand had already got wrapped around her huge butt, to the shock of many. Christin felt the tight grip of Tomiv''s hand, squeezing and caressing her ass as he addressed the old man. "Lay off old man, these things are mine." Clink! Crankk!!! Many sses shattered in the hands of men and precious drinks got spilled. The men in the tavern almost raged out as they saw some unknown idiot enjoying the feeling they couldn''t. But then they remembered the tattoo on that t and sweaty belly and guessed who this man could be. Christin felt the low pitch murmurs behind her and knew she had done something stupid again. She looked at her captain and saw a smile on his face. She let out a breath of relief and leaned towards him to whisper. "The Count''s son is making a ruckus." "Again?!" Christin gave a slight nod as she felt the shock in Tomiv''s voice. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a few Dreamers silently leaving the tavern, trying their best to not let the door creak. "Today''s your lucky day, Chinwendu. Death would im you some other time." Thump! Christin heard Tomiv''s words as he called out to his old partner without looking back. She did not know that the fat man seated in the corner was her captain''s acquaintance. But the fatty''s panicked expression as he ran out of the tavern with a loud thump made her recall something. "Is he" "Yeah, but we can''t afford to catch the eye of big shots today." Christin acknowledged the gravity of Tomiv''s exnation. They surely couldn''t afford any mistake today. "Here!" She saw the old man handing over her drink. Christin held therge ss of milk and gulped it down in a single go. A few streams of extra white milk dripped down from the corner of her mouth on her bare cleavage and ravaged her breasts from within. The sports bra couldn''t absorb all of it and the remaining drops of milk made their way down to her belly button. "Ah! This taste!" Christin''s cherry-red tongue ran over her lips, catching any stray drop it could. A satisfied moan came out of her mouth as she felt the smooth sensation of traces of milk in her throat. Thwack!!! "That''s it! For Death''s sake, taketh her out of here, Tomiv. The soft parts ofth my body can''t handle it anymore." "Haha! Very well, thanks for the stories, old man. Let''s go, Christin." Christin put down the ss and tilted her head in bewilderment as she heard the conversation between the two men. She followed Tomiv out of the tavern and asked the thing that had been eating her. "Captain, did you get any information on the Dungeon?" Christin saw the frown on Tomiv''s face and knew something wasn''t as favorable to them as they had thought. "Yeah, I did. The words around spoke of many Parties perishing in the third level of the Separation." "Hmm? But isn''t that normal?" "No. It would have been if those weren''t the Parties having all members as Barons." "What? How What were Parties of all Barons doing in the third level, to begin with?" The shock in Christin''s eyes and voice was justified in her ce. There was no point in such a Party raiding a Dungeon having a Baron level Boss. She couldn''t help but stop and asked out her doubt. "Who''s the Boss of that Dungeon?" "None know Christin It''s like the sculpture appeared there suddenly 6 months ago. Our only clue is this piece of parchment given by the Count." Christin leaned over and saw the blurry words. "The God of White and ck?!" Chapter 90: Venomous Rose Chapter 90: Venomous Rose Dungeons didn''t just pop out of nowhere in the world of RECORD. Every Dungeon had a story, lore, and a legend about it. One could find it documented in holy scrolls or whispered by word of mouth from the distant past to the foreseeable future. Those who were yet to leave the shell called Barren Earth wouldn''t know about these well-known facts. "I have never heard of this God before!?" Christin asked with a curious look in her eyes. Tomiv rolled the piece of parchment and put it back in his pockets. "Neither have I. But that is not the point to wonder about." "Huh? Then what is it? Tell me, tell me?" Christin started to yfully jump around Tomiv. Her sports bra did a pretty good job of securing her boobs from iling about. Unfortunately, the tightness of her pants couldn''t handle the torture it was being subjected to. Rippppp!!! With a massive tearing sound, her pants got ripped apart from just under her hips. As the rest of the pants fell, only a part of them stayed around her hips. It looked as if she was wearing low-rise ultra shorts. "How How many times have I told you not to do that?" Click! Tomiv rebuked Christin and snapped his fingers. The fell-down part of the pants vanished without a trace and the milky thighs with a pinkish tinge got revealed for the pleasure of many eyes. "So Sorry Captain!" Sniff! "Oh,e on! Don''t cry over it." "Sniff! Okay!" The redness in Christin''s eyes was unbearable for Tomiv, so he couldn''t help but continue with his exnation. "The thing to wonder about is not the Dungeon itself, but how the Lord of an entire from a distant Kingdom got to know about it." "Oh!" Christine, on the verge of crying, got taken aback as she heard Tomiv''s words. A ponderous expression appeared on her face and she narrowed her eyes. But soon, the ensuing headache from overthinking forced her out to reality. "You might someday overthink yourself to death." "Hehe, I am sure the captain would be there to bury me if that happens." Christin leaped towards Tomiv and wrapped her arms around his big biceps. A slight smile came upon his face, but then he looked at her thighs. The dust had done little to bring down the air of lust around them. ''Sigh! This might be a problem.'' A thought passed through Tomiv''s mind as they entered the mayor''s house. The guards standing outside didn''t mind the two iers and let them pass as if they were air. Tomiv and Christin took a turn into a long corridor and, at its entrance, they found a man leaning against the wall. The man had sunken eyes, cheeks, and nose. His white-strips-like clothing made him look like a wrapped mummy. Even weirder were the few bugs that kepting out of his ears and crawled back into him from his mouth. "What are you doing here, Berb?" Tomiv looked at thest member of his small team, who was supposed to remain around the young Viscount. Buzz! Wheee!!! The corridor rang out with the rattling of many insects and whistling of crickets as Berb approached his captain and gave a reply. "I couldn''t handle" "What you couldn''t handle?" Christin asked as soon as Berb paused at the end of his sentence. He gave her an annoyed look, and the bizarre buzzing noise intensified around him. " it anymore." "It''s that bad, huh!" Tomiv took a deep breath and carried on to the end of the corridor, with both of his teammates following him. A loud noise ofughter and music came out from the door on his left. Tomiv paused for a bit before taking a step in. The scene within the dining hall had changed little before he had left for the tavern. Sprawled over a sofa, surrounded by many girls, was the Count''s son. A girl, with an obviously higher status than others, was on hisp. One of her hands kept caressing his red hair and feeding him grapes with the other. His white coat had an image of a red rose over his left chest pocket. The red rose had a drop of green liquid about to be dropped from one of the many thorns. That was the insignia of the House Venomous Rose. And the young man in the whtie attire was Viscount Trifon Goranov, son of Count Drago Goranov. "Ah! You have returned Tomiv." The Viscount looked at the newly arrived group, and his eyes chanced upon Christin''s thighs. The ck-haired beauty on hisp brought a few grapes towards his mouth, but he pped her hand away. Tomiv saw the lecherous look in Trifon''s eyes and secretly let out a breath of helplessness. He took off his hat and his shoulder-long blue hair fell like a waterfall. "Greetings, my lord. I have found some information. We can start the journey as soon as youmand." Trifon was still staring at Christin''s perky ass and her thighs. The visible noise of swallowing his saliva came out from him as he looked away from her. Tomiv noticed the incredible hate in the eyes of the beauty on hisp as she looked at Christin. And the fat mayor on his side shared that look because that beauty was his daughter. "Ah yes, yes. I am getting bored here, anyway." The mayor lunged towards the Viscount and said to him, trying to hide the panic in his voice as much as he could. "My lord, my lord. You have juste. Why not stay for the night and go in the morning? I have brought some gifts for you." "Yes, my lord. I I too have prepared a gift for you." The mayor''s daughter followed her father''s lead and whispered in Viscount''s ears, forcing a grape down Viscount''s throat. "Hmm! Ok, we will go tomorrow then." Tomiv couldn''t help but shake his head. He didn''t me the father and daughter for their shameless behavior. If he were to be in his ce, he would have also grabbed every chance to get out of this damned ce called the Death Separation. Chapter 91: Sea of White Death Chapter 91: Sea of White Death "With all due respect, Viscount Trifon, I would advise against that." The expectant faces of the Mayor and his daughter crumbled as they heard Tomiv''s words. "I have alreadymanded. How dare you speak against that?" Trifon was instantly outraged and stood up, throwing off the beauty on hisp. None dared to go against his wishes and yet a mere nobody had questioned his decision? The term Viscount wasn''t empty but a Rank, bestowed by the RECORD. Trifon took a step towards the calm-faced Tomiv, but a hand reached out from behind him and held down his shoulder. "Sit down, Trifon! Let him speak." This hand belonged to a middle-aged man with ck hair and a light beard. One could see the traces of strands of white hair here and there, only if someone dared to stare at him for long to notice them. His clothing was the same as that of the young Viscount, yet not nearly white as that of him. Only the deep ck eyes spoke of the experiences that he must have gone through in his life. "Uncle?" This man was the older brother of Count Goranov, Viscount Rayko Goranov. "Have you already forgotten what your father told you to do?" Rayko narrowed his eyes at his nephew and Trifon couldn''t help but slump back down on the sofa reluctantly. The trickles of hate towards Tomiv were still present in Trifon''s eyes. Rayko looked at Tomiv, his hand still on Trifon''s shoulder, and said as if reciting a passage from a book. "Beyond the 5th level in the Death Separation, there is the Sea of White Death. And none had crossed it since the beginning of time. But one man had seen the shore on the other side" " Is it true, Tomiv, the Strongest Adventurer?" Tomiv''s eyes met with those of Rayko''s. The silence ensued for a brief second before Tomiv put back his hat and shook his head. "Even if it''s true, my Lord, I wouldn''t know about it. I am just a man who had seen a little of everything and got scared by the horrors hidden beneath the little rocks." "HAHAHAHA!" Viscount Rayko was about to say something when Trifon burst out withughter. "Strongest what now? Uncle, you are funny sometimes. If he is strong, then what am I? If he is strong, then what about you, who is on the brink of bing a Count? And if he is strong, then what about them?" Trifon pointed towards a corner of the hall. Three people with simr clothing as that of the pair of uncle and nephew were standing there. It seemed like they had nothing to do with what was going on around them. They didn''t have the insignia on their breast pocket but a in white mask on their face. This mask didn''t have any eyeholes, no mouth holes, and not even holes for breathing. Only a big rose with deep green liquid dripping from its thorns was on this mask. "The RECORDLESS!" The high pitch voice of the mayor''s daughter rang out in the hall. She realized her mistake and put a hand over her mouth as soon as she had spoken out. Trifon looked at her with utter disgust, but then a smile appeared on his face. "That''s right, the Recordless!" His hand reached out towards her and traced the edges of her beautiful face with his fingers as he continued his words. "Humph! He isn''t strong, Uncle. He is just another worm who didn''t have the galls to be a Viscount." Viscount Rayko heard his nephew''s words and took his hand off his shoulder. Despite the harsh words, he too believed that the title given by other Dreamers to Tomiv had no real meaning. But he knew when it was the time to speak and when it was the time to listen. He looked at Tomiv and asked. "Why do you think we should move out today?" "The location of this Dungeon is almost on the boundary between 3rd and 4th level. Even with the fastest method, it would take 3 days to reach there." Tomiv was about to continue when Trifon cut him off and scoffed at the blue-haired adventurer. "3 days? Humph! Our spaceships are the fastest within 100 Sr Systems. You people can''t even imagine how much one of them costs." Tomiv, Christin, Berb, the mayor, and even Viscount Rayko looked at Trifon as if he was an idiot. But only Tomiv exined while all the others kept their opinion to themselves. "My Lord, it doesn''t matter how expensive any spaceship is or how fast it is. Once you enter the first level of the Death Separation, they would all be useless. The fog from the Sea reached up to the entrance of the first level, rotting any metal in the air or on thend. And during high tide, the Sea level came up to almost the same location as this Dungeon. If we want to avoid getting trapped, we must leave by tonight." Tomiv took a deep breath following the long string of words and just hoped that at least half of it would get through Trifon''s head. But hope had a fickle nature, to begin with. "Trapped? Do you think a mare Baron-level Dungeon can trap me? Do you even know who I am? I am the future Lord of" ROARRRRRRRR!!! A ground and space-shaking roar deafened the ears of all present in the hall and anything alive within 1000 miles around the town. It didn''t matter if one was a mere guard or a Level 40 Viscount, all had their knees buckled under the sheer might of that roar. Cough! Cough!!! Tomiv struggled to stand up and coughed out a mouthful of blood, reddening his blue-beard. His legs shook in fear and terror as he found Viscount Rayko, also sprawled on the floor, with blood pouring out from all of his pores. Except for the two of them, the others hadpletely passed out. Tomiv''s and Rayko''s eyes met as they both stuttered the same words simultaneously. "A A Dragon?!" Chapter 92: Abyss Chapter 92: Abyss "He is here again." In the sky, there was a Red Dragon, spanning thousands of miles. Only a few scales on its body could have covered up the entire town underneath it. Two men looked at the mythical creature through a hole in the roof as the shadow, cast by the Dragon, became a night for the town. "He indeed is." Unlike the bleeding and cowering sentient beings, who had heard the Red Dragon''s roar, these two men were casually standing at their ce. The older of them took out a paintbrush as a paper materialized in front of him and started to paint this terrifying but beautiful scene. Colors came running at the tip of the brush as if they were a part of a race. The Red Dragon, despite its vast size, didn''t take long to pass over the town. But miraculously, the painting had also beenpleted within those few moments. ''Miracle'' was the right word to describe this painting, as one could hardly differentiate it from Reality. Even the raging heat left behind the Dragon seemed to be imprisoned within this painting. "How is it?" The old man''s head had almost touched the roof. His long white hair reached down to his knees and his short white beard wasbed neatly. There were no freckles on his face, but a trace of tiredness was still present. He wasn''t overly muscr and his lean figure was the embodiment of a bamboo tree''s toughness. Nothing was worth remembering about this old man, save for his eyes. It felt like someone had dug out his original pupils and had reced them with seven-colored pearls. The colors of a rainbow churned within his eyes, like a confluence of seven rivers with their color and personality. "My Lord, it''s brilliant." The other person, who replied, had no distinct features. His robe, his face, his eyes, and everything about him seemed to be covered in countless shadows. The reverence in his voice was undeniably apparent. "You think? Hmm It''s just passable." As the old man shrugged, the paintbrush along with the painting vanished. Both men looked at the tip of the Red Dragon''s tail on the horizon and saw it approaching the Sea beyond many levels of the Death Separation. "My Lord, can he cross it this time?" The old man heard the question and a slight smile came upon his face. He turned towards the Shadow-Wearer as if looking into his eyes. No shadow couldst in the presence of those seven colors, fluctuating within the old man''s eyes. "This isn''t the question of ''Can''. Even an ant can cross the Sea of White Death." The Shadow-Wearer took a deep breath, hearing the reply, and couldn''t help but ask more. "You mean anyone can cross it? Then why the Red Dragon couldn''t a few months back?" "Haha! He couldn''t because he wasn''t willing enough. The Dragons are known for their mighty Perception. s, the Will has nothing to do with it." Creak!!! The Old man left the pondering Shadow-Wearer and sat down on a chair. The chair creaked under him but it didn''t dare to fall apart without the Old man''s permission. The Shadow-Wearer too approached the chair, but sat down on the floor, like students in front of their teacher in the old times. "My Lord, you I have found out in thest centuries that that you have been on the other side of the Sea of White Death. Whaty beyond the end of the Separations?" The Old man felt quite amused at the question, as shown by his arched-up eyebrows and yful smile. Soon, the seven colors in his eyes deepened as he recalled a distant memory. "You want a history lesson?!" The old man looked at the Sky, recovering its color, through the hole and asked the man on the floor. The Shadow-Wearer got taken aback and an unseen sh of light glowed in his eyes, covered by the shadows. He knew the worth of every single word spoken by this old man. Even if it would be only a single sentence, a lesson in history from him could surpass thousands of archaic scrolls. He put his forehead on the warm wooden floor and reverently said. "My Lord, your student awaits your teachings." The old man nodded at him and gestured him to straighten his posture. "What are the general facts known about the Four Separations?" "My Lord, it is known that the four kingdoms in the Gxy have no distinct boundaries. Instead, there are four strips between them, stretching from the center of the Gxy to its outermostyers. These four strips are called the Four Separations. And currently, we are in the Death Separation, which separates the Kingdom of Eternal Servant from the Kingdom of Swordless." The Shadow-Wearer gave a general outline and looked at the Old man expectantly. "Reasonable exnation, but not entirely correct." "What" "The Separations don''t originate from the center of the Gxy. There is another region that lies between them and the Gxy''s center." For the first time, fear took over the Shadow-Wearer as all shadows shuddered. "A ABYSS?!" The old man''s slight nod gave an icy shiver to the Shadow-Wearer''s spine. "My Lord, then how, NO What did you see beyond the Death Separation?" The Old man''s hand reached out towards the Shadow-wearer and patted his head. "Isn''t it obvious? I saw DEATH." The Shadow-Wearer felt the warm sensation of that hand and before he could ask more, the old man cut him off. "Let''s go, they have gained consciousness." The Old man stood up and approached a door in a corner. With every step, he became smaller and frail. He lost his hair, and the colors in his eyes disappeared. As he opened the door, no trace of his past self from a second ago could be found on him. Creakkk!!! Lying against the legs of tables. drunk men were struggling to stand up, holding their bottles of rum and vodka. And many were still coughing out blood as their ears rang in remembrance of that Roar. "Look at yeh fucking roaches! Let Death im anyone who doesn''t clean up his shit fromth mine tavern''s floor?" Chapter 93: Viscount Trifon Chapter 93: Viscount Trifon "Christin, Berb, are you okay?" Christin heard her captain''s voice and felt some liquid passing through her mouth and down her throat. As soon as the liquid entered her stomach, she felt a cool sensation reaching the furthest part of her body. The heavy ringing in her ears and ckness in front of her vanished gradually. The first scene she saw was Tomiv crouched over her, with traces of blood on the corner of his mouth. "Captain! What happened? Ugh!" The sight made her sat up suddenly, resulting in a nailing pain on the side of her head. As the pain subsided, she found Berb sitting beside her. His rough breathing and the many insects around him told her he must have gone through a simr experience. "Don''t worry about it." Christin saw the slight frown on Tomiv''s face despite his caring words. She looked around and found almost all had beenying on the floor, including the mayor and his daughter. Behind Tomiv, she saw Viscount Rayko helping his nephew on the sofa. The only thing that bewildered her was the way Rayko kept looking at her captain. "Damn! What was that?" She heard the disgusting voice of Trifon as her captain went to check up on the mayor and his daughter. She looked at a far corner and found the three Recordless standing as they had before she had lost consciousness. Drops of red blood trickled down from their masks and their knee kept shaking, resisting the urge to fall again. "It was the Roar of a Dragon." ''Dragon?!'' Christin''s mind jolted as she heard the word. She didn''t know how Viscount Rayko even knew if it was a Dragon or not, but the word ''Dragon'' itself was enough to make her gasp in shock. "So it''s true! Father said that there was news of a Dragon a few months back here. Haha!" Christin felt amazed at how quick the bastard Trifon had recovered without even using any potion. The strength of a Viscount truly was out of her estimations. But strength alone couldn''t keep anyone alive in the Death Separation and she knew of a living example personally. "Well, they are done for." She looked at her captain, who was shaking his head as he checked up on the mayor and his daughter. "You got your wish then, huh, strongest whatever? Now there is no point in staying here any longer." Christin saw Trifon looking at the mayor''s daughter. She couldn''t understand why the idiot would say that, but then she found him looking at her with those repulsive eyes. She didn''t mind men looking at her, but there was some deep itch in her heart whenever the young Viscount looked at her. "Cap Captain? Was it really a Dragon?" She lightly approached Tomiv and tried to hide behind his wide shoulders. "Humph! You think my uncle is lying? Hmm, if you want to, I can kill that Dragon for you. Haha!" "SHUT UP!" THWACK!!! Christin was wondering how theughing Trifon would kill a Dragon when Viscount Rayko shouted at his nephew and hit him on the back of his head. She also saw the shadow of deep fear on her captain''s face. The way these two men stared at the roof, waiting for a bolt of lightning to strike them down, gave her a chill. The entire situation was just too bizarre for her to handle, and the corner of her eyes became wet. The only thing she could do was to nt her face in Tomiv''s chest and not think about what was going on. "Shh! It''s okay! Sigh My Lord, I don''t know what they say about Dragons on your. But.. For Death''s sake, don''t utter those words again." She heard the pacifying voice of Tomiv, which gained a reprimanding tone halfway. But the next voice that must havee out of Viscount Rayko''s mouth made her look over at the sofa. "Trifon, you fool! If only you weren''t my brother''s son, I swear Humph! Tomiv, prepare to leave immediately. The sooner we clear that Dungeon the better your rewards will be." Christin followed Tomiv as he walked towards Berb. "Berb, tell the three coachmen to prepare the carriages. If we leave now, we can reach there by tomorrow night." * Three carriages made their way out of the town. If one were to observe carefully they would notice that there was nothing metallic on and within these carriages. The path they were running on was well known, but their destination had be a dreadful topic in the mouth of many Dreamers. The carriages were getting pulled by three enormous gray lizards with deep ck spots. Their speed wasn''t any slower than the fastest Baron-level Dreamer. These were the only creatures who could travel through the mist from the Sea of Whtie Death without losing their momentum. The ck-spotted Undead Lizards were not dead, but notpletely alive either. Tomiv and his crew were in the first carriage leading the group, and the three Recordless were in thest. The middle carriage was bigger than the other two and the two Viscounts were seated opposite to each other in it, drinking pale golden wine. "Ouch! That sure hurts, Uncle." "You were asking for it. Humph? Kill a Dragon? What were you even thinking?" "Tch! I got carried away. Anyway, How was it? They looked pissed off, right?" Viscount Rayko put down his drink and a slight smile came upon his face. "You piece of overacting brat! Had your fun, huh?" The yfulness and naivety that had imed the throne on Trifon''s face vanished suddenly. His eyes became sharp like a leopard on the hunt. Trifon took shiny but transparent spectacles out of his pockets and put them on. "It isn''t easy to act like a spoiled brat, you know? I just hope that Tomiv hasn''t noticed anything odd about me. There is something deeply wrong with that guy." Trifon nudged his sses and the pair of uncle and nephew looked at each other. "I am also worried about the way he held up hearing the King''s roar." As they mentioned the King, a deep feeling of greed and fear passed by their eyes. Viscount Rayko took out apass-like object. There were no markings in it, and it had only one red needle. Trifon took thepass off Rayko''s hand and stared at the shaking tip of the needle. "Haha! I thought all the Darklings had be extinct in thest Gctic War." Chapter 94: An Irresistible Offer Chapter 94: An Irresistible Offer "It''s known throughout the Gxy. Quite a blow to the Kingdom of Life-Authority." Viscount Raykomented on Trifon''s remark. The Darklings were pure Mana-based creatures, exclusive to the 4th Quadrant. Even before thest Gctic War, they were the rarest species of their kind within the Gxy. It was nothing but a matter of jawbreaking surprise when Count Drago called his brother and his son to send them on an assignment. Trifon nudged his ss and returned thepass to his uncle as he said. "I am more concerned about how father got his hands on thispass and the data on this Dungeon. Especially considering the fact that we are deep in the 3rd quadrant and have nothing to do with the Death Separation. Huh! I wouldn''t have even wanted toe here if not for the ''Dragon''." Trifon''s voice became meek as he approached thest word of his sentence. One mistake was already enough, who knows the heaven might spare him the next time or not. "Sigh! It''s not my ce topel your father to tell me about all the details. I have made my peace with it decades ago. But you, you are the heir to his chair. Hmm, how old are you again?" Trifon slightly parted the curtain and looked outside through the paned ss window. The sky seemed to be darker and all things on the ground felt rotten. Puddles of boiling ck liquid could be seen here and there. His gaze moved towards the direction they were heading to and in the far distance, he saw a massive wall-like mountain almost touching the sky. It felt like if there was something beyond that mountain, it must be another world altogether. "77. Uncle, you have survived a Gctic War. What was it like?" Viscount Rayko was about to empty the wine when he paused. His eyelids quivered for a second before gulping down thest drops of sweet-spicy wine. "I was only 28 years old. Young and thirsty for blood, women, and power" Rayko put his hands on the chair''s armrest. His eyes were nted at the vast lifelessnd that could be seen through that little opening made by Trifon. Without realizing it, he tightly squeezed the armrest. Crrrrkkk! "Uncle!" Trifon''s low shout took Rayko out of his strange state, saving the destruction of the fine chair. The young Viscount poured another ss of wine for his uncle, who seemed to have rough breathing as he had juste out from a bitter fight. "Trifon, all I can say is that time is the period in one''s life when it''s the hardest to distinguish friends from foes. Even for someone having brains like yours." * In the first carriage, Christin was sleeping with her head on Tomiv''sp. Opposite to them on the carriage''s wooden floor was Berb. There was palm size pyramid in his hands with mystical symbols carved over it. Strange rattles and buzz of thousands of insects came out of his mouth as he kept muttering iprehensible words. Tomiv eyed the object, and for a moment he felt like the symbols were wiggling like worms. Even though it was an illusion, as he believed, he couldn''t help but turn his head away. Through the corner of his eyes, he saw Berb touching the object on his forehead and keeping it back in his pocket. "Do you ever get a reply? Or is it just a one-way link?" "Captain, I don''t understand. Why must we doubt an existence before having faith in it?" Tomiv looked down at the perky breasts touching his thighs and the calmness on Christin''s face. He lowered his voice and replied to Berb. "I''ll tell you why. Because it''s fucking nonsense! The Pyramid God and the Mummified Goddess are nothing but a figment of imagination, made up to take advantage of good and innocent folks." Buzzzz!!! Crunchh!!! The buzzing of bugs intensified around Tomiv and within Berb. A slim but long red caterpir came out of Berb''s right ear with click-cking noise and entered back into his body through his nose. "Captain, his Name is" "Berb! For fuck''s sake, don''t you dare utter any Name here!" Silent reign for a brief period within the carriage. Tomiv''s hand reached out towards the bottle of Vodka and took two big gulps of it. The burning sensation itched his throat as he threw the bottle to Berb. "Drink! We are approaching the Tomb." Tomiv nodded, seeing drops of vodka dripping from the corner of Berb''s mouth. "Ugh! How can one enjoy such a thing?" "Stop fucking around, Berb. Did you hear anything?" Berb closed his eyes and shook his hand in refusal. "Damn it! That pair of uncle and nephew are definitely hiding something. I can''t believe even your bugs can''t hear a wording out from that carriage." "Captain, even if they have some ulterior motives, what does that have to do with us?" Tomiv''s fingers ran over the milky smooth thighs of Christin. Contrary to his actions, his eyes gained a certain depth, familiar but ever mysterious to the eyes of his teammates. "I have heard about House Venomous Rose, Berb. Would you believe me if I tell you that there was a Duke among their ancestors?" "What?! How" The shock was so great that Berb couldn''tplete his words. "Humph! Are you feeling the pressure now? Bing a Duke, especially in the Kingdom of Swordless, is like scaling the Peakless Mountain of Billion Beasts. And that kind of family fell to the level of Count overnight? How can things be that simple, huh!" The absurdness of the situation had surpassed the logic for Berb. Tomiv could feel the huge conflict of emotions Berb must have been going through now. "Tomiv Then why did you ept their proposal to guide them? What could they possibly give you to ept such risks?" Sigh! The carriage stopped and the chamber within got filled with the heaviness of Tomiv''s sighing. He gazed at the humongous mountain-like Tombstone that had covered the sky, through the window, and the enormous dark opening in the ground under it. His hand reached out towards the door as his answer, filled with helplessness, reverberated into Berb''s ears. "An Oath Breaking Stone." Chapter 95: Sleeping Beauty Chapter 95: Sleeping Beauty Tomiv stepped out of the carriage, followed by Berb and a groggy Christin. The two Viscounts too approached them, but there was no hint of the 3 Recordless. Sharing no words, they all looked at the massive tombstone, trying to rece the sky. At its foot, just a few hundred meters away from the group, was a chasm. A chasm so big and deep that one could hardly see its edges on left and right, or its depth. It was like someone had dug up a grave, but forgot to stop shoveling and kept going on. For it was no doubt that what they were looking at was indeed a grave. The only question that had puzzled the historians and sages was, whose grave was it? "So this is the famous Tomb?" Tomiv heard Viscount Trifon''s remark and nodded his head. The silence and eerie feeling that wasing out of the chasm was already loud enough. "Will this be your first time going through a Natural Teleportation Point, My Lord?" Yes, the entire grave under the tombstone was a means of reaching the first level of the Death Separation. The Gxy was incredibly vast and the distances to cover were far and wide. Without the use of teleportation, one lifetime wouldn''t be enough to go from one level to another. The 4 Kingdoms and the UGF had established countless teleportation points throughout the Gxy. And this number was increasing with every passing second. But some ces couldn''t be essed through artificial teleportation. Like the levels of Death Separation. The mist made the technology and materials used for setting up teleportation-point worthless. In Death Separation, one could only use these graves to travel from one level to another. "Are you trying to mock me?" The sudden senseless question from the Viscount Trifon caught Tomiv off guard. He felt any further conversation with this degenerate of a Dreamer would be meaningless. Through the corner of his eyes, he saw Trifon approaching him and he couldn''t help but sigh internally. Tomiv and Trifon''s eyes met for a moment before he saw the young Viscount looking past him with lustful eyes. He turned around and saw Christin staring at the chasm, with slight fear and sleepiness on her face that gave her an irresistible charm. "She is riding with me." Tomiv narrowed his eyes and found Trifon licking his lips. He looked at the red hair of the Viscount, a gic trait of House Venomous Rose, and felt like ripping them apart from his head one by one. "Haha! My Lord, why haven''t you brought your entourage. I know these travels can be lonely for someone like you." Tomiv tried to shrug off the topic but found Trifon looking at him with disgust. Tomiv was familiar with this look. All his life he had been seeing it in the eyes of the Kingdom''s nobles. It was the look of an eagle looking at an ant. "I like to taste local delicacies. Don''t interrupt me again." Tomiv and Trifon looked at each other. All noticed this sudden change in the situation and reluctantly turned their head away from the strange attraction of the chasm. "No." One word was enough for Tomiv to state his stance. Viscount Trifon didn''t act out after hearing Tomiv''s refusal but onlyughed. The soundlessugh gave Christin and Berb a chill, but Tomiv didn''t care. The young Viscount''s maddening behavior was nothingpared to the truly horrifying things he had survived against. "Let''s go." Tomiv saw the two Viscounts going back to their carriage and ordered the coachmen. As he sat in the carriage and held Christin''s hands, he found them shuddering like never. Even Berb was looking at her with a strange gaze. "Christin, don''t be impulsive. Okay? We don''t want a noble house chasing us to the edges of the Gxy." Christin nodded andy down, going back to sleep. Tomiv and Berb couldn''t help but share an inexplicable look and rxed visibly. * The coachmen poked the lizards, and they dashed towards the chasm like they couldn''t wait any longer. And with a giant leap they dived into the grave. Zzzzzz! Death! Deathh!! Deathhh!!! Strange noises and the feeling of their ultimate demise took over the Dreamers. It was like willingly jumping from a building, knowing that the only oue would be death and nothing else. Tomiv and Berb clenched their teeth, the vodka numbing the slight feeling of fear. The only thought in their mind was that at any moment now they could hit the ground and die. The awareness of falling to death and yet not knowing when and how terrified them, irrespective of the fact that they had done this many times. Contrary to them, Christin kept sleeping like a log. Zeuppp! Tomiv heard a sound like something getting sucked by a vacuum and knew that they must have arrived at their destination. The ckness surrounding the carriage got reced by a strange gray mist. Tomiv looked out through the window and up towards the sky. No matter how many times he had seen this, the sight of the first level still made him question the vastness and unseen depths of the cosmos. * In front of the chasm that Tomiv and his team had just left behind, a group of hooded figures and a fat man could be seen. "Chinwendu, are you sure it was Tomiv?" Chinwendu had a hint of hair here and there on his head. His face was beardless and his mustache reached to his chest from either side like two strings. But his ballooned-up stomach had overshadowed all these details. "I swear on Death, and not only that, he is hired by House Venomous Rose." "House Venomous Rose?" The hooded figures murmured among themselves when one of them took a step forward towards the chasm. "Haha! Isn''t that the House with a stupid and arrogant Viscount as its heir? We can do with some extra fortune along with Tomiv''s head then." Hahaha! A burst of sharedughter resounded in the dead atmosphere before they plunged into the grave. The way fatty''s stomach waved around like being independent of his body was quiteical. Thwack! A person came bursting out from the ground just as the hooded figures had left. The dirt couldn''t hide the whiteness of his cloth and the redness of the rose on his mask. The green drops of venom on the thorns looked deadlier than ever. Chapter 96: A Diary Entry Chapter 96: A Diary Entry That I am Recordless or not, I have nothing to say about it. But I wonder why people feel disgusted at the mention of this term. Why does all the Recordless need to hide behind a mask? Why are they treated as lower than Crawlers? And why are they being considered nothing but ves? I am an avid reader of history. Hence, I have learned that when the Ancient Dreamers found out a way to free themselves from the ''RECORD'', they considered it as salvation and not damnation. Yet, the historical scrolls don''t talk about at what point of time this point of view changed. Why did going back to being a normal person get tainted as a Sin? I first saw Recordless when I had yet to be a Dreamer. And I thank the spirits of my Ancestors that I asked about them to my father. For I don''t know what could have happened to me if it were to be someone else. Here I would like to mention the conversation that had taken ce between an innocent child and a father. A conversation that had the power to influence my personality. * "Father, why are they wearing masks?" "They are Recordless." Readers must understand that I was a mere child, known for having the gift of being overly curious. And thus, though sufficient, this answer wasn''t enough for me. "What is Recordless?" "Hmm, have you learned about Dreamers?" Asking this question to me was like bringing a pet Crawler in the case of other children. For him to ask that question, father must have known about my infatuation. "Yes! Dreamers are the cornerstone of our Gxy''s strength. Among millions, the ''RECORD'' chooses only a few to be a Dreamer. Bing a Dreamer is bringing honor and glory to one''s family. I will be a Dreamer like father and mother." It wasn''t until many dayster that I got to know that my mother had never returned from her Random-Allocation. In a ce where not being able to survive a raid was considered a sign of weakness, shedding tears while hiding in a corner was the only thing I could do. "Haha! You will, you will. So you know how Dreamers go on hunting once in a while in Dungeon, right? Well, some people don''t want to do that. So they instead give up on their ''Record'' and be Recordless." "But father, how would they be strong if they don''t have a ''Record''?" "Every choice has its consequences. Recordless can never level up or gain Points. They can''t equip Items either. They can''t gain more life force and the only thing left to them would be the power they had before giving up ''RECORD''. It''s the sacrifice for being freed from Raids." Things and terms that could baffle others were quite clear to me. For I was named a genius by schrs and I don''t deny that. Given that, the idea of not being able to be stronger was equal to giving up on the honor. And I couldn''tprehend why someone would willingly do that. But the thing to notice, which I hadn''t concentrated on, was the points that my father had described. Now that I think of those words, they fulfill all the conditions of an ideal ve in the minds of many nobles. "But why do they wear masks?" I take pride in memory as I can remember the struggle of emotions on my father''s face. He took several seconds to answer me. "The craving for freedom has often been mistaken with cowardliness. And society is full of people who know how to leverage this misunderstanding. Remember, the cor around a dog''s neck is not for control, but a symbol of status. The mask serves the same purpose." For quite some time, I had dreams rted to what my father had said. But there were many things to being fascinated in childhood, making me forget those words. Those dreams only returned as nightmares when I became a Dreamer myself. * A few hours ago, I had sensed that we were being followed. So I separated myself from others and hid under the earth. None of them were strong enough to notice me. But this mission is crucial to the House Venomous Rose, so I needed to make sure to not have any unknown factors involved. As I came out of the teleportation, the gray mist surrounded me. I looked up and the things I saw, makes me feel irrelevant on the scale of Cosmos even while writing this. The sky that should have been clouded or shimmering with stars was littered with thousands ofs instead. On the ground, there were graves everywhere. Left and right, and from the furthest point to my eyes could see, I saw graves. But the terrifying things weren''t the graves but the statues over the tombstones. Some statues were covered with a yellow-muddy pir of light while others were green. If there were billions of graves, then there were that many statues. I couldn''t help but recall the name of the first level of Death Separation. The Thousands Graveyard. I saw many Dreamers appearing and vanishing in front of the graves. And couldn''t help but wonder how many of these Common level Dungeons would be on thesesbined. But I had to hold myself back from those thoughts. In the distance, I saw a tombstone even bigger and mightier than the one I had seen at the entrance of the first level. The three carriages entered the chasm under that to reach the second level, not knowing that they were being followed. But I couldn''t let those Bounty Hunters continue any longer. Before they could jump down into the chasm, I appeared in front of them. The mask on my face must have taken them by surprise, for it took them some time to bombard me with many skills. For the first time in this graveyard, red roses bloomed. In the end, the number of graves was still the same as only bodies need graves, not ashes. Chapter 97: The Calm before the Storm Chapter 97: The Calm before the Storm Two carriages conjoined together from their ends to create a long and wide corridor-likepartment. Tomiv and his teammates were seated opposite the two Viscounts, and between them, there were many delicacies on a table. "So this is the second level?" As Trifon spoke, all heads involuntarily turned towards the window and looked outside. Besides the ever-present mist, they couldn''t see any others or stars. It was debatable if this ce even had a sky or not. Deserted Paths had taken over the ground to the farthest reaches where their eyes could see. The path was brazen, with cracked earth, and on either side, there were graves lined up. The tombstone on the graves had statues covered with a yellow or green pir of light. But things didn''t end there. Between every two graves, there was another path that ran to the horizon. There were graves on its side too, and simr paths could be seen branching off from it. The entire ce was a maze covered with paths and Dungeons with no sense of direction and destination. In the distance, one could see a wall without an end. But countless people had tried to reach it. One could see the fates of those people in the rotting bones on the dead paths. "The Endless Paths." Tomiv''s voice took out of their reverie as they heard the despicable name of the second level. "How do you n to find out the right path among these?" Viscount Rayko took a bite of the juicy meat and asked Tomiv. It was apparent that even he, a Viscount, wasn''t sure to escape the clutches of these paths if he were to travel alone. Tink! Before Tomiv could reply, a sharp noise attracted all gazes towards it. On the right of Tomiv, Christin had somehow managed to spill the wine over her unbuttoned jacket. The wine ravaged her breasts and the bra over them. By the time the cup stopped rolling on the floor, a transparent outline of her nipples came protruding out in front of everyone. "Damn it, Christin!" Tomiv used a cloth to rub the contents away from her breasts, while her eyes had already be watery. The absolute look of a beast seeing its prey on Trifon''s face hadn''t gone unnoticed by any of the Dreamers on the table. "My Lord, you can say that I have a splendid memory." Even a child could have guessed that treading on these paths in search of a way had nothing to do with memory. Tomiv''s answer must have ticked off Rayko as he put down the fork and asked again. "I" FRAAP! Another noise overshadowed Rayko''s voice. And this voice brought an unpleasant smell with it. "Sorry, my bad." Berb apologized in a raspy voice for the fart and kept eating with no care of the raging eyes of the Viscounts. Tomiv nced at Berb, towards his left, and tried to change the topic. "The Recordless'' hasn''te out from their carriage. Don''t they need to eat too?" "Hmm? Are you implying that we should let them sit among Us? At a ce where I am having my meal?" Trifon looked at Tomiv in disgust and retorted. "I am sure he didn''t mean that." Viscount Rayko intervened with a doubt in his eyes. Tomiv could only shake his head in return. "If I may ask, My Lord. Why do you want to raid a Baron-level Dungen? I know that all Barons that had attempted it had died, but still, it''s nothingpared to a Viscount." "We aren''t offering you an Oath Breaking Stone to ask questions." The smile on Tomiv''s face vanished as he heard Trifon''s remark. Viscount Rayko noticed the tension and tried to pacify the famous adventurer. "It''s nothing to be ashamed of, Tomiv. Using the Oath Breaking Stone differs from bing Recordless after all. You would only lose the ability to level up in ce of the Random-Allocations. You can still go on raids, equip Items, and ess Inventory." "Haha! That''s right! I forgot that there is a difference between the two. You are just a lesser coward than the Recordless. I have an offer. Why don''t all three of you be Recordless ande under House Venomous Rose? I would take care of Christin and put her to some good use. Hmm?" Thwack! "Trifon! Just eat and don''t speak." Viscount Rayko mmed his hand on the table and narrowed his eyes at Trifon. Tomiv''s hands were already holding back the shudder of Christin''s hands and the bony hand of Berb, who was about to take something out of his pocket. "Tomiv, we heard about the new Dungeon while passing through the Death Separation. And though there are no signs of Random-Allocation, still many Dreamers have lost their lives. Our young master fancies exactly such strange things. Haha!" Tomiv didn''t believe a single word. Even Viscount Rayko didn''t believe them, as shown by the heartyugh turning into a wry smile before dying downpletely. "Let it be as you say, My Lord. But the third level isn''t as silent as the first two. The first level has Common Dungeons, and the second has Rare. But the third level is full of Crawlers, and Dungeon breaks are a normal sight there. One wrong step and even Viscounts would lose their lives, even if they have more than one." The hearts of all skipped a bit as they remembered the Dungeon break they had faced in the past. For the first time, even Viscount Trifon seemed unusually quiet in the eyes of Tomiv and others. "Tomiv, you are from a Barren Earth, right? Was there any Dungeon Break there?" Tomiv stared at the empty te in front of him. His eyes lost the cunning focus they possessed for a second. He took a deep breath and answered as if talking in dreams. "Yes, but after I left the. A Baron-level Dungeon Break." Sniff! Christin had yet to finish her te, but her tears made the left-out food even saltier. The low cacophony of bugs around Berb filled the temporary dining room with an eerie atmosphere. "Well-well, you couldn''t find a trace of life on that when you returned to it, right? Maybe now it''s among thes at the first level of Death Separation. HAHAHA!" Trifon''s crazy burst ofughter was like the thorns on the rose, bleeding not hands but the hearts of Tomiv''s trio. s, none could see the deep sorrow hidden deep in Trifon''s eyes. Not even his uncle. Chapter 98: The Wailing Land of Mist Chapter 98: The Wailing Land of Mist AAAHHHHH! HELP!! Aaarghh!!! As the three carriages reached the third level, screams of living and dead weed the group with open arms. The mist became viscous, blurring the visibility even more. The ck spots on the lizards opened up and sucked in the mist. Their dead eyes gained a bit of life as they relished the intoxicating feeling of being alive. And that also meant that these Crawlers famous for their speed, not their bravery, won''t go further, even one more step. Tomiv and others stepped out from the carriages. The earth beneath their feet was muddy as if the ce was under the wrath of a downpour just before their arrival. Dense ck clouds had covered the sky above them, but there was no sign of lightning. There was a slight gust of wind, struggling to show its might, but got trampled over by the gray mist. The entire ce felt like an unfinished painting. "The Wailing Land of Mist!" Tomiv almost shouted the name, but the dampened atmosphere turned his words as a mere whisper in the ears of others. Who knows how terrified were the Dreamers, who were screaming loud enough for theirst breath to reach the newly arrived group? "Come on everyone, gather up and don''t stray far from the group." The two viscounts and the three masked persons behind them followed Tomiv''s instructions. None were stupid enough to not let the man, termed as the strongest adventurer, do his job when the time and ce demanded it. Tomiv took a big blue and red bazooka out of his Inventory. The mist around the weapon burst apart like it couldn''t bear to remain in contact with it. It was apparent that whatever the bazooka was made of, at least it wasn''t metallic. Thump! The mud under Tomiv''s feet sttered as he put the massive thing on his back. Behind him, Christin extended her hand and a circr palm mirror materialized. Contrary to the purpose of mirrors, itcked a reflecting surface. Only a dense purple mist churned at the center of its glossy white front. At her side, Berb opened his mummy-like mouth, and out came flying countless bugs and insects. They surrounded the group and buzzed around, sending scenes and voices back to Berb. "My Lords, we have little time. In about 5 hours, the water from the Sea of White Death woulde rushing to the fourth level. And everything that is not in a Dungeon or near one in the third level woulde in contact with the seepageing out of the teleportation point." "Then stop talking and start moving." Tomiv ignored the young Viscount and nodded at Christin and Berb. Houuu!!! The sound of wind never left the group as they marched on, led by Tomiv. The only thing to wonder about was that they didn''t know if the wind was even real or not. Muddy earth, and the motionless clouds over them, couldn''t put any case against their dilemma either. "Wait! Something is approaching us. And it''s fast?" Berb''s warning came out of nowhere, rooting everyone in their state of walking. The three masked persons ced themselves around the two viscounts. And Tomiv''s hand reached back towards the bazooka, whose mouth was even bigger than his head. Drip! Drip!!! Drops of sweat fell from Tomiv''s face, disregarding his blue-beard. The turbulence in the mist further ahead made him perk up his ears. Ktch! Ktchh!! Ktchhh!!! The surroundings became sinisterly quiet. And all heard some footsteps, running and struggling to ovee the mud under them. The group prepared themselves as the mist parted a few meters ahead. Huff! Hufff!!! But out came a normal man, bleeding but alive. He was out of breath, and as he saw the group, an exaggerated smile tried toe upon his face. The half-smile filled with relief was weirdly horrifying. Tomiv let out a sighing breath and took a step towards the man, who was on the verge of copsing. "TOMISLAV! NO!" GRRRRR! WHACK!!! As Berb''s scream jolted Tomiv''s senses, a dark cave opened up behind the man. The cave had many white icicle shaped rocks and the entire cave seemed to be covered with a slimy liquid. An extreme foul stench washed over Tomiv as he saw the cave snapped shut, leaving only two feet where the man was standing. By then, even the Viscounts had caught on to what had happened. Their Perception, though higher than their counterparts, couldn''t bepared to Berb''s ss-specific Skill. Tomiv watched in sheer amazement as the surrounding mist sizzled and parted like waves. In front of the group towered a wolf-like Crawler, almost 70 to 80 meters in height. The gray mist gradually revealed its 200 metersrge body, but the bizarreness didn''t end with its unnatural size. The Crawler''s stomach didn''t have any fur, muscles, or organs. Ribs, and other bones, were protruding out of its body as big disgusting maggots crawled in its wounds. Tomiv craned his neck up and saw its head, chewing something with sheer pleasure. Theck of one eye on its head couldn''t cripple its sight, as it''s one red-eye alone could see better and farther than all the Dreamersbined. Ohoooo!!! The Crawler howled at the sky and the group realized that the cave they had seen was just its half-opened mouth. "Captain, it''s a Fenrir Based Undead Crawler! Please let me have it. Please, pretty please." "" "" The two Viscounts looked at each other, taken aback by the sudden change in Christin''s attitude. Even if the Crawler wasn''t a deadly threat to them, the Tomiv''s trio shouldn''t have appeared so nonchnt while facing it. Tomiv looked at Christin and saw Berb already shrugging in defeat. "Ah well, fuck it! Why not? Go ahead." GrrrAggh!!! The Crawler pounced its mouth towards the approaching puny creature. Christin jumped a little and threw the mirror in her hand in the misty air. Her perky breasts and round ass bounced twice as much as they should have as she pointed at the hovering mirror over her head. And a sweet voice, filled with irresistible charm, came out of her mouth in contrast to the stinky breath of the beast. "Hehe! Come out, Pussy-Pussy!" Chapter 99: Purple Chapter 99: Purple "Can Can I have some of that bread?" "Fuck off!" Pah! A kick came flying to the head of a child. The child could be 8 to 9-year-old or he could be 14-15, given his long but frail frame, it was hard to decide. The child had coarse brown hair, brown eyes, and the color of his skin was brown too. Despite the stabbing pain from the kick, his face didn''t show any emotion. Blood trickled down from his head above his right eyebrow, but it got swiped away as if it was mere sweat. He struggled to stand up and walked away. As he dragged his dying body, unnoticed within the buzzing crowd of workers, hisst breaths felt like his face was underwater. Not a feeling he fancied much. "Are you hungry, my child? Come with me. In the house of Almighty Perun, everyone gets to eat and drink. Come!" The child looked up and found a white-garbed priest smiling at him. The white teeth shined between his ck beard and mustache. Horror! Terror! Emotions no one should face before death ravaged the child''s mind. The cut on his forehead that hadn''t given him any trouble sent stinging pain to bring him to his senses. The child''s leg brought out the hidden strength and tried to bring his body away from the smiling priest, but a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Even if it were to an ant that had grabbed him, it could have held him back. "Don''t be afraid! I am here to help you." "NO! Help! Save me!" The shouts filled with despair got buried under the scene portraying a Priest standing by the child. Two other helpers appeared near the Priest and put the child in a carriage. The carriage took the child to the temple, having high domes glowing with mighty red and white colors. The helpers dragged the child to the back of the temple, followed by the priest. There was a small domed building behind the temple. The Priest went inside the building, which was filled with books covered in dust, and opened an iron door in a corner. The child''s lifeless eyes saw the lock, bigger than his head,ing off and the stairs that were going deep down in the darkness. As they kept going down the coiled stairs, an enormous hall opened up in front of them. Candles lighted the center of the hall, making its corners even darker. The hall had two rows of beds and two or more children had upied each of them. Their eyes were deader than the newly arrived one. The two helpers threw the child into the middle of the hall, but none of the children looked at him. Their eyes had turned away to any ce other than the priests and the child. The Priest scanned the hall with his hawk-like eyes. His smile had vanished; his teeth didn''t seem white any longer; the white dding seemed cker than the darkness of the stairs behind him. "Bring him!" The Priest pointed at one of the children at the far end of the hall. The two helpers went and dragged him to a room in one corner of the hall. The child, sprawled on the floor amid the rows of beds, stared at the unseen roof of the cer. A bruised face appeared between the roof and his face. The child stared at the long untidy hairs of a little girl and wondered if this was thest face he would get to see. "We We only get foodte at night. You will be dead by that time. Here Mmm! You can have this!" The child saw a fist-sized piece of bread, covered in mold. Soundless tears came pouring out from the corner of his eyes as he sat up and took the bread. The little girl sat down facing him in a fetal position, making her tattered red frock show the bones under her skin. The surrounding children stayed silent as the brown-haired child took a bite of the molded bread. The salty-sour taste got overshadowed by the whimpered screamsing from the room in the corner. Yet, none tried to look in that direction. "It''s good." The little girl smiled hearing the child''s voice, but the smile felt empty. It seemed like she was waiting to hear anything from anyone there. "Hehe! You won''t die now." The child gulped down thest crumbs of the bread. His dry throat craved for drops of water, but the way the girl kept licking her chapped lips made him not ask for it. "Thank you My uncle used to call me Tomiv." The little girl looked around beforeing close to Tomiv and tried to whisper in his ears. "I You My name is Christin." * "Hehe! Come out, Pussy-Pussy!" A purple glow took over the gray ghostly surroundings of the group. And a cloud of purple mist came sting out of the mirror. The purple mist, on closer inspection, could be foundprising extremely fine sand particles. The sand churned in a rhythm as they took the shape of a small purple kitten. Meoww! The purple kitten licked its paw as the cave-like mouth kepting closer and closer. Just as the foul breath reached the noses of others, the purple kitten dashed towards the giant Crawler. Its speed was unimaginable, saying this was an understatement. Even with their senses, the two Viscounts only saw shes of purple light. The shes felt like they had taken ce at almost the same time. The kitten appeared on Christin''s shoulder, leaving many purple paw-prints on the body of the Crawler. Shrrrr!!! The enormous Undead Wolf burst apart in a cloud of purple dust just as its teeth were about to bite Christin''s head off. The dust gathered in front of the mirror and took the outline of a pup. Christin reached out and embraced the pup made of purple dust and looked over at Tomiv. "Captain! Look, it''s so cute." The Viscounts gaped at the sight, and a memory buried deep in their mind resurfaced. They remembered hearing how storms of Purple Dust had made an entire uninhabitable, annihting all life. And they also remembered the name that got infamous after that incident. Christin, the Demonic Purple Death. Chapter 100: Conflict Chapter 100: Conflict BOOM! Tomiv fired his bazooka at the area in front of him, covered by thousands of Rare Vine Crawlers, and sted them to smithereens. They had been running for an hour after their encounter with the wolf Crawler. The mist had be denser. And aside from a few stray Undead, no other deadly beast had attacked them so far. The Viscounts were strangely quiet throughout their journey. They kept staring at the purple-haired beauty and then at Tomiv. It was quite clear what they had been thinking. With the Demonic Purple Death by his side, this bazooka couldn''t be the trump card of Tomiv. It made little to no sense. "My Lords, just a few minutes more and we will reach our destination." Tomiv shouted as he blew away the ashes of the Crawlers. "That didn''t take long." Viscount Raykomented as the rest of them caught up with Tomiv. "Haha! I would be the lousiest adventurer if I didn''t even know how to bypass the time-consuming areas. Don''t forget, it''s just the third level, a yground for Rare Ranked Dreamers." Despite the vastness of the levels, the transportation points were quite near to each other. If one knew of the paths, then it was only a few hours to a day''s worth of travelling to reach the next level. But if someone got lost amid this seemingly straight path, then one could spend their lifetime walking towards the mountain-like tombstone and yet not find it. Houu!!! The sound of gurgling water reached their ears before they could see its source. For the first time, a howling gust of wind hit their faces. The air that was saturated with the smell of death felt like having a salty taste in it. Tomiv aimed the bazooka over his shoulder at the sky and fired a Mana Cannonball. The red-blue cannonball went like aser and vanished, leaving behind the sizzling mist. BOOOM!!! The dyed st let out powerful shockwaves, sending away the jammed up mist around them. The group looked up as the sh from the st died down. To the sky and beyond, they saw a rocky tombstone, towering over an immeasurable chasm. From the chasm, the gray mist wasing out like puffs of smoke. Even more terrifying was the sound of rushing water, like a flood, that could be heard originating from the depthless grave. No Viscount or even Count could dare to think of surviving or swimming in that water. "Hurry!" Tomiv narrowed his eyes and urged the two viscounts. The group kept walking on the muddy path which seemed to end at the chasm''s edge. But just a few hundred before that edge, there was a small grave. And on the grave''s tombstone, there was an ordinary statue, shrouded by a pir of yellow light. It was a sculpture of a swordsman. There was a mask on the face of the man, having a single curved horn protruding out from its side. Two lines ran down from the corner of the mask''s eyes to its jaw. And a circle on the mask''s forehead was distinctly visible. The swordsman had a Katana in his hand, raised against the heavens, on the verge of cutting the world down. And countless hair-like threads were hanging down from the butt of this sword. But the most bizarre was the robe on the swordsman''s body. It tickled the nerves of whoever saw it, which even the devil-like mask couldn''t. The robe was like a transparentyer of rock over his naked body, yet it also felt like a veil covering up some deep secrets behind it. This was the statue they had been searching for. "The God of White and ck." Viscount Rayko muttered under his breath. A hand pressed down on his shoulder, making Rayko look to his left. On his side, Trifon also had an unbreakable conviction in his eyes. "Tomiv! There are people behind the Dungeon." Berb''s shout made the pair of uncle and nephew narrow their eyes. Tomiv chanced upon the murderous look on the two viscounts'' faces as he came back to talk to Berb. "How many?" Tomiv asked as the group gathered up around him. "15" Berb gave a brief look to Rayko and continued. " 3 Viscounts, 5 Barons, the rest are Recordless." A frown came upon Tomiv''s face. He looked at Christin, who was still ying with the purple pup and then at the chasm. The sound of an entire sea rushing towards them wasn''t pleasant at all. "Let''s try to talk with them first." Tomiv suggested and turned around, but Trifon had already pointed his finger towards Christin. "Oi, Coward! Send that Demon and be done with it." Tomiv''s steps faltered. He clenched his teeth and his blue eyes shined with emerald color. Berb''s hand again reached towards his pocket, but then Tomiv kept on walking without looking back. Viscount Rayko shook his head and followed Tomiv. "Fuck!" Trifon cursed and gave a mean look to Berb before following his uncle. There were many tents propped up behind the grave. Tomiv''s eyes met with 5 men sitting outside one of the tents. "The Soprano Brothers?" "Tomiv!?" The five brothers stood up, and Tomiv got a good look at them. Two of them had lost one of their hands, and all had one or more grievous injuries over their bodies. There was a deep fear in their eyes upon recognising him. "Tomiv, remember your promise to our family''s head. You are not to attack any of us for 30 years." "Oh yeah? And how would he get to know?" The five brothers took a step back simultaneously, seeing the evil smile on the blue-bearded man. "What''s thismotion about?" A shout came from another tent as a man walked out. He had a green greatcoat hanging loose over his naked upper body and there was a fiery-red bird tattoo on his chest. Tomiv''s eyes stared gravely at the tattoo as voices came from behind him. He turned around and found the two viscounts also staring at the bird tattoo. The burly man dropped his coat as his eyes came into contact with the rose insignia on Rayko''s chest pocket. "Fucking Hell!" Tomiv''s face crumbled as Rayko and the tattooed man lunged at each other, making him curse out loud. Fire-Water, Heaven-Earth, and God-Devil were nothingpared to the animosity between the Kingdoms of Divine Beast and Swordless. Chapter 101: Bloodshed and War Chapter 101: Bloodshed and War A zing fist struck a delicate rose. All men were pulled towards the point of impact because of the sudden vacuum before getting thrown outwards. The soundless nature of this contact between the level 40 Viscounts horrified the Barons to their core. Tomiv struggled to stand up and in the distance, he saw the shock-waves had snatched away the purple pup out of Christin''s embrace. ''This is bad.'' Boom! As the shock waves died down, one of the faraway tents sted apart and seven masked men wearing green overcoats appeared on the site. The mask on their faces was in with no holes and there was an image of a fiery-red bird with its ws stretched out on it. These were the Recordless. From the same tent that the man with the upper naked body hade out of, two beauties jumped out with the swiftness of the birds. They only had their underwear on themselves and their plump breasts bounced with their erect nipples. The same tattoo as of the man was on their breasts and looked even more catchy. These were the remaining two viscounts. On the other side, the three Recordless from the House Venomous Rose appeared in front of their seven counterparts. Viscount Trifon dashed towards the two beauties while licking his lips. Bloodshed and war had ravaged the life of intelligent beings of the Milky Way Gxy since time immemorial. Who had started this war? And why must it be continued? Nobody remembered, and nobody cared. Tomiv closed his eyes, and he could feel the shudder in Christin''s hands even if he couldn''t see it. A memory shed through his mind, unpleasant and full of regrets. He knew it was nigh impossible for him to stop the blood-thirsty Houses if he didn''t use ''that''. Tomiv clenched his fists and a gust of wind, filled with Mana, originated out of his body. His hat got sted away by his blue hairs that were waving around as if he was underwater. Blue veins popped out on his muscr body and the surrounding mud lifted in the air. "AAAAAAAAAAA!" The sudden shout that even overtook the rushing sound of the Sea from the Chasm rooted everyone in their ce. All heads turned towards Tomiv and found him covered with an ethereal blue-golden halo. His shoulder-length hairs were now standing upwards towards the sky, and blue vapor sipped out from the corner of his mouth. Tomiv took a step forward and opened his eyes. All hearts thumped with an unknown fear as they saw the image of a Golden Trident in both of his blue eyes. It felt like if they were to take one more step, the trident woulde out and impale them on an unseen wall. Shouuu!!! A watery pressure came falling on the heads of all, suffocating even the Viscounts. They struggled to raise their heads and their sight shook by what they saw in the sky. The still ck clouds that had not moved in a long time parted to create two gigantic holes in them. The holes weren''t round, but their closeness felt like two eyes had surfaced in the sky. A blurry and transparent image of the enormous Golden Trident appeared in both of the holes. The dark clouds churned and Dreamer''s mind quaked with submission in the presence of an unknown might. The Viscounts, as if propelled by something, said simultaneously. "A Blessed One." Tomiv approached the middle of the fight and eyed Viscount Rayko, making him flinch. "If you two Houses want to do suicide, I don''t give a fuck! Just hand me over the Oath Breaking Stone, and I will be on my way." The Viscounts looked at the golden hue around Tomiv''s eyes and then looked at the two Tridents in the Sky. As they turned to look at each other, the hate in their eyes had gained a visible red color. But followed by the silence created by Tomiv, the sound of the gurgling water hit their eardrums. "House Venomous Rose." "House Firebird." Tomiv heard the two maxed level Viscounts introducing each other, and let out a secret breath of relief. He knew they must have guessed their origins already for them to lunge at each other. The holes in the sky vanished, and Tomiv''s appearance returned to that of a normal adventurer. The man with the tattoo on his chest gave a brief look to Tomiv and addressed the man in front of him. "Let''s Talk." Tomiv saw the Soprano Brothers hastily cing a table as someone tugged his shirt from behind. A chill ran down his spine as he turned around. "Damn it, Christin! How many times I have told you to not scare me like this?" Woof! The pup in Christin''s arms barked at Tomiv and then started licking Christin''s cheeks. "Hehe! It tickles. Captain I I need milk." Tomiv flicked Christin''s forehead, making the pup bare its transparent purple teeth. Grrr! "You and your milk." Tomiv took a baby bottle out of his jacket''s pocket. The bottle had milk and a transparent nipple at its top. Christin''s eyes shined as soon as she saw the milk and snatched the bottle away. Tomiv couldn''t help but smile as he saw her sucking the milk out of the bottle. * The Viscounts from two houses sat opposite each other on the table. The ck-haired beauties still had no clothes over their bare breasts. In their middle was therge man, his tattoo kept shing with a fire-like shine. "I am Viscount Ellington, and the only other thing you need to know is that the Earl has sent us here himself." Tomiv was standing behind the two viscounts from the House Venomous Rose, with closed eyes. He had found out from the scared Soprano Brothers that House Firebird was ruled by an Earl as its head. Compared to just a Count, it could be said that they were beyond reach. But he also knew that a House with a previous background of Duke couldn''t be underestimated either. Who knew how many hidden trump cards they must have had, for them to engage in an all-out fight here, despite theircking in numbers? Tomiv saw Viscount Rayko leaning forward and wondered what he would say. But his eyes snapped open as he heard Rayko''s calm words. "Fuck you and your Earl''s ass!" Chapter 102: Schemes Chapter 102: Schemes The Kingdom of Divine Beast differed from others in the matter of its hierarchy. There, more than a Dreamer''s rank, the status within a House reigned supreme. It didn''t matter if the Head of the house was a Common level Dreamer or an Earl. They expected the same level of respect from all. So what ensued, Viscount Rayko''s derogatory remark about the House Firebird''s Head, was reasonable. Viscount Ellington''s eyes burst into mes. The nipples of the beauties on either side became red hot. It seemed like they woulde out of their breasts to seek vengeance. BAM! Tomiv couldn''t help but hit his fist on the table, leaving a vivid impression of his knuckles on it. "2 minutes. My Lords, just talk like Nobles for 2 minutes, Okay?" If it was Tomiv before the show off of power, the Viscounts would have killed him by now. But none were foolish enough to disregard the words of a Blessed One, especially when they could make him a friend. Countless red feathers surfaced on Viscount Ellington''s body, before vanishing altogether. The two pairs of nipples regained their pinkish color, making Viscount Trifon send an air kiss flying towards them. "Why are you here?" Viscount Ellington asked, looking at Tomiv. HAHA! "What can''t you look at my handsome face? Inferiorityplex?!" Before Trifon''s taunt could deteriorate the situation, Tomiv answered. "Viscount Ellington, House Venomous Rose hase to raid this Dungeon." "We are here for the same." "Then pardon my question, but why haven''t you gone into the Dungeon?" Tomiv noticed the deep frown on Viscount Ellington''s face as he shared eye contact with the beauties on his left and right. "We have already sent two Parties of five Barons each but" All heads stared at the yellow pir of light that had enveloped the statue as if it was a part of the raised sword. The color only meant one thing, that whoever had gone inside was dead. Viscount Rayko and Trifon exchanged a look, hearing the sheer amount of manpower House Firebird had put in this Dungeon''s raid. "Aren''t you wasting lives? I mean, it''s just a slightly powerful Baron-level Dungeon after all." Viscount Rayko asked nonchntly, but Tomiv could feel the tension developing by seconds. For a moment Rayko and Ellington kept looking at each other, trying to peer at each other''s soul if they had to. But a sigh from Ellington broke this brief stand-off. "The House had ordered me to find out the data about this new Dungeon. It took us 3 months to reach here. And the guide we had hired was among the members of the First Party that had gone inside." As Ellington mentioned 3 months, Tomiv looked up towards the five Soprano brothers. But they had already pulled down their hats low enough to hide their faces. "Just say you are stuck here, like a piece of shit in the asshole! Humph! Some Earl House you are, couldn''t even afford a better guide." As harsh and provoking Trifon''s words were, they were undeniably true. An Oath Breaking Stone wasn''t something any House could afford to offer to a guide, even if they had one. "Oh yeah? Then howe you are offering such a reward toe here? I now think the value of this Dungeon''s raid is even higher than a mere collection of data." The smile on the faces of Viscounts from House Venomous Rose died as soon as Ellington hit the nail on the crux of the situation. Every Viscount at their level was shrewder than the next. "Anyway, you have already tried two times. So it''s time for us to see what''s special in this Dungeon." Viscount Rayko said and stood up. But before he could move away from the table, red feathers came flying out of nowhere and got nted in the muddy ground in front of his feet. "Over our dead bodies! Why do you think we were waiting to go in? Huh?" Tomiv shook his head and looked at the Chasm. Whoever stayed behind would be washed over by the waters from the Sea of White Death to certain death. Only one way came to Tomiv''s mind and he struggled to present it to the five Viscounts. But it seemed to be better than unnecessary bloodshed, which would inevitably happen here otherwise. "Why don''t we all go in?" "Impudent!" As soon as Tomiv suggested, Viscount Ellington stood up in sheer rage and looked at him with disgust. Contrary to Ellington and the two beauties, Rayko and Trifon smiled as they heard the suggestion. Rayko trampled the red feathers and yfully said. "We don''t mind." "Have you gone senile? 5 Viscounts and 8 Barons in a single worthless Baron Dungeon? ''RECORD'' won''t give us a single reward." Tomiv heard Viscount Ellington''s question. The suggestion was truly absurd to think of, but it was better than nothing. Tomiv couldn''t help but rebuke Ellington''s attitude. "Aren''t you here for ''Data''? Stay here, we are going in. No way with these roaches you can go out of the third level before getting wet, believe me." Tomiv pointed at the five brothers before walking towards the Dungeon followed by Christin and Berb. Theugh on Rayko and Trifon''s faces must have ticked Ellington off as he shouted. "Okay, Okay! But there is no way I would make a Party with them." * Therge group stood, facing the statue of the devil-masked Swordsman. Tomiv touched the edge of the deep grave with his feet and a blue-colored portal opened on the grave as if it was a sheet. The sounding from the Chasm hammered his head, hinting of the impending doom after a few seconds. Saying nothing, Tomiv jumped down into the portal. Christin, Berb, and two Viscounts followed him. The two beauties saw the rose-masked Recordless going in and one of them took out apass-like object. Ellington rubbed thepass in his hand and a murderous fire burned in his eyes. BOOM! As thest Dreamer entered the Portal, ck water burst out from the thousands of mile-wide chasm. It was like a volcanic eruption that swept away all things in its path. The Sea of White Death was Darker than Dark. Chapter 103: Ghost on a Snowy Peak Chapter 103: Ghost on a Snowy Peak "Uhhh huuu uhhhh hu hu Comes the morning When I can feel That there''s nothing left to be concealed" Aldrich sang an old song as he stirred the half-fried egg in the pan. He looked up, and the morning sun''s rays came rushing through the windowpanes on his face. Most of the light passed through him, making the transparency of his body distinctively visible. Despite his ethereal state, he could feel, touch, and do all other things as usual. It felt like he didn''t belong in that space-time. The ck robe on him kept fluttering with no traces of wind and the hole in his forehead was still depthless and covered in Darkness. But in thest six months, he had made his peace with it. Sizzle!!! "Ah! Salt, pepper. And, Perfect!" Except for the little ck spots on it, the sunny side up half-fried egg looked almost the same as the blurry sun surrounded by the falling snow. Aldrich held the te and the coffee mug and went to the sofa near the firece. As he watched the fire and heard the crackling of the wood, he remembered the moment he had opened his eyes. He still had a blurry memory of someone dragging him on an asphalt road. The next time he came to his senses, he was already in this house and there was no sign of any other being near him. Aldrich savored the taste of the egg and took a sip of coffee. In front of him was a book, and its name was written in an unknownnguage. The symbols making up the book''s name felt like wriggling upon staring at them for long. The entire experience of trying to read or decipher the Book''s title could be mind-numbing. But Aldrich knew what the title was, and he could even read it without consequences. And why not, for it was he who had written the book. Space fluctuated around the book, and strange murmurings originated out of its closed pages. It wasn''t clear if it was the book itself was trying to tell a story, or it was the intention of the author. Time, it still had some meaning to Aldrich. After spending millions of years in the Darkness, contemting and meditating, 6 months felt like a blink of an eye to him. Yet Aldrich had a tendency to keep doing something. Lacking ess to any of his Items, he concentrated all his focus on mastering thenguage of Rumok''. Aldrich put down the mug and reached out to pick up the product of his half a year''s worth of effort. "My Morning Diary." Yes, the thing that could baffle the prominent schrs of the Gxy was a diary. Aldrichcked the materials to make a Rumok, but nothing could stop him from deepening his insight about the symbols themselves. He opened the book and went to the end of thest entry. A piece of charcoal came flying to his hand as he stretched it out at the firepit. * Day 182 -I still can''t take a shit. -The food I eat tastes normal, but it doesn''te out. Supplies are replenishing as usual. -The season of winter has not changed, as expected. I feel hunger, pain, sadness, and other emotions, the same as before. -Yesterday, I got one more notification of 5 Dreamers entering my Dungeon. As usual, nothing happened after that. -I have yet toe in contact with any of thest hundreds of Dreamers that hade. -I hate my Elite Crawler. * Thump! Tink! Aldrich mmed the book on the table, making the empty mug and the te strike each other. An icy gust of wind somehow sipped from the unknown corners and hit Aldrich''s face. He felt the chilly sensation, not trying to find its origins in the least. His hand reached out to the firece again. "Pull." The erged Rumok on his right hand glowed blue from end to end. And the heat around the burning woods left its ce and gathered around his hand. Aldrich touched his face with that hand and the contrasting coldness and warmth made him remember the blurry faces of a middle-aged couple. The not-so-distant past felt eluding from his perfect memory. Aldrich stood up and went to the main gate. As he opened the door, a chilly wind ambushed him and tried to enter the warmed-up house. But the Rumok glowed again, and the wind got pushed back dozens of meters away. Aldrich walked on the snow and gazed at the valley in the distance. His naked feet rubbed the snowkes within its toes but left no impressions. On the snowy peak, in front of a small house, Aldrich was like an old ghost. A ghost, haunting nothing but the loneliness of the sunny morning and lifeless blinding sheet of snow. Aldrich looked at the foot of the mountain, and his sight gradually moved upwards. A film of Mana had covered the entire mountain. The Mana film was extremely blurry, making even the Sun in the sky a mere yellow spot. But the film didn''t prevent the chilly wind and the asional hail froming in. Through the film, he saw a blurry outline of a town. Even though he couldn''t make out anything, he felt a familiarity with it. It was like an old acquaintance who he hadn''t contacted in a long time. Just as he was about to turn back, a notification shed in front of his eyes. [23 Dreamers have entered your Dungeon] "23? What a waste of life, Sigh!" Aldrich shook his head and hoped that a few of them would make it into the Mana-film. He cared little about deaths, not as much as he used to before experiencing that Darkness. But the meaningless loss of life still troubled him. "Killing without a profit is in stupid. Tch!" Aldrich wondered what kind of profit his Elite Crawler was having. A frown came upon his face as he looked at the annoying film that was keeping him imprisoned. BOOM! Aldrich jumped to the surface of the film, sting away the snow underneath. He put his hand on the blurry Mana surface and repeated the same words he had been saying for thest 6 months. "Law of Mana, BANISH!" Chapter 104: Imhotep and Otmar Chapter 104: Imhotep and Otmar Many changes had taken ce in thest six months within the Headquarters of the United Gctic Front. The strength and capabilities of the Supreme Commander got questioned many times. The back-to-back assassination attempts on a King by a group, ced at the top of UGF''s wanted list, was one reason. The other being his periodic absence from the HQ, for weeks. It didn''t matter if both the assassinations failed, or that his strength had enhanced with every absence. Those who had a vendetta against UGF added falseness among truths masterly. * Imhotep looked at the marching troops through the windowpanes in his office. He had a cup of red wine in his hands and a cigar in the other. And the color on his face kept turning from the red of anger to the yellow of fear. Knock! Knock! "Come in." The heavy doors to his office opened a man in the uniform of General of 1st Quad walked in. "Long live his majesty, the King." Imhotep turned around and went to his chair. The man didn''t dare to stand up without permission. Imhotep looked at the head of the green-haired General, and let out a puff of dense smoke. "Rise, General Otmar." General Otmar had a clean shave, and the green color of his eyes tried to match with his hair but failed miserably. His height was average, but in front of the seated King, he looked puny. "Supreme Commander, you asked for me?" "Yes. Have a seat." Seeing Otmar gettingfortable in his chair, Imhotep tapped the table. An attendant came rushing in, and with no need of orders, served the newly appointed General a drink. Imhotep put down his wine cup and took out a piece of paper from his drawer. "You want to inspect the Supply spaceships of the Royal family in the Kingdom of Divine Beast?" "Ah Yes." "I know you" "Attendant, bring me a te of cupcakes." Imhotep narrowed his eyes as General Otmar cut off his words. Imhotep shook his hand at the sweating attendant to bring whatever was asked. "I know you have a grudge against me for not promoting you to the rank of General. But going against the Royal family, with no proof, is an invitation to war." "Supreme Commander, the disappearance of Eydis General Eydis was because of her stupidity. If it was me, I would have never fallen for such an obvious trap." Imhotep looked into the eyes of General Otmar. And pondered why the fuck his answer was nowhere close to the question asked of him. He regretted he couldn''t save Eydis, but letting go of Bouda out of his hands was an even bigger blow to him. He remembered the scream that had shaken the Gxy and his shattered ns. The three years that he was supposed to wait for happily, had turned into a hopeless matter. But the position of General couldn''t remain empty for long, so he had to promote Otmar. The search for the traces of his eldest daughter had still upied the wrath of the Red Dragon and was yet to be directed at UGF. At a time like this, provoking the Royal family of Divine Beast was foolish for anyone. "I can''t sanction this appeal, General Otmar. I advise" "Attendant! My cupcakes. Bring a milkshake too." Imhotep felt an itch in his long scar and saw the attendante rushing in with a te full of cupcakes. General Otmar crammed his mouth with them, sprinkling many of the crumbs on Imhotep''s desk. Nom Nom Nom Slurppp! The annoying sound of chewing and drinking wine reached the far corners of the enormous Hall. Imhotep took a puff of cigar and pondered if General Otmar''s curses were even real or not. There just seemed to be too many of them. "My advice for you is to pull back most of the forces and focus on the whereabouts of the Hallowed Phantom instead." "I don''t like this advice, Supreme Commander." Imhotep closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was only a breath away from annihting the green-haired bastard. "It''s an order." "Ok then." A wry smile came upon Imhotep''s face, seeing sudden change. "If there''s nothing more, then you can leave." "Ah! Supreme Commander, our spies in the 1st Quad have found out that an Earl has sent troops to the Death Separation. There is a possibility of a Darkling spawning in one of the new Dungeons." "WHAT?! Why didn''t you tell me this before?" The cigar in Imhotep''s hand got crushed by his sudden reaction. His chair got thrown backward as he stood up and towered in front of General Otmar. "The most important piece of news and you didn''t" "Attendant! My milkshake?" Crackkk! A hundred-kilometer-long and thousand meters deep ravine opened on one moon of the. The shuddered with many quakes. And water in the oceans churned up to hundreds of feet. "Ah! Supreme Commander, you were saying?" Sigh! Imhotep sighed and took out another cigar. General Otmar suddenly took out a lighter and reached out with his stretched hand. But it couldn''t even cross half the table between them. Imhotep left Otmar''s hand hanging mid air and asked. "Tell me about this Darkling and Earl of the 1st Quad." "Ah! You know there were three ''Compasses'' that got stolen from one of our bases 50 years ago, right? Well, they could locate Darklings. As all the Darklings became extinct in thest Gctic War, the UGF didn''t scour the Gxy in search of thieves. Should I head to the Death Separation to have a look?" "NO! Nobody''s permitted to go to the Death Separation. Don''t you remember my notice from 6 months ago? You can go now. I need to go somewhere." "But But my milkshake?" Imhotep''s eyes almost popped out in anger, scaring the General for the first time. He saw Otmar leaving his office and the door getting closed. In the next moment, he disappeared and arrived at an unknown dark corridor. To the distant reaches of his sight, he saw the walls on either side lined with many dusty cupboards. After walking for many hours, feeling the fluctuations of Mana, Imhotep stopped in front of a broken cupboard with only one drawer. He opened the drawer and, from the plethora of little things, took out an ancient-lookingpass. The tip of thepass'' red needle kept osciting while pointed in a particr direction. Chapter 105: First Kill Chapter 105: First Kill BOOM! As Tomiv got his senses back aftering out of the portal, he heard a tremendous st. The sound attracted his eyes towards it, and he saw a distant blurry snowy peak shaking like a pendulum. But in the next moment, all things returned to rest. "What was that?" Tomiv felt Christin tugging on his jacket as she asked. "Lo-and-behold, the Demon is a noob." Trifon shouted with his hands up, making Christin tuck herself to Tomiv''s back. "Seeing that there is only one mountain, and it''s blurry, that''s where the Boss should be." Viscount Raykomented, putting a hand on Trifon''s shoulder to shut him up. Tomiv finally got time to observe his surroundings. They were standing on a snowy t roof, giving him a glimpse of the rest of the Dungeon. There were many houses and a fewrge buildings. The most baffling were the wires all over, connecting many poles. "What''s this, some kind of primitive vige?" Tomiv heard Viscount Rayko''s question, and a distant memory surfaced in his mind. He looked at Christin and found her looking in a daze at the city. The corner of her eyes had be wet and as she tightened her grip on the jacket, Tomiv felt a forgotten emotion too and muttered. "This is a city from Barren Earth." "Haha I heard many Barren Earths got annihted by natural cmities in the 1st Quad six months ago. If they all had these fucking ugly cities, then good riddance, I guess." Tomiv snapped his head at Trifon, hearing his disgusting sarcasm. And he chanced upon the unseen and unheard mutters on Christin''s lips. Even if none could interpret or see what she was saying, Tomiv was familiar with every quiver in her body. Kill! Kill!! Killl!!! He vainly gulped a mouthful of saliva to wet the dryness of his throat but failed. The slight fear in his eyes didn''t go unnoticed by Berb and others. For a moment, silence took over the party of 8 Dreamers. The howls of chilly wind and the coolness of falling snow on their bare skin made the men realize they were still alive. Tomiv shared an iprehensible look with Trifon and looked at the Quests'' notification. [ You have 3 new Quests Quest 1 (Party): Secure a Return-Stone Quest 2 (Party): Hunt Elite Crawler Quest 3 (Party-optional): Land a hit on Boss ] Tomiv could hardly make any sense of these Quests. Viscount Ellington and his group had formed their own Party, making them appear at a different ce than that of their own. But even then, his Party had two Viscounts and three Barons. To even considernding a hit on Boss as an optional Quest was terrifying to him. Tomiv looked at the Recordless, who served the purpose of high intelligence Items. But lost in his thoughts, he missed the horrified look on Trifon''s face. Tomiv approached Viscount Rayko, who was also baffled by the strangeness of the Quests. "Guess we now know why all the Parties of Barons couldn''te out alive. If I may, My Lord, what Rank the Recordless had when they were Dreamers?" The Party leader, Viscount Rayko, took his eyes off the notifications and replied. "They were all Barons." Tomiv nodded and looked to Berb. The mummified-looking Berb opened his mouth and spread the insects in the surrounding region. The city, which felt smaller than other Baron-level Dungeons, was still big enough for them to not stumble onto the other Party. "I am getting a weird vibe. Things are too quiet here." Tomiv agreed with Berb''s raspy voice and waited for Rayko to lead. He had already done his part. The only thing left to do was to remain alive while the two Viscounts have their fun in the Dungeon. * On the other side of the city, Viscount Ellington looked at the Quests and shared the same baffling look as of Tomiv. He looked at the pass'' in his hand and stared at the red needle, which kept rotating without stopping. The two beauties approached him and the doubt in their eyes was apparent. They were still wearing only a bikini with their bare perky breasts and erect nipples. It almost felt like the cold didn''t bother the three Viscounts at all. "Is the pass'' faulty?" Ellington asked and only got a slight shake of the head from one of the beauties. He looked back and found the five soprano brothers had already taken out a few wooden logs from a house and were trying to make a bonfire. The Party members were standing against a high wall of the building, named School or something, saving them from the chilly gusts of wind. Ellington calmly approached them and eyed the five brothers. The tattoo on his bare chest squirmed as if it hade alive. "Boss, we are making fire." Ellington''s eyes zed with rage and he kicked the well-ced logs, shattering them on impact. "You cocksuckers! Is the only reason for your existence making fire and introducing big characters like me?" The brothers looked at the ruined logs, dumbfounded by what happened. One of them went to the edge of the wall and picked up a fairlyrger broken piece of the wooden log. "Ah, Boss! What you do that for!?" "You piece of shit! No wonder you are rotting in the Death Separation at this age and time. Now go" Ellington cut off his word as he felt a fluctuation in Mana. The two beauties had yet to pick up on his abnormality. The wind felt the same, and the snow was still cold. But Ellington felt pain between his eyebrows as if marked by something extremely terrifying. ''This is bad!'' Saying nothing, Ellington ducked down. His actions looked moreical than strategic. But in the next moment, a blue sh appeared where his head was. Missing its target, the elongated sh kept going and struck the head of one of the Soprano Brothers, standing with a wood fragment in hand by the wall. BOOOM! Ellington stood up and saw the upright headless body of the Baron. The shower of blood had tainted the snow with dark red. And stuck in the cracked wall, he saw a meter-long arrow made of pure sizzling Mana. He again felt the same fluctuation as the arrow in front of him vanished, turning into tiny Mana bubbles. "EVERYONE! SPREAD OUT." Chapter 106: Firebirds Chapter 106: Firebirds Huff! Huff! Viscount Ellington panted as he looked at the bright full moon in the sky, blurring the clear moonlight. Since the first ambush, he had covered a sizable part of the city. Yet somehow, he couldn''t find or sense the attacker. Ellington only knew a few Crawlers who specialized in sniping or assassination. None of them could have spawned in this Dungeon though. The Mana arrows were not life-threatening to him or the other two viscounts behind him. It didn''t mean that he was immune to remain unscathed if hit by one. The more puzzling thing was the absence of Crawlers. Ellington couldn''t remember any Dungeon, in which he hadn''t found Crawlers after entering. He had been avoiding the ''sniper'' for over 12 hours and had yet toe across any kind of Crawler even at the edges of his Viscount level Perception. "Get down! I don''t want to lose any more of you rats. Fuck!" He eyed the 3 Recordless, who had craned their necks up while snuggled together in fear. The two beauties were on either side, with their entire body covered in red feathers. That was what was left of their 15 member Party. Ellington looked around at the brightly lit city. He had never seen such lights, but he remembered reading about them in an old scroll. Red, yellow, white, and blue had surrounded them, making him recall the festivals from his childhood. "It''sing!" Ellington turned to face a direction, but the blinding lights worked against him. As he saw the blue sh hundreds of meters away before disappearing again, the two beauties distanced themselves from him, The next time it appeared, it was already in front of him. The tattoo on Ellington''s bare chest seemed toe alive as his muscles wriggled. Red feathers originated from his entire body and his face extended outwards as if pulled by someone. In just a second, the previous humane Ellington got reced by tens of meters tall Firebird. Sreechhhh!!! The Firebird''s feathers were made of fire, its eyes were of fire, and it had two long tails. The Mana-arrow was about to hit squarely on the bird''s chest as it let out a fiery cry. A tremendous shock wave sent the arrow, and everything in a 300-meter radius of the transformed Viscount, flying out. The Firebird Ellington pped its wings and made a circle in the air, scanning to the furthest reaches with his enhanced sight. In the distance, towards the mountain, he saw Tomiv''s face peeking out from a cover while the rest of Tomiv''s body seemed to be underground. And as he returned to his position, still in the air, he caught a shadowy movement, stepping down from a tower. Screechhhhh! The Firebird Ellington let out another cry full of rage and called out to the two other Viscounts. With a single p of his wings, he covered half of the distance between him and that tower. Two more Firebirds, smaller but equally fiery, came flying from the ground and followed him. The three Firebirds hovered around in a radius of hundreds of meters with the tower as the center. The strange tower had many zig-zag patterns and had a mass of wires running down to different directions. Ellington couldn''t see or sense the shadowy figure anymore, but he knew it couldn''t have been faster than him. He sent a mental signal to the two others and decided to annihte the entire ce before his MP and SP ran out of fuel. The three Firebirds opened their beaks at the Night Sky. The Snow hadn''t stopped showering since the group''s arrival, but no traces of it could be seen around the three creatures. High above their head, sparks appeared as if they were firecrackers. The wind howled and the surrounding buildings shook as the sparks turned into fist-size fireballs. Shouuu!!! From the distance, one could have seen three Suns appearing in the nightless sky. As if they were trying to defy the moon''s might. The Red color Fire Mana from the feathers of Firebirds went pouring into the fist-sized fireballs. In the next moment, the bearable temperature got turned to a melting one as the Fireballs erged to dozens of meters in size. The figures watching them from miles away had yet to savor the warmth. But Ellington and the two beauties pped their wings and sted the oversized fireballs towards the ground. BOOOOM! SHAKEEEE! A mushroom cloud touched the farther boundaries of the sky as if a mini nuclear explosion had happened at the ce. Buildings and all things vaporized instantaneously in the region surrounded by the Firebirds. The red feathers became transparent and as theynded on the ground, the three Firebirds transformed back to their human body. "HAHAHA.. HAHA.. HA Ha Huh?" Viscount Ellington let out a peal of crazedughter. But as he waited for the notification to appear, theugh died down and turned into a bewildering expression. On his right, beyond the explosion, he looked at one of the naked beauties with the same expression written on her face. The beauty noticed Ellington and waved at him, but Ellington''s eyes had already be wide with horror. Because of the zing fire between them, Ellington saw the elongated shadow of the Level 31 Viscount. The dancing mes should have made her shadow follow the rhythm, but it was motionless. It was like waters from the Sea of White Death had followed her into this Dungeon. Ellington''s heart thumped with terror, and he rushed towards his mutepanion. But he had lost too much SP and MP in his Transformation and Skill, making him feel as if he was running at the bottom of an ocean. "RUN!" Ellington shouted, as he saw a shadowy hand with long nailse out of her shadow. Ellington couldn''t see the body, but he could tell that the hand belonged to a female. Ethereal vapors had enshrouded the hand as if it was on ck fire. The hand twisted and turned and transformed into a ck Katana. Ellington felt the de of Katana cutting his senses from afar and remembered he had seen it as a part of the statue outside. The beauty finally realized something was wrong with the entire situation, but it was already toote. Katchaaa! "NOOOO!" The hand-turned-Katana shed out, and with a swift cut separated the beauty''s head from her body. Even before the blood coulde pouring out, the unseen figure had already vanished. It only left behind one question on the grief-stricken face of Ellington. ''BOSS CRAWLER?!'' Chapter 107: Freedom? Chapter 107: Freedom? Tap! Tap! Tap! Huff! In a dark alley, one of the Recordless from House Firebird kept looking back while dashing towards the open area near the mountain. The explosion from the 3 sun-like fireballs had sted away the power from the entire city. If one had a sce from the feeble lights, it got taken away too. Only a white glow had covered the entire city. The spotless moon again reigned over the starry Night. A piece of mask, with the firebird image, was missing near the Recordless chin. Blood trickled down from the opening, but it got vaporized before falling on the ground. The Recordless was about to jump on the roof of one building when the terrifying noise returned. Swish! Hah! It was like someone was breathing down on the Recordless'' neck. Slowing down the shaking steps, the Recordless looked around, but everything was as silent as they could be. "WHO ARE YOU!?" The stars twinkled in response; the wind turned into a gale, bringing the light snow towards the Recordless. And the cold sipped through the tattered green greatcoat, into the shivering body. The Recordless felt a tightness in the chest and heard the ttering of teeth. The forever masked being looked at the bright moon, but the Perceptioncked in feeling its brightness. The premonition of impending death had never left a Recordless mind. But to die on one''s terms was also freedom. A sudden burst of heat originated from the unseen mouth of the Recordless, and the mask that had never left its ce cracked. Bang! The ''Mask of Shame'', as called, got broken into thousands of pieces. As the pieces fell, the moon lightened up a beautiful but bloody face. The gale yed with her long ck hair, while the snow savored the taste of her untouched face. Two tears streamed down her cheeks, and as she looked at the moon, a smile came upon her face. But soon a ck spot ruined the moon''s image. The beauty frowned, looking at the sudden arrival of the inky spot, which kept bing bigger and bigger. As her senses hit the ck object between her and the moon, the relief on her face vanished. Thump! The ball-like object dropped a few meters away from her and the sound of the impact made her remember why she had taken off her mask. The horror that she had subconsciously buried deep under the feelings of freedom was just waiting to burst out with even more strength. The object came rolling towards her and stopped as it hit her feet, leaving a trail of red on the snow. She wanted to look away but her head didn''t listen and kept staring at the same mask with a firebird image. Blood was stilling out from the badly mangled neck, telling of the severed head''s freshness. It felt like a beast had taken a bite of the Recordless'' head, but didn''t like its taste and spit it out. Her arms and her legs felt heavy, and her heart throbbed, trying to keep her from fainting. The Ex-Baron slowly crouched down with dazed eyes and took off the mask from the head. The shudder of her hands made it impossible for her to keep holding the mask, and it fell near the broken pieces of her own. The man''s face under the mask differed little from its outward appearance. Whatever he must have sensed before death had made his eyes pop out and his mouth was still open in shock. The horror from unknown origins had seemed to leave its trace on his face for eternity. As the woman''s hand reached out towards the eyes of herrade, a bright red and snake-like tongue came out from behind and licked her face. Sniff! Tears came pouring out, and she looked at the moon one more time before closing her and the bodiless head''s eyes. A sweet and flowery breath hit her nostrils as she sensed her head engulfed by a depthless pit. Her only regret was the saying that had kept surfacing in her mind. ''Death never let go those who die in the Death Separation.'' * Under the city, there was a maze of suffocating but empty sewers. Tomiv and others eyed the rough-looking Viscount Ellington and the beauty behind him. There was a shallow cut running from her neck down to her right breast. The wound seemed to be burned shut. And the three rose-masked Recordless had already surrounded the newly arrived Viscounts. "How did you find us?" Viscount Rayko asked. "You are here, hidden like rats! And we? We were out there facing that abominable thing?" The tattoo on Ellington''s chest shed meekly, unable to even brighten up the dark walls within the sewer. Tomiv, Christin, and Berb were leisurely seated with their backs against the slimy wall as if they had nothing to do with the two Houses. Trifon approached the out-of-breath Ellington and mockingly said. "Haha! Is it my uncle''s fault that our guide knows the Dungeon better than you? Humph!" Rayko nodded at his nephew''s words and chimed in. "And we do not know about this ''abominable thing'' you are speaking of. Don''t tell me you couldn''t even take care of a mere Crawler from a Baron-level Dungeon? Such a disgrace!" Viscount Ellington''s eyes seethed with rage and the face of a severed head shed by his memory. "Cut the Bullshit, Rayko! Like I don''t know why you are here." Thwack! Ellington took out an object and threw it on the ground. Even with the strength of a Level 40 Viscount behind it, not even a single scratch came on the round object. Tomiv looked at the object from afar and suddenly stood up. He made his way through the Viscount Rayko and Trifon, who had their mouths open in sheer shock, and picked up the object. Tomiv rubbed away the dust on the ss using his thumb and saw a red needle that kept rotating from one direction to another. He looked up and followed the eyes on the defeated face of Ellington to the dumbfounded Viscount Rayko. "The Darkness Seeking Compass!?" Chapter 108: What if? Chapter 108: What if? Despite being underground, the Dreamers could still feel the cold and an asional gust of wind. One such flurry swayed Tomiv''s hair when he confronted the two Viscounts about the purpose of their visit. Normally, the Nobles from a well-established house instead of answering would have berated Tomiv''s behavior. But this was Dungeon, here odds could turn in favors and favors in odds for even a King. "So what?" Viscount Trifon spread out his hands and shrugged. Again, though despising, his words were ultimately right. So what if they were here because of Darkness Seeking Compass or for anything else? Nothing could change the fact that they were already in the Dungeon. "It''s true that we came here hoping to get a Darkling as rewards. But it seems like something is interfering with thepass." Viscount Rayko took out and pointed at the red needle which was making mayhem within thepass. Tomiv remembered hearing about Darklings. In thest Gctic War, before he was even born, they had gone extinct. He had never seen one, but it was spread through words of mouth that the Darklings were the only creatures in the Gxy that were made of pure Darkness. And like every other pure element-based creature, one could get them in rewards by killing their spawned form i.e. Crawler in Dungeons. Thooo! Ellington spit out clotted blood, hearing Rayko''s words. The hot red veins in his eyes became even redder but the voice that came out of his mouth was low and bone-chilling cold. "Darkling? Don''t tter yourself, Rayko. We both were there in thest Gctic War. Have you ever seen a Darkling cut and bite Dreamer''s head off?" Everyone became silent, and even Viscount Rayko couldn''t seem to have any answer to Ellington''s question. Tomiv, standing amid them, again tried hard to remember the details about the Darklings. The Darklings, like their kinds, could impart the element of Darkness to any of the Dreamer''s Skills. Not only that, they could exponentially enhance the Dark spells and Skills. Except for the pure Light, the effect of all other elements used to diminish on them. But the most bizarre thing about them were the stories of their origin. "Aren''t Darklings nothing but the Creatures of Darkness given a body by the ''RECORD''?" Tomiv heard Christin''s feeble voice as she neared herself to her captain. Thump! Tomiv''s heart pounded, and he looked at the rotating needle a third time. For the first time after starting their journey, he felt an unimaginable fear taking control over his body. A guess that had kept eluding from his senses, came rushing to his mind as he saw Christin''s blushed face. "Who the fuck are you?" Ellington looked at Christin in doubt, making Trifonugh out loud. "Haha! You are looking at a Demon." "What if" The power of the word Demon was so huge that it even overshadowed Tomiv''s rough voice. "Demon? I have only seen a few Demons, most of them as images in Scrolls, and none looked as pretty as her." SMACK! "What if" The two perky breasts of the naked beauty became red along with her face, hearing Ellington''s remark over Christin. And Tomiv''s dazed voice got overpowered again by the sound of pping on Ellington''s back. None noticed Tomiv''s strange state other than Christin. "Viscount Rayko, as much as I abhor myself to say this, but I am here to propose a deal. Only bybining our strength, we can go out of here alive. Whatever is up there won''t take long toe down and" "SHUT UP!" The shrill scream, originating from behind the two Viscounts of House Venomous Rose, caught everyone off guard. Viscount Ellington almost ran backward, and a rose materialized in Rayko and Trifon''s hand. But from the dull background came out a mummified face, walking slowly as if he was dragging his upright body. Berb was a man people often used to ignore and forget about. Not even Tomiv knew of his past to the fullest. But the shout brought Tomiv out of his petrified state. Christin had her hands on his bearded cheeks, and he saw Berb throwing him a bottle of yellowish liquid. "Viscount Rayko, I know you and your nephew are strong enough to handle a few deadly Crawlers. But don''t forget who brought you here without losing a single man. And who saved you from standing in the ce of Viscount Ellington? Or have the Priests on your stopped chanting the ancient songs of Blessed Ones?" Berb''s unexpected presence and questions silenced all the Viscounts. The usation in hisst sentence was alone enough to carry out a generational massacre if proven true. "What nonsense are you spouting? How How dare you even ask something like that to me?" Viscount Rayko stuttered toplete his words. If this thing were to spread, he couldn''t bear the consequences. Tomiv knew that as he saw the slight wicked smile on Berb''s face and put a hand over his shoulder. "Thank you, Berb. But I can handle it now from here." "Haha! Okay, Captain." Tomiv took a deep breath and looked in the eyes of all Viscounts. Some things had more value than Skills. Some things were more precious than pure Elemental beings. And some things were beyond Rank. Leveling-up wasn''t enough in the System called RECORD. "What if the Darkness Seeking Compass isn''t faulty? What if there is no interference?" "What gibberish is this? Don''t you even know how anypass works?" Tomiv looked at Viscount Rayko and approached him. "May I have it?" Viscount Rayko and Trifon shared a look before Rayko and handed thepass over to Tomiv. The twopasses were identical. There were no marks on or inside them. Only a red needle kept rotating, covering all directions. "If I remember the principle behind Darkness Seeking Compass correctly. It was to locate the Creature of Darkness within a Darkling. And not the Darkling itself." Even before Tomiv hadpleted his words, a brilliant sh of light glowed in Trifon''s eyes. s, none could see it. "What if thepasses are pointing at the Creatures of Darkness as intended, but there are just too many of them around us?" Chapter 109: A True Devil (2) Chapter 109: A True Devil (2) The Viscounts frantically looked all around them, before stopping altogether and gave Tomiv a look. "I have seen Dreamers bbering nonsense at the edge of death, but this is just ridiculous." Viscount Rayko approached Tomiv and snatched onepass away from his hands. Even Ellington stretched out his hand and asked for hispass back. There was a frown on his face, withplete disbelief written all over it. "Haha! Creatures of Darkness all around us? Tomiv, the Demon has eaten away your brain or what? Do you even know what you are suggesting?" The mocking questions from Trifon reverberated in the empty sewers. Even Tomiv had doubted his guess for a while before saying it out loud. The idea of being in the presence of so many creatures of myth was truly absurd. The Creatures of Darkness only lived in Darkness. And none in the Gxy knew where to find it. The Darkness wasn''t the emptiness of space, nor was it a room devoid of light. Many things got disregarded as not being Darkness, but what it truly was, maybe none knew. So, to even give a thought to Tomiv''s guess meant epting the fact that Dungeon was not a city, with a moon and coarse snow. It meant to ept that they had unknowingly and stupidly stepped into the mythical Darkness. BOOM! The sudden boom made all the Dreamers look up at the sewer''s ceiling. Dust and pieces of concrete fell and the earth under their feet shook. Tomiv was about to say something, but an even louder boom cut off his words. BOOM! "What''s happening!?" Rayko shouted, trying to bnce his footing. Tomiv had been propping up Christin by one hand and Berb by the other. "It''s that damnable Crawler!" Ellington replied, looking up and back from time to time. Tomiv could see a single red-tailing out from the Viscount and rooted into the pavement, making him unshakable by the quaking earth. Tomiv shared a look with Rayko and Ellington and guessed what they were thinking, but seemed too proud to say out aloud. "If that''s an Elite Crawler, then there are two of them above us. Facing them in battle is just suicide, even with all the Viscounts working together. Viscount Rayko, Viscount Ellington, please make a single Party, and let''s just get the Return Stone." Tomiv didn''t say many things that seemed out of ce to him. There were too many discrepancies in the satiation they were in. If there were two Elite Crawlers, then why didn''t they see the second one at all? If the Crawler outside was already powerful enough to corner a Viscount, then why didn''t ite down to the sewers, and instead was trying to force them out? The Viscounts had already doubted his judgment once regarding thepasses. So he concentrated on things that would have kept him, Christin and Berb, alive. "Ah! Fuck it!" Viscount Rayko begrudgingly sent a Party Request to Ellington and hispanion. "We can''t just head out, the thing specializes in ambushes." Tomiv heard Viscount Ellington''s words while he checked the Quests. Not one quest got changed by the RECORD. Tomiv felt like it didn''t matter if ten more Viscounts were to be the members of this Party, the Quests still won''t change. The inexplicable thing had still upied Tomiv''s thoughts when he saw Trifoning out from behind Rayko. The evil smile on his face was ever annoying. "Didn''t you say that the ''Thing'' likes to bite people''s heads off? Well, we have three spare heads to give it on a tter. Hahaha!" "..." * The white greatcoat tried its best to blend in the sheet of snow on the ground but failed to do so. On a straight road, wearing the red rose mask, the Recordless was walking step by step with no particr destination. The feet'' impressions on the snow were deeper than they were supposed to be. And even the hail had stopped, making the Recordless'' figure stand out in the bleak surroundings. The spotless moon blurred everything white on the ground, and all the shadows felt darker than they should have. The aimless Ex-Dreamer kept walking and saw a clearing on the side of the road, with a board at the front of the clearing, saying -Parking Lot. As the Recordless approached the middle of that enormous open ground, only one shadow under the white-booted feet remained. Tomiv eyed the Recordless from the roof of one building around the opening, with Christin by his side. The shudder of her hands hadn''t stopped since she saw the Recordless going out as bait, but such were the lives of Recordless. Inside a Dungeon, every Item served its purpose. Thump! Tomiv''s heart thumped as he saw an extra shadow on the t groundid with snow. The shadow moved in an erratic path like that of a flying bat. Tomiv couldn''t help but snap his head up in the sky and hoped to find a bat-like Crawler which they must have missed. But the moonlit sky was as clear as freshke water. "Captain! Cap Captain! I am having a terrible feeling." Tomiv looked into Christin''s eyes and saw the deep fear in them. Despite Viscount Trifon calling her a Demon several times, Tomiv knew what was truly Demonic about her. And it was certainly not her body, mind, and soul. Tomiv gulped a mouthful of saliva and looked back at the unknown shadow which hade to a stop just behind the Recordless. The wind had hidden, leaving no trace behind. And the fire in the distance had vanished in the ashes. Tomiv saw in horror and amazement as a slim hand with long nails came out of the shadow. No, it felt more like the shadow itself had stretched out a hand. A long and curvy ck body followed the hand. Two enormous breasts were peeking out from the thing''s chest, and its entire body felt like the epitome of lust and beauty. But its head made all the Dreamers take a step back. Its slightly opened mouth was lined with shark-like teeth from ear to ear. A long red tongue kept slithering out of its mouth and its eyes werepletely white with no pupils. The most bizarre was the single curved horn on one side of its head. "A A True Devil?!" Chapter 110: A Devils Lust Chapter 110: A Devil''s Lust What was a True Devil? Did the shadowy body signify a Devil, or the curved horn? Was theck of pupils into eyes a trait, or the constant wicked smile? Or was it the long tongue that felt like having a mind of its own? If not the outward appearance, then what about the inner thoughts? But then, would missing and loving someone be termed as a Devil? * Thousands of insects let out a buzzing noise simultaneously. Tomiv heard the nned sign and jumped down towards the True Devil, who was also looking up, noticing the sudden change in surroundings. GRRRRAAAGHHHH!!! The Devil let out a high-pitched squawky roar and sent a reverse roundhouse kick at the Recordless standing next to her. Before the seemingly powerless kick could hit, the leg twisted and turned into a Warhammer. And its blunt side struck squarely on the Recordless'' chest. BANG! The Recordless got sent flying out of the parking lot like a ball, with blood showering out of the badly mangled chest. By the time Tomiv and Christinnded on the snow, the Devil had already melted into a shadow. "Ellington! Do it." As Rayko''s voice reverberated, Tomiv saw Ellington and hispanion jumping out from opposite buildings. "TWIN FIREBIRD TORNADO." Screechhh!!! Ellington shouted in mid-air and the couple transformed into their beast form. The two enormous Firebirds let out a piercing cry and, in the next moment, had already made a circle around the open ground. The red feathers on their body churned with zing fire, boiling the snow and air. Shouuuu! Zuuuu! A red-orange fire tornado appeared, touching the sky''s ceiling and running to the depths of the Dungeon. The snow within the tornado couldn''t maintain its form and turned to water, and finally became steam. The Devil came bursting out from the ground, being trapped by the unbearable heat surrounding the parking lot. Ellington and the naked beautynded within the eye of the tornado after turning back into their human form. Their faces were even paler than the moonlit Night above. Berb and the two remaining Recordless appeared on one side, and from the other came out Rayko and Trifon. Grrrrrr! Tomiv saw the crouched-down Devil and eyeing all the Dreamers one by one. He couldn''t tell why, but a deep sense of foreboding had already taken root in his heart. "What kind of Devil can turn itself into weapons?!" Viscount Rayko shouted, but before anyone could reply, the Devil stoop and raised its hand. Tomiv''s heart quivered with an unfamiliar rhythm as he saw the devilish beauty raising her hand towards the sky. The smooth curves on her body, and the two plump breasts, felt like a sculpture made by a God. He felt something weting out of his penis and the strength leaving his body. All other men were the same. The two Recordless had already taken off their pants and started to masturbate right where they were standing. Even the two beauties didn''t remain unscathed by this otherworldly lust. The beauty behind the sweating Ellington had one hand in her bikini, the other was on Ellington''s back. Her nails had dug deep, and blood trickled down from the wounds. "Captain! I I can''t" Tomiv turned around and saw Christin with a purple color seeping out from her pores. Even the blush on her face was purple, her eyes had turned purple, and the stream of blood running down on her smooth thigh was also purple. ''This is bad'' Tomiv''s mind went numb, seeing Christin''s appearance, but it also took him out of the control of lust momentarily. He appeared behind Christin and struck her head, making her lose consciousness on the spot. In the distance, Viscount Rayko and Trifon reached out in their mouth and pulled out a tooth. Viscount Ellington''s hand turned into a w and shed at his chest. The sudden pain returned them the ability to think rationally. But the calmest among the Dreamers was a mere Baron, who had taken out a pyramid-like object and was muttering iprehensible whispers constantly. "AAAAHHH!" The two Recordless let out a moan, losing any trace of thinking capability. Their eyes looked lifeless, and both slumped down on each other. The Devil must have noticed the Viscounts getting normal, as Tomiv saw her raised arm twisting and squirming. The previously slim arm wriggled and turned into a wide buster sword. "It''s trying to create a diversion!" Tomiv shouted, but it was already toote. BOOM! MEGATON CRUSHER! Dust and other debris clouded the open area within the tornado. Caring not for the devil to run out because of the tornado, everyone put up their guard and waited for the dust to settle down. But as the raging fire around them lit up the ground again, there was no sign of the Devil or any shadow. "Where is it?!" Viscount Ellington''s panicked voice reached everyone''s ears. Only he among them had seen the true honor of this Devil. Tomiv looked around and his eyes chanced upon the beauty behind Ellington. "ELLINGTON! BEHIND YOU!" Time seemed to slow down as Ellington turned around. Shkkkk! A ck sh almost blinded Tomiv''s eyes, and he saw the towering figure of Ellington getting shed into two parts from head to toe. Thumppp! The two halves of Ellington''s body fell apart, making the beauty standing behind him visible for all to see. Her skin wriggled as her body turned to a smooth ck with shadowy vapors emanating out of it. ''She can even turn into the shape of a person she had just eaten?!'' Tomiv thought with an ugly expression on his face, but the faces of the two remaining viscounts were even uglier. Tomiv looked at them as if saying, if not now, then when. Rayko and Trifon looked at each other and shouted as they put their hands on the earth. "SUMMON ANCESTRAL DIVINE SPIRIT - - EVERLASTING VENOMOUS ROSE." The Viscounts summoned, and two enormous blurry images of blooming Roses appeared behind them. A rose petal appeared on Tomiv''s shoulder and he realized petals were raining down from the sky. The sky that had only remembered the hails of snow got washed over by a tsunami of roses, but among the redness was a tinge of green. In the name of clouds, a dark green ominous color had reced the entire starry night. Chapter 111: Betrayal Chapter 111: Betrayal "We need to upy it for a while. It will take a minute for the Skill to work." Viscount Rayko shouted, looking towards Tomiv. Tomiv wasn''t overly familiar with the Ancestral Spirit Summoning. As it was the Skill that one needed to get outside of RECORD. Only Houses that had an ancient history could bestow these types of Skills on their core family members. Tomiv saw the blurry images of two enormous Roses. He remembered that only at the Rank of Duke could one truly bring out the real Spirit into the material world. He looked at the dying fire tornado following Viscount Ellington''s death and could only do one thing to prevent it from running. "Berb! Blind it." Tomiv shouted at Berb, but it also attracted the attention of the Devil. Berb didn''t wait for it to move and ripped apart his clothes. His entire mummified body had countless tiny holes, covered in slimy juices. A chant came out from Berb''s mouth and the entire city buzzed along with his unheard and iprehensible mutterings. Buzzzzz!!! Swarms of insects came rushing towards them from all over the ce, and out of Berb''s body. Tomiv saw the Devil stretch out her left arm towards Berb. The flesh on the arm churned as a Bow materialized in her hand. In the first look, he felt like he had seen the bow somewhere. The bow didn''t have any bowstring, but as she lifted it and aimed at Berb, a blue string made of Mana could be seen on it. ''Shit!'' Tomiv vanished and appeared in front of Berb, who had ordered all the insects to surround the parking lot. The red of fire tornado got reced by a humongous ck-spotted cloud that kept emanating deafening buzzing noise. Grrrr! The Devil growled, hearing the buzz, and pulled the Mana-string to its maximum limit. A sizzling blue arrow of Mana got fired towards them as soon as it appeared on the bow. Shouuu! Tomiv could sense the strengthless Berb sprawled behind him and he didn''t dare to think they could survive the direct impact of this arrow. He put together his arms as if praying to someone, and his blue eyes shined with an emerald glow. Water came pouring down around Tomiv and Berb and covered both of them in a spherical ball-like film. Drip! Drip! Tears of Destitute! Tomiv knew the Skill could not hold for long against the arrow, but it could be enough for the death in the sky to rain down on Devil. But the next scene brought an immense sense of doom to his heart. The Mana-arrow, which was about to st into the water-film, changed its trajectory. As the arrowhead turned to point at unconscious Christin, Tomiv saw the same Mana-string attached to the end of the arrow as of the Bowstring. He immediately came to know why the bow looked familiar, for he had seen a Dreamer with it a long time ago. "Ha Ha Ha" Tomiv saw the smiling face of the Devil and her raspy lowugh hit his ears like thunder. "NO!" He canceled the Skill but even with his maximum speed, it was nigh impossible to arrive in between the arrow and Christin. The image of Christin hugging him, calling him captain, and tugging at his shirt shed through his mind. His feet hadn''t stopped running, but even his afterimages were lostpared to the darting arrow only meters away from Christin. "ROSE SUBSTITUTION." A voice echoed in the surroundings and a rosebud came bursting out from the ground between the arrow and Christin. The Rose instantaneously bloomed and out came Trifon, having a sword in his hand. The sword felt like a stem of Rose with many thorns and leaves. Vibrant green liquid could be seen running on the sword''s de, like veins. BANG! The sword shed at the Mana-arrow and both the arrow and sword burst apart into thousands of pieces. And the impact sent Viscount Trifon and Christin flying back. "Die! You fucking Devil!" At the same time Viscount Rayko shouted, and the hovering petals came raining down at the Devil. Among the petals, innumerable tiny thorns were dripping with venom. GRRRRAWWRRR! The Devil let out a roar at the rain that seemed like a cloud-burst had happened. She turned to shadow on the ground and dashed towards the wall of insects. Tomiv, now full of rage and hate, was about to dash, but the evil smile on Rayko''s face kept him from doing so. He looked at the red waterfall that seemed high above, but in the next moment sted the erratically running shadow. "AAAAHHHHHHH!" Even the ethereal shadow couldn''t remain unscathed from the thorns and razor-sharp petals. The Devil struggled toe out to its original form. Tomiv saw tiny thorns had enshrouded the Devil''s body entirely as it howled in pain. The red petals sliced its internals but except for more shadowy vapors, no blood came out of it. "Now for the closure!" Tomiv heard Trifon''s voice and turned around to look at him. His face was all bloody and his right arm, which had wielded the sword, had a bone protruding out of it. Trifon struggled to raise his left arm and snapped his fingers. Snap! Zrrrrr!!! Tomiv looked up and saw a fissure opening up in the green sky. The two vast Roses hurled and swayed and a thorn, dozens of meters long, came out of the fissure. As the thornpletely left the dark background behind and came into the light, Tomiv saw it covered in millions of venomous green veins. Without any more sound, the thorn came falling on the Devil, wreathing in pain. BOOOM!!! The Evesting Venomous Roses vanished along with all the petals and the thorns, leaving behind a cloud of dust. Tomiv and Trifon approached the impact site. But they couldn''t see or sense the countless shadow-blobs hidden in dust, sliding towards the distant mountain. Their sight was upied by the fist-size greenish-ck stone on the ground. Tomiv picked it up and faced Trifon before handing it over to him. "Thank you for saving Christin." "Humph!" Trifon snatched the Return-stone and looked at it. But the stone soon fell down from his hands. Gatcha! "TOMISLAV!" Even before Berb''s ominous shout reached his ears, he saw a hand bursting apart Trifon''s chest. Being just in front of Trifon, the hand didn''t spare Tomiv and entered his stomach like a knife going in butter. UGHH! Blood came showering out of Trifon''s mouth as Tomiv clenched his teeth and looked up. Standing behind Trifon, the calmness on Viscount Rayko''s face couldn''t have looked more detestable. Chapter 112: The face behind the Mask Chapter 112: The face behind the Mask Glug! Viscount Rayko dragged out his hand and jerked it to shake the blood off. Blood and flesh dangled down from the deep wound in Tomiv''s stomach and the see-through hole in Trifon''s chest. Behind Tomiv, the speechless Berb tried to sit up, but roses nailed down his hands and legs to the ground. Thump! Tomiv faltered back a step and Trifon''s knees hit the ground. The collision made him vomit out even more blood from his mouth and nose. Trifon barely turned his head, and probably could only see Rayko''s blurry image from the periphery as he asked. "Wh Why?" The same question had been ravaging Tomiv''s mind while he tried to bring all his strength and lunge at Rayko. But his sight blurred suddenly and the upright images felt reversed in his mind. The earth felt like it had be the sky while the sky seemed toe down. Tomiv looked at the wound in his stomach and saw a green tinge mixed in his blood. He felt an itch in his eyes, and with the minimal Perception he could use, he saw a green tinge in the red blood vessels. "HAHA HAHAHAHA AAA!" The strange bursts ofughter made it impossible to distinguish if Viscount Rayko wasughing or crying. Tomiv slumped down with his back on the ground, as he couldn''t remain standing with his broken breathing. He couldn''t see the stars and spotless moon, but he could hear the words of Viscount Rayko as clear as the growls of the annihted Devil. * "Why? I am amazed that with your intelligence you couldn''t guess the reason. The world doesn''t know, but I know what you are." Viscount Rayko circled the kneeled Trifon and looked him in the eye. The mockery on his face couldn''t hide the look of the greed of the beast hidden deep in his eyes. "Whyyy?" Trifon stretched out the question again through his gritted teeth. "ASK YOUR FATHER! Humph! Who went to the Gctic War while he had yet to be a Dreamer? Who saw his little brother bing a Count backed by the House? And who saw his nephew proimed as genius and heir to the Head''s chair?" Huff! Huff! The pale face of Viscount Rayko after the use of the Skill interrupted him from shouting without stopping to catch a breath. It would be an understatement to say that the look on Rayko''s face was ghastly. Hate, buried deep for decades, came bursting out of his popped-out eyes and ring nostrils. "Jus Just for that?" Trifon''s words made the riled-up beast within Rayko even crazier. He clenched his teeth and approached the dying Trifon. "Just for that, you say? You You motherfucker!" Bang! Rayko kicked Trifon''s face, sending him rolling over the dust. But the tenacity of the young Viscount shocked Rayko as he saw Trifon instantly sitting up and dragging his body towards him. "You.. think father won''t get to know?" "Haha! Your father is already being taken care of. Do you know why I never married? Because I didn''t want them to see this bloodshed, which was bound to happen. After the death of you and your father, I would establish a new House Venomous Rose." "You dared to plot with other Houses against your own family?" Viscount Rayko put his feet on the Trifon''s head, who had managed to drag his body up to Rayko. The older Viscount looked at Tomiv with green and redness in his blue eyes, and then at the starry night. He put pressure on his feet and rubbed Trifon''s face on the ground. "See? What did I tell you? A genius, my nephew. What family? I could ept your father being the Head as the circumstances demanded it at that time. But you? They didn''t even ask me before naming you heir and that too just after a young cunt like you bing a Dreamer." "The. Ancient Oracle would know of this" For the first time, the expression of triumph on Rayko''s face turned to fear. He wetted his dry throat and licked his lips and said, assuring and pacifying himself. "The Ancient Oracle had already prophesied about the Darkling here. She won''t be able to do another prophecy soon. Also, the prophecy had turned out to be a false one, and it would have serious consequences on her." Viscount Rayko looked at the traces of Ellington''s body parts and said. "We knew one of the Houses in the Kingdom of Divine Beast also has an Ancient Oracle. So it is House Firebird, huh!" The blood under Trifon had already made a pool. Even the hole in his chest felt drier. Using hisst ounce of strength, Trifon looked up, lifting Rayko''s feet. "The and Kingdom... won''t ept you!" Bang! Rayko mmed back Trifon''s head on the ground, crushing it to a bloody paste. "They will when I will tell them how valiantly you had fought with a Devil and made me the next Head at yourst breath." HAHAHAHA! p! Viscount Rayko wasughing hysterically with his arms stretched outwards when he heard a pping sound. pp!! The sound felting closer and closer, but even with his Perception, he couldn''t sense anybody near him. ppp!!! The final p made Viscount Rayko snap his head towards Tomiv and saw a man standing over him, with a red rose mask on his face. "Recordless?" "Uncle, one out of the two things that you got wrong is that the Ancient Oracle had never prophesied about a Darkling." The Recordless took off his mask as he addressed Viscount Rayko. The handsome face of Trifon, covered with strands of red hair, was spotless. Trifon nudged the sses on his face and crouched down on Tomiv and sucked out greenish vapor. The body under Rayko''s feet had already turned into petals of roses. "Imposs A Viscount level Rose Clone." Rayko, still dumbfounded by Trifon''s appearance, bbered nonsensically. "The other thing you got wrong is that I am not a genius." Rayko almost fell back, and his mind got hammered by the sudden urge to ask a ridiculous question. "You You talk like you have spoken to The Ancient Oracle. But only a Count can" The smile on Trifon''s face cut short Rayko''s words. Only two people knew of his real personality, strength, and curse. Trifon nudged his sses and said. "Being a genius is hard, but even harder is pretending like one." Meet the Heir of House Venomous Rose, Count Trifon Goranov , The Great Pretender. Chapter 113: Pile of Rocks Chapter 113: Pile of Rocks In the Kingdom of Swordless, the 3rd Quarter of the Milky Way Gxy, there was a red-green called Rosalia by the locals. The sweet smell of roses lingered in the''s atmosphere without overwhelming the living beings on it. A famous myth told of an enormous Rose-deity that used to travel among stars before shedding its material self as a cycle of rebirth. And thest seed left by that Rose-deity was Rosalia, the VR-252. Despite many other Gods and pagan cultures, Rosalia was the prime and undisputed deity to be worshipped. It was their mother, their Ancestral Spirit, their creator, and their destroyer. The earthquakes were the beating of Rosalia''s heart, and tsunamis were its efforts to sprout again. The rains were its reward for virtues, and the floods were its wrath for sins. North of the equator, there was a continent called First Nation. And House Venomous Rose had been overseeing the entire since anyone could remember anything. Some even said their history was even older than the formation of the itself. But those kinds of statements got buried as nothing but heresy. In the middle of the First Nation, there was a beautiful and vast manor. It was white, with red conical tops, and fields of roses surrounded it from all directions. It was the home of Count Drago Goranov, the head of House Venomous Rose. On usual days, countless servants, guards, and guests used to sway in the manor, like trees in a storm. But today it was as silent as a windless night. "Drago, thinking more is useless. You know, right?" At one end of the long table, within the spacious study hall, Count Drago Goranov was seated with his head down, seemingly in deep contemtion. His red hairs were short, and he had a light red beard. His tanned face couldn''t hide his pressed brows, as if he was facing a deep internal struggle. On his opposite was a man in a ck greatcoat, bald and fat. His nose was like a thumb protruding out of his face, and his thick lips felt like being stung by bees, multiple times. On his chest pocket, there was an insignia of two almond-like shields. He was the head of House Twin Shield, Count Sunurp Dulcis. "So you were the one who had manipted my brother. And you all" Count Drago turned his head to look at the familiar faces. Among them were his cousins, his Chief of Security, many politicians, and the right-hand man of his brother. "Haha! No need to hate them. They have just chosen a better Head for their House." The mocking voice of the fat bastard reached Drago''s ears. A sigh left his mouth as he asked. "Sigh What do you want?" "That''s the spirit! Make no mistake Drago, all the Barons under me and a sizable amount of force under your dear Chief of Security have surrounded the manor. All routes leaving the manor are cut off, and your personal spaceships, well let''s just say they aren''t ''personal'' anymore. Haha!" Crack! Count Sunurp took out almonds and cracked them, before eating with ugly chewing noises. Drago eyed the slight smile on his face as Sunurp gestured to throw an almond towards him and said through gritted teeth. "What Do You Want?" "Oh, for fuck''s sake! Can''t you see the scroll in front of you? Just sign on it to make me the official owner of this and I would let you live a happy life for many years. Ah! I still can''t believe that you sent most of the guards for the annual Rose Festival and waited to go with thest force of Barons. And here I thought only the young Goranov is a mindless shit. Is there a way to say the phrase ''The apple doesn''t fall far from the tree'' in reverse? HAHAHA!" HAHAHA!!! The study hall quaked with the resounding burst ofughter from all the friends and family members that had betrayed Count Drago. But his next actions were so strange and unexpected that theirugh experienced sudden death. Count Drago stood up from his chair slowly, under the watchful eyes of many Viscounts and Barons surrounding him. He looked at the chair on his right where his wife used to sit, drinking tea, while he muttered the songs of Blesses Ones for his inner peace. He craned his neck up to look at the ceiling and then at the empty shelves. None had even asked where all the books were. Two tears trickled down on the table as he said. "I will miss this ce." Shouuu!!! Under the horrified eyes of Count Sunurp and others, the entire body of Count Drago turned into fresh red rose petals. * Hundreds of miles away, there was a tree, taller than any mountain and visible even from space. The tree, which felt more like a sapling, had a tform at the top. From the top, the tform looked like a rosebud about to bloom. This was the Holiest ce on the, the home of the Ancient Oracle, Evesting Tower. Count Drago, standing at the edge of the tform, opened his eyes. The wetness of his eyes could barely withstand the terrifying gales. But his footing was as solid as the tower''s foundation. Looking at the sun for a moment, finally, he said in a broken voice. "Fire... in the hole." BOOOOOM!!! On the horizon, a sun seemed to appear, as the result of an explosion equivalent to tens of nuclear bombs. That was the direction where his manor had used to stand with pride. "As your son said, it''s just a pile of rocks. It''s our memories that are special." An ethereal voice reached Count Drago''s ears, making him turn around. He gave a deep bow and said. "Ancient Oracle." "Fire in the hole?! You are still fascinated by the phrases from Barren Earths?" A wry smile came upon Count Drago''s face, hearing herment. He followed the Ancient Oracle''s gaze, who was looking at the mushroom cloud, getting taller and taller by seconds. "Making you hide your Rank for dozens of years and now this? Your son is truly a genius. I hope he will bring ''HIM'' to us." Count Drago remembered the face of a curious child in his arms, and a proud smile came upon his face as he said. " Haha! No, he is not a genius. He just always liked to pretend like others." Chapter 114: Burn! Chapter 114: Burn! Death Separation - 3rd Level The Wailing Land of Mist "You You can''t be a Count." Trifon took a red-colored vial of potion, with bubbling liquid inside it. He gave a nce to his uncle, hearing his mutters, before pouring the vial''s content on Tomiv''s stomach. Viscount Rayko would have already run away, if not for his senses that warned him of his immediate death. Only the shivers and the impossibility of the situation made him disregard those warnings as he whispered out of his mouth. "How can you be a Count, when even Drago with the entire House behind him couldn''t Rank-up? I I refuse to believe it. I refuse" The blood and flesh on Tomiv''s wound wriggled and closed up as Rayko asked the question. Trifon saw Tomiv''s fluttering eyelids and stood up. He approached the pinned down Berb and with a jerk of his hand, the four roses nailing down his palms and legs vanished. "I think it''s time to let you know, uncle. Father became an Earl around 30 years ago." "Imposs" "Impossible? Ah! Uncle, are you thinking how could he resist the temptation to rule dozens ofs, right? Or are you thinking that House Twin Shield would run away, finding out his true Rank?" The incredible shock portrayed by Rayko''s gaped mouth easily said aloud that he was thinking both questions. Trifon pointed his chin at one side to gesture Berb to check up on the unconscious Christin. "The answer to the first question is that I told him to hide it. The second is even easier to guess." Trifon pointed his finger at the petals under Rayko''s feet. Those petals were the body of Viscount Trifon before they turned Rayko''s world upside down. "Count level Rose Clone" "So you can still think to some extent, uncle. Very good! Because I need you to remember the circumstances of my mother''s death." Seeing Trifon''s sharp gaze and narrowed eyes, even the premonition of death wasn''t enough for Rayko to prevent him from taking several steps back. Trifon seemed to follow him like a wraith and took the same number of steps towards him. "Uncle, weren''t you in the raid from which my mother never returned? Father thought little about it, you being his older brother, but I found it odd that none of the other Viscounts returned except you." Rayko wanted to take more steps back, but an invisible wall prevented him from doing so. Trifon kept walking towards him and nudged his sses. "When I became a Dreamer, I secretly pretended as you. A loving older brother, a loving uncle, and a great Dreamer. But no wife, no children, and no goals? Then I dove deep into you or me. I couldn''t tell. The feeling of seeing my little brother giving me orders. The feeling of seeing my nephew getting praised by House''s priests and schrs. And the feeling of getting older and older ate me from inside." Trifon came close to Rayko''s face with a paper-thin gap between their noses. "So either you were a Divine Soul or a rotten being under that disguise. A dam that could burst at any moment. And then I found out that it was my mother who had nned that raid, so far from home in that Separation, looking for something." Trifon''s hand reached out and grabbed Rayko''s neck and lifted him. The grip made Rayko''s eyes roll back to reflect the spotless moon in them. Trifon''s calm voice, like a rumble of distant thunder, rang around the pair of uncle and nephew. "Where is it?" "I.. cough I don''t know what are you talking about." BANG!!! Trifon punched Rayko''s chest so hard that his hand almost got out of his uncle''s back. Blood came pouring out of Rayko''s mouth, but it failed tond on Trifon. Hundreds of petals rotated around Trifon as if worshipping him. Trifon brought Rayko''s face even closer and whispered in his ears, while his fingers were almost dug deep in Rayko''s neck. "You know what the Ancient Oracle told me. That our House is tasked with collecting four materials for this very day, since the time of Duke Goranov. Yes, the Progenitor! I have three of them with me, and my mother was supposed to get thest. The Oracle told me that if I take you with me, then I will have the fourth one. Haha! Who came along with whom, Uncle? Me with you, or you with me?" Trifon brought the terrified face of Rayko in front of him and again nudged his sses. "I had never seen a Devil before, but now that I have, don''t make me pretend like one. Where is" "AAAAAAAHHHH!" The sudden shout came unexpectedly, but Trifon didn''t flinch. He eyed the abnormal change taking ce in Rayko''s body, who was looking at him with fear and hate. Rayko''s chest, throat, and mouth swelled like a balloon. Even with the strength of a Count, Trifon struggled to maintain his grip. The more bizarre was the heat that he felt from the contact between his hand and Rayko''s neck. Hisss! The flesh on his hand burned, making him lose his grip. He looked at Viscount Rayko''s face and smelled a roasting meat kind of smell. Whatever was happening was burning his uncle from inside. Thooo! "Haha! Burn you bastard! Like I burned your mother! HAHAHAHA!" Trifon saw the thing that Rayko had spit out. It was like a golden viscous liquid, which evaporated as soon as it came out from his mouth. It only left behind a red hairlike thread, only an inch long, and it rushed straight towards Trifon''s forehead. Sizzzleeee!!! Even the air seemed to burn around the barely visible thing. Trifon hurled his hand, and a sword appeared in his hand. Green veins ran on the de and there were many tiny thorns in ce of its sharp edge like a saw. Trifon shed, but the hairlike thread didn''t even quiver, and the Viscount level Sword got melted in half like butter. "HAHAHAHA! Nothing can stop it!" Trifon dashed backward as he heard the crazedughter of Rayko. He was about to take out one of the ''Material'' in despair, but the red-thread of death had sped up and now was only an inch away. Trifon felt a piercing heat on his forehead and closed his eyes as he thought. ''The Ancient Oracle can''t be wrong.'' Suddenly a voice echoed in the Dungeon as if the sky and the world itself had spoken. "WATER." Chapter 115: The Last Material Chapter 115: The Last Material ''Cursed is everyone chosen by RECORD; Those who have "THEIR" Blessings are the Blessed Ones.'' * Tomiv''s hairs were iling as if a continuous upward gust of wind was keeping them up by their ends. Two blinding Golden Tridents had overshadowed the blues of his eyes. The scene on a starry night was even more bizarre. Two eye-like holes had opened in the night sky, with one of them directly over the spotless moon. The world got devoid of the moonlight, darkening everything for a moment. But soon a golden tinge engulfed the entire Dungeon. And two blurry images of enormous Golden Tridents could be seen in the holes of the Sky too. "WATER." Tomiv pointed his finger at the red hairlike thread, only a couple of inches away from Trifon''s head. Suddenly, a water-drop materialized in the thread''s path, as if morning dew had left the traces of its presence. The water-drop was crystal clear, and if one were to keep looking at it, it would be hard to say if it was even water or not. Enshrouded by the golden hue, the water-drop felt like a golden pearl, the epitome of all riches in the material world. Sizzz! As the red thread came into contact with water-drop, there wasn''t much sizzling sound. The golden drop, whose existence felt insignificant whenpared to the contact of that sword and the hair, didn''t even buzz from its position. The hairlike thread seemed to shrink as it entered the water-drop, leaving behind only a tiny trace of steam. But this negligible amount of steam was enough to give Tomiv a tremendous shock. "AAAAHHH!" TINK!!! The image of the Golden Trident in his left eye shattered like shards of a mirror, making him let out a piercing scream. In the Golden Sky, the image of Trident in the hole over the moon also shattered. The golden hue that had washed over the Dungeon dimmed, and moonlight came flooding out from the blurred eyehole over the moon. Thebination of Golden and Silver gave the Dungeon an ethereal angelic feeling. "How can this be" Thump! Rayko''s knees buckled, seeing the unbelievable scene. It was apparent that the idea of anything even remotelying close to stop the red thread was miles away from his thinking capabilities. Trifon opened his eyes and saw the golden-silver water-drop with the red thread entrapped in it. The hairlike thing wriggled, probably apanied by incredible heat, but failed to budge the water-drop. Before walking towards Rayko, Trifon gave Tomiv a look. The adventurer had his hand covering his left eye and was letting out grunts of pain. As he approached the kneeled Rayko, he remembered hearing the words about burning him as his mother, and veins popped upon his head. As he nudged his sses, his eyes could be seen filled with rage and pain and tiny streams of blood came out of their corner. Trifon walked behind Rayko and held his head, his grip almost crushing Rayko''s skull. But Rayko had seemed to lose all reasoning, as he kept looking at the water-drop as if it was not the thread but he who had got trapped. "How can this be" An indistinct mutter resounded around the pair of uncle and nephew as Trifon pressed Rayko''s head with an absurd amount of force. It was as if he was trying to bury the head into Rayko''s torso. But before the head got crushed, Trifon jerked back his hand, leaving behind afterimages. KATCHAA! The sudden jerk pulled out the head, and a dangling spine attached to it. Blood dripped like a waterfall over the spine and sprouted out like hot geysers from the headless torso. The dazed look on Rayko''s face had not changed even after death. Trifon dropped the head and took out a diary and a pen from his pockets. The blood on his hand smeared the pages of the diary as he reached thest entry. He looked at the vanishing lone Trident from the sky, and the spotless moon iming its throne, which looked blurry given the wetness in his eyes. The Count wrote as the spots of blood on the diary and pen got ckened by the muddy moonlight. -That I am a dutiful son or not, I have nothing to say about it. * Trifon helped Tomiv up on his feet and handed him over a bluish-yellow colored liquid in a vial. Tomiv didn''t stand on the ceremony and gulped down the entire vial like a thirsty beast. A blue and yellow vapor emanated out of his body as he recovered his SP and MP in a single go. "Damn! You rich folk truly are extravagant, huh!" Trifon looked at Tomiv with a pained expression, not caring much about what the blue-haired adventurer had said. He remembered the saying about the Cursed and the Blessed Ones. And for the first time, got a hint why the two entirely different statements were written side by side. He looked at Tomiv, who was eyeing Christin on the approaching Berb''s shoulder and muttered. "I can''t tell how sorry I am. You lost one of your Blessings trying to save me." "Haha! You saved Christin, so it was natural for me to reciprocate the gesture. We can be considered even now." Trifon didn''t dare topare the value of a Blessing to a Dreamer. But he also knew these values differed with different hearts. He remembered his father''s weary eyes and a slight smile came upon his face as he said. "Reasonable." "I foolishly never considered that anything could damage that water-drop. Just what in the fuck is that?" Trifon heard Tomiv''s question full of fear, loss, and shock. He followed his gaze and looked at the hovering water-drop with a red-worm-like thing slithering in it. Trifon stretched out his hand, and a rose petal appeared under the water-drop and brought it towards his hand. Trifon took a deep breath as he looked at the trapped thing in crystal-like water. It told the story of the decades of struggle and suffering of House Venomous Rose. "It''s a strand of hair." Tomiv''s stalled breath told that he had guessed the terrifying answer as he stuttered out the question. "Hair?! Of Who''s hair?" Trifon nudged his sses and looked at Tomiv. "The hair of True Phoenix." Chapter 116: A Counts Curse Chapter 116: A Count''s Curse ''When the essence of Four Divine Beastsbines, the Wheel of Reincarnation rotates half a turn.'' * "True Phoenix" Trifon heard the iprehensible muttering and looked at Tomiv''s face. He didn''t deny that the word ''True Phoenix'' had too much charisma, filling the hearts with greed whoever heard the name. But Tomiv seemed toe out from the shackles and lure of unreachable power fairly quickly. "I still can''t believe that you offered yourself as bait. Even if you are a Count, it still seemed a fool''s errand to face that Devil by yourself." Trifon nudged his sses, and saw the look of absolute shock on Berb''s face, hearing about his true strength. He pretended to be a spoiled brat and said to Tomiv. "Don''t talk to me as if I am your friend." But this time, only a wry smile surfaced on Tomiv''s face. Trifon walked to the pile of petals and picked up the Return-stone. "Haha! The Demon is still sleeping, huh? Very good!" The spoiled Trifon''s words reached the ears of Tomiv and Berb, who looked at each other, guessing vainly what the young Count was on about. Trifon pretended like a teacher, as he nudged his sses and asked. "Tomiv, what''s the difference between Random-Dungeon and normal Dungeon?" The sudden question was like a bullet shot out of a gun that didn''t give Tomiv any moment to think, and he spouted like a machine. "Three are known widely. First, there are no Return-stones in Random-Dungeons. Second, there are no optional Quests in Random-Dungeons. And third, Dungeon Breaks. Normal Dungeons can''t have Dungeon Breaks." The teacher Trifon nodded, quite satisfied by the answer. He fidgeted with the Return-Stone and looked at the distant snowy mountain, covered by a Mana-film. "My Lord, what are you waiting for? Crush the Return-Stone and let''s get out of here. I am sure you too would want to hear news from your." Trifon pretended to be a General and brought his hands behind his back. He walked back and forth as if struggling with a battle-turning decision. "We can''t go back. The time has finallye for my House to serve its purpose." "What... What do you mean? Have you gone mad? Have you not seen the Quests? Even with a Count as a Party member, the ''RECORD'' gave us those optional Quests. What kind of terrifying thing rests on that mountain we don''t even know and you want to hunt that?" General Trifon suddenly halted and snapped his head to look at angered Tomiv. He couldn''t have a mere soldier questioning his decision. So Trifon reverted to his calm state and nudged his sses. "Hunt? Do you know why I let Ellington die when I could save him? Do you know why you and your teammates are still alive? And do you know about the hidden truth of Return-Stone?" The calm Trifon saw Tomiv''s face finally crumbling down as if they sensed something ominous was about to happen. But the horror on Berb''s mummified face, as he looked at the hovering water-drop around Trifon, was heart-wrenching. Trifon pretended to be a fanatic and savored the expression on Berb''s face. "I knew this kid has something special about it. Have you never wondered why a Return-Stone is called so?" The fanatic Trifon had an aura of righteousness around him as he asked Tomiv. The secret history that he had read about, the sacrifice of his ancestors, and the words of the Ancient Oracle kept echoing in his mind. * "My Lord, you can''t?" Berb staggered a step back, shocking Tomiv, and took out a pyramid-like object having many symbols engraved on it. "What''s going on?!" Trifon brought his hands together as if praying, but his face was towards the mountain. The question asked by Tomiv went unnoticed. Berb''s hands struggled to raise the pyramid over his head and muttered. "Tomiv. The Return-Stone No, he can''t have all those materials." "BERB! What''s going on?" Tomiv shouted at Berb while Trifon''s hand reached out in the void. He took out a transparent globe with a slimy liquid inside it that kept slithering like a mile-long river. "Impossible! It''s It''s the Saliva of a True Dragon! Tomiv, we have to stop him even if it cost us our lives." Tomiv held Berb by shoulders and shook him from head to toe. "What''s going on?!" Berb muttered as if in a trance, unable to take his eyes off Trifon''s hands. "The Return-Stone. At my home, there is a theory that a Dungeon''s essence lies in it. That''s why by breaking it, the Dreamers can leave the Dungeon. The ''Return'' here never meant for the Dreamers, but" A terrifying thought racked Tomiv''s brain and his hands, holding Berb, slumped down. His mind couldn''t process the sudden change in Trifon from an amiable and trustworthy teammate to a fanatic set on destroying everything. "Is this the kind of Curses the higher Ranks struggle with" Tomiv muttered, taking out his bazooka, and aimed it towards Trifon''s back. As Trifon''s hands came out of his Inventory, there were two globes in his hand. In one there was a drop of liquid. Its color kept changing between white, blue, red, and golden. In another, there was a piece of ck bone. The Bone was covered in symbols, so tiny that it seemed impossible for it to be engraved by anyone. The four objects hovered around him as space shook and multiple fissures appeared within the Dungeon, bringing a storm with them. ZHOOM!!! Shoop! The Return-Stone, as if attracted by an unknown force, went to the middle of the four objects. Tomiv used his bazooka to hold himself and Berb from getting swept away by the storm. "Tomiv, it is said that using four materials and a Return-Stone, an artificial body can be created. A bodycking any soul and consciousness. Those materials are True Phoenix''s hair, True Dragon''s saliva" The storm made it impossible for Berb to speak more. Trifon stood up and faced the two Dreamers. The reverence on his face looked scarier than his previous spoiled and calm appearances. And his voice was unfazed by the vibrating space and storm. "True White-Tiger''s blood, and True ck-Tortoise''s bone. This colorful world has be rotten from within. It is time for someone to drown the world into White and ck!" Chapter 117: Resurrection Chapter 117: Resurrection ''Mana doesn''t create Life without a Will, RECORD makes it do so.'' * Crackkk!!! Thunder cracked, and the sky copsed. Covered by the many fissures and twisted space, the Dungeon felt like exploding within. The four objects rotated around the revolving Return-Stone as if they were a system of sun ands. Under them, Trifon was standing with a smile of joy and aplishment nted on his face. Tomiv did not know what the oue would be. He only knew that after Dungeon Breaks, the Boss Crawlers had always wreaked havoc on anything that dared to cross their paths. But after a certain period, the RECORD would force these Boss Crawlers to turn back into a statue. Behind him, Tomiv sensed Berb''s eyed crying tears of blood, as he kept muttering a name. A name he didn''t dare to hear. The symbols on the pyramid wriggled with such an intensity that felt like they woulde out in the next moment. "It''s useless." Tomiv saw the mocking smile on Trifon''s face. He was looking at the pyramid, not caring about the consequences of the whispersing out of Berb''s mouth. Blood came streaming out of Tomiv''s ears and he saw Trifon spreading out his arms, trying to hug the entire world in his embrace. "Have you forgotten your captain''s theory, Child of Pharaoh? We are surrounded by Creatures of Darkness. You can call out to ''Him'' as much as you like, but your voice won''t go out of the Dungeon. Haha! You aren''t a Blessed One." Tomiv''s face became ugly as he heard Trifon''s words and remembered his theory about the Darkness Seeking Compass. With so much happening around him, he hadpletely forgotten about the effect of Darkness. Behind him, the conviction on Berb''s face got broken, and he looked more defeated than the head of Viscount Rayko. "Tomiv Tomiv, use one of your blessings again. We can''t let such an unnatural thinge into the world." Tomiv felt Berb''s helplessness as the bleeding teammate pleaded to him. But all he could do was shake his head in refusal. He had already used his Blessed state, resulting in the loss of a Blessing. He couldn''t use it again until the next day, no matter how much he would like it to. "My Lord Don''t do it. It would kill us as soon as ites alive Ugh!" Zhooom!!! Tomiv again tried to dissuade Trifon, but the storm had be a tempest, sting his bazooka out of the ground. He could feel his Baron-level strength getting sucked away by the gusts of winds, and it wouldn''t be long before he lost his footing. "If fate demands our death, then so be it." Trifon''s words felt like thorns, piercing Tomiv''s mind. He knew that if the Boss Crawleres alive, death would be the least of their worries. "Berb, hold yourself! I am waking Christin up" Bang! Bang! Bang! Tomiv had decided to let Christin loose, but three mini-explosions attracted his attention. The globes that contained river-like saliva, ever-changing blood-drop, and the piece of bone burst apart. The strand of red hair, as if beckoned by an undeniable voice, got sucked out from the water drop. In the middle, the Return-Stone had be an indistinguishable mass of ck, emanating out an ethereal ck glow. Hmmmmmm!!! Tomiv looked with a gaped mouth as the entire Dungeon hummed with a strange but captivating tune. The unreachable sky felt crashing down towards him. The moon, which reigned the Night, felt twisting into the shape of an egg. And the stars felt like threads of light, stretched all over the sky. But that wasn''t the end of changes. A blurry image of a burning red Phoenix appeared in the Southern Sky, covering a fourth of the Dungeon. The image brought with it a sound that seemed to have crossed the entire Gxy to arrive there. Screeeeech! In the eastern sky, a blurry image of a blue-white Dragon appeared, coiling around the stretched stars. It was like a river of Stars hade down and the gurgling sounds of ravaging water filled the entire Dungeon. Grrrrrrr! Even before the blurry image of a White-Tiger appeared in the western sky, the primal fear of prey hunted by a beast overcame all the Dreamers. As the grunts of beasts echoed in the Dungeon, their eardrums felt bursting apart in response. Roarrrrr! Towards the north, above the snowy peak, the Dreamers could see an enormous ck shell. And a vast rope seemed to be coiled around the shell, but it kept moving around as if it was alive. Hisssss! Under Tomiv and Berb''s horrified eyes, the four Divine Materials entered the Return-Stone. * BOOOOM!!! Outside the Dungeon, the ck waters from the Sea of White Death had receded. The gray mist had again imed the vast open area, and the ground was ever muddy. Screams and howls could be heard in the distance. But the explosion overshadowed them in the next moment, reaching to the farthest corners of the third level of Death Separation. The Dreamers were familiar and terrified by these kinds of sounds, as they were like the ring of a bell, telling them only one thing. Dungeon Break. Thump! Tomiv, Berb, Trifon, and Christin got sted out of a portal and slid dozens of meters away. Unknown to them, and unseen to any eye, a squirming mass of shadow also got thrown out of the portal. The blob of shadow followed by a book, having iprehensible symbols all over it. The symbols wriggled like worms if one were to keep looking at them. Like a bullet, the book seemed to be fired towards the chasm-like grave - the teleportation point to the fourth level. CRACK!!! "Ughh!" Tomiv somehow lifted his head to see the statue over the tombstone, covered in many cracks. ck rays and gusts of ck scythe-like winds came out of the cracks, sweeping the gray mist away. Booom! With another explosion, the stone statue burst apart, and out came a ball of ck fire. Tomiv, as if amazed and hypnotized by the dark thing, stood up and dragged his body towards it. The ck fireball squirmed and twisted before taking an outline of a person. The being wasn''t overly handsome. His face was ordinary, and long white hair iled behind him. A ck Veil had covered his entire body and seeing the white pupils in the being''s eyes, Tomiv''s heart stopped in extreme fear. "The The White-Haired Assassin?!" Chapter 118: Clutches of Death Chapter 118: Clutches of Death ''There is something beyond Death; In Death, there is no life, but in life there is Death.'' * A few minutes before [Dreamers have hunted the Elite Crawler] "Finally!" Aldrich eximed, seeing the notification. He did not know what kind of being his Elite Crawler was for it to kill all Dreamers during thest six months. It seemed the Elite Crawler finally met its match. He put down the Diary and walked out of the house. The snow had stopped falling, and in the sky, the spotless moon hade up as always. The cold had increased in intensity but under the effect of glowing Rumok, it couldn''te close to Aldrich. He looked at the extended tattoo on his right hand and remembered the description of the Rare ranked Rumok. [ Item: Force Rumok Type: Rumok Rank: Rare Description: Dreamers can freely exert force on Concepts within a limited space ] Aldrich had aimed for the range of this Rumok to be the same as that of the Common one, but he failed. Nheless, he was quite happy with the results. As Rumok was made by him, it would be useless for a Dreamer, who didn''t even know what these Concepts mentioned in it were. The coldness and warmth were not the only Concepts that this Rumok could push or pull. "I miss Shadow Homunculus Sigh!" With theck of Inventory and all his Items eaten away by the Shadow Homunculus, only Rumoks felt like they weren''t affected by his strange state. He just didn''t want the sentient Item to roam around in the space attached to his dead body. As Aldrich was thinking about his lost Item, he looked at the Mana film and frowned. For six months he had been trying to understand the Law of Mana. But it felt like a gargantuan task, even for him. "Not even dying a hundred times would be enough. There is no Mana in that ce. Arghh!" It was like standing on an operating table with all the tools in hand, but no experimental subject on the table. It was also like having all the time to learn something, but no books to read from. The frustration on Aldrich''s face was momentary and reasonable. Aldrich eyed the edge of the Mana film and looked beyond towards the blurred city. At any moment, the Party of Dreamers woulde and he could get some answers from them. "Haha!" He remembered his meeting with the three Bosses and chuckled, holding his chin. The idea of messing with the awaited Dreamers kept shing through his mind. "Hmm! How should I act? Attack as soon as they see me? Na! Why not a game of Hide-and-Seek? Yes, let''s see if they can find me." Seconds turned to minutes, but he still couldn''t see any sign or notification about Dreamers. The yful smile on his face disappeared, and then the scenario hit his head like a sledgehammer. "They They will not crush the Return-Stone, right? Fuck!" He ran to the wall of Mana-film and pounded it with his fists. Bang! Bang! Bang! "No! Don''t go, brothers and sisters. I will not kill you. Look, I don''t even have a body." After banging for a while, the helpless expression on Aldrich''s face vanished. His calm eyes looked at the Mana-film and he jumped back towards the opening in front of the house. "Well, that didn''t work." The only thing that he could deduce in the six months of his meditation and contemtion was that there was a presence within Mana. A presence so light and obscured that it only surfaced around extreme emotions. "If only I had a Devil" Aldrich couldn''t finish his sentence as he felt a burning sensation all around him. He snapped his head towards the city and felt a red-tinge in the distance. The Rumok on his hand glowed and his heart thumped, feeling the impossibility of this hotness that he could neither pull nor push. His throat felt dry, and the tips of his fingers itched. An unknown Concept had presented itself to him, and the thought of not being able to learn and research about it fed on his patience. But the sensation didn''t remain for long and soon the sudden golden hue in the sky caught his attention. He looked at the moon but only found a Golden Trident in its ce. The one leafed sapling within his forehead twist and turn in response to that, but before he could analyze it more, the Trident shattered. "What''s going on? What are they doing? No respect for Bosses, tsk! Now I know how Boss Buckey must have felt. Sorry, bro" Aldrich was still trying his best to memorize that sensation when another change happened in the sky. He craned up his neck and saw many fissures opening up in the sky and a tempest had covered the entire Dungeon. But this didn''t seem to be the end. One by one, he saw four images of enormous beasts. And this time, the feeling that came to him was something he had felt before. All images were at least on the same level as that of the ''Banished Golden Devil.'' "Four" BOOOM!!! The sudden booming sound cut off Aldrich''s mutter. He looked in astonishment as the ever-present Mana film burst apart, along with the house behind him. The events happening outside finally came under his senses. There were no traces of a city anymore, and the only thing he could see was a huge ck ball of fire revolving maniacally in the air. Despite the weirdness of the situation, Aldrich could feel that the ck object was a part of him. There was a slight attraction or link, tying him with that object and pulling him towards it. A smile came upon Aldrich''s face as he guessed what was going on and dashed towards the ck fire. [YOU CAN NOT LEAVE] A voice bashed Aldrich''s mind just as he was about to reach his destination. He turned around and saw a bone hand ripping apart the space of Dungeon anding towards him. Despite the normal size of the bone hand, it felt like the entire world could fit in it. But Aldrich had a joker-like smile on his face. "Haha! Death is a liberty." As the bone hand was about to grip his wrist, Aldrich voluntarily extended his hand and touched the tips of bone fingers. "Law of Death. BANISH!" Cough! Aldrich coughed out a bucket worth of blood in a single go and got thrown towards the ck fireball. Chapter 119: Puppets Chapter 119: Puppets "The The White-Haired Assassin?!" Fear had such a grip on Tomiv''s heart and mind that he could neither blink nor breathe. In front of the hovering being, Tomiv felt like an ant. His existence inessential, his thoughts inconsequential, and his life meaningless. For the second time in his life, Tomiv experienced the vastness of the Gxy and horrors within it. The only thing toment was that one of those horrors had somehow ended up near him. "Berb Christin Hahhhh!" Cough! As Tomiv muttered the name of his teammates, his lungs got devoid of the pitiful amount of air within them. The sudden feeling of suffocation made him take a deep breath and cough, taking him out of his petrified state. He looked around and found Berb and Christin sprawled on the ground. Berb was making twists and turns while grunting in pain and seemed to be unaware of the surrounding happenings. The purple on Christin had receded, but she was still out cold. Tomiv saw Trifon approaching the terrifying being as if he didn''t fear death. The hovering beingnded on the muddy earth, bare-footed, and the red-haired Count kneeled in front of him. "I, Count Trifon Goranov, Heir of the House Venomous Rose, wee the God of White and ck into the material world. Congrattions on your sessful resurrection." RAWRRRRR!!! The sudden beast-like roar made everyone turn their head towards its source. Tomiv couldn''t help but take a step back as he saw the Devil, the Elite Crawler that had cost them the life of two Viscounts. He couldn''tprehend how a Crawler could havee out of the Dungeon, especially when they had already hunted it. The only way for any Crawler to leave the Dungeon was after making an initial summoning pact with the Dreamer. The Devil dashed towards the nearest living thing, the resurrected Doom and the kneeled Count. Tomiv saw Count Trifon standing up and cing himself between the ck-veil dded ''God'' and the Devil. "Let me take care of this slight nuisance." Thousands of rose petals materialized around Trifon. But Tomiv''s eyes were concentrated on the shocked expression on the face of the being behind Trifon. "Oh! Howe you are here? What''s this?" Tomiv heard a strangenguageing out of the Boss Crawler''s mouth, and even Trifon turned around in astonishment to hear more of that voice. The Devil, not caring about the strange and captivating voice, lunged at the Count. But the next scene made the two exceptional Dreamers'' mouths wide open. The resurrected Boss vanished and appeared in front of the Devil, even before its shadowy feet could leave the muddy ground. Tomiv, in awe, saw the Boss put his hand on the breast of that Devil and say something again in a strangenguage. His words, which seemed powerless, jolted the Devil from her head to toes. And a ck gas, emanating a foul stench, got sted out of the Devil. ''What the hell is that?'' Tomiv thought, disgusted by the steamy gas as it churned like hundreds of beasts howling within it. A bluish glow came out of the right hand of the being and the entire gas gathered in his hand before turning into a ck pea-sized bead. With a jerk of the white-haired being''s hand, the bead vanished, and he reached out to touch the face of the Devil. The Devil, like a docile being, didn''t even flinch and let him touch it as if whatever he was doing was happening as it was supposed to. As the hand and Devil''s face came in contact, the entire body of the Devil squirmed and twisted within itself before turning into a mask. Tomiv could barely perceive the reality of what had just happened. The Devil that had extracted such a heavy price out of them got defeated by a single touch of the White-haired Assassin. * Aldrich held the Shadow Homunculus in its mask form. As soon as his eyesnded on it, he had recognized it from the shared bond they had. The more shocking was the heavy Devilish aura that had taken over the strange form of the Shadow Homunculus. Even in hundreds of thousands of years that he had spent in the Darknessst time, after his suicide, he couldn''t understand the essence of a Devil. But his insights were still more than enough to Banish a bit of the Devil''s aura. "It must be because of the Oldest Change Item tsk!" Aldrich put the mask on his face and felt the already pumping strength coursing through his body, getting a sudden boost. "Daddy me hungry!" A feeble and childlike voice echoed in Aldrich''s ears, making him look around, but there was no little girl anywhere to be seen. "Shadow Homunculus is it you?" " Yes Daddy." ''Fuckkkkkk!'' Aldrich cursed out in his mind, and his face became ugly under the mask. Thest thing he wanted to do was have a lovechild. ''Oh! Mom, so gonna kill me if she ever finds out.'' Aldrich imagined his mother with a slipper in her hand when the Shadow Homunculus spoke again. "Da Daddy?" "Yeah! I am here Sigh! What happened to you?" "Daddy See." Aldrich wondered what the talking Item meant by ''See'', but the flooding scenes in his mind cleared his doubts. He saw from the eyes of Shadow Homunculus devouring the mask and his lifeless body. He saw her dragging him towards the house at the snowy mountain''s top. And he saw her getting thrown out by the suddenly appeared Mana-film. He experienced the feeling of loneliness that kept eating her, as she tried to break the Mana-film. The attempts did little to let her emotions out and instead sped up the possession of Oldest Change. And then came the Dreamers that kept sting her with Items and Skills. The hunger and pain finally overcame her senses as she devoured them. And along with them, their memories. Aldrich saw the life of Shadow Homunculus in thest six months and the lives of the Dreamers, including that of a Viscount, that she had devoured, too. Aldrich clenched his fist, with his heart thumping with incredible sorrow, and turned towards the blue-haired man. "You are from a Barren Earth, right? Have you heard of Bellerophon?" His fluent use of Gxy''s standardnguage didn''t go unnoticed as the adventurer lowered his head and replied. "All Barren Earths have almost the same history. Bellerophon, she" But two unseen tears had already trickled down from the corners of Aldrich''s eyes. Chapter 120: A Devil among roses Chapter 120: A Devil among roses ''GODS Humph! They are nothing but characters of a story.'' * Aldrich opened his wet eyes. But now that he had confirmed the Red-Bellerophon''s words through the shared memories, the world seemed less colorful. He got to know many things in just a few seconds. The Dream Initiation Ceremony, and its changed circumstances, especially caught his attention. The vastness of the Kingdoms, their ancient broken history, and the songs of the Blessed Ones became another mystery. The four Separations, and their unexplored parts, brought a brief rush of excitement to his mind. What, who, and how the history of Barren Earths is managed, became an undigested food in his stomach. And the news of the natural cmities that had struck thes of the 1st Quadrant became the absolute rage in his eyes. But the most bizarre thing that had baffled the entire Gxy became justifiable news to him. He now knew to whom ''Broken Faith'' had belonged and could only guess why the enormous being behind the Veil had ripped off the King''s hand. He just couldn''t figure out the reason for his widely known face on posters and his identity as an assassin of some Hallowed Phantom organization. ''Speaking of Broken Faith'' Aldrich willed, and a threadlike vein originated from his mask. Down to his neck and then traversing through his shoulder, it reached to the palm of his right hand. The tip of the vein bloomed like a flower and out came a ck Katana, with an unseen edge and unknown sharpness. Countless rough and old hairlike threads were dangling down from the butt of the sword. And one of those threads was connected to the tip of the vein from which Katana hade out. "Shadow Homunculus, Pretty impressive! You can maintain two Items simultaneously." "" Aldrich felt the mask bing hot and two wed fingers pinching his chin. The feelings of joy and embarrassment got shared with no words with him. "Ah! Wait! You" "Daddy me Sha." "What?! Is that the name you have given yourself? Well, you do feel polite and well-behaved Ahh! Stop pinching me Cough!" Aldrich noticed the weird looks he was attracting and coughed. The blue-haired adventurer, called Tomiv, had already seemed to be prepared for a death-match as soon as the Katana had materialized. And the red-haired Count had again gone back to his kneeling posture. Aldrich looked at the Stats hovering above the Katana and was quite pleased and distressed at the same time. [ Item: Broken Faith (Transformed Shadow Homunculus) Type: Sword Rank: Count (+1) Durability: NA Minimum Usage Condition: The Oldest One''s Authority Description: A Katana forged with some of the best materials in the Gxy. Gives a Count''s Rank to the wielder for 3 seconds. Item-specific Skill (Locked): Dream Annihtion Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Turn the Reality into a Dream Item-specific Skill (Locked): One sh to Reign the Universe Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Disintegrate All Creation in its Path Warning: The Rank of the Item had dropped to Count from King because of indigestion Warning: All Skills are locked until the Item regain its original Rank Warning: Item''s rank can be increased by increasing Shadow Homunculus'' Rank Warning: Unknown ...] "Sigh!" Aldrich sighed and let go of the sword. The vein sucked the katana back into it and receded to the mask. He approached the kneeled Count and observed his Stats. He felt more curious about the ''Curse'' mentioned in his ''Record''. "My Lord, pleasee with me to my. The Ancient Oracle is waiting for you." Aldrich heard Trifon''s pleading voice and searched through the memories of the Viscount beauty of House Firebird. The only thing she knew about the Ancient Oracle was their ability to make urate prophecies about individuals and events. It seemed her status and Rank weren''t enough for more core knowledge. "Hmm! But Trifon knows a lot of things. I wonder how many things I would get to know If I let Shadow Homunculus Ow! It hurts. Ok, Sha If I let Sha devour him." "Daddy Sha eat?" Aldrich muttered in English, while kneeled on the muddy ground, Trifon seemed a dutiful servant under Aldrich''s eyes. But the sheer horror and terror in Trifon''s heart came as the unceasing sweats on his face and back as death seemed unavoidable. Even the strand of Phoenix''s hair hadn''t given him such a sense of annihtion. Aldrich looked at waving ck Veil on his body and his gaze went to the dangling thing in between his legs. The transparent Veil wasn''t a normal cloth, nor was it an Item. The only thing Aldrich knew about it is that the ck Veil and he were the same beings. In his after-death ethereal stat, he was the ck Veil, and the Veil was him. But what changes it would go through now that it hade out in the real world, he didn''t know. "Trifon is it? Give me something to wear." Aldrich saw the baffled look on Trifon''s face upon hearing the question. But the Count soon took out a white greatcoat, white pants, and boots out of his Inventory. From the memories, Aldrich had already figured out that at the Rank of Count, normal things can be ced in the Inventory too. Aldrich held the greatcoat in his hands and took out the pea-sized bead. It was the condensed Devil aura that he had taken out of Sha. He threw the bead at the clothes, and the Devil''s aura engulfed them, making them pitch ck. There was no foul stench, but a feeling of disgust, unrest, and fear could still be felt vividly while looking at or being around the clothes. "Now this is better. Let''s go! And bring these three with you." Aldrich addressed Trifon and willed the ck Veil to enter within his body. He wore the pitch-ck clothes, whichbined with his Devil''s Oldest Change on his face, made him look like a True Devil. He looked as Trifon took out a blue-red cube and threw it on the ground. The cube turned to dust, and a portal opened up in its ce. Aldrich could smell the freshness of rosesing out of the portal. There were many questions that he needed to find answers to. How to return to his and who was behind the cmities in the 1st Quadrant had top priority. But even crucial was to prepare for the event that would happen one and a half yearster on Barren Earths. "Let''s see what is so special about this Ancient Oracle." Chapter 121: Barrel Dwarf Chapter 121: Barrel Dwarf Death Separation - Boneless Tavern The smell of booze, meat, and fresh mud had still reigned the tavern. The buzz of Dreamers never stopped at this ce unless a King Rank Dragon was roaming around. To enter the Death Separation, one needed to go through this town. It being one of its kind, the Boneless Tavern was quite famous among Common to Baron level Dreamers for trades and, of course, for settling ''business''. The cacophony of fists striking jaws and hands smacking perky asses was at its peak in the middle of the day. Creakkk! "" The door to the tavern creaked, signaling a new arrival, and all heads turned to look. The difference between knowing and not knowing about theing Dreamer could mean life and death for some. And thest traces of alcohol, if there was any, got gulped down as fast it could be. Thump! Thump!! The wooden floor sent the heavy vibrations from the footsteps to all the corners, and it was like a giant Dreamer was about to stomp on the entire tavern. But what came through the doors were two enormous barrels, hovering in the air. Thump! The Barrels moved up and down, as they moved towards the Bar, and the tense faces of the Dreamers within the tavern rxed. Their clenched butts loosened, and some farts escaped the shackles because of nervousness. Before theirugh took over the entire seating area, everyone took another drink to calm their shuddering hands. HAHAHAHA!!! "Damn! It''s just the Barrel Dwarf" "So it was him, Fuck! Bastard! Shouldn''t hee from the backdoor" "Barrel Dwarf? Who is" The slurs about the Barrel Dwarf took over the forgotten topic the Dreamers were discussing. Some seemed quite familiar with the sight of barrels, but some were seeing them for the first time. It was apparent that the two barrels'' arrival wasn''t regr in the tavern. The barrels, apanied by the loud thumps, went behind the Bar and ced themselves in one corner. But from the small space between them, out came a gray-bearded dwarf, wearing only ck shorts. His bare body was tanned, and the beast-like muscles could have put anyone to shame, if not for him being a dwarf. One could hardly see the ck eyes of the dwarf from afar. The thing that made him captivating was the long and ghastly scar running down from the top of his left eye to his chest, just above his heart. It was like a path of a dried-up river, coursing through his face and his neck. He was Barrel Dwarf, the Booze supplier. The Barrel Dwarf approached the old man behind the counter, who was making shots for the customers seated at the Bar and bowed. The old man had an ever annoyed expression on his face, and from the Barrel Dwarf''sing inside to cing the barrels, he had not spoken a single word. But as the Barrel Dwarf bowed, the old man gave him a brief look and nodded. Creak! Another door opened, but it attracted no eyes, for it was the one behind the Bar. A man with dark and heavy eyebags came out and beckoned the Barrel Dwarf towards the two chairs just beside the door. None knew what the exact work this man did for the old man in this tavern, and sometimes he could be seen all over the ce, and sometimes nowhere. Some even jokingly said that he was like a shadow on a cloudy day, appearing and vanishing at a whim. The Barrel Dwarf and the man sat down on the chair with a mug of hard liquor in their hands. The height of the dwarf only allowed the top of his head to be seen behind the counter, and the man seemed to be melted into the shadows of the dark corner. Whatever they were going to chat about couldn''t be anywhere near interesting or useful to any Dreamers within the tavern. By the time the hired tantalizing beauties served another round of drinks, all of them had already forgotten the dwarf and eyebag-man''s presence. * "You are early this time?" The Barrel Dwarf reached into the pockets of his shorts, hearing the man''s question, and took out apass. The red needle inside couldn''t be deader. As the Barrel Dwarf put thepass back, he whispered a few things to the man. The ck-garbed man rubbed his eyes and took a mouthful of the drink. "So that''s how it is. Hmm! What did you find then?" "Nothing! The statue over the tombstone was gone. Probably a Dungeon Break and there were traces of a C-Teleportation. The only clue I have is that House Firebird has something to do with it." The Barrel Dwarf exined, drinking thest drops of the liquor. The man opposite him refilled their mugs and pointed out. "House Venomous Rose sent a Count and a Viscount, along with a Blessed One inside the Death Separation." "You think they had the same destination as the House Firebird?" "Could be They both have an Ancient Oracle." The man with heavy eyebags held his chin, unsure of the connection. The Barrel Dwarf recalled the details about the House Venomous Rose and came to a conclusion. "I will send two of my underlings to both the Houses" The Dwarf couldn''t finish his words as both the person seated on the chair, and the old man serving drinks on the Bar, snapped their necks towards the sky. It was as if they were looking at something thousands of miles away. "He failed, again. I just don''t understand why he needs to growl just above the town. Sigh!" The gray-bearded Dwarf heard the man''s words and his helpless sigh. The Dwarf hade here many times in thest six months, always seeking some answers. So when the Sea of White Death''s topic presented itself, he couldn''t help himself but ask. "What strength must one require for sailing beyond that Sea?" "Strength? No The old man only said something once about understanding a sentence." The Barrel Dwarf felt his throat bing dry as the man opposite him mentioned the old man. Forgetting the drink in his hand, he asked. "What What sentence?" The man with eyebags leaned forward, his nose almost touching the scar on Dwarf''s cheek. "Death is a liberty." Chapter 122: A Duchess Destiny Chapter 122: A Duchess'' Destiny 4th Quarter - Milky Way Gxy Kingdom of Life-Authority All wasn''t as calm as the Royal Family portrayed on the Prime where the Royal Pce towered among clouds. The rumors about the Queen''s niece and her background were eating away the Royal Pce like termites. When thest Queen crowned the younger Eluned Rhianon instead of her eldest, the event had taken the entire Kingdom by storm. It was more so when people loved and adored the current Queen''s elder sister. She was like a manifestation of Mana''s mercy and was acimed unanimously to be the next candidate who could be the next Empress. Her sudden disappearance following the coronation of Queen Eluned had been the talk from huts to manors all over the Kingdom. Even more gossiped was the child that she had left behind. But none dared to question the child''s rightful im to be one of the Royal family''s members. The Rhiannon''s men or women were not known for marriage out of their family. So the disappearance gotbeled as a mere upsetting reaction to the action of thest Queen''s unexined decision. And in a world where the fight for evolution had never ceased, none had time to dig into matters of Royals other than writing it down to please History. But the rumors of the appearance of a Golden Luan, gave energetic motivation to the trouble seekers to rip apart the missing princess''s past. And the jealous Royals fueled the rumors, hoping the fire would engulf the Queen and her niece within it. Unlike the Kingdom of Eternal Servant, the holiest ce within the Kingdom of Life-Authority wasn''t a temple. As the Royal family''s doctrine was to worship nothing. None knew if it was a contributing factor or not, but the Kingdom also was at the top in its scientific advancement whenpared to the other kingdoms. If one were to put a finger on the most important ce, other than the Queen''s Pce, then it would be the Nation of Innovation, Knowledge, and Eternity. Or widely known as NIKE. The name of the organization was called a ce because it was truly a Nation. An entire Nation acted like a HeadQuarter for the NIKE, overseen by the Queen herself. Within the Hall of Ancient History, housing billions of scrolls, Bouda was looking at a particr section named Sea of White Death. Her childish eyes had seemed to reach adulthood in thest six months. "Duchess Bouda, the Queen is calling for you." A white garbed male approached Bouda. He had white gloves on his hand, and his old face felt cleaner than the spotless white floor. Over his chest pocket, there was an insignia of a triangle with three pupil-less eyes on each edge. Within the triangle, there was an image of a glossy ck disc. Bouda pulled out a cylindrical ss tube containing a ck-brown scroll with broken edges and handed it over to the man. "Ah! Yes, please put it under my name." The man nodded and Bouda followed him to a spacious Hall, housing many sofas, refreshments, and drinks. On one of the sofas, she saw the Queen in revealing purple clothing, drinking wine, and eating cakes. She could see her aunt''s pink nipples vividly protruding out, making her flush. But by the time she sat down opposite to her, all ufortable expressions got buried. "For how much longer will you punish yourself, dear." The Queen''s sweet and seductive voice reddened Bouda''s ears. She turned her head to look at the Curse-Fairy, pouring her a cup of wine. "I don''t know what you are talking about. I just want to learn more." Bouda''s feeble voice failed to convince the Queen altogether. "Learn? You? I still remember how you would always run away when I threatened to lock you up here. And now you don''t even want to leave this ce." Bouda''s mind went to the moments of her childhood. But another face came barging in as soon as she tried to remember her happy and yful days. The face belonged to a midget, who she used to hate and despise. "Aunt, that was then, and this is now." "Tsk! Are you still mad at me for snatching you away from that? How many times should I assure you she was already gone? I couldn''t let anyone see your Ancestral Divine Spirit." Tink!!! Bouda threw the half-filled cup on the ground. The redness of her ears signified not embarrassment, but sheer anger. The surrounding Mana fumed and her eyes got a trace of golden hue. "SHE IS ALIVE. I know there is a method somewhere among these scrolls to get her back. And I don''t care about others getting to know anything rted to me. Humph!" Bouda, not caring for the wine cup rolling away from her, was about to stomp out when the Queen raised her hand to stop her. "Okay, Okay! Wait! Sigh, your mother too had the same temper. I have some news for you." Bouda halted and snapped her neck towards the Queen at the mention of news. She hastily neared her aunt and asked, holding her breath. "Has Has he gone there again?" "Humph! Yes, not only did he go there but he has alreadye back. Foolish girl, don''t put your hopes in the Red Dragon. I went to the Supreme Oracle, and she had some words for you." "Supreme Oracle Aunt, you" Sniff! Bouda suddenly teared up and slumped down with her face on Queen''sp, hearing the Queen''s casual sentence. She knew what it must have cost her aunt to go to the Supreme Oracle and ask about a thing, which wasn''t even directly concerning to the Queen herself. "Now, there is a hint of my Bouda." The Queen held Bouda''s chin and raised her face. Bouda felt the smoothness of Queen''s fingers as she wiped Bouda''s tears away. "What What the Supreme Oracle said?" Bouda struggled to ask, waiting for the words with bated breath. She felt the Queen''s warm breath on her ears as a row of silent words entered her mind and heart. "Among Roses lies your Destiny." Chapter 123: Whispers Chapter 123: Whispers People had been using ''Whispers'' to pass on Secrets without being overheard since the times of Ancient Dreamers. The schrs had mentioned it in many documents. "The whispers trigger a pleasant tingling sensation in the body of the hearer that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck." It seemed like the whispers were like a drug that people, at some point, had be addicted to. But the weird thing about whispers was that they tire the vocal cords out quicker than normal speech. Was this supposed to be nature''s way to tell us one shouldn''t rely solely on whispers? Was it a warning that one shouldn''t whisper unnecessarily? Or was it just a curse, dooming who thinks their secrets are safe if they whisper them out? * Forgotten Realm - Milky Way Gxy HQ - Hallowed Phantom Within the pce, the biggest hole in the moon, King Nagendra was seated on his throne. The throne matched the color of his eyes, like a volcanic ss having fire within it. With every breath, the fire within the throne shed with a bright red glow before dying down gradually. It was apparent that the King''s breathing wasn''t as normal as it was six months ago. The hall with no chairs or pirs was deste, devoid of his usual 10 followers. Theirst venture together had cost them more than just lives. "Ugh!" A painful grunt came out of the glossy-eyed King. He stretched out his left from under the sleeveless gray robe and looked at it. His fingers were covered in globules of pus, and white juices were oozing out from them. The skin from his wrist to the tip of his fingers kept turning blue and ck, and flesh under the skin kept rotting and letting out a foul stench. Suddenly his pinky finger mutated and its tip became a toothless mouth. It unnaturally extended and lunged at his ring finger. The King jerked his wrist and the pinky finger fell off as if cut by an extremely sharp knife. It wriggled like a snake experiencing torture from its inside and died down in the next few seconds. In its ce, on the King''s hand, another smooth and normal pinky finger originated. But as soon as its tip formed, pus and rotten flesh took over it like a gue. "Sigh! Antiochus" Hushhhh!!! The King sighed and uttered a name, but the sudden whispers that seemed toe from a different world made him shut his mouth. The redness in his ck ssy eyes intensified, along with the throne, and he extended his neck as if someone was speaking in his ears. His rotten left hand reacted to the phenomenon as if it couldn''t tolerate the whispers and all the finger''s tips turned into a snakelike mouth. But the King neither cared for the pain nor about the woman approaching his throne hall. By the time the hushing stopped, all the fingers had already devoured each other and his left hand had be a mangled tentacle of flesh and pus. The King jerked it again, making the entire left wrist fall off, and in its ce, an old wrinkly but healthy hand came out. s, the rot and the ulcers filled with pus came running to his fresh hand. "What a mess!" "My Lord! May" The King had every life on the moon under his senses, and thus, didn''t need to know who wasing or going out of his ''pce''. He brought the left useless hand under his gray garb and addressed the unseen woman. "Come in, Marchioness Maya." Chann! Channn!!! Even before the Marchioness entered, the pleasing sound from her anklets and bangles resonated within the hall. Marchioness Maya had a tight traditional style ck skirt and only a ck blouse on her body. On her neck, there was a ne that seemed to be made of diamonds, but it emitted a blue and emerald glow. Her ck hair smelled like a garden of jasmine and her peacock-like red eyes could have made anyone blush in lust and shame. But the hall didn''t belong to just anyone. It was the throne room of a King. "Long Live His Majesty, the King!" Marchioness Maya kneeled and shouted out in great reverence. Her voice was like a hissing snake, dreadful but full of charm. "Rise. Maya, how''s your father?" The King''s voice was like a natural force that made the Marchioness stand up involuntarily. "My Lord, how can anything be hidden from you? He is bing better by the day. If it hadn''t been for you taking on the full force of the attack, as my father said, then all ten seats would have died or something even worse could have happened." The King saw the beauty of Maya''s painful expression while she twirled a few locks of her hair in nervousness. "Haha! That old thing! He won''t let go of even a single opportunity to tter me even if he was looking at Death. Tsk! So, he has chosen you as his sessor. Hmm, you aren''t far from bing a Duchess. Considering your age, I can call it nothing but peerless talent." Marchioness Maya''s face flushed hearing the King praising her and guessing the reason foring right away. But the mention of her being young didn''t seem to faze her. Who in the Gxy could im to be praised by King Nagendra - the Slither of Chaos himself? "In the name of Chaos, let me serve you and the cause as my ancestors have done before me." The King stood up from his throne, seeing Maya bowing. Her breasts wererge enough to make her cleavage look like ascivious ravine. He stepped down the stairs and towered in front of her, while the end of his long gray beard kept wriggling like a snake''s tail. His right hand reached out and raised Maya''s face, holding her smooth and small chin. The thumping of Maya''s heart reached out of her body. Her heartbeats echoed in the hall as the King''s face went down towards her face, making her close her eyes in anticipation and fear. But the King''s lips didn''t go for the two ripe juicy red slices on Maya''s mouth and instead stopped by her left ear, letting out the shushing sound of whispers. Husshhhhh!!! "Death Darkling Roses Oracle" Chapter 124: Three words Chapter 124: Three words Earth - 1st Quadrant Milky Way Gxy A worldwide revolution had engulfed the in thest six months. For thousands of years, humans were trying to find a rational argument for the Creation of the Universe and Existence. And for even longer, human beings were debating the veracity of a higher form, named God. What was supposed to happen when such a being had left behind a photographic image for all to see? Different religions imed him as a shadow of their gods. Some saw in him the face of Jesus, some saw in him the wrath of Shiva, and some imed him as a pure manifestation of the Universe''s consciousness. But the information released by ADA, backed by the top Dreamers,id waste to these ims. The ck-robed being with white hair wasn''t an image of unexinable things from the holy books. He was a God unto himself. Countless people came together to form a new religion, called Duality. And they worshipped and praised the living legend of the being called God of White and ck. An existence no one could deny and probably none dared to. Apart from the changes happening in the religiousmunity, the lives of Dreamers had hardly experienced any change. They were still dying, crying, and bing strong by days as they were before the incident. In their world, three things have garnered most of their attention. * In a Japanese restaurant, in a private room, countless dishes were ced, along with scintiting cups of sake. On three sides of the table, Hisakawa Tomiko, Choi Seong, and Tun Bo Ag were enjoying the delicacies. But the dazed look in Tomiko''s eyes portrayed a different picture. "What are thinking about?" Seong asked in broken English. Even Tun Bo Ag, now a guild leader, had learned to speak English fluently. The news had made Seong almost break the chopsticks when he first heard it aftering here. Before replying, Tomiko put down the bowl and used a towel to wipe her mouth. "Nothing! It''s just The strange disappearance of the Masked Menace has be a topic of immense joy and celebration for countless Dreamers. I am wondering why there are no statements from ADA. And why they are letting the people credit it as a blessing of the God of White and ck." A brief silence ensued as Tomiko mentioned God. Seong gulped down the entire cup of sake and let out a satisfying grunt. "Ah! Don''t think too much about him. I say good riddance." Tink! Crack! The empty cup of sake, in Seong''s hand, shattered. Tomiko and Seong looked up and found Tun with an iprehensible look in his eyes. "I am sorry. I am more concerned about the strange behavior of Baron Sho. Tomiko, why did he leave the Guild? Where is he now?" "Tun, I I don''t know. He hasn''t left the Guild. He just can''t be found anymore. It''s like he has vanished." "Waiter! More sake" Seong ordered and continued, "I saw a video of him and another Barons going for their Random-Allocation. So it''s obvious he is still alive and well. I am sure he has his reasons." Tomiko half-heartedly nodded. The waiter served another round of sake and the three unusual ''friends'' finished their dinner. The three walked out of the restaurant when Seong suddenly turned around and looked at Tomiko and Tun. "What concerns me the most is Baron Boomie. He took over the Thousand Faces Guild overnight, whose leader was Masked-Menace. I am more inclined to believe the theory that it was him all along behind that mask." Tun red at Seong as he approached him. Their shoulders bumped into each other, but Tun kept going forward, and only his voice reached Seong''s and Tomiko''s ears. "I don''t even care anymore what concerns you or whatnot. But I believe Baron Boomie''s words with no shadow of doubt" Tomiko looked up to the sky andpleted Tun''s words. "Go beyond the Rank of Baron in one year. Or die trying." * p! Boomie''s face didn''t move as Mrs. Guo pped him for the second time. The pain in their eyes, though the same, differed in nature. "Where is my son?" "Aunt, believe me. The ADA has seen great potential in Al''s skills. They are training him to be a member of the Anti-Dreamer squad. You have heard of them, right? The job needs confidential 1-year training." Boomie let out the exact words for the hundredth time. The blurry eyes of his motherlike aunt just didn''t seem to trust him anymore. "You think I don''t know you, Bernard? You think I won''t know when you are lying?" Mr. Ben put his hands around Mrs. Guo. Boomie, with no choice, had to look into his eyes too. "Boomie, son, she didn''t mean it. It''s just, we hadn''t heard from him for so long. And you know about thest year" Boomie gulped down, but there was no saliva left anymore, and his dry throat felt like pieced by thousands of thorns. "I Cough! I will talk to Ms. Wells, you know, the Director of ADA. Maybe she will listen to me." Boomie saw the disbelieving expression on Mrs. Guo''s face as she jerked her shoulder to go out of Mr. Ben''s embrace. She approached a portrait on the wall and put her hands together in prayer. The portrait was of a being with a blurry face, ck veil-type cloth, and white hair. "God of White and ck, please watch over my son!" Boomie walked out of the Guo''s house and walked along the busy roads of the old town. He hade out of hisa after 1 week of the so-called appearance of Doom and the Savior. When he opened his eyes, the Chairman let him know all that had happened. And before his raging mind could wreak havoc on the entire world, Mr. Edwin handed over something written by Aldrich for him. Boomie reached out in his pocket and took out a neatly folded piece of paper. The pain in his eyes was not for loss, but for being left behind. He unfolded the paper and read the prophecy-like sentence for the thousandth time. "It is I." Chapter 125: Breeding Grounds Chapter 125: Breeding Grounds 2nd Quadrant, Milky Way Gxy Aldrich walked out from the portal and found himself on a tform. In front of him, there was a middle-aged man, with red hair and a red beard. Aldrich''s eyes went to the Stats hovering above his head and thought that he was undeniably the strongest Dreamers he had seen in his life so far. Behind Earl Drago, there were rows and columns of Barons, led by Viscounts. It was apparent they had been expecting him. Count Trifon hastily approached him and his father and introduced. "Father, may I present the God of White and ck." Aldrich saw a slight nervousness and doubt on Earl''s face as he kept looking at his mask and ck greatcoat. Nheless, Earl Drago bowed towards Aldrich with no ill intent. "My Lord, may I present" Aldrich cut off Trifon''s words and took a step towards the pair of father and son. "Earl Drago, the Divine Root, you must be proud of your son being a Great Pretender." Drago and Trifon''s mouths became agape as they heard Aldrich mentioning their sses effortlessly. It couldn''t be much if he had guessed their Ranks, for there were artificial means to do so, but to call out sses urately was a nigh impossible task. Aldrich nodded while seeing their expressions. ''This will keep them from doing any funny business.'' The father and son shared a look before Dragon again bowed, a little deeper than before. "Wee to Rosalia, God of White and ck." "You can call me Aldrich." Count Trifon seemed to be taken aback by such a request. "My Lord, this" But Aldrich didn''t want himself to bebeled as God of this and that. He did not know why his prison, the Dungeon, would be given such a name. But now that he knew of many things, he could guess the people of Earth had fucked him up. "Let''s first do the task for which I am here." Aldrich was more grateful than intrigued towards this Ancient Oracle. Regardless of the motive and so-called prophecy, he gained a body and came out of that inescapable Mana film. Aldrich clenched his fist and felt the raw power coursing through his veins. He had yet to ask about the exact procedure, as for now, he needed to maintain the air of mystery and awe around him. "Yes, My Lord, please follow me." Aldrich was about to follow the Earl, when he suddenly remembered and looked at the trio of Tomiv, Christin, and Berb. Tomiv''s posture was straight and defying, but Aldrich could feel him being pressured by his and Earl''s presence. Berb was still light-headed and Christin was out cold. But her quivering eyes told that she could wake up at any moment. Aldrich looked at Trifon before taking a step towards Earl Drago. "Find a ce for them to stay. I have some things to ask them." "Yes, My Lord." * Within the small spaceship, Aldrich eyed the clouds and vastndscape underneath him. The clouds also had a tinge of red, as if they were made of rose petals. The horizon was far and the sky''s limit was beyond anything Aldrich had seen. He could guess that the entire was almost 10 times the size of earth, nearing it to the gas giant Jupiter. The technology of Rosalia was advanced enough to make most of the essible to the House Venomous Rose. "My Lord, we can''t use teleportation to the Evesting Tower." Earl Drago, seated opposite Aldrich, exined the dy. Aldrich, on the other hand, wanted nothing but to suck away the entire knowledge out of this. His heart was racing for a long time, imagining the new things he could learn here. "Why don''t you tell me about the power structure in the meantime?" Aldrich saw Drago''s face flushing with an excited expression, eager to discuss these topics. ''As expected!'' Aldrich smirked and waited for the Earl to begin. "At the bottom, we have Common and Rare Ranked Dreamers. But the decisive step at the Noble stage is bing a Baron. Each Baron may have his own country to rule as he pleases. Of course, under the reign of the House in charge of the. Above them are Viscounts who are given low to mid-sizeds to govern. Counts can either request to rule their home, or they can have many mid-sizes or arge." "Like Rosalia" "Yes, My Lord. Above Counts are Earls, who rule anywhere from 2 to 100 Sr Systems. Many Counts assist them." Aldrich pressed his eyebrows, hearing such a scale. On a Gctic level, it was nothing, but the power in an Earl''s hands was just too great. He couldn''t help but ask out. "Why such a difference?" A wry smile came upon Earl Drago''s face, and his face blushed, matching the color of his hair. "Starting from a Count, the increment in Strength is too huge. Every level is like the difference between two Ranks. The status of Level 41 Count can''t even bepared to that of Level 42 Count. But things be even absurd when one bes an Earl." Aldrich took a mental note and nodded at Drago to carry on. "The Gxy is divided in four Quarters by the four Separations, and each Quarter is unimaginably vast. So the ancient Dreamers had divided a Quarter into various Sectors. Now, each Sector is ruled by a Marquess, the Rank above the Earl. The Dukes, given their rarity, assist the Royal Family in governing the entire Quadrant. The progenitor of my House was a Duke, Duke Goranov." Aldrich saw the slight puffing of Drago''s chest at the mention of his ancestor. But Aldrich had a more pressing question to ask. "What about Barren Earths? Who rules them?" The jovial atmosphere inside the small spaceship became dark and dense. Earl Drago licked his lips and slumped back helplessly in his seat. "Nobody rules them, My Lord. It isn''t something to hide. Barren Earths are nothing but breeding grounds. Just before the Gctic War, they will be turned into Recordless, and will be distributed among various Houses to be used" The roselike red of clouds Aldrich was gazing at, became a bloody red. The Earl, unaware of such changes, finished his words. " Such is the fate of every Dreamer from Barren Earth." Chapter 126: A Test? Chapter 126: A Test? Zoom! The spaceship vibrated and Aldrich felt like hundreds of soap bubbles had popped up after hitting him. Aldrich looked outside, and could vividly tell that the wilderness ofnds and atmosphere had exponentially increased somehow. He could feel a presence in his surroundings, but it could have been next to him or thousands of miles away. He looked at the Earl, who had already collected himself, a sure sign that he had expected this disturbance. "My Lord" "Call me Aldrich." " Aldrich, this is the reason that we can''t set up teleportation near the tower. In a radius of 500 miles around the tower, the Mana is too thick, which makes the portals unstable. That''s why one can only use spaceships, and traveling on foot is always an option too." Aldrich stood up and went towards the cockpit. Outside the windows, he saw a greenish tower, with its tip above the clouds. The surrounding air had lost its unseen nature and Aldrich could see a trace of red and greenish hint to it. Even the altitude at which the spaceship was flying seemed to beckingpared to the tower''s height. But the spaceship didn''t go up, rather it kept losing altitude as it neared the tower. Aldrich looked back towards the Earl and found that it was all intentional. After a few minutes, the spaceshipnded on the tform at the foot of the tower. Aldrich stepped out and took the immensity of the scene in his eyes. In front of him, there was an enormous, lush green tree, which seemed to be erged beyond recognition. The tree was covered in dozens of meters thick vines, and humongous leaves and roses. Aldrich felt like nothing but a mere ant, who couldn''t even look where the tree would lead it if it even dared to climb. Aldrich extended his hand and felt the gust of wind with the tips of his fingers. When he brought the hand close to his eyes, he could see his fingers covered in red and green grainy balls. ''Pollen grains!'' "So what now?" Aldrich asked as Earl Drago bowed in the tower''s direction. "My Lo Aldrich, Cough! Now you only need to go up by yourself, as only one person can go up at a time." Aldrich stared into Drago''s eyes as he would say that he was joking, but the silence between them didn''t break. "" "" "Daddy Sha eat him." For a second, Aldrich wanted to nod at this request. "Didn''t you say that it was her who wanted to meet me and not the other way around? Call her down." "That''s" Aldrich saw the''s strongest man, fidgeting and sweating like a little girl, and couldn''t help but ask. "What is it? Some kind of test?" "My Lo Aldrich, No! You will know once you reach the top of the tower." "Humph!" Aldrich harrumphed and walked towards the green wall. Behind him, Earl Drago eyed, less in fear and more in curiosity, how Aldrich ''the God'' would go about this task. There was a reason for the saying that only a Count could meet the Ancient Oracle. Aldrich craned his neck up and saw the enormous tree vanishing into the clouds. Just under theyer of clouds, there was arger than average rose, and Aldrich''s eyes looked at it as if eyeing their prey. Aldrich closed his eyes, and felt the presence of countless Creatures of Darkness around him, howling and praising Aldrich''s existence. An inhumane and devilish voice came out of his throat, which made the Shadow Homunculus toss and turn in its mask form. "Go Daddy." Aldrich snapped his eyes open and crouched down. "Change. Target Lock." [ Agility: 345 (+196 +79) ] BOOOM!!! A ck dragon seemed toe alive, shattering the space and flying towards heaven. By the time the Shockwave and the quaking of earth reached the spaceship and the bbergasted Earl, Aldrich had already covered half the distance. It didn''t matter if it was vines, leaves, or roses, whatevery in his path got annihted on impact. "Woo Hoooo" Sha''s excited voice echoed in Aldrich''s ears as he crossed the target and lost his maximum speed. As soon as the momentum brought him up theyer of clouds, a humongous hammer hit from his right. BAM! The hammer became a sliding wall that kept dragging Aldrich leftwards without giving him any chance to stabilize his footing. "Sha!" A vein popped out of the mask and reached towards the palm of Aldrich''s hand. As the tip of the vein bloomed, a massive buster sword came out of it. Aldrich held the Stone Splitter and impaled it into the green wall. BANG! The sudden stop was like getting hit by a massive vehicle. Aldrich tightly gripped the handle and looked for the hammer. But aside from the blurry tower''s edge, pinkish clouds, and distant setting sun, there was nothing. But Aldrich soon realized that if he let go of the sword, the hammer woulde back again. For the hammer was nothing but wind, colorless and strong enough to sweep away anything and everything in its path. Aldrich looked up and saw the top of the tower was still at considerable altitude. There was no way he could use the sword the entire way without his SP running out. "Damn! It is a fucking test. What are they thinking? It isn''t a cultivation story." BANG!!! Crack! A sudden gust of wind banged against Aldrich''s body. The sword wasn''t deep enough into the wall for it to resist such a jerk. The massive sword cracked, and it didn''t seem it could handle another jerk. "Sha, transfer the descriptions of all the Items you have eaten." "Yes Daddy" A flood of information washed over Aldrich''s mind, but in the very next moment, he found something that he could use in such a situation. "Yeah, this one would do. Sha, I would let go of the sword. Get ready." Aldrich sensed another hammerish gust of winding and nted his foot within the space between two vines. As soon as the wind was about to hit him, he let go of the sword. "Now!" The Stone Splitter twisted and churned before taking the form of a stringless bow. Aldrich clenched his teeth and let the wind try its best to rip apart his legs. As the wind died, Aldrich looked at the top of the tower and his eyes glowed with emerald color. "Change. All Proficient." [ Correspondence: 221 (+196) ] Chapter 127: The Ancient Oracle Chapter 127: The Ancient Oracle Grrrr! Aldrich felt like there was a surging river within him, washing his innards with cool and freshwater. A mass of bluish aura surrounded him and the surrounding Mana, like a chain reaction, roiled and churned in response. It was the first time that Aldrich had transferred his Attribute Points from Perception to Correspondence. He had already known that both Perception and Correspondence contributed towards the ultimate value of MP. And even after using the Item Devil''s Oldest Change, the total values of HP, SP, and MP never changed. But there was a reason that Correspondence was the selecting criteria for Mage ss and not MP. If Perception was a tool to increase the senses of Dreamers, then the Correspondence was a tool tomunicate with the Mana itself. It provided acute control of MP within a Dreamer and assisted in many Skills that required a continuous and regted output of Mana. Huuuu! Aldrich let out a blue breath and the emerald hue in his eyes gradually turned deep blue. He felt the Mana in the vines, roses, leaves, and the wind. Aldrich raised the bow and tilted it away from the rosebud at the top of the tower, sensing theing wind. His hand reached towards the bow and a bowstring of pure Mana materialized suddenly. He pulled the Manastring, guided by the Skill All Proficient, and just as a sizzling long arrow appeared, let it go. Ssshhhhh!!! The arrow was like a spear thrown in a straight line, blurring everything it passed by. Only a thin silk like string of Mana remains attached to the arrow and Aldrich''s hand. As the arrow reached half the distance, the hammerish wind struck the arrow and rerouted it towards the tform. Thump! Aldrich felt the vibration from the silk and gave it a few jerks, making sure the Mana-arrow had got stuckpletely. He pulled out his legs from the gap between the vines and took a deep breath. "Here we go again!" Aldrich sucked the Manastring within him and, like a bullet, went flying towards the top. "Yooo hoooo" The gusts of wind sted his masked face, and the sound of rushing air by his ears was like blocking them with tons of cotton. But amid all the turbulence, Sha''s excited voice still entered his mind as if nothing could trouble her. He looked at the Mana String that reminded him of a grappling hook and couldn''t help but thought. ''Why am I feeling like a Batman?!'' "Yeyyy Daddy Batman." Bang! Aldrich''s feetnded under the leafy part of the rosebud. In the distance, he saw some stony steps, but still a considerable distance away. As the Mana-arrow vanished, he aimed at the foot of the steps and fired another arrow. Aldrich tightened the Manastring and with a single swing arrived at the steps. The stone steps seemed to be embedded within the gap of two petals of the rosebud, reaching to the top tform. Aldrich enhanced his Agility and within seconds arrived at the entrance of the tform. Aside from the columns at its circr edge, the floor was red and devoid of anything whatsoever. There was no sign of a door, ornaments, or any sign of Oracle. Aldrich made a round within the tform and felt the columns, which seemed to be made of vines. The tempest-like winds hadn''t stopped, but the tform lightened their intensity. Aldrich looked out towards the pinkish clouds and saw a towering column of smoke. "The Extreme Mana Teleportation Research Center suffered many casualties in that explosion. Unfortunately, it also engulfed the lives of our many dear guests." Aldrich''s entire body shuddered, hearing the words. His scalp tingled at the realization that someone could have approached him without him knowing about it. And Sha had already involuntarily sent out a vein towards his right hand. Aldrich slowly turned around, and what he saw made him narrow his eyes. In front of him, there was a little girl, only 13-14 years old. Her lower half was covered in a skirt of leaves and vines, and her upper half had only a few rose petals covering her breasts. There was a crown of thorns on her head, the tips of which glowed with dark green color. The little girl twirled the locks of her red hair, and her green eyes seemed watery because of the wind. Her lips were thin, like two fresh rose petals in the morning dew. "Ancient Oracle?!" "Daddy Daddy Please Sha eat her?" Aldrich ignored Sha''s pleading voice and raised his defense. Those who could disregard his Perception couldn''t be called weak, despite their outward appearance. The little girl approached Aldrich and gave a deep bow. "I, Ancient Oracle, wee God of ck and White or was it White and ck Mmm" Aldrich observed her bodynguage and subtle changes on her face and concluded that the little girl, or Ancient Oracle, wasn''t putting up a facade. "Just call me Aldrich." Hehe! The little girlughed sheepishly and skipped all around the tform beforeing back to Aldrich. "Do you like our home?" "Cut the nonsense! I am thankful to you and the House Venomous Rose for reviving me. The only reason I went along with this absurd demand ofing up was to show my gratitude. If you can do prophecies then you already know that I am not some God." Aldrich snapped, and the little girl''sughing face turnedpletely nk. Aldrich had slipped hisst sentence to test the Ancient Oracle and waited for her to fall into the trap. The little girl shrugged off the tension and smiled again. She took a step towards Aldrich, making him take a step back. But the next words of the Ancient Oracle were even out of his expectations. "I can and I can not. The prophecy wasn''t only to revive you but it has one more part." "What?" "We need to You You are to be the father of our children." Aldrich saw the blushing little girl, but a smirk had alreadye upon his face. He looked above her head and calmly replied. "You are lying." Chapter 128: A Scholars guesses Chapter 128: A Schr''s guesses "Wh No, I am not." The little girl stuttered and rejected Aldrich''s usation of her being a liar. Aldrich walked around her, with his hands behind his back. The mask on his face was already wriggling as if something had angered it profusely. "Haha! I said one sentence and you are already stuttering. Let me tell you what you are thinking, or what you have been thinking for thest millions of years." Thrrrr!!! As soon as Aldrich mentioned millions of years, the little girl and the entire tower shuddered. Aldrich felt quite amused by the way she snapped her head to look at him in fear. He conversed with Sha through their shared bond as if teaching her a great lesson. ''Tsk! Sha, did you see? People often underestimate these old tricks. I just wildly guessed, and she has already fallen for it.'' "Mmm-hmm Daddy awesome now I eat her?" Aldrich furrowed his brows at the Sha''s unusual hunger for this girl. Putting it to the back of his mind, he continued. "You must have thought I wouldn''t know anything about Dungeons. But I know enough. Dungeons are nothing but imprisoned legends from Barren Earths. And mostly they aren''t even real. If a false story about a made-up legend were to circte among the people of Barren Earths, then there would be a Dungeon of that legend too in some corner of the Gxy. It''s like the thoughts of people about that non-existing legend that hade alive." With every word that came out of Aldrich''s mouth, the smooth, milky white color of the Ancient Oracle''s face gained a purplish hue. s, neither space nor time could stop Aldrich''s flurry of swordlike words. "And that''s why you don''t expect a resurrected legend to know anything about the Gxy. Heh! Don''t make that face! I have already confirmed it by the excitement written on Earl''s face when I asked him about the power structure of the Gxy. But what baffled me for quite a long time was, why me?" Aldrich came to a stop after making aplete circle and looked into the green eyes of the Ancient Oracle. He noticed the quiver of her pupils and her lips that kept parting and closing in efforts to utter something out. He saw her trying her best to put up an unfazed appearance as a cute smile came upon her face. "Hehe! I don''t know what you are talking about? It must be the aftereffects of resurrection. As I have already told you, it''s a prophecy" Aldrich cut off her words and took a step towards her. "Oh, I don''t doubt that! You may have glimpsed a thing or two about me that made you select me. Let me guess, what was the undeniable distinction between me and other Dungeons. Hmm, I was the freshest Dungeon based on a real person." The eyes of the Ancient Oracle became wide and a few drops of sweat fell on the mirror like red floor. The gusts of wind seemedcking to cool the face of the little girl. A pained expression appeared on her face and she feebly said. "You are just making this up? You You can''t just guess everything." HAHAHA! Aldrichughed out aloud, and even the mask felt likeughing along with him. He put his hand on her head and tousled her hair. "Sure I can. And here are some more guesses. As you could not do it by yourself, you manipted the progenitor of House Venomous Rose to do your bidding by mixing true and false prophecies. For hundreds of thousands of years, you have been doing the same with every head of the House. Showing them the glimpse of a false future, making them sacrifice millions of people for the materials, and promising them a status that you had snatched from them, to begin with." The Ancient Oracle couldn''t hold any longer, and her knees buckled. The average height of Aldrich must have looked as a towering figure to her, for her pupils had widened considerably. Words that even she must have notpletely believed herself escaped her mouth. "No you are wrong." Aldrich crouched down near her and, using the tips of his fingers, wiped away the single drop of tear from the corner of her eyes. "Just one more guess, and it will all be over. Let''s ask ourselves, why the trouble? If you are what I am thinking you are, then you didn''t need some Duke to do your bidding using such a roundabout method. You are cursed and confined to this state, aren''t you? And your original prophecy was rted to its solution. Let''s see" "Daddy Daddy Sha knows" Aldrich brought his face near the red and blue face of the little girl. The wind and the Evesting Tower seemed to have lost into oblivion as Aldrich''s words reached her ears. "To have a child with a resurrected Legend, having a real past, and put your consciousness in that child" The little girl''s teeth ttered and the entire quaked and thumped as if there was a heart within it. Tsunamis overtook the oceans as she tried to slip away from Aldrich. The pain ravaging her mind became flood and people awaiting rain watched as the thundering ck clouds just passed over them. " You aren''t some Oracle, you are just a hypocritical manifestation of a dying''s spirit. You are... Rosalia." Sniff! The tearsing out of her eyes couldn''t be wiped away with a single finger. Her dazed eyes distinctly showed the chaotic state of her mind and her thoughts. A meek voice came out of her as if it were herst words. "What are you Are you truly a God?" "Yes Daddy is God bitch!" Aldrich went to the edge of the tform and looked outside. His eyes lost focus as if he was looking through the vast distance towards a blue. And the wind carried his words to the ears of the Ancient Oracle. "God No. I am just a normal Schr A Schr strayed away from his home.." Chapter 129: Punishment Chapter 129: Punishment Aldrich turned around and looked at the pitiful appearance of Rosalia. Her body had be blurry and transparent, and her eyes couldn''t roll away from Aldrich as if he was the most brilliant thing to marvel in the world. A red and green vapor came out of the mirror-like floor and entered the little girl. Aldrich finally got to know how she had ended up behind him, without disturbing his Divine Sense. "You are right." The little girl staggeringly stood up. A trace of her small pinkish breasts protruded out from the covering of petals, and even the vine-skirt on her legs failed to hide her sweaty thighs. The million-year-old being seemed too clumsy for her age. Aldrich calmly waited for her to pour out the truth and information by herself. "Yes, I manipted the House Venomous Rose. Yes, I exacted heavy sacrifice out of them to collect all the materials. And yes, I am the''s spirit. But what of it." Sniff! The little girl bit her lip by the end of her sentence as the tears kept streaming out of her marble-like green eyes. "I am confined to this tower, a small part of me. Every thousand years I am forced to go back to hibernation and when Ie out, I find myself as a mere baby. A baby with hardly any memory of life before hibernation. Do you Do you have any idea what it takes to remember what little I know of my past? Do you know how How lonely is it for me?" Huff! Huff! The screams of the little girl were too tiring among the powerful gusts of wind. By the end of her shouting and iling of arms, she was already huffing and puffing. "So you want to be punished?" "Huh?!" The Ancient Oracle''s mouth fell open, hearing Aldrich''s question. The question seemed so out of ce that she even forgot to cry. Aldrich approached with big strides, giving the little girl no chance to even step back. "What What are you doing?" Rosalia cried out as Aldrich gripped her tiny hand and pulled her towards him. He sat down on the floor andid her down on hisp with her face towards the floor. "Oi What are you doing?" Her questions were like a ringing bell, echoing within the tform. But whatever was happening needed no prophecy beforehand. Aldrich held the vine skirt and pulled it down until the round and smooth butt bounced out in the open. "You How dare you? I am an Ancient Oracle!" The angry eyes of the little girl met with the calm white eyes of Aldrich while cool and heavy wind hit her from behind. p! "Aaaah!" One p and Rosalia''s brows furrowed together in pain. Her teeth, clenched in anger, threw themselves open to let out a shriek. Aldrich''s hand wasn''t overlyrge, but her butt was small enough for it to leave behind a full red handprint on it. "This I am the spirit of this. You You can''t treat me like that." p! "Arghhhaaa!" The next p was even sharper and stingier than the previous one, making Rosalia''s attempt to not let out any cry go to waste at the end. She snapped her head towards Aldrich and hit his face with the only free hand. But it was like a child banging on the wall. Her entire face had be red with anger and other emotions mixed within. The corners of her eyes were wet, but tears didn''t feel like that of sorrow. "I I was a King Ranked being! I am millions of years old! Don''t Don''t hit me anymore." SLAP!!! "" Rosalia''s entire butt had be cherry red, the same color as her face when the third p hit her. The pain intermingled with pleasure was so much that she even forgot to scream. Her mouth gaped open and her eyes rolled back. Her fingers dug deep in Aldrich''s thigh as her entire body went through a spasm. "I am huuu!" The entire tower shuddered as Rosalia''s muscles loosened up. A stream of saliva fell out of her mouth on the reflection red floor and she got to see a brief glimpse of her current state. The sorrow and anger had somehow turned into a smile and happiness. "Stand up!" Huff! Aldrich''s shout was like an undeniablemand hitting her mind. Rosalia seemed to use her entire strength just to stand up. The rose petals covering had slipped down from one end, revealing one of the small bubby breasts. Even more enticing was the way her ragged breathing made it bounce up and down rhythmically. Drops of sweat felt like streams of the river as they ran from her neck and through her small waist, approached at the tip of her hips, before dying down within her skirt. A red and white steamy breath came out of Rosalia''s mouth as she hastily adjusted her petal covering and pulled up her skirt. The redness of her face had died down, but her ears could be seen bing hot in seconds. "Sit!" O!!! Aldrich''s shout again snapped her out of her dazed mind, making her sit immediately. But slight swelling from the spanking hadn''t receded, and she couldn''t help but whimper out in pain. For the first time, her eyes went to Aldrich''s white long white hair, and devilish greatcoat. The mask on his face didn''t feel as estranged as before. "You You exin or or I will squish you like a bug right now." Rosalia put her fist up and rubbed her fingers, but the smile on her face betrayed her false anger. And seeing the non-difference in Aldrich''s attitude, she couldn''t help but pout at him. "Daddy" Aldrich ignored Sha''s calling and spoke to Rosalia. "Who are you?" "I I am Rosalia." "Daddyyy." Aldrich again ignored Sha''s stretched voice and continued. "How old are you?" Rosalia fidgeted with her fingers before looking to the tform''s roof, seemingly in deep thought. "Mmm 63 years since myst hibernation." "Now Rosalia, are you interested in a deal?" "DADDY" ''What?'' Sha''s angered voice finally attracted Aldrich''s attention. "Daddy Sha ate people." Aldrich furrowed his brows, not understanding where it was going. ''So?'' "So Sha need to be punished too, right?" Chapter 130: Deal between a God and a Spirit Chapter 130: Deal between a ''God'' and a ''Spirit'' Cough! Aldrich coughed, hearing Sha''s innocent words. If she kept taking his actions at face value, then it won''t be long when her personality would turn for the worse. ''Sha, you can eat anyone who tries to harm you.'' "Ah! Ok Sha won''t eat her then." ''Hmm, good girl. I will treat you to a big feast.'' "Yeh! Many cute heads." "" Aldrich was speechless at the choice of food. He didn''t know when the preference of his Artificial Lifeform changed from Items to heads. Nor did he have any idea why the gender portrayed by the Shadow Homunculus was a female when it could very well be anything. One thing he was sure of was that after taking the Devil''s aura out of her, it was like her intelligence and emotions had undergone a drastic change. ''Sha! Get ready for a long, endearing session.'' "Yessss!" If only Sha had any clue about these sessions, she wouldn''t have given a fist bump to herself. "Deal What deal?" Aldrich looked at the cute appearance of the Ancient Oracle, intentional or unintentional, and said his thoughts. "I don''t care what you did in the past, whom you had used, or whom else you were nning to use when you saw me." Thest part of Aldrich''s sentence was indisputably directed at her advances towards him. Her sweaty thighs rubbing to each other, and her ever blushing face only added veracity to his words. Aldrich lowered his voice and continued. "Your actions led me out of that situation and for it, I will repay you. Your freedom from this confinement will be the hundredth on my priority list." Rosalia''s mouth fell open and her eyes popped out as she heard the value. It was like she was asking if hundreds of thousands of years'' worth of effort could only surmount to the hundredth ce in the eyes of the God of White and ck? Aldrich very well knew the reason behind such an exaggerated expression, but he could not and did not want to exin himself further. Being at the hundredth ce on Aldrich''s priority list was already a task someone could have easily taken an eternity to imitate. For a being who had countlessws to master, and even more things to learn, a priority list was nothing less than an elixir that could grant Eternal Life. "You''re ungrateful" Aldrich narrowed his eyes, and the words got stuck in Rosalia''s throat. " Just give me a child. What is it to you?" Aldrich could understand the reasoning behind her nonchnt frame of mind rted to sex and child. Such thoughts constantly bombarded his mind too, but in his case, it was life and death. Long life of solitude was like a river, eroding not onlymon viewpoints but thoughts and ideas. The only reason Aldrich hadn''t sumbed to it was that he hade close to being the Master of his Thoughts and not the other way around. "You don''t have a say in this." The only reaction Aldrich got out of her by saying that was another threat of squishing a bug with her tiny fist. "Haha! I know now. You prefer an older woman with big boobs, right? I have no control over it, but I can wait a few hundred years." Aldrich ignored the way the little girl kept rubbing her hands while muttering as if scheming an evil n. "The second part of the deal would be to make me the De facto leader of the House Venomous Rose." The Ancient Oracle pressed her brows together, hearing such an outrageous demand. House Venomous Rose was like a skillful butler to her, and Aldrich knew it. He also knew that the importance of the House had increased significantly now that the Earl could openly state his Rank. epting this demand would subject her to be constantly under the mercy of Aldrich''s mood and his decisions. Rosalia was about to say something, but Aldrich cut her off again. "You don''t have a say in this, too. If you don''t agree, then I will let the Earl know the truth about you using irrefutable proof." "You dare I I mean Sigh! Okay." Aldrich nodded and presented thest part of the deal. "Teach me how to do these prophecies and I promise the moment I return to the ground I won''t cut this tower down." Hehe Bwahaha! Rosalia''s burst of hystericalughter livened up the entire tform. She kept gasping while holding her stomach and pointing a finger towards Aldrich, clearly mocking him and his words. But Aldrich just watched her with his calm white eyes without scolding or snapping at her. The childlikeughter soon got lost within the overly spacious tform and Aldrich''s eyes met the pair of green marbles. His white pupils were like the foam over an ocean, the depth of which couldn''t be figured out. With every second, the devil''s aura around him, apanied by the strange silence, kept engulfing Rosalia''s petite figure. "You can''t Only a Duke is capable of such a feat." Aldrich stared at her face, overshadowed by deep fear and premonition, and said word by word as if stating a natural truth. "I will make it my top priority." The manifestation of the entire''s spirit gulped a mouthful of saliva to wet her dry throat. The only sound that reached Aldrich''s and Rosalia''s ears was the howls of hammerish wind, getting obliterated by the tform''s vine columns. "Daddy so cool!" "... Do you agree, Rosalia?" Aldrich saw her nodding, probably unaware of the action herself. He stood up and looked down at her. "Then what are you waiting for? Show it to me." Aldrich had full control over his emotions and hiding them or falsely letting theme in open wasn''t a big thing. But emotions could be perceived not only by examining expressions but by bodynguage, and turmoil in thoughts, too. Thus, the ever so slight increase in Aldrich''s heart rate went unnoticed to a being like Rosalia. Aldrich had guessed not only the reasons behind Rosalia''s actions, but he had an even more terrifying theory rted to her. A theory, which he never wished to be a fact. Chapter 131: The Great Old One Chapter 131: The Great Old One "Dreams are inadvertently rted to Thoughts; Like Dreams, Thoughts can be Real or a Hoax." * Aldrich didn''t mind scaling mountains, even if he knew it would have taken him thousands of years. If he had to do it, he would. What he abhorred wasn''t the time or efforts, but the scenario whereupon reaching the peak and finding someone else already there, smiling at him. As if saying, "So you havee!" That''s why when Aldrich didn''t see any Stats hovering over Rosalia''s head, it troubled him deeply. No Stats meant whatever the Ancient Oracle was doing to receive Prophecy, couldn''t be called a Skill, and hence, wasn''t a part of RECORD. Aldrich looked at the troubled expression on the little girl''s face as if her thoughts were undergoing an immense struggle. "Even If I were to show you, you won''t be able to hear the Ancient Saying and Prayer." Aldrich''s mind coursed through devoured individuals'' memories. But he found only a little about the Ancient Saying that Rosalia spoke of. They were like an incantation of Skills, and the only difference being, the medium between Mana and user wasn''t RECORD. "Don''t worry about it, just go through the usual steps." "Humph!" Rosalia scoffed as she heard Aldrich''s adamant words. She stood up and, with a wave of her hand, countless rose petals surrounded the tform like a tornado. The Ancient Oracle then closed her eyes and moved in circles within the tform, as if trying to sense something. Just as she made a full circle and reached Aldrich''s back, she snapped her eyes open. "There!" Aldrich followed her eyes and looked out, but aside from petals, he couldn''t see anything. "What''s there?!" Rosalia turned around and gave him a disgusting look. Aldrich didn''t care a bit of the look she gave him, or her gestures, as long as he would get his answers. "For the Prophecy to work, the Ancient Oracle, i.e. I need to face in a particr direction." "What''s so special about that direction?" Aldrich racked his brain, and a copious amount of data came surging to him. But the smirk on Rosalia''s face told him that the real reason might be truly out of his expectations. "Hehe! Aren''t you a clueless one That is the current direction of the Center of the Gxy." "Center of the Gxy" Aldrich muttered and thought of countless possibilities, but none seemed to fit the current scenario. So he did what any other excellent student should have done. He looked at the little girl and asked again. "What''s in the Center of the Gxy, other than a ck Hole?" Aldrich noticed how Rosalia''s face became nk as he asked the question. There was no fear, no repulsion, nor any disgust. It waspletely nk as if it was supposed to rte all her emotions in response to this question. "All questions don''t have answers, God of White and ck." The Ancient Oracle crouched down on her knees and brought her hands together in prayer. The hammerish wind abated, and the ravaging sound of the petal-tornado lightened. Aldrich noticed surroundings had be dim and everything seemed to be darker in seconds. The unusual thing was the color of Rosalia''s skin, which whitened until she becamepletely white. Crack! Aldrich observed as her skin cracked from all over. Her legs, arms, her bareback, and even her face got overwhelmed by these cracks. He couldn''t help butpare the cracks to the pattern of a snake. The Ancient Oracle opened her eyes and her round marble-like green eyes had turned into a green slit. Hisss! "What''s this?!" Aldrich looked around as a sudden hissing noise took over everything within the tform. The hissing noise restricted his Divine Sense froming out of his body as if it felt nauseated by its presence. "I" Hissssss!!! The hissing intensified around Aldrich, trying to hinder him from hearing Rosalia''s voice. But the ck Veil hidden within his body came out of its own volition and fluttered around him. The iprehensible noise that had made his ears useless vanished, making Aldrich hear the next words clearly. " Rosalia Basemath, on the authority of my status as Ancient Oracle, calls upon the Will of The Great Old One." Grrrr! Aldrich was still repeating thest words in his mind when everything around him vibrated and blurred. The dark hues within the tformpletely took overall colors and Aldrich found himself in a pitch-ck environment. Thump! Fear. Aldrich wasn''t apletely fearless man. He feared nothing that even had the slightest possibility of him to understand it. And the fear of the unknown could be buried to be rotten by time. But this ce made him helpless, strengthless, and it made him call out words that he didn''t want to utter while alive. The moment Aldrich got surrounded by ckness and saw an archaic altar in the distance. Aldrich couldn''t be more familiar with this strange environment. ''Fuck! I can''t move or say anything.'' "Daddy Sha can." ''Hmm?!'' "But Sha scared." Aldrich again felt petrified. Neither his body nor his eyes could move. He saw in horror as the altar kept growing bigger and bigger and came to stop just as its size felt like the asteroid he had faced in space outside Earth. Aldrich saw a white mass squirming and rippling in a white glow and, with every turn, it was getting a definitive outline. Aldrich felt like a python had coiled itself around his body and was squeezing his chest. He could feel the skin on his body getting cracked with every squeeze. Ugh! But just as hisst breath was about toe out, the ck Veil around his body left him and hovered between him and the altar. The white altar and the squirming mass blurred, and the unseen python vanished. Hissssss!!! The mass on the altar exponentially erged and turned into a humongous White Snake with no eyes. It slithered on the altar and looked at the pair. Aldrich clenched his teeth, preparing himself for his eyes to burst apart. But the ck Veil swayed, blurring the White Snake even more. A reverential voice came out of Rosalia, unperturbed by the happenings behind her. "Eyeless All-Seer Slithering White Prophet Imprisoned Conjuror of Thoughts I plead with you to share your authority." Chapter 132: A Prophecy Chapter 132: A Prophecy Pain! Unbearable Pain! Aldrich couldn''t raise his hands to hold his head, nor could he open his mouth to let out a scream. Yet, the pain was all he could feel at that moment. The ck Veil had saved him from turning into a monstrosity, but it couldn''t filter out this feeling. Because this feeling hadn''t originated from the thing on the archaic altar, but it hade from a ce no living being must go. The hole which had vanished after his resurrection ripped apart his forehead and returned. And a blurry shadow of a dark single-leafed sapling towered within the emptiness behind Aldrich. Hissss! Aldrich''s immovable eyes, throbbing with pain, saw the White Snake hissing in madness upon seeing these changes. He couldn''t pity the Will of the being on the altar, as his mind was already being devastated by a Call. A Call urging and imploring him to say the familiar words out loud. Crack! Aldrich''s mr cracked in an effort to keep his mouth closed. He felt if he were to even hint assenting to the Call, then the things that would ensue would not be ording to his desire. ''I will feed you by my own will.'' Hisssssssss! Aldrich brokenly thought, as if answering the call. The White Snake''s head had already gone inside into the dark spaces of its coiled body, ready to be shot forward towards the ck Veil in front of Aldrich. But just as everything was about to go downhill, the Call suddenly receded. The iprehensible urge to call out those ''Names'' and to do its bidding vanished. The surging pain slowly began to ebb, leaving behind traces of its presence all over Aldrich''s body. The White Snake''s head let go of its threatening posture and Aldrich felt as if one of the eyeless holes in its head stared directly at him. But everything had gotten incredibly blurry by the blessing of the ck Veil. BAM! A sudden white sh hit Aldrich''s mind and his entire body got thrown backward. Countless indistinguishable scenes shed by his closed eyes. Just as the scenes felt like they had died down, a clear scene presented itself to Aldrich. He did not know why, but he felt tinypared to the golden bird he was seeing. But that wasn''t the end of this strange vision. An even bigger and longer ck-green snake lunged at the bird from the ground and bit its neck. Aldrich felt the immense struggle that the Golden Bird had put against it, but it was all in vain. As, ultimately, it sumbed to the snake''s tight grip, who kept coiling around and squeezing out its breath. "Oi! Wake up Oi!" p! p! UGh! Aldrich felt abnormally dizzy as the sun rays washed away the white sheetlike background from his eyes. Two little smooth hands kept pping his cheeks, as if unaware of the mask on Aldrich''s face. When Aldrich finally opened his eyes, he found Rosalia crouched down over him, with a ck dagger about to sever her head. ''Sha!'' Aldrich shouted at the Shadow Homunculus, and the dagger disappeared as if sucked away by vacuum. "Hehe! Cutting my head off won''t damage me. I don''t know how you figured out the importance of Evesting Tower, but I have upheld my end of the deal." p! "Stop it! I am already up." Aldrich jerked her hand away, seeing iting for giving him another round of ps. He sat up and observed his surroundings. The tornado of rose petals had vanished, the dark corners had lit up, and the wind had resumed its howling. He looked into Rosalia''s innocent green marble-like eyes, hiding deep cunning within them. "What did the vision mean?" The Ancient Schr stood up and tapped her chin, using her finger, as if remembering something crucial. "Vision? What vision?! Heh! Do you think I did it to make a prophecy?" Bwahaha! Aldrich narrowed his eyes, seeing the little girlughing out with her head raised high. Before revealing more, he prodded the overconfident Spirit. "Oh! Then why did you do it?" "Humph!" Rosalia harrumphed and turned around, not giving Aldrich''s question any mind. But when Aldrich didn''t ask again, she faked a struggling expression and continued. "It''s not that easy to get a vision rted to the future. One needs to offer sacrifice, ording to the request. I don''t remember, but the reason I have lost my King Rank must be rted to the prophecy concerning us. If I could do prophecies so freely, why would I even let youe here and.. and.. spank me like that. You even used all your Strength." Thump! Aldrich didn''t mind how Rosalia had strayed from the asked topic and stomped her feet before walking away. The sheer improbability of the events rted to Balck Veil and White Snake had already upied his mind. If he was given a vision, then it only meant he had sacrificed something unknowingly. Aldrich''s mind raced, guessing what would have happened if he were to call out the ''Name'' of that enormous being behind the Veil in the Darkness. As he yed the scenario, the image of a ck owl hovering and hooting in front of the vast endless Veil came to him. Sigh! Aldrich sighed and stood up. "I couldn''t see or hear anything during your prayer. I guess it had all been for nothing." Aldrich muttered under his breath, but it was loud enough for Rosalia to hear who had extended an ear towards him. "Haha! You pervert! Even I, the mighty Ancient Oracle, have seen nothing in millions of years. To think you could see something shows your ignorance on the Gctic scale." ''As I expected!'' Aldrich thought and walked towards the edge of the tform. "Oi! Where are you going?" Aldrich turned around and saw the pained expression on Rosalia''s face. He couldn''t deny that she had literally waited for him for millions of years, despite her use of dark schemes and maniption. But now that he has seen something about his future, Aldrich felt an immense need to have ess to a plethora of books and data. "I am going back. What of it?" Rosalia fidgeted with his fingers and tried to dig a hole in the red floor with her toes before speaking. "Sigh! I have something to ask of you." Chapter 133: Ancestor Aldrich Chapter 133: Ancestor Aldrich BOOM! Aldrichnded on the ground like a meteorite. Earl Drago came running to him, holding a runic letter. "Earl Drago Goranov greets the ancestor. Please forgive me for my earlier rude behavior." The reverence on Earl''s face wasn''t any lesser than when he talked about the Ancient Oracle. His kneeling posture told of his unwavering stance, and the respect he had towards his ancestors. Aldrich couldn''t help but remember the strange request Rosalia had asked of him. "Help the House Venomous Rose to regain its lost status." Aldrich had neither epted nor denied this request. He had already nned to use the House for his ns. And if it were to get stronger in this strenuous and time-consuming process, then Aldrich had nothing to do with it. Rosalia, in return, had proposed that she would give him an Ancestor''s seat by saying that Aldrich was a legend from tens of thousands of years ago. And this legend just happened to belong to House Venomous Rose. By the time Aldrich climbed down the tower, Rosalia had already sent a letter to the Earl, who was standing patiently at the tower''s foot. "Let''s go, I have many things to take care of." * The ''ident'' rted to the Research Center had annihted the main Manor of the House. And thus, a temporary residence had been set up using various Skills within a short time. Within the Manor, in the Dining Hall, Aldrich had upied one of the host seats of the dinner table. Earl Drago was seated opposite Aldrich, and the table wasid with mouth-watering dishes. Trifon, on Aldrich''s right, pretended like an innocent child as he was supposed to in his ancestor''s presence. "Why are we here? Just kill us, if you dare to!" Aldrich eyed the three teammates seated on his left as several servants served the dinner to all of them. Trifon, seeing a great opportunity, butted in. "Ancestor Aldrich, let me introduce these three to you. The blue-haired one is Lvl 30 Baron Tomiv, the strongest adventurer. He is a Blessed One." By now Aldrich had gotten a good idea about these so-called Blesses Ones. Most of the beings of the Gxy almost worshipped and venerated them as the manifestation of some higher form of powers. In such a sense, the Ancient Oracles were also the Blessed Ones. It was just none knew how an Ancient Oracle prophesied future events. But Aldrich now knew that the Blessed Ones were nothing but a mere way for beings like The Great Old Ones to infiltrate their Will into the material world. Such was the case with his ck Veil and his ability to call upon that ''Name'', too. Unbeknownst to Aldrich''s thoughts, Trifon continued. "The one on Tomiv''s left is Lvl 30 Baron Berg, the Child of Pharaoh. He is a believer of the Pyramid God." Aldrich looked at the Stats over Berb''s head and found nothing noticeable at a nce. But his perception had already caught two things hiding within his pockets that interested him profusely. The servants poured the milk in arge ss as Aldrich and Trifon both looked at the blushing face of the purple-haired beauty. "She is Lvl 30 Baron Christin, the lover of milk ahem, pardon me ancestor, the Demonic Purple Death." Except for Berg, who still had strips of white linen wrapped all over him, both Tomiv and Christin had changed their clothes. Tomiv had a blue and white greatcoat over him, and Christin had a glistening purple gown over her. The gown was littered with designs of roses and vines, making her seem like a garden fairy of some sort. Not only because of her appearance but also because of her Stats and her personality, Aldrich found her state of mind quite enthralling. This was the first time he saw a Status such as hers after bing a Dreamer, as it was neither healthy nor cursed. A slight smile crept on Aldrich''s devilish face, creeping the hell out of Tomiv, Berb, and Christin. "Over my dead body" Aldrich cut off Tomiv''s overprotective words and looked at Earl Drago. "I need copies of all scrolls, ancient and modern, after dinner. Send them to my room, and no one is to disturb me for theing week." A pained expression appeared on Earl Drago''s face and his hand seemed to be petrified as he was about to cut arge piece of the juicy meat. "Ancestor, this? Why use copies when you can have all the originals?" "Copies will do. What are your ns, now that you havee out in the open with your Rank?" Drago and Trifon shared a look before Trifon snapped his fingers, sending all the servants out of the Dining Hall. Aldrich took a bite of the sweet-spicy meat as the Earl slowly but clearly uttered. "The manor will take 3 more days to bepleted back at its previous location. As per the Kingdom rules, once imed to be an Earl, there will be a territory bestowment ceremony within one week. It will also serve as an opportunity for a Marquess, sent by the Kingdom, to check on the veracity of the im." Trifon leaned forward and added to his father''s words. "The sudden disappearance of the Head of House Twin Shield and their viscounts can cause a dy. ording to my predictions, the House Twin Shield will dere them dead during a raid soon. And will certainly feign ignorance of any rtion to the explosion within our." Aldrich noticed the proud smile on Drago''s face and the other thing that had interested him the most came to his mind. The Curses of the Ranks at and above Count felt absolutely fascinating to Aldrich. He just couldn''t wait to confirm his theories rted to them. "Good! As you know, my Rank had fallen to a mere Baron. But I will be done with my Random-Allocation before Drago''s ceremony. The one thing I want you two to do is to bury the knowledge of my origins and the fact that I am the House''s ancestor, at least until I recover my original Rank." As the father and son heard Aldrich''smand and the word ''bury'', their heads turned to look at Tomiv''s trio. But Aldrich wasn''t finished giving outmands. "And send these three to my room after dinner." Aldrich saw Trifon pretending to be a naughty child as the young Count whispered, with a yful smile on his face. Cough! "Ancestor Ahem! How about an experienced and professional woman for the starters?" Chapter 134: Another Name?! Chapter 134: Another Name?! In a vast room, opening up in a hall, Aldrich eyed the three Barons, standing in a semicircle around him. He caressed the chair-arm and tapped it continuously, and secretly nodded, seeing the traces of tension and nervousness on their faces. "Berb, take out the Darkness Seeking Compass, which you have picked up from the corpse of Viscount Ellington." Berb''s sunken eyes popped out, hearing Aldrich''s words. Aldrich saw Tomiv putting his hand on Berb''s shoulder to shake him and gesturing to him to hand the thing over. Berb reached out in his pocket and threw thepass towards Aldrich. The Creatures of Darkness around Aldrich howled as Aldrich rubbed his fingers on the ssy surface of thepass. Its red needle, which was rotating like a maddened beast before, had pointed itself at Aldrich as if being petrified. This scene was enough to give Tomiv a life''s worth of shock. Aldrich noticed these changes from the corner of his eyes and put away thepass for the time being. Knock! Knock! "Come in!" A Recordless entered with a round tray in his hand and put it on the small table between the seated Aldrich and three standing Dreamers. "My Lord, his Lordship Earl Drago has put everything you have asked in the FIR." Aldrich saw a ring on the tray, ced in an upright position. The ring had a dull, tiny blue pearl embedded in it. The entire ring felt less like a piece of genuine jewelry and more like an ipetent forgery. "A A Count level False Inventory Ring?!" A startled scream came out of Christin''s mouth. Just as their names suggested, the False Inventory Rings were an imitation of a Dreamer''s Inventory. They didn''t have the privacy and safety of the real Inventory, but unlike the Inventories given by RECORD, they didn''t have any restrictions. It was all a matter of if one could afford them or not. Aldrich sent a trace of his Mana into the blue pearl and the sheer magnitude of the things and space within it even astounded him. He put the ring on his left hand''s middle finger and thought about his brief conversation with Drago. ''No wonder the Earl described the Rank of Count like crossing a barrier between two entirely different worlds!'' Aldrich eyed as the Recordless bowed before leaving noiselessly out of the room. He pitied the fate of all the Dreamers who were forced to give up their ''Record'' and be Recordless. But standing up for the rights of pigs couldn''t save them from being ughtered. The only way for them to be truly saved was to either kill all the butchers or rece the pigs with an even better choice. And Aldrich''s hands were already upied with many other priorities. One of them was to prevent the Dreamers of Earth from a simr fate. "Take out that pyramid." "In your dreams" Berb''s face crumpled, and heshed out, hearing Aldrich''s words. But the anger in Berb and Tomiv eyes only met with the deep calmness of his white eyes. Hshhh! "By now, you must have known that I am not the White-Haired Assassin, given my Rank and strength. Cooperate and I won''t do you any harm." Hshhh!! Aldrich''s words, though clear to the three Dreamers, spread out in the room as iprehensible whispers. Aldrich didn''t have the time to treat a fanatic, and he had to use Skills to shorten this meeting. Change + Devil''s Whisper! Aldrich''s words were like apelling force, urging Berb to trust Aldrich rather than his intuition. He took out the pyramid-like object, covered in many symbols, and handed it over to Aldrich. Unlike others, Aldrich could read the strange symbols, which seemed like abination of hieroglyphs and Rumoks. But it was all a mumble-jumble, making no sense. "What''s his ''Name''?" The sudden question and its content brought the trio out of their dazed state. What had just happened could only be perceived by their sweaty back and shivering spines. Berb''s teeth ttered in fear as he answered. "I only know one of the many" "NO! My Lord, it''s disastrous to hear even a syble. And And we might hear nothing but suffer all the consequences." Aldrich saw the terror on Tomiv''s face. The blue-haired Blessed One had already taken one step towards the door with his hand gripping Christin as if he was ready to drag her away. "Look up and say it!" Following Aldrich''smand, Berb craned his neck up and mouthed out a string of words, not caring a bit about his teammates. Tomiv had already fallen to the ground with both his hands pressed tightly on Christin''s ears. But just as a trace of sound came out of Berb''s mouth, Aldrich''s right hand glowed blue under his ck sleeve. He stretched his hand towards Berb''s mouth and pulled it back as if he was holding an imaginary rope. The ck Veil hidden in his body resurfaced as he put the palm of his right hand to his ear. "Harbinger of Pestilence.." Buzzz!!! Aldrich''s mind churned with the buzz of countless insects, but with the sway of ck Veil, everything died down in the next moment. "It''s over." Aldrich said and threw back the pyramid-like object which served no purpose for him anymore. Tomiv, who was prepared for thest struggle, using his blessing, stood up and looked at Aldrich as if he was seeing an actual miracle. "Who What are you?" A slight evil smile surfaced on Aldrich''s face when he saw the intended expression on Tomiv''s face. "Now you believe me? I mean no harm. You are an adventurer, right? I have a mission for you." Even if Tomiv had been taken over by intense emotions, he still had a presence of mind. "My Lord! No mission is worth dying for." Haha! Aldrich lightlyughed and stood up. "Sure there are! It''s just the matter of the rewards." "There are no such" Aldrich cut off Tomiv''s words and took a step towards Christin, who suddenly lunged like a cat behind Tomiv''s enormous back. "What a cute child! Do this mission for me, and in return, I will teach her how to control the Demon''s possession." Tomiv staggered and took a step back, only to run into the petite figure of Christin. The genuine fear of the Name that he thought had left him returned in the form of the Devil, hidden under the guise of the God of White and ck. "You How do you know" Chapter 135: The Tripartite relation Chapter 135: The Tripartite rtion "Can you really do that?" Aldrich saw Christin peeking out of Tomiv''s armpit. Her voice had little strength behind it, and it was feeble, but her eyes brimmed with hope and anticipation. Aldrich nodded and beckoned her like calling a child from afar. "Come here, little girl." None cringed at Aldrich treating Christin like a little girl. For all they knew, even if Aldrich wasn''t an ancestor turned legend turned Boss Crawler from House Venomous Rose, he was definitely an old being. Old enough to attempt the assassination of King. Aldrich cared even less, as he was probably even older than the current Kings if one were to count his time within the Darkness after his death. He just felt amused by the irony of the situation rted to Rosalia and Christin. One was a decades-old''s spirit who kept hibernating into the body of a teen, and the other was a full-grown woman but still a child within. Christin apprehensively came out in the open, with her hand still tightly clenching Tomiv''s sleeve. Aldrich smiled as he saw Tomiv squinting his eyes towards him, daring Aldrich to try any funny business. "Now, look in my eyes." Christin struggled in maintaining eye contact, but Aldrich and the rest of the men didn''t prod her. After a few minutes of fidgeting and taking many deep breaths back-to-back, Aldrich seeded in making constant eye contact with her. He raised both his hands and gently stretched them out towards her. "Now, I am going to ce my fingers on your arms. Be prepared, they are cold." Despite the apparent nervousness on Tomiv''s face, he too wanted to see if there was any solution to Christin''s problem. Christin had already squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the icy touch. Aldrich waited for Christin''s painful expression to turn into a curious one gradually. And just as she was about to open her eyes, running out of patience, he grabbed her arms. Despite his im, his fingers were warmer than the blush on Christin''s face. Aldrich had no confidence to objectify his im. He just knew the fact that thews of Divine, Devil, and Demon had some remote rtion to each other. The RECORD had already made it clear to him by presenting him with a Title involving these three elements. He did not know the Law of Demon, knew almost nothing of the Law of Divine, and only had a little idea of the Law of Devil. But he was sure that the use of one would bring some reaction out of the other two. And as Aldrich couldn''t do it without touching her, for an extremely traumatized individual like Christin, he had to use the element of surprise. Even before the warmth of his fingers could enter Christin''s body, Aldrich stimted the entire Devil''s aura on him and the Rumok on his right hand. BANG! Aaahhhh!!! Aldrich almost slid back because of the burst of the purple mist out of Christin, pulverizing the table behind him instantly. Tomiv and Berb got thrown off towards the wall, smashing everything within their path. "No! That Thing is about toe out!" Aldrich heard Tomiv''s scream, despite him getting bounced off the wall. But Aldrich was already prepared. Just as her entire body started to gain a purple color, Aldrich retracted both the Divine and Devil aura within his body. The purple hue ravaging Christin''s skin got cut off from the stimtion and also vanished in return. Huff! Huff! Christin slumped down and her breath seemed out of control. Tomiv rushed towards her and held her in his arms. Her face was pale, her eyes were unfocused, and her skin was cold to touch. But she was conscious and fully aware of her surroundings. The way she wrapped her arms around Tomiv''s neck meant she could still think rationally. "This is imp" Berb approached the two figures on the ground and openly muttered. The word ''Impossible'' felt like it had lost its value in thest few minutes. If stagnation of the red needle was impossible, then what was the thing that Aldrich had done with the Name. And if that was impossible, then what could one call this feat of surviving just at the edge of purple death. Aldrich went back to his chair and sat down leisurely. He took a red vial out of his FIR and threw it towards Tomiv. Tomiv nodded at Aldrich and poured the entire vial into Christin''s mouth. "Consider what I just did as an example of her treatment. And if done correctly Christin will develop some substantial resistance towards such situations. The only thing is, it''s a time-consuming process. So, are you interested in the mission now?" Aldrich saw color returning to Christin''s face and again presented the condition. Tomiv neared Aldrich and kneeled, his head almost touching the dusty ground. "My Lord, I hope you will keep your words. I agree to all demands." "Haha, Good! Here take this. There are three parts to your mission. I have written all the details on this paper. I have also arranged a good spaceship for you three. Hmm! It should havee by now." Aldrich handed a piece of paper and casuallyughed off Tomiv''s strange expression. The way Aldrich looked at his watch to predict the spaceship''s arrival, seemed as if he had calcted everything that had happened there beforehand. Tomiv''s palm sweated just as that monstrous guess crossed over his mind. And without even looking at the mission directives, he hurriedly took away Christin and Berb out of Aldrich''s influence. * "Ah! Ancestor, you were too rough with them." Just as the three Dreamers left, Trifon walked into the room and gave Aldrich a deep bow, while pretending as the perfect personal secretary. He waved his hand, and the debris got cleared, and with another wave of his hand, a new table appeared in front of Aldrich. "Tomiv was almost running away with sweat pouring down, and that poor girl couldn''t even walk properly." Aldrich looked at the Great Pretender and tapped his fingers on the armchair. He pretended to be the rightful employer and said something that made Trifon''s jaw drop to the floor. "Get out or I will fire you." Chapter 136: Sha Chapter 136: Sha Aldrich spread out his Divine Sense and made sure that Trifon had left. "Sha,e out." The mask jumped off his face and hovered in front of him. It churned and wriggled as it took the outline of a female. The delicate curves of her body were smooth enough that they didn''t even feel natural. And her perky breasts bounced as the rest of her body materialized. Atst, her face took shape, but something had changed. There were no traces of an exaggerated smile or shark-like teeth. Nor were there any pupil less globs of white eyes. Her face was round andbined with her short nose and thin lips, the Shadow Homunculus looked incredibly beautiful. As she opened her eyes, Aldrich saw two bright blue pearl-like eyes brimming with life and affection. Her waist-length ck hair felt like a crown on the seductive beauty''s head. And her entire body seemed to be covered in tight ck leather clothing. The Shadow Homunculus approached Aldrich and traced his face and arms with her fingers as if taking mental notes of his figure. From time to time, she kept poking his Devil''s aurayered greatcoat with her w-like nails. Aldrich saw her pause as her inquisitive eyes looked at his white hair. She pressed her brows but soon her eyes shined with a blinding glow. She shook her head vigorously, making her hairs il like a tree''s branches in a storm. And when she ceased all motion, her hair had turnedpletely white. A satisfied smile came upon her face as she looked at Aldrich. "Now it is perfect." Aldrich had been watching all her actions with great care. He remembered seeing the same body getting devoured by her in Shadow Homunculus'' memories. The thing that attracted his attention wasn''t the actions of imitation, but the choice of gender. He rubbed the dull ring on his left hand and took out a long and t table made of pink and white crystal. "Sha, lie down on it." The Shadow Homunculus looked at Aldrich and then at the table. After repeating this two more times with her bubbly eyes, she softly went to the table andid herself down. Aldrich neared her and took out another table having various surgical pieces of equipment and tools. He rubbed Sha''s cheeks and looked her in the eyes. "Can you lose consciousness?" "Mmm No." Aldrich controlled his breath and took out an exquisite flower. It had only four petals and there was a single red spot on each petal. The entire room seemed to have lit up from its glow, but Aldrich had already narrowed his eyes. He had an idea that normal anesthesia might not work on the Shadow Homunculus, so he had specifically asked for something like this. The Red Sleep was a flower that could only be found on Rosalia. Even a whiff of it from miles away could send normal humans toa. People who hade out from its influence had all stated that they never had a single dream, but could only see a red hue. Hence, the name of the flower wasn''t only apt ording to its appearance, but it was also a cruel truth. Aldrich remembered the Earl''s words that even a Count Ranked Dreamer would lose consciousness for at least 3 days if he were to smell it from up close. "Sha, take this. I want you to take a big whiff of its smell." "Daddy its its for Sha." Sha snatched the eerie flower and smelled it as if savoring a delicious dish. Her eyes became watery, making the blue eyes glossy. Aldrich was still holding his breath when Sha looked at him, now all teared up. "Daddy thank.. you." But Aldrich hadn''t expected what she did next. By the time he realized the incredibility of the situation, Sha had already put the little flower in her mouth. "No! Sha, take that out." Sha''s eyes became wide at Aldrich''s sudden shout and lunge. Only the long green stem of the flower was out of her mouth, and it didn''t take her long to realize that Aldrich wasing for it. Slurrpppp! Aldrich''s hand stopped midway as he looked at the questioning eyes of the Shadow Homunculus as if asking him of his audacity to take the flower back. There weren''t many moments in Aldrich''s life for him to do so, but at that moment, he facepalmed. Aldrich waited for Sha to slump down in a deepa or worse, but seconds turned into minutes, and the pair kept looking at each other like the same. "Sha?! Are you alright?" Aldrich couldn''t believe what he was seeing. The effects of eating the flower weren''t even recorded, as nobody had been stupid enough to eat one. But the idea of not even a shred of reaction from Sha was mind-boggling to him. And Only one thing hade close to giving him such a feeling when he had first seen it. The Shadow Homunculus tilted her head as if the question was a silly one in itself. "Yes I won''t give it back." Sigh! Aldrich sighed and picked up the surgical de, made especially to operate on Dreamers and Crawlers. "Bear the pain if it hurts, ok?" Aldrich saw her nodding and took a deep breath before putting the de over her heart. * Munch! Munch!!! Aldrich took his eyes off the book and looked towards the corner of the room. Sha was feasting on many low-ranked Items and meat there. She had her back towards him as if she didn''t want him to see her eating. But the sound of crunching and munching kept echoing in the room, along with her low mutterings. "Daddy is bad Daddy is so bad." Aldrich couldn''t forget what he had seen inside her. The organs, blood vessels, and even the blood were the same as the Sha''s humanly appearance, but it was all dark and ethereal like solidified shadows. The moment he had taken any organ out of her, it dissolved into globules of shadow and went back to her. He couldn''t help but look at his hands and shake his head. "What the hell have I created?" Chapter 137: Second Title Chapter 137: Second Title Ugh! Huff! Huff! Aldrich held his head and let out grunts of pain. His breathing was rough and his eyes were almost crying tears of blood. But even worse was the feeling of emptiness. It was as if everything about him, his presence, his senses, and his existence had gotten sucked out of him. Aldrich struggled to open his eyes and saw the square piece having many runic symbols hovering in front of him. That was the product of his 5 days of research. He had already told Trifon to not disturb him for a week, after sending away the Tomiv''s trio. In thest few days, Aldrich had been extensively learning about the facts rted to the Gxy and the House Venomous Rose. Given his inherent talent and the ss Generalist, it didn''t take him long to go through the scrolls, moderns, and ancients likewise. The rest of the time, he focused on obtaining his second Title. "This is gonna kill me someday." "Daddy you weak." Aldrich clenched his teeth, hearing Sha''s words. Even the Shadow Homunculus had got to know how weak he was at this stage. He could neither use the Item-specific Skill ''Change'' nor he could use his Divine Sense. It was like all that was good about him had been stripped away. Aldrich raised his hand towards his face and knocked it twice with his knuckles. "Shut up!" Aldrich had made two Common Rumoks using two Rare Mana Cores before going to the Bellerophon Dungeon. The one with the ability to pull and push objects he had kept for himself. And the other one with the ability to exert a gravitational force on an object he had given to Boomie. The next two Rumoks were made using two Baron Mana Cores. But the RECORD had counted each equivalent to two Common Rumoks. Following the same train of events, Aldrich had asked for dozens of Viscount level Mana Cores from the Earl. Even for a House having a ''Count'' as its head, anything above Baron Mana cores was a luxurious Item. But Earl Drago didn''t even flinch while handing out such an amount. Things like this were the sole reason that Aldrich had assented to this entire Legend and Ancestor fiasco. What would be the point of him being here, if every time he had to do something drastic, he needed to exin himself? If just acting like someone else could make him use the entire House as he wished, then Aldrich was d to do so. And the point that he had used all the cores within a few days justified his decision. The reason for selecting these high Ranked cores was simple. Aldrich wanted to make a new Baron Rumok and adding the same type of Rumoks was highly inefficient. Another reason was to see if the RECORD would consider a single Baron Rumok as four Common Rumoks or not. The answer was shing in his eyes as a notification. [ You havepleted the Title Quest (optional): Engrave 10 Common Rumok Title Reward: Divine Rumok Engraver Title: Divine Rumok Engraver Description: Dreamer can engrave on Items Warning: The Rumok''s Rank should be equal to or less than the Item ] Aldrich raised his brows, seeing the description. He didn''t even know that he couldn''t use it on Items. Countless scenarios and ideas of such Rumoks sted his mind. Arghhh! The sudden pain from overthinking put a stopper on his thoughts and he heard Shaughing. "Hehe Sha Rumok." "Huh! We will see. If you keep asking for more food in Dungeon then forget about it." "NO Sha good Daddy bad." Aldrich ignored the Shadow Homunculus'' bbering and neared the hovering Rumok. [ Item: Reinforcement Type: Rumok Rank: Baron Description: Strengthen two or more Rumoks Warning: The Rank of strengthened Rumoks must be less than the Reinforcement Rumok Do you want to equip the Item? ] "Yes." The first two Rumok on him worked well, but their range made them unusable on a big scale. That''s why Aldrich couldn''t use the Concept-based Rare Rumok on the hammerish wind while climbing the Evesting Tower. At that moment, he decided to invest time in researching a new type of Rumok, and his efforts seemed to have paid off. The parchment crumbled, and Aldrich felt a burning pain in his right hand. He took off the greatcoat and saw a symbol getting engraved from his elbow to his shoulder. The Rumok shined with a green glow and hundreds of circuits like veins emerged from it. The veins went down to the two other symbols engraved on his hand and vanished into them. Aldrich clenched and unclenched his fist as a devilish smile surfaced on his face. * The Next Day [ Time Left: 30 minutes Commencing Random Dungeon Allocation ] Aldrich didn''t know if the RECORD had given him a buffer period of getting resurrected, but the time had seemed to run out. A bluish-green light enveloped him as the notification appeared in front of his eyes. Katcha! Just as he came out of the teleportation, he heard the noise of fleshes ripping apart. But he didn''t get to inspect, as his Divine Sense had picked up a spike flying straight towards him like a bullet. Aldrich increased his Agility and took a side step, dodging the tens of meter-long Item. Boom! Aldrich used his Divine Sense to look back and found four Dreamers nailed on a rocky wall by the spikes. The fifth spike had nobody at its end, as it was meant for Aldrich. In front of him, he saw an enormous man, wearing a red jacket and holding a spike. Seeing Aldrich dodge easily, he shouted. "Fucker dodged it. Everyone, Attack!" Dozens of men in the red jackets, including the supposed leader, came running at him. Aldrich could sense even more dashing towards him from left and right. All had some kind of handheld Item in their hands, ready to crush Aldrich on the spot. AAAHHHH!!! The men roared and lunged at Aldrich. Some thrust their spears, some thrust their swords, and some fired arrows covered in Mana. The speed with which they had reacted didn''t make it seem like it was their first time. Aldrich calmly looked at the enormous leader, whose eyes had be wide in shock now that he could sense the strange repulsive Devil''s aura. Aldrich raised his right hand, and a blue and green glow came seeping out from under his sleeves. And his words rang in the ears of attackers like an ultimate judgment. "Almighty Push." Chapter 138: An Inescapable Cycle Chapter 138: An Inescapable Cycle For a moment, time seemed to have stopped. The momentum that the Dreamers and their weapons had carried almost instantaneously vanished. A ripple originated in space with Aldrich as the center, and like a soundless explosion, it burst out. BOOM!!! The Dreamers got thrown back, getting dragged by an unseen force. The weapons, as if hit by an imprable wall, got sted away. And the arrows got broken on impact. Even the wall behind Aldrich, on which the attacker had impaled the 4 Barons with spikes, caved inwards. Aldrich saw many Rare Ranked Dreamers losing their limbs one by one. Even the state of Barons was far from being called good. Only the Viscount Ranked leader had minor injuries, as he had used his enormous spike to hold himself at a ce some 200 meters away from Aldrich. s, this was only the beginning of their horrors. Aldrich still had his right hand raised, and the blue-green glow seeping out of his sleeve hadn''t receded. Aldrich''s eyes met those of Viscount and he slowly said, as if he wanted the leader to read his lips from afar. "Absolute Pull." The Dreamers, who were still getting dragged away, halted. The strained weapons that had got sted away in the air momentarily hovered at their position. And the Viscount''s spike, unable to handle the sudden jerk, broke in half. Once again the space rippled with even more intensity, and like a sheet of cloth it seemed to get pulled towards Aldrich from all around. It wasn''t alone in this process, as the ripple brought with itself everything within a radius of 500 meters around Aldrich. AAAAHHHHH!!! The weapons dashing towards Aldrich struck each other and got their trajectory changed as a result. And many of them had their paths intertwined with those of Dreamers. The screams of being sliced open and getting cut in half reverberated in the space, and even their cries of anguish got pulled towards Aldrich. Two more spikes materialized in Viscount''s hand as he buried them in the ground to resist the pulling force. But the rest of the Dreamers could neither match his strength nor methods to do the same. As the hacked-apart pieces of many Dreamers and a few surviving ones neared Aldrich, two words again echoed in the ears of many like a death knell. "Almighty Push." This was the terror of Rumoks. The Rumoks worked on the principle of absorbing Mana from outside and the uracy of their symbols and engraving. They had nothing to do with RECORD or a Dreamer''s Mana reserves. There was no escape from them, and there was no way to avoid them. The only thing that could be done was to face them head-on and resist. By the end of this third cycle of hack and sh, the rocky ground had been turned into blood red. In every direction, there were hands, legs, and heads cut apart, unidentifiable to whom they originally belonged. The few Barons that had survived were grunting in pain, begging for death. Except for the Viscount, none of the attackers were in one piece anymore. Aldrich slowly walked towards the Viscount in the red jacket, who was shuddering with every step of Aldrich. The sheet of bloodyered over the ground left no stain on Aldrich''s ck boots. Aldrich neared the leader with his hands behind his back, as most of his attention was on the notification in front of him. [ Time Left: 15 minutes The Dreamers can choose to form a Party that would be in effect till the end of the Raid Warning: The number of Dreamers required to form a Party is insufficient Bonus Skill ''Language Proficiency'' is now activated till the end of the Raid ] Aldrich looked down at the kneeling Lvl 32 Viscount. There were deep cuts and bruises all over his body, but they didn''t seem deadly enough. Just as the leader''s hands quivered and a mist of Mana gathered in his hands to form spikes, Aldrich narrowed his eyes. INTIMIDATION! "Aahhh" The Mana scattered, and the Viscount couldn''t help but whimper away from Aldrich in pain and fear. His muscles spasmed, and the fear of getting devoured alive overtook his senses. The horror in his eyes had exponentially increased as he saw Aldrich''s mask wriggling as if it was alive. "NO! My Lord My Lord, please don''t kill me. I I thought you were with the Barons who got teleported here for their Random-Allocation." The idea of Aldrich being a Baron had already gone miles away in that state. How could a single Baron annihte so many Dreamers with such ease? How could a mere Baron make a Viscount fear him? The questions ravaging the leader''s mind weren''t needed to be said out aloud for Aldrich to guess them. "My Lord It''s a misunderstanding. Yes yes, that''s all it is. You might have heard of the Red Jackets, right? Our leader" Unfortunately, Aldrich didn''t need him to be alive to prod everything out of this Viscount. "Sha. You... are lucky." Aldrich''s iprehensible words cut off Viscount''s urging. The one-horned mask on his face squirmed, and like a snake''s lunge, it extended towards the Viscount. It felt like Aldrich''s neck itself had elongated. The Devil''s aura,bined with the primal fear, made the Viscount even forget to up any resistance. Munch!!! The mask opened its mouth wide and snapped off Viscount''s head in one bite beforeing back to Aldrich''s face. "Hmm? Sha, finish the meal." "Daddy I don''t like taste." A wry smile came on Aldrich''s face as he hardened his tone. "Huh! That doesn''t how things work, Sha. If you don''t eat him properly, no Baron Ranked Items for you for a month." "NOO! Daddy so bad. Cl... Close your eyes." Aldrich felt quite amused at Sha''s request. He closed his eyes and even restricted his Divine Sense within him. He could only hear a weird sound like an alligator swallowing its prey alive. "Ok done." By the time Aldrich opened his eyes, hearing Sha''s voice, no traces of the headless Viscount could be found anymore. Chapter 139: First Contact Chapter 139: First Contact "Transfer his memories." Various scenes like broken movie frames shed through Aldrich''s mind. Aldrich didn''t take long to filter out the relevant knowledge from pure gibberish. In only a few seconds, he had got a good idea about what happened there. The so-called Red-Jackets was a gang of space-traffickers in the business of trafficking rare species. The top leader of the gang, a Lvl 37 Viscount, had various connections to many Houses. Even though the devoured Viscount didn''t have any knowledge of these Houses, it took no effort for Aldrich to make a guess. It was among the types of gangs funded by the Kingdom behind the curtains. This certain group, led by the vice-leader, was on their way to trade a young of an extinct species. Aldrich could surmise the secrecy of the operation by the fact that the traffickers were only given the location of checkpoints. And not the actual meeting point. The Lvl 31 Viscount, the Dreamers, and the young creature were on their way to the next checkpoint when they crashed on this abandoned. "Huh! It''s good that I went through the scrolls before the Random-Allocation." From the scrolls, he had already found that the Dungeons on his home differed from the ones in the rest of the Gxy. First, hardly any statues on thes ruled by the Nobles of the four kingdoms were Dungeons. Dungeons could only be found in the four Separations or on an abandoned, which was deemed to be inhabitable. Such as the one Aldrich was on. And hence, those who wanted to live a life of leisure, given the increment in age with every Rank, only raided Dungeons on their Random-Allocations. Second, even if one entered separately without joining a Party, only the Elites were duplicated and not the Boss Crawlers. It at least proved Aldrich''s theory that the Dungeons on Barren Earths were a way for RECORD to develop leadership qualities. As the entire idea of two Bosses per party was just a consequence of all Dreamers not working together. Third, and the most frustrating for Aldrich, was that one couldn''t get any ExP by killing another Dreamer. The only thing one could get after killing a Dreamer was the Items stored in the Inventory. Aldrich spread out his Divine Sense and searched for any Item worth picking up. But most of the Dreamers had died in the second cycle of Push and Pull, and their Items weren''t good enough to survive the third one. Even the Viscount had nothing in his Inventory, except a few potions, which Aldrich was d to store with a wave of his hand. "Hmm, we still have some time. Let''s check out their spaceship." * Some three miles east of the Dungeon, he saw a badly damaged elliptical spaceship. From the memories, Aldrich found out that the gang had approached the Dungeon after the crash. They were hoping to hunt the teleporting Dreamers and get any methods to contact their HQ. s, even after they knew this Dungeon only attracted Barons, they couldn''t have guessed that someone like Aldrich might be one of them. Aldrich furrowed his brows upon not sensing any sign of life by his Divine Sense. "Sha." A vein from the mask went to the palm of his right hand and bloomed into the form of a ck dagger. Aldrich raised his Defense Stat and cautiously walked into the spaceship. Trrr! Trrrrr!! Aldrich could see sparks and small bubble-like bursts of Mana everywhere within the spaceship. Guided by the Viscount''s memory, Aldrich went to the chamber where they had been keeping the creature imprisoned in a secured container. He took a sharp turn, and at the end of the corridor, he saw an enormous steel door, almost ripped apart in half. And just in front of the door, there was a small container, leaking green fluid. ording to the memories, the Viscount didn''t bring the container with him for fear of it being damaged if things got out of hand. Ironically, he turned out to be right. The Viscount didn''t know what kind of creature it was. He only knew that it was in hibernation. "I guess it''s not hibernating anymore." Aldrich approached the container and checked the temperature of the fluid. The fluid was extremely viscous and had mercury-like properties, as it didn''t wet Aldrich''s fingers. Grrr! Aaoo!! Aldrich snapped his head towards the opening over his head, hearing the growling sound, and jumped out on the roof of the spaceship. But even after scanning again, he couldn''t find a trace of anything. "What''s going on?" "Daddy there!" The dagger in his hand raised by itself and pointed towards the ground some hundred meters away. Aldrich''s eyes went wide as he saw something lying there, but his Divine Sense couldn''t notice it at all. In the next moment, Aldrich appeared in front of the thing. It was like a gray furred palm-sized kitten but had 2 columns of 3 eyes. All six eyes were dull yellow and on its back were two tiny bat-like wings. And its two tails had snakeheads at their ends. But the snake tails, like the creature, were on the brink of death. "Sha, how did you find it?" "I feel it." "Feel?!" Aldrich crouched down and inspected the creature. All of its delicate bones had seemed to be broken, and it was bleeding internally. Even if Aldrich had all the items he needed in such a case, it would have been nigh impossible to save the creature. He poured a vial of HP potion, but it didn''t bring any reaction out of it. Sigh! Aldrich sighed and took two tubes out of the FIR. He collected a few drops of its blood and saliva and put the tubes back. This was the only thing he could do to ensure the survival of the species. Grrrr!!! The kitten-like creature grunted and tried to p its wing, but failed miserably. Aldrich felt like the creature was looking straight at him, asking him to relieve it from the pain. He massaged its tiny head and muttered under his breath. "Sha, you can eat it now." Chapter 140: Two Drops and a Prince Chapter 140: Two Drops and a Prince "I No." Few things had shocked Aldrich aftering out in the vast unexplored part of the Gxy. So when the Shadow Homunculus refused to eat something, the shock on his face was truly a sight to behold. "You are not hungry?!" "I save him." Aldrich narrowed his eyes at the sudden outlet of emotions by Sha and the usage of ''him''. Aldrich and she didn''t need to speak to convey their feelings to each other. He could notice the instantaneous attachment Sha had felt towards the creature. But even though Aldrich didn''t know the anatomy of this creature from in and out, he could still differentiate a hopeless case from the one that was not. "Think about it, Sha. If you eat him, it''s almost the same as being with him all the time." Aldrich tried a different approach to tackle the situation, but he underestimated Sha''s stubborn behavior. He could feel that his offer was enticing to the Shadow Homunculus, but it wasn''t enough. Sigh! Aldrich sighed, not for failing to convince Sha, but for the failure of getting some memories out of an extinct species. Although the creature was just a young, who knows what memories it could have. And Aldrich wanted to have every advantage he could get for the ns he had made in thest few days. Grreo!! Aldrich took a deep breath, hearing the growls of the dying creature. Four of its six eyes were already closed shut, and the remaining two almost looked defying nature to remain open. "Well, it''s better to kill it then and let it have some relief." Aldrich didn''t mean a single word he had just said. He didn''t pity any dying breath from anyone, and if he had, he wouldn''t have left a few cut-up Barons near Dungeon to bleed to death. The only thing he wanted to do by killing it was to remove the unknown factor it added when he would be inside the Dungeon. And if those words were to pacify the Shadow Homunculus, then it wouldn''t be that bad either. But Aldrich''s words again brought out an opposite reaction from Sha. The mask on his face left without Aldrich''s will and turned into the lusty figure Sha had assumed before. Her white hairs weren''t as dull and rough as that of Aldrich''s and her blue eyes were full of life and affection. She crouched down and picked up the creature into her bosom. Its two snakeheads'' tails dangled like ropes. Grrr! The creature tried to put up a fight, but only a small breath of air came out of its mouth before the two huge breasts almost covered its face. "No Kill Save." Aldrich looked into Sha''s watery eyes as she kept massaging its gray furred head with her hand. Her razor-like nails didn''t leave a hint of their sharpness on the creature''s body. "We can''t take it with us into the Dungeon. It..." "He" "Yes, he He would die anyway." Sniff! Tears rolled down from Sha''s cheeks and dropped on the closed eyes of the creature. The surrounding Mana rippled and waved around her as if it was trying to embrace her. Aldrich''s calm white eyes shined as he looked at that scene and only one thought came to his mind, exciting him greatly. ''Is this what I think it is'' "Daddy please save." Sha''s broken voice took Aldrich out of his excited state. The more she wept and imagined the idea of losing the creature, the more Mana came towards her and turned from blue to pitch ck. Aldrich stretched his right hand, and it glowed deep blue. The ck Mana came rushing towards his hand, before turning into a tiny ck bead. ''What a fascinating phenomenon!'' Aldrich had a slight smile on his face as he threw the bead towards his greatcoat. Just as the bead came into the greatcoat''s contact, it diffused and became a part of it. Aldrich could feel the uptick in the Devil''s aura around him. He looked at the pair of Sha and the creature and put a hand on Sha''s hand. "Ok, let me try." A blooming smile came upon Sha''s face as she heard Aldrich. She threw herself at Aldrich, with the creature still stuck deep in the ravine between her breasts, and gave a peck on Aldrich''s cheek. Grrr! "Daddy Thanks." "Yeah, yeah. Hold it properly or it would die before I could do something." Aldrichughed and sent his Divine Sense into the FIR as Sha held the creature up high, making Aldrich remind of the movie The Lion King. He took out a red vial, which seemed to have a few drops ofva in it. Aldrich saw the bright red and hot potion and remembered how the Earl had given it to him as the most prized treasure of the House. Earl Drago had gravely said that only a Duke could acquire a potion like this, for it had the potency to even heal mortal wounds. "The Volcanic-Blood Amplifier potion." Since the time of their progenitor, only three drops had remained and Aldrich felt guilty about wasting them on such a hopeless case. But the prospect of making an outrageous payoff had always been the gambling factor in the lives of Schrs and researchers. GRREOWWWW!!! Aldrich poured two out of three drops into the mouth of the creature, making him howl in pain as the potion burned the creature from within. "Daddy." "How could there be creation without destruction?" Aldrich tried to exin, looking at Sha''s shocked and angry face, but a notification popped up between them. [ Time Let: 00:00:00 Commencing teleportation within the Dungeon ] Aldrich turned back to look at the hundreds of meters tall equestrian statue in the distance as Sha appeared back on his face. He could see a knight with a thick beard and pulsing muscles riding a horse. The knight had a spear hoisted up and there was a g attached to the spear at its top. The muddy yellow light surrounding the ck statue turned to red as a bluish light engulfed Aldrich. Even though Aldrich hade far from his home, he still had all the famous statues imprinted in his memory. Just in one look, he had guessed the identity of the knight. And Aldrich''s nature didn''t dare to let him forget about Spain''s National Hero. The protagonist of the most significant medieval Spanish epic poem, El Cantar de mio Cid. El Cid Campeador, the Prince of Valencia.
  1. The Song of my Cid
Chapter 141: The Red Notification Chapter 141: The Red Notification [ You have entered a Dungeon ] When the sh from the teleportation receded, Aldrich found himself at the foot of a hill. The wind was neither strong nor weak, but he could vividly smell and feel the saltiness that it carried with it. Aldrich craned his head up and at the top, he could see a high defensive wall. "The Sagunto Castle?! Then this hill must be a part of the Sierra Calderona mountains." Aldrich got to know about the Dungeon by making a connection between Castle and the Boss Crawler. He also found out the reason for saltiness, as the Sagunto Castle upied the hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Aldrich took his eyes off the castle and looked at the notification. [ You have 2 new Quests ] "Open." [ Quest 1: Clear at least 4 out of 7 zas Quest 2: Hunt Elite Crawler ] "This How can this be?" Aldrich couldn''t believe what he was seeing. He was not baffled by the number of Quests or by the mention of zas. The thing that had baffled him was the absence of the name Boss Crawler. He could have let it go if there was a Quest rted to surviving the Boss''s Skills or making the Boss lose a percentage of its HP. But no presence at all meant only one thing. The RECORD didn''t believe that Aldrich, as he was now, could take on the Boss Crawler. Sigh! With a sigh, Aldrich took a step towards the castle. He took his time to climb the hill and enjoyed the view. The sun was hot and bright and the sky was cloudless. Behind him, there was ayer of forests and he could see a vige in the distance. Even if it was false, Aldrich could sense Earth''s presence in this Dungeon. And along with his home, who knew how many Barren Earth''s had their presence mixed in it. Making his way through huge rocks and bushes, Aldrich reached one of the entrances of the castle he knew, called the Almenara Gate. The gate had an Imic arch and provided direct ess to the za de Armas and za de Almenara. Before the Sagunto Castle got upied by El Cid in 1098, Muslims used the castle as a fortress to defend Valencia. Hence, the design of the castle had many simrities to other Imic structures. As Aldrich approached the gate, a portal opened in front of him. Aldrich knew from the Quests that he would be sent to one out of the seven zas. And from the tone used by RECORD, Aldrich analyzed it was a matter of chance if he would face Elite Crawler within the first 4 zas or not. "Sha." The heavy Stone Splitter appeared in his hand as he called out Sha. Aldrich put the Buster-Sword on his shoulder and entered the portal. * [ You have entered the za of Armas ] Despite saying za, Aldrich didn''t find himself confined by any walls. All around him were hundreds of Megaliths, covered in dense bushes and trees. It was like he hade to a prehistoric ruin. The air was thick with humidity and Aldrich could detect a metallic and archaic smell in it. Aldrich guessed if it followed the rules, then ording to the name ''Armas'', he would face many types of weapons in this za. Aldrich spread his Divine Sense to scour the darkest and furthest corners of the ruins, but the sudden quake of the ground beneath him made him stop. Aldrich noticed one of the Megalith in front of him had morphed and had turned into a cannon at some point. He looked around and found himself surrounded by many simr cannons. And all had their barrels aimed at him. Boom! Boom! Aldrich couldn''t even raise his hand to activate the Rumok, as the primitive Cannons hadn''t fired cannonballs but balls of Mana. The yellow Mana cannonballs left aetlike streak behind and came burning through the atmosphere like beams ofsers. Aldrich, seeing no choice, raised the Stone Splitter and brought it down on the stony ground. MEGATON CRUSHER! BOOM!!! Everything in a hundred meters radius of Aldrich seemed to have turned upside down. Enormous pieces of rocks came flying upwards and got pulverized by the Mana cannonballs. But the sheer numbers of stones were so many that not even a single blob of yellow Mana reached Aldrich. Seeing the cloud of dust settling down and the Cannons morphing back to Megaliths, Aldrich finally took a breath of relief. "Let''s first raise" "You survived that easily." Aldrich''s words got cut off by an echoing voice. It was like many stones were getting crushed and it was also like metals getting hammered. Aldrich looked towards his left, and in the distance, he saw the thinging out from the back of the towering stone pir. The Crawler was around 30 ft tall and had an even taller stone hammer in his hand. Its entire body was covered in brown hair and its long beard reached down to his chest. The Crawler had a green-colored cloth over his body and on its big round head, there was a makeshift crown of twigs and leaves. "Do you know how much time it took me to set up those Cannons?" The thing bbered and scratched his head, giving it aical appearance. But Aldrich had already his hand raised towards it as he saw the nonsensical Stats hovering over its head. "I don''t have time for you. Absolute Pull." The space rippled inwards with Aldrich as the center, but the Crawler kept scratching its head and picking its nose. As soon as the Megaliths got pulled towards Aldrich, a satisfied voice came out of the giant''s mouth. "Ahh! Such a good massage. Do it more." Aldrich had guessed that even with the strengthened Rumok he might not be able to pull it all the way, but not even make it flinch was beyond reasoning. Aldrich canceled the Rumok''s Pull, and a smirk came upon his face as he observed the Crawler''s nonchnt attitude. "Daddy its time?" "Yeah, let''s do it. CHANGE!" "" The Crawler seemed to look at Aldrich, trying to make sense of Aldrich''s self muttering. But a bloody red hue had already covered Aldrich''s white eyes. [ERROR] [ERROR] [ERROR] Chapter 142: Penalty Chapter 142: Penalty Aldrich had always wondered what was the nature of RECORD. What was the reason for its existence? What was the underlying principle of its working? Why the color of the notifications felt sometimes blue and sometimes green was also a question that he thought about often. So when the sudden notification of ERROR, in menacing red, surfaced in front of him, he couldn''t take his eyes off it. Aldrich never believed that there was any being in the world who was truly impartial until the RECORD presented itself to him. So, for it to show ERROR to him could only mean one thing. Aldrich looked at the red hue of the notification vanishing after it had shed three times in front of it. And a series of notifications appeared in its ce. [ Anomaly detected in the System Scanning Dreamer''s Record Dreamer is found to have tempered with Attributes using Unnatural Lifeform in the Dungeon Penalizing Dreamer Warning: All Active, Passive, Item-specific Skills will be 50% less efficient Warning: Rewards and ExP gained from Crawler will be halved Warning: All Titles are invalid Warning: Further use will cause a gradual increment in the penalty ] "This" This was aplete and utter nightmare. Aldrich had theorized that if RECORD truly worked as a system, then it must have a set of principles ording to which it governed all the Stats. And like any other system, it would prioritize eliminating any w or error which could cause it to produce unexpected results. The three words Anomaly, Tempered, and Unnatural Lifeform kept repeating themselves to him. It didn''t take long for him to realize what had changed since hisst raid. The Shadow Homunculus had eaten the Devil''s Oldest Change, which granted him the ability to transfer his Attributes values from one to another. And then, it had somehow evolved into a real intelligent being, Sha. "Aren''t you a cute one" The coarse metallic voice attracted Aldrich''s attention, and he saw the Crawler looking down at him from afar. " I have been guarding this ce for 10 raids continuously. Dreamers like youe full of themselves, but never alone. The level of your ignorance and selfish pride is even a step higher than the worst I have seen." Aldrich could have analyzed too many things from that sentence if the change in the Crawler''s Stats had not captivated his eyes. [ Record of ''Lord of the Woods'' Basajaun Status: Healthy Level: 32 HP: 1950/1950 SP: 2085/2085 MP: 1400/1569 Rank: Viscount Attributes --> Strength: 120 Defense: 130 Agility: 75 Vitality: 80 Perception: 70 Correspondence: 83 Active Skills --> ????????????????? Passive Skills --> ????????????????? ] For the first time, Aldrich couldn''t see the entire Stats of any Crawler. The Skills'' names had be blurry and gibberish. It did nothing but prove Aldrich''s guess that the reason he could see others'' Stats was because of the Passive Skill, Shared Vision. Aldrich had just taken a perfunctory nce at the Crawler''s Stat. Otherwise, given his photographic memory, he would have remembered the Active and Passive Skills. But Aldrich didn''t get to feel the regret for long. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Dozens of booming sounds made Aldrich look around and he saw the megaliths had again turned into Cannons at some point. The Mana cannonballs, like aser, came rushing towards him along with the mockery-filled voice of the Viscount Crawler. "Oops! I forgot to mention they can fire twice." Aldrich didn''t have the time to think about the cunningness of the Crawler and as he had already asked Sha to turn into a different Item. The use of penalised Megaton Crusher seemed insufficient to thwart all those globs of Mana again. The Buster-Sword in his hand vanished and the vein from the mask that had reached towards the palm of his hand went towards his back instead. As the vein bloomed, two batlike mechanical wings appeared on Aldrich''s back. This was among the plethora of Items that Sha had eaten in thest six months. [ Item: Wings of Bat-Lord Type: Weapon Rank: Rare Durability: NA Minimum Usage Condition: Agility 60 Description: Provide Batlike flying capabilities to Dreamer, Agility +10 Warning: Because of theck of skills of the maker, Item has lost its Item-specific Skill ...] At any other point in time, Aldrich would have considered it a worthless weapon. But theck of Item-Specific Skills meant he won''t have to use his penalized All-Proficient Skill anymore. Which made this Item an excellent source of additional Agility. Thap! Thap! Aldrich pped the wings and flew up. The yellowserlike cannonballs changed their trajectory to follow him. Aldrich skillfully maneuvered himself in the air, dodging many of them, but it was only a matter of time before one of them hit him. Aldrich knew of the dire circumstances he was in, but there was a smile on his face. Unseen by the Crawler, he took out a surgical knife and threw it in the air. He made a roundabout turn in the air, barely dodging two of the Mana cannonballs, and headed towards the towering Crawler. The 30 ft tall Lord of the woods was ying with his crown, watching Aldrich getting chased by the yellowish streak of lights. As Aldrich dropped towards the sky, the Crawler let out a heartyugh. "Haha! You aren''t the first one to try that." The dozens of cannonballs were only a few inches away from Aldrich as he neared the Crawler. The thrown knife had fallen in the range of Aldrich''s Divine Sense and he had already marked it. Although the effect of the two Skills that Aldrich took pride in had halved, it was enough for him to do what he did next. Aldrich and Crawler''s eyes met and words escaped Aldrich''s mouth before he could collide with the behemoth. "Change. Target Lock." [ The Skills Change and Target Lock are under Penalty Change: Transfer 35% of any Attribute to another Attribute Target Lock: 15% increment in Agility while dashing in the ''Marked'' target''s direction ] [ Agility: 204 (+10 +98 +26) Perception: 182 (-98) ] Chapter 143: Perception Chapter 143: Perception BOOOM! Aldrich appeared near the free-falling surgical knife and put it back in the FIR. A massive spherical cloud had appeared in front of him, lighting up the ruins. The heat from the explosion was enough to st away hundreds of Megaliths out of the surrounding ground. [ Dreamer has used the Unnatural Lifeform to temper with the Attributes again Adding 2% additional Penalty ] Sigh! Aldrich sighed, as once activated, the Skill ''Change'' won''t go into cooldown unless he redistributed all Stats to their original value. It was a boon and a bane simultaneously. As he could enhance whichever Attribute he wanted, but he couldn''t use the maximum range of his Divine Sense. Aldrich took out an MP and SP potion from the FIR and gulped it down. There was no shortage of such potions in House Venomous Rose, especially considering that Aldrich was just a Baron. Aldrich didn''t consider himself weak. But he realized that without his current Items and potions he would have faced many difficulties taking on a Crawler who wasn''t even an Elite. Aldrich waited for the traces of the explosion to die down and see the aftereffects. From such a st,pared to the exaggerated Defence of the Giant Crawler, he at least expected grievous wounds. Achoo!!! The sudden sneezing sound made Aldrich narrow his eyes. Aldrich didn''t want to wait any longer, given the continuous consumption of his Stamina. So he raised his hand and pushed the fire away from the point of the explosion using Rumok. The Crawler was still standing tall at his original position, but he had wooden armor on his entire body. The armor looked ancient and had strange patterns and runic symbols over it, but the explosion had charred it ck. "Well, that was something new. What was that sudden boost in speed? Can you do that again?" The Crawler pointed its stone hammer towards Aldrich and fired many questions. Aldrich could perceive from its tone and the HP over its head that Lord of the Woods hadn''t suffered a single point of damage from the explosion. His mind went to the earlier words he had said about 10 raids, and few guesses surfaced in his mind. Aldrich had been a Boss Crawler himself not too long ago, but unfortunately, he never got to face any Dreamer to know the inner workings of the Dungeon. "His Majesty, the Ruler of Valencia, has a saying about Dreamers. Would you like to hear it?" Aldrich didn''t like where it was going. The tactic to stall time was visible enough to not even call it a tactic anymore. But Aldrich knew the Crawler didn''t need to use any tactics for him. And the use of the words ''Ruler of Valencia'' fascinated him to hear what the Boss Crawlers had to say about Dreamers. "Yeah, sure." "Haha! Not only cute but curious too. If only there wasn''t that thing on your face" "Stop wasting time and just speak." Aldrich falsely snapped at Crawler and presented an impulsive personality for the Crawler to see. But the weight of the Giant''s next words was too much for him to remain calm. "He said that you Dreamers are like Common and Rare Crawlers in your usage of ''RECORD'', just mere beasts. Hungry for more and more Skills and Items, and not caring about what it has already given you. And you? You aren''t much different from others." Aldrich had an ominous feeling hearing the Crawler''s words. "What do you mean by that?" As Aldrich asked, the Crawler crushed the charred armor on its body and scratched its head. Its voice was slow and rough, but full of mockery and contempt. "Haha! You don''t know how Perception works, do you?" Just as the Crawler finished the sentence, Aldrich snapped his head up towards the sky, but it was already toote. Unknown to him, an eagle was hovering a few meters above his head. His Divine Sense was all around the eagle, but he couldn''t sense it at all. The eagle didn''t seem to be a living creature, as it was made of wood and metal, giving him an android type of appearance. If it was only that, it wouldn''t have made Aldrich''s heart thump with a dangerous feeling. The eagle opened its mouth, and as its curved beak parted, the turret of a machine came out aiming at Aldrich. The only thing Aldrich could do in that infinitesimal part of a second was use the wings as a shield. BBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTT! Thousands of Bullets, covered in ayer of Mana, hit Aldrich and sent him flying towards the earth. Boom! Cough! Crack!!! The batlike Wings got sted into globules of shadow before merging back into his mask. Aldrich coughed out a mouthful of blood and he could see the eagleing down on him for another round. He couldn''t help but enhance his Defence instead. [ Defence: 159 (+92) ] "Daddyyyy. under" Sha''s throat-piercing cry rang in Aldrich''s mind. But thick wooden and metallic branches had already got wrapped around his hand and legs, rooting him to his sprawling position on the ground. "Humph! Truly clueless about Perception." Aldrich''s eyes went wide within the mask as he heard a sweet voice in his ears. He tried to turn his head, and from the corner of his eyes saw a face protruding out of the ground. The face was as big as that of the previous Crawler but feminine. "Ah, Honey! You got him." The male Crawler''s voice echoed in the ruins as the eaglended on the head of the female Crawler. The 25 ft Giant female came out of the ground, and together with her partner, looked down on Aldrich. Seeing the previous clueless face of the Basajaun showing a disgusting and menacing smile, Aldrich didn''t dare to enhance his Strength. The male Crawler raised the stone hammer high and shouted so loud as if he wanted the voice to reach another part of the world "For my Cid the Champion!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! * The Crawler didn''t stop until he had made a crater in the rocky ground. The shockwaves from the hammering had pulverized the surrounding Megaliths. He put down the hammer and let out a satisfied breath. "Ahh! It feels so good." "Honey! Me too, me too." The female Crawler snatched the stone hammer and struggled to lift it. The hammer came down, less from her strength and more as if it was falling. A smile appeared on her face as the hammer was about to strike the same ce. But it didn''t. A hand came popping out from the debris, stopping the hammer at its ce. "I also have a saying for you from my home" As the hand kepting out of the ground, the fingers made cracks into the hammer and lifted it. And along with the hand came out Aldrich''s bloody figure.Blood dripped from under his mask, and out of his sleeves. A dense ck fog was rising from his ck greatcoat, and there was a blurry image of a single leafed dark sapling behind him. His words were like the howls of wind, bringing with them the premonition of doom. " If there is a thorn stuck in the lion''s paw, that doesn''t mean the dogs will get to rule the Jungle." Chapter 144: Counter-Attack Chapter 144: Counter-Attack A few moments before When the hammer hit him the first time, Aldrich felt a searing pain in his body. His Defence, though high, wasn''t enough to thwart thebined power of the Giant Crawler and the hammer. "Daddyyyy." The second hit broke a few bones, and by the time the hammer came down for the fifth round, Aldrich had already lost all sense of pain. Only Sha''s deafening cries kept ringing in his mind. Aldrich struggled to open his eyes and tried to move the tips of his fingers. The pain coursing through his body was unimaginable, but it still wasn''t enough for him to lose rationality. Andpared to his first encounter with the Will of the Banished Golden Devil, it was nothing. His mind thought of ways to handle this problem he had found himself in. There were many, but he only found one which was the quickest and efficient. But it was also the costliest among all the solutions. He closed his eyes and willed an item from his Inventory toe out. A vial appeared in his tied-up hands, having a purple-golden potion in it. Though he could not see because of the rubble over him, he could sense the Giant female Crawler trying to lift the hammer. Aldrich''s right hand glowed blue as he delicately controlled Rumok''s Push and Pull and brought the vial over his mouth. He eyed the potion and, along with half a smile, Boomie''s face shed in his eyes. "So, it''s time to use it, huh?" This potion was among the Rewards he had got in the Bellerophon Dungeon from the Elite Crawler. The Heartburn Venom. [ Item: Heartburn Venom Type: Potion Rank: Rare Durability: NA Minimum Usage Condition: Strength 55 Description: +25% Strength, +25% Agility, -50% HP Warning: Dreamer would die if the potion is consumed when the current HP is less than 20% of the Max HP ] "Change." The vial tilted, making the solid stopper vanish, and the entire potion came pouring down in Aldrich''s mouth. Aldrich felt a burning sensation in his heart and saw his HP drop to 30% of its maximum value. And along with it came the boost in Strength that he much needed. But what happened next, even he hadn''t expected. Sensing the drop in Aldrich''s HP, the one-leafed Dark Sapling roiled around in his head and projected its image behind Aldrich. Just as the blurry image of the sapling hovered behind Aldrich, the Devil''s aura on his greatcoat got stimted and churned like a gas. Aldrich heard the cheering howls of the Creatures of Darkness, but Aldrich could feel that the stimnt and the projection weren''t enough to bring a drastic change. As he sensed the hammering down from up high, he couldn''t help but smile, seeing the change in his Strength and Agility. [ Strength: 202 (+92 +40) Agility: 87 (+17) Perception: 188 (-92) ] * Aldrich walked out with his hand holding up the enormous stone hammer. He looked in the eyes of the Giants, who were looking at him as if seeing a dead man hade alive. But there wasn''t any disbelief, as if it was amon sight for them, just not one rted to Dreamers. Aldrich clenched his muscles and made a fist, shattering the hammer instantaneously. Bang! The shock waves from the st sent the female Giant flying away. The eagle too pped its wings to distance itself in the sky, but Aldrich had other ns for it. "Absolute Pull." Crrrkk! The eagle struggled furiously but got pulled towards Aldrich, anyway. Even the Giant couldn''t hold his footing from this close to Rumok and slipped forward. Bang! Aldrich''s fist hit the android-eagle straight on, shattering it into metallic pieces and twigs. The Basajaun''s crown glowed and countless wooden branches came running, enveloping the Giant Crawler in a wooden armor. Aldrich jumped towards its humongous chest as a smile came upon his devilish masked face. "It''s useless." BANG! The 30 ft tall Giant''s chest caved in and his wooden armor was nowhere to be seen. The way it flew away like a ball, it felt like it wasn''t Aldrich''s kick that had hit him, but an unrealisticallyrge sledgehammer. Aldrichnded on the ground and strolled towards the Giant Crawler, who had dropped into a thickyer of bushes. "Let me show you the beauty of Strength." Aldrich''s calm voice reached to the furthest corners of the ruins. The Devil''s aura around was at its highest churning point, and the dark sapling behind him kept swaying slowly. It was time to take out his deadliest Item and finish this nuisance off once and for all. No, it wasn''t the Broken Faith. A vein from the mask reached Aldrich''s hand and, as it bloomed, out came a heavy sword. It felt like it was made of ck stones and other than its weight; it didn''t seem any special. Aldrich''s deadliest weapon was the Stone Splitter. "All Proficient." [ Skill All Proficient is under Penalty Consumption: 6 MP per second (x2) ] The sword Stone Splitter wasn''t an ordinary sword. If there wasn''t much Rank difference between it and the Dreamer, then its original version could even be called a growth weapon. The only major defect or weakness of the weapon was its Durability. As with higher Ranked Dreamers, there were high chances of it getting broken before even consuming much of Dreamer''s Strength. But now, it was different, as the concept of Durability didn''t exist for the Shadow Homunculus. It was only a matter of how much Strength can the Dreamer feed it to. And the faster the execution of the Skill, the better. ROARRRRRR!!! The Giant came jumping out of the bushes and roared at Aldrich. Its hands twisted and became overlyrge cannons. Its head also rotated and when it stopped, it too had be a cannon. Other small andrge cannons popped out from the body of the Crawler. It seemed like even the Giant was nothing but an android made of metal and wood. The crown, which was on its head, now hovered above the three cannons aimed at Aldrich. Green Mana particles came rushing towards the crown from all over the Ruins and all the cannons glowed with an eerie and menacing green. Thump! Aldrich dragged the Stone Splitter behind him and took in all the changes that had happened with the Crawler''s body. He turned back to look at the buster-sword and remembered the question he had asked himself when he had got it. ''Why is the Skill of the sword named Megaton Crusher?'' Chapter 145: Megaton Crusher! Chapter 145: Megaton Crusher! Trrr-Tttt-Trrrrr Boom! Boom! Boom! The small andrge cannons spun with a rattling noise before firing with a booming sound simultaneously. Their target was Aldrich, who kept dragging the heavy sword towards the Crawler. The greenish globs of Mana cannonballs came at Aldrich from all directions. Despite the same time of firing, the small ones reached him first, but the result was not something the Crawler had expected. The missile-like attacks went straight through Aldrich as if his body was transparent. The few lucky ones got swatted away like mosquitoes from the back of Aldrich''s left hand. His footprints were all over the ruins, as sometimes they appeared 10 ft away, and sometimes they appeared 5 ft behind him. Aldrich''s blurry figure was like a ghost, wandering in the ruins, and ever walking towards its prey. "Sha can you find it?" Aldrich muttered as he looked up and saw the three enormous Mana Cannonballs falling towards him from three directions. "I I think It under us." "Why?" "I feel" Aldrich didn''t need more proof than that for him to let go of the Buster-Sword and put his hands on the ground. "Absolute Pull." Thrrrrr!!! The ground quaked and the earth around Aldrich ballooned up as if it was about to erupt with magma. But before the ground could blow up, Aldrich canceled the Rumok and smashed his hand at the top of the lump. When he pulled the hand out, he was grabbing dense brown twigs like hairs. "NOOOOOOO!" An inhumane scream came out of the mouthless Giant Crawler as Aldrich pulled out the enormous head of its femalepanion. Aldrich had already confirmed in the first look that the female was merely a Baron. The way she had been struggling to even lift the stone hammer up was undeniable proof of that. Bump! The female head in Aldrich''s grasp had also started to rotate and morph, but a slight punch from Aldrich made it lose consciousness on the spot. The Giant Crawler dashed towards Aldrich, but it couldn''t match the speed of the cannonballs, which were just above Aldrich''s head. "Haha!" Aldrichughed evilly as he lifted the 25 ft tall female Crawler using his outrageous Strength and wrapped her like armor around his body. The three Mana cannonballs didn''t distinguish between friend and foe as they came pouring down at Aldrich''s location. BWOOM! The ballooned-up earth couldn''t resist the sts'' power and exploded, sending out debris and the Giant Crawler towards the ruin''s edge. The muddy and greenish mushroom cloud didn''t abate for the next few minutes. As thest traces of the explosion died down, at the center of the crater there was arge charred body of a wooden Giant. ck charcoal-like kes rose from the female Giant and got carried away by the wind towards the morphed Giant male Crawler. "Ah! What a mess!" Aldrich lifted the charred body of the female, and with the slight exertion of force from his grip, its hand almost shattered in gray ash-like pieces. Aldrich could still feel a hint of life hidden in its body, but it wasn''t enough for him to finish her on the spot. He wasn''t a person who would ever let go of a possible psychological advantage during a battle. The Mana cannonballs had created a crater at the tip of the risen earth and now it looked like a volcano with a crater at its top. Aldrich dragged the female Crawler by one hand, the Buster-Sword with another, and brought them up to the edge of the crater. He looked down and far in the distance, he could see the Basajaun running towards him. The Crawler stopped at the foot of the mound instead of charging up, but Aldrich wanted it to rush at him up the slope. He waved the sword for the Crawler to see and threw the female''s body up in the air. "NO! Basandere!" The furred mouthless Giant shouted, but Aldrich had already raised his right hand towards the falling ckened body of the female. Blue-Green glow seeped out, shining the traces of dried blood on his sleeve. "Almighty Push." The space rippled outwards from Aldrich, bringing with it the rubble, smoke, and the female Crawler. But her charred body couldn''t handle the huge amount of jerk and broke down into ck pieces of wooden and metallic flesh. The small pieces of her body just happened to fall on Giant''s Crawler as if it was a dreadful rain. There were no more screams and maddened roars, nor were there any signs of losing control. But Aldrich knew his strategy had borne fruits, seeing the Crawler charging towards him in a straight line. The wooden crown entered its body from one of the barrels of the cannons, and it changed back to its humanoid shape. But its size had almost doubled to 60 ft. Thump! Thump! The earth mound quaked with its every step as Aldrich again gripped the Stone Splitter and his mind went back to the question. He had contemted the meaning of Megaton many times. Was it a unit of weight? Then, given that a ton was only 1000 kg, a megaton would only be 1000000000 kg. Forparison, the weight of the Great Pyramid of Giza on Earth was only around 5 Megatons. A size, negligible in the world of RECORD. And if it wasn''t rted to weight, then what was it? Aldrich had an even outrageous theory. There was one more thing that used the word Megaton to measure. And that was the yield of a Hydrogen Bomb. Aldrich believed that the Stone Splitter was a weapon capable of discharging a st yield of 1 Megaton. It was like being a little brother of the most powerful Hydrogen Bomb in the history of humankind, Tsar Bomba. Aldrich raised the Buster-Sword high and poured every ounce of his Strength into it as the 60 ft. tall Crawler lunged at him. Even before he used the Skill, everything around him seemed to have vaporized. The atmosphere swayed like a mirage in the desert. And when Aldrich brought the sword down on the Crawler''s head, the sky ckened in response to his words. "MEGATON /tsar-bomba Chapter 146: A new Perspective Chapter 146: A new Perspective Huff! Huff! Aldrich''s breathing was rough and the Buster-Sword that was in his hand was nowhere to be seen. The surrounding ruins didn''t exist anymore. To the furthest eyes could see, all things had got ripped apart and pulverized. The thunder-like sound from the Shockwave had annihted everything in its path with Aldrich at the center. Aldrich guessed from the aftereffects the Skill he had just used was only equivalent to an atomic bomb with 8-10 kiloton yield. "Such a shame!" Aldrich scoffed himself and stood up, not even a bit satisfied by the overwhelming st. The Stone Splitter had consumed all his 200 points of Strength. But it only resulted in a st half as effective as the atomic bomb ''Little Boy'' used in World War 2. Aldrich calcted and came up with the number of Strength Stat he would need to reach the maximum capability of Megaton Crusher. 200000! Not only impractical but also iprehensible. Aldrich took a deep breath and took out many SP and HP potions from FIR. The Skillbined with the penalty had almost drained him of his stamina. As he gulped them down one by one, he finally got time to look at the shing notifications. [ The Experience Points are halved as per the Penalty You have killed 1 Basajaun ExPs obtained: 40000 You have killed 1 Basajaun ExPs obtained: 160000 You have leveled up You have obtained 24 Attribute Points You have obtained 3 Skill Point You have leveled up You have obtained 24 Attribute Points You have obtained 3 Skill Point ] Sigh! Aldrich sighed, seeing the ExPs from hunting a Viscount and a Baron Crawler. If it wasn''t for the penalty, he hoped to get near to the next Rank. From thest fight, Aldrich found his basic Stats extremelyckingpared to the Crawlers of the same level and Rank. So, with no further thought, he equally distributed the 48 AP to Stats other than Perception and Correspondence. The 6 Skill Points he got, he saved them for his ss-Specific Skill. Aldrich emptied thest vial of potion and regained his original strength. But the aftereffects of the tiring battle and the thrashing of the hammer had left scars on his body. And some of those scars were psychological in nature. As he approached the three hovering ck balls, he contemted the meaning of Perception and the ''feel'' Sha had kept talking about. "The thing to notice was that I could see the rocks and roots in the earth, but I couldn''t sense the female Giant at all. Hmm, Sha?" The mask on Aldrich''s face jumped off and morphed into a sensualizing beauty with white hair and a tight ck leather dress. Her blue eyes had a tinge of red from tiredness and anger. Aldrich knew the stone hammer had spared no part of his body and the mask on his face got thrashed along with him, too. He put his hand on Sha''s head and patted her. "Tell me more about how you could sense the female Giant and that creature outside the Dungeon." Aldrich touched the first reward as Sha kept tapping her chin, probably thinking about what to say. [ Item: Basajaun''s Megalith Type: Weapon Rank: Baron Durability: 7000/7000 Minimum Usage Condition: Strength 100 Description: A Bazooka that can fire Mana Cannonballs Item-specific Skill: Mana st Item-specific Skill consumption: 300 SP 300 MP Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Once aimed and fired urately, the Mana Cannonball will auto-lock on the target Warning: If fired continuously, the Bazooka will heat up and there are chances of self-destruction Do you want to equip the Item? ...] "Yes." Gulp! As the ck ball crumbled and a heavy 10 ft tall megalith appeared in front of him, Aldrich saw Sha drooling at the sight of the oversized weapon. He had fed her many Baron and even Viscount level Items, but weapons felt tastier to her somehow. He still remembered her first Baron-ranked weapon on earth, the spear Beast yer. Although her intelligence had not reached this point during that raid. "First tell me, then you can have it." Aldrich saw Sha wiping away her drool as his words brought her out of the fantasy of feasting on the Item. Sha crouched down and picked up the fine sand in her small fist. "Daddy Mmm Earth is earth. She wasn''t earth." "This" Aldrich''s eyes became wide as Sha''s words echoed in his mind. For a being who had spent hundreds of thousands of years meditating on Laws, a few broken sentences were enough to understand the crux of the problem. The point of him being a ss Generalist had always been a mighty factor, too. "Hahaha! Such a simple logic Sigh! Earth is earth, and she was not earth. Brilliant! No wonder I couldn''t sense her, huh!" A wry smile came upon Aldrich''s face as he thought about the unforgivable mistake he had been making so far. He was using the Divine Sense to scan air within the air, to scan water within the water, and to scan earth within the earth. The only thing that kept him from not knowing his fault was the existence of two dead Crawlers who could mimic the element. "No, not mimic. It was like they had be a part of the Earth and Wood. I need to dive deep into the working principle of Divine Sense again from a fresh perspective." Aldrich touched the second reward and saw Sha involuntarily walking towards the Megalith Item. He shook his head in defeat and let her enjoy the meal. [ Skill: Intermediate Bazooka Proficiency Nature: Passive Minimum Usage Condition: Bazooka Item Description: Dreamer would obtain Proficiency in Bazooka based weapons at an intermediate level Do you want to equip the Skill? ] "Yes. Sigh! Now isn''t that a waste of a Reward, tsk!" Aldrich had prepared himself for such a situation when he created the All Proficiency Skill. And as that was a Skill created using Metacreativity, he couldn''t level that up to use Intermediate Proficiencies. He was waiting for the ExPs to pile up to update or create a new Skill which would make him use all Intermediate Proficiencies in the RECORD. Aldrich eyed thest reward and with half-dead expectation, brought his hand towards it. Chapter 147: Hidden Quest Chapter 147: Hidden Quest As Aldrich''s fingers came in contact with thest reward, the data rted to it materialized in front of him. [ Item: Basandere''s Confession Type: Scroll Rank: Rare Durability: 50 Minimum Usage Condition: Bassendre''s Killer Description: A Scroll containing Basandere''s dying words Warning: This Item will only be presented once, even if the Dreamer were to raid the same Dungeon again Do you want to equip the Item? ...] Aldrich narrowed his eyes at the strange, seeing the abnormal Item. He knew many Dreamers got scroll-based Items containing Ancient Sayings, but he didn''t know the actual format of such rewards, as it wasn''t mentioned in the many books and scrolls of House Venomous Rose. Aldrich thought for a second whether to ept the Item or not, as he could see no direct profit in equipping it. But the warning made him think a hundred times about letting go of this opportunity. Aldrich clenched his teeth and cautiously let out his reply. "Yes." The tiny wormhole crumbled, leaving behind a scroll in Aldrich''s hand. He also saw Sha, now finished with her meal, approaching him with high expectations in her eyes. Aldrich slowly opened the scroll and watched the words materializing over it in ck eligible ink. --:-- My Heartily Beloved Cid, I have sinned. Yes, I have sinned by loving you. I remember when I came into existence by the grace of our Lord and how my eyes fell on your mighty presence. My destiny was to be with my husband, whom you know by the name Basajaun, your subject. Yet, the strings of my heart quivered when you addressed me by my name. Oh! How can I forget the touch of your fingers when. --:-- "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" Aldrich couldn''t believe his eyes as he skimmed through the contents of the scroll and let out a furious shout. The entire scroll was filled with words of love and regret about how the female Crawler couldn''t be with the Boss Crawler at her dying moment. He couldn''t help but think of the Giant Crawler, charging towards him up the slope, and crumbled the scroll. "Daddy" "What?" As Aldrich was about to throw it, Sha wrapped her hands around Aldrich''s wrist. Her eyes had be watery, and there was a deep pain over her face. Aldrich was about to reprimand her when a notification popped up in front of him. [ Generating Hidden Quest Hidden Quest: Hand over Basandere''s confession to the Boss Crawler ] "NO!" Aldrich eximed and his face became so ugly that even Sha let go of his wrist and distanced herself from him. He had already died once because of his first Hidden Quest. And he hated them, despite their high risk and high reward nature. Even though Aldrich had nned to face the Boss in the future, he wanted it to be on his terms and as his choice. Not because of a mandatory Quest. "Sha!" Aldrich''s eyes brimmed with realization and anger, and he called out Sha''s name. He raised the scroll towards her and said through his clenched teeth. "Sha, eat it." "Daddy No." Aldrich, taken aback by this refusal, took a step towards Sha, making her take a step back, too. "What do you mean by ''No''?" "I I full." "Humph! Don''t lie to me, you were just drooling when I touched it before this fucking thing came into my hands." Aldrich took several steps towards Sha, who kept looking at the scroll and Aldrich''s face. "Sha, Don''t run!" Aldrich dashed towards Sha, but she had already run away from him. Two ck blurs kept appearing and vanishing within the ttened ruins. Aldrich was like an animal chasing an even faster and crazier beast than him. But without the Skill Change, Aldrich was no match for the Shadow Homunculus'' speed and the Items at its disposal. Just as Aldrich was about to approach her, two bat-like wings opened up on Sha''s back and she flew up towards the sky. "Sha! Come down, Now." But Sha didn''t even turn back to look at him and kept going up as if running away from something. "You! Huh, Don''t me me for doing this Absolute Pull!" Aldrich pointed his right hand towards Sha and it shined with a blue-green glow. Sha, though fast with the Wings of Bat-Lord, hadn''t gone out of the Rumok''s range and the sudden jerk pulled her back as if there was a rope tied to her body. "Ahhhhh!" Sha screamed out loud as she came falling along with the ripple in space towards Aldrich. Just as she was about to hit him, Aldrich wrapped his hands around her body and brought her to the ground. Sha''s perky breasts got squeezed in struggle and an evilugh came upon Aldrich''s face. "Haha! Open your mouth!" "NOooo Ugh!" As Aldrich brought the Scroll close to her mouth, Sha clenched her teeth shut. But it didn''t take Aldrich''s experienced hands to put his fingers in her mouth and open it up. Aldrich saw the small opening and stuffed the scroll deep in her mouth. And Sha''s w-like nails dug dip into his body, as she almost gagged from the scroll stuck in her throat. Gulppp!!! Aldrich heard the awaited gulping sound and let go of the teary Sha. He waited for the Hidden Quest to change in some form, thinking that the Scroll technically didn''t exist anymore. [ Hidden Quest: Hand over Basandere''s confession to the Boss Crawler ] Aldrich''s hand slowly raised to cover his face, seeing no change whatsoever. Behind him, Sha stood up crying because of the ordeal and stared at Aldrich who was facepalming himself. Sniff! "That was love letter. Daddy so mean" Aldrich took a deep breath and saw the portal to the next za that had opened up in the ce of the vanished rewards. Before going in, he had to take care of this problem rted to the penalty by any means possible. But Sha hadn''t finished raising a ruckus. Sniff! "Daddy Daddy a pervert." Aldrich snapped his head towards her and looked at her pouting face. "What did you call me?!" Chapter 148: An Idea Chapter 148: An Idea Aldrich spent quite some time thinking about the strange predicament the RECORD had forced on him. When he had entered the Dungeon, he was at his maximum potential. It didn''t take him long to figure out that the Dungeon''s difficulty level was set considering the Penalty and not the further increase in it. Which meant, the more Aldrich would get penalized for tampering with Attributes, the more dangerous it would be. "Do it properly!" Aldrich saw Sha cutting corners from doing pushups and shouted. It didn''t seem that Sha was experiencing any kind of difort from the pushups. But the way her breasts got ttened every time she pressed down towards earth made her cringe at the sight. It wasn''t any mystery to figure out that Sha hated this punishment. "Daddy no more." Aldrich ignored Sha''s muttering and kept thinking about hundreds of scenarios he could find himself in the next Dungeon. Aldrich knew that the most awesome thing about him was the Skill Shared Vision. Not only did it allow him to see his opponents'' Stats, for him to have a strategic advantage, but it was also responsible for his revival. The most troubling situation he thought of was him dying and as all the Skills had been penalized too, he didn''t know if he would even make it to the Darkness or not. "Hmm, Will I have to create another Item like Oldest Change? Tsk!" Aldrich didn''t want to waste a single ExP when he relied on Metacreativity to increase his power qualitatively and quantitatively. He knew it''s every use would bring him away from the next Rank, and he needed to Rank up for hising ns to work smoothly. "Daddyyy. eeeee" "What?" Aldrich saw Sha''s angry face getting distorted by her disgusting and inelegant movements. She shouted at him through clenched teeth but seeing the calm and unfazed expression on Aldrich''s face, her eyes soon became teary. "So Sorry." Aldrich crouched down and narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. "Why are you sorry Sha?" Aldrich saw as Sha pouted, hearing his reprimanding tone. He felt quite amused and curious after seeing the Item replicating so many humane emotions just by eating a few people. He looked into Sha''s eyes as a pleading and meek voice came out of her. "For calling Daddy pervert." "Good! Stand up." "Yeyyyy" As soon as Aldrich gave her permission, Sha jumped up in a standing position. Aldrich raised his eyebrows and Sha caught on to his expression soon enough. For in the next moment, her hands went to her shoulders, and she massaged them, trying hard to make sure that Aldrich would get to hear her painful grunts. "Ugh Haa so painful." Aldrich shook his head and walked towards the portal to the next za. He had many ideas rted to the penalty, but not one of them was workable enough to test them out in the Dungeon. Sha kept running at him from behind and tugged at his sleeve. "Now what?" Aldrich noticed the yful smile on Sha''s face as she let out a giggling voice in reply. "Hehe I have idea." The word idea made Aldrich''s mind throb suddenly. He looked at the blue innocent pearly eyes, but a weird feeling of uneasiness kepting back to him. Aldrich didn''t mind Sha behaving emotionally. As, at some level, he wanted her to have such emotions for a few of his ns to work out. But he felt worried about the sudden idea or ideas that were originating in her mind. Aldrich turns around to give her a good look before asking. "What idea?" As Aldrich asked, Sha neared him and stood on her toes to reach his head level. She put a hand over her mouth and her whispering words entered Aldrich''s ears, along with her soft and warm breath. By the time she stopped, Aldrich''s eyes had already narrowed into a thin line. "You came up with this by yourself?" Sha''s head moved up and down like a child taking immense pride after getting the right answer to some question. Aldrich had alreadye up with something like that, but he had rejected that option based on the facts he had. So, he couldn''t help but ask to rify his doubt. "Didn''t you say that you can only maintain two Items at a time?" Sha tapped her chin as if she had encountered a very challenging question. Soon her eyes shined, and she pointed at Aldrich. "Daddy two me more." The broken words of Sha were quite clear to Aldrich. He thought about the ''idea'' Sha hade up with and felt that it could truly work out. The theory behind Sha''s ideas was simple. She had suggested making an Item that would let her maintain her humanoid form even if Aldrich was using a part of her as a mask or other Item. Aldrich had rejected this option based on the fact that Sha could only maintain two forms over his body. But ording to Sha, even if separated she could maintain two Items on him, not counting her body as the third Item. "Hmm, this can work. It might turn out to be more useful than I originally thought." Aldrich muttered as Sha kept nodding like her deeply hidden wish hade true. Aldrich thought of the various ways he would be able to use the Shadow Homunculus if it could work independently, and a smile came upon his face. "Let''s try it." "Yesss" Muah! Sha lunged at him and gave him a deep kiss on the cheek, forgetting the ordeal of pushups he had put her through just a few moments ago. "Thank Daddy." "Yeah, yeah, get away from me Sigh, Metacreativity!" Aldrich pushed her away and, a little unwillingly, used the Skill he was saving forter. [ Skill Metacreativity is now active Specify your creation: Item or Skill? ] "Item." [ Fill up the given temte for Item Item Name: Warning: The above data would be optimized ording to the maximum avable ExPs Warning: Item-Specific Skill would not be upgradable Warning: Item''s Rank can be upgraded using ExPs ] Aldrich took a deep breath and input the data while Sha had already started to skip all around him like a little girl. [ Item Name: Remote Link Do you want to submit this data? ] Chapter 149: A Song amid Thunder and Storm Chapter 149: A Song amid Thunder and Storm [... Do you want to submit this data? ] Aldrich held his breath and nodded. [ Submitting request to create Item. Optimizing Item Item ''Remote Link'' is beyond your reckoning Do you want to create another Item? ] "This" Not that Aldrich hadn''t thought of encountering failure, but he didn''t imagine that he would face the words "beyond your reckoning". From what Aldrich had calcted based on the past experiments, the RECORD only presented him with such notifications in one case. When the current ExPs were iprehensibly lower than the actual value required. Aldrich''s silent expression and his motionlessness didn''t go unnoticed by Sha''s eyes, either. Aldrich saw hering towards him and couldn''t think of anything to say. The jovial atmosphere from moments ago took a sudden turn, leaving him no way to pacify the raised expectations of the Shadow Homunculus. So he looked straight at her and did what his doctoral experience suggested that he do. "Ah, Sha. Sorry, but this won''t work." Sometimes the truth was much better than nonsensical dilly-dallying. Aldrich noticed Sha''s lost expression, but a smile soon came upon her face. She approached him and took his right hand in her hands. Aldrich observed her behavior as she put his hand over her head and patted herself with it. "It ok Daddy." Aldrich felt the smoothness of her white hairs, but his eyes were already nted on the back of his right hand over Sha''s head. There was a blue-colored tattoo on it, made of many runic symbols. As he looked at the tattoo, the corner of his lips arched up and the evil smile soon became a burst of resoundingughter. HAHAHAHA! "Hehe Haha HAHAHA!" Not caring about the reason for such a peal of crazedughter, Sha too started tough maniacally along with Aldrich. The pair of white-haired beings lookedical and painted a hearty picture within the ruined part of the Dungeon. He looked at the notification, which almost told him to stop thinking about the Item, but Aldrich gave a smile full of mockery and scoffed at the RECORD. "Huh! Beyond my reckoning, my ass! I will make one by myself then." Even Sha got carried away by Aldrich''s words full of defiance, not caring a bit what he meant. "Yes Daddy can do anything." As Aldrich looked at the Rumok over his hand, he hade up with a n to engrave the same Item as a Rumok on Sha''s body. His Title gave him the ability to do such a thing, but the problem was the penalty had invalidated his Titles as well. Aldrich had already obtained a Viscount Ranked Mana core from the first za. The only thing remaining was to research and develop the Rumok and find out how many such cores it would be needing. Aldrich slid down his right hand from Sha''s head and gripped her round face as if he was holding a basketball. "Don''t worry, I will make you an Item after getting out of the Dungeon. Now turn back into the mask." Aldrich''s hand wasn''t overly big, but it wasrge enough to cover Sha''s entire face. His fingers dug dip in her pinkish cheeks and his palm got pressed against her mouth. Sha tried to lunge at him again, hearing his words, but the hand on her face kept her from doing that. Sha reluctantly nodded and a few wet and mangled words escaped from her covered-up mouth somehow. "Oikieuu Dadyysss" Sha''s entire body wriggled like countless worms as it twisted into itself. Aldrich put the Devil''s Oldest Change on his face and walked towards the portal. The only thing he wished was to encounter the Elite in his next turn. As theter he would run into the Elite Crawler, the more the Penalty he would have. * [ You have entered the za of Almenara ] Shouuuuuuuuu! Cra-Crackk! As Aldrich came out of the portal, a heavy storm weed him into a mountainous region. The winds were exaggeratedly loud, and Aldrich could feel they also had an uncanny sharpness about them. There was low to no visibility, and the thundering dark clouds over his head added to its cause. In the distance, Aldrich could see a blurry yellowish light, like a beacon of some sort. But before he could analyze how far it was, a familiar sound attracted his attention. Aldrich was also a famous lyricist back on earth, known for his use of out-of-the-box style in using abination of ancient and modern words. Though anonymous, Aldrich kept himself updated with the music industry as per the time he had allotted to himself for such activities. So when he heard the notable unconventional off-beat rhythm, Aldrich got the shock of his life. From the get-go, Aldrich had discerned the use of the key C-sharp Minor, one of the most popr keys in the history of music. Aldrich looked around and he could feel that the entire storm seemed to roil around as if led by the beats. The thunder in the sky added to the charm of the beats, not cracking in between the rhythmic sound. The intensity of the beacon-like light in the distance increased and decreased, and Aldrich could feel the sense of rhythm in that too. "Sha, can you feel something?" Aldrich doubted his Divine Sense after the battle of first za. Until he would master this "feeling" through his Perception, he decided to rely on Sha for the time being. "No It all around us." Aldrich contemted the meaning of Sha''s words, but even after activating the Skill 3 Miles Shot, he couldn''t see anything. And he didn''t get to wonder for long from where the beat wasing from, as a voice came to his ears which felt like it was hissing and singing at the same time. Even the howling of the unbiased stormy winds couldn''t prevent the singer''s voice from reaching the valley where Aldrich had found out he was. "Go, go, go, go, go, go Go, shorty It''s your birthday" Aldrich recognised the familiar voice, and couldn''t help but exim. " the Fuck?!" Chapter 150: Lord of Storms and Thunder Chapter 150: Lord of Storms and Thunder The hip-hop song kept ying with its off-beat rhythm. The direction of the winds within the storms was like an instrument, ever-changing and following the lead of the singer. Even with Aldrich''s Stats, it felt hard for him to maintain his footing. And the lightning in the clouds shed, giving the song a shy background. Aldrich was about to dash towards the yellow shing beacon when the stormy winds in front of him parted. The music felt likeing closer and closer and the voice of the famous rapper echoed in the valley. Hissss!!! A hissing sound from hundreds of snakes took over the valley for a moment before that thing walked out in front of Aldrich. It was like a malnourished person had walked out of the darkness behind him. Its skin waspletely white and the protruding ribs gave it a mummified appearance. It had unusually long hands and a long face as if someone had stretched them downwards. Within its white face, there were two red-colored snakelike pupils, and from time to time, a forked tongue kepting out of its mouth. The disheveled ck hair over its head reached down to the waist, below which there weren''t legs, but a lower-half of a snake. Thebined length of the half-snake body could easily measure to tens of meters. And yet, these things weren''t the most eye-catching and bizarre for Aldrich. On its right shoulder, near the pointy ear, was arge Boombox or the "Ghetto ster". It was holding the Boombox at its position using one hand, and the other hand was shaking a baseball cap along with the music and the lyrics. Its long tail roiled around with rhythm, making the storm and dark clouds respond in tandem too. The Crawler came to a stop around a hundred meters away from Aldrich. Aldrich''s white eyes stared into its red slits as the thing put the cap backward over its head. A voice more like hissing and less of a person came out of its mouth. "Hey yo, Wassup B! It''s yo boy, Lil Sugaar." "" Aldrich was speechless. He couldn''tprehend what kind of coincidences could have happened in the Dungeon, for the Crawler to turn out like this. The only thing Aldrich was sure of was that there was nothing little about the Crawler, neither its size nor its Stats. Aldrich took a nce at the numbers hovering over its head before giving any reply. [ Record of ''Lord of Storms and Thunder'' Sugaar Status: Healthy Level: 35 HP: 1979/1979 SP: 2940/2940 MP: 1835/1835 Rank: Viscount Attributes --> Strength: 140 Defense: 110 Agility: 160 Vitality: 93 Perception: 95 Correspondence: 90 Active Skills --> ????????????????? Passive Skills --> ????????????????? ] Aldrich remembered the details rted to Sugaar. The half-serpent being was considered as the male part of the pre-Christian Basque Deity of Storms and Thunder. There weren''t many legends written about Sugaar, but Aldrich remembered the most famous one for which the Sugaar was known. It was to mate with the Goddess Mari frequently in the mountains to generate storms. Aldrich couldn''t help but look all around in search of a female Crawler. From hisst encounter, he didn''t believe the RECORD''s setting too much. "Sha, let me know if you feel any more presence other than him." Aldrich gave a few more instructions to Sha, but his senses had locked onto the Crawler from the start. The song had changed, but the Crawler''s nonchnt attitude along with its dancing tail hadn''t ceased. Aldrich sensed its red snake-like eyes following the movement of his head as he tried to look in the dark valley. "Yo, whatcha lookin'' for? You''sing from Armas za? Aight, Aight." Aldrich narrowed his eyes, seeing the Crawler easily guessing his previous location when it could be just anything else. Aldrich guessed what gave the Crawler such an impression, but he wanted the music-loving Crawler to talk more. "How do you know?" The Crawler shook its head along with the beats and a lowugh came out along with the hissing of its snakelike tongue. "Hess-Hesss! Only dat crib got two furry bitches. Ain''t nobody here but me and my baby." Aldrich saw the half-serpent Crawler giving a kiss to the Boombox or the so-called ''baby''. If not much, he at least got to know that other than the za of Armas, the rest of the zas had only one Crawler within them. That''s too if the Viscount Sugaar hadn''t lied to him. "You seem different from those Giants. But how can I believe your words, aren''t you a Crawler just like them?" The Crawler smirked, hearing Aldrich''s words, and snapped his fingers in tune with the booming song before replying. "True dat, but" The half-serpent being didn''t get to finish his words as Aldrich had already dashed towards him. Aldrich traded facing an early penalty with the opportunity to catch the Crawler off guard. He enhanced his Agility to the maximum limit possible and a ck shadowy Katana appeared in his hand. In just a fraction of a second, Aldrich had alreadye up in front of the Crawler with the sword raised high to cut it down in one sh. Krrrrrr!!! Aldrich looked at the widened eyes of the Crawler and cut its figure down from head to the waist. The beats of the song that was getting yed on the Boombox seemed to halt as a scratchy noise came out of it. But Aldrich felt little to no resistance as he came to a stop after cutting down the Crawler. It was like he had just cut the winds of the storm and not flesh. Aldrich, in sheer astonishment, looked up and saw the gap in the Crawler''s body from where the swords had passed. But there was no blood, flesh, or cries of pain. The Crawler had a smile full of mockery as Aldrich looked at its shed face. It slowly raised the volume of the Boombox and the storm suddenly intensified, sliding Aldrich away from it. The Crawler''s entire body burst apart in a mass of unseen wind des, leaving behind a few words for Aldrich. "Yo, chill out! See you at the light, if you survive. Hess-Hessss!" "Daddy I not feel him." Crackkkkk! Aldrich was about to raise his Defence to resist the sharp winds of the storm. But the sudden sh of a deafening bolt of lightning presented a scene that made him forgo the thought. Hisssssssss!!! Hundreds of thousands of humongous white and gray snakes were slithering towards him into the valley from all around. Chapter 151: A Game of Spinning Chapter 151: A Game of Spinning [ Dreamer has used the Unnatural Lifeform to temper with the Attributes again Adding 2% additional Penalty Agility: 168 (+86) Perception: 194 (-86) ] Aldrich confirmed the drop in his Change Skill. The previous advantage of 70% Attribute Transfer had dropped to 31%. With every penalty and the za, the gap between Aldrich and the Crawlers was getting shorter and shorter. The fact that he could use more of his Perception because of this handicap didn''t give him any sce too. Aldrich remembered how the Crawler had turned into the wind. But there was one thing that only he in the entire Gxy could see, the Stats. There were no counters to his Passive Ability Share Vision, at least not any he had encountered so far. The point that he could see its Stats meant the Crawler was truly present with its original body. And before getting shed apart by Aldrich''s surprise attack, it somehow substituted itself. Aldrich didn''t doubt this sudden vanishing was rted to the same phenomenon as that of the female Crawler vanishing into the earth. Hisss! The sudden hissing sound brought Aldrich out of his reverie. To the farthest his eyes could see, he saw snakes of length varying from tens to hundreds of meters. All were slithering around him and the valley, waiting for him to move towards the light. A hip-hop song kept ying around him as if the Viscount Crawler had ced countless boomboxes over the mountains'' slopes. And the storm and the lightning kept following the song rhythm, sometimes intensifying and other times, slowing down. But the thing to wonder about wasn''t the number of snakes but theck of Stats over their heads. Aldrich could only guess one reason for it. All Crawlers spawned in the Dungeon had Stats, and if the snakes didn''t, then it meant they were a part of a Skill or had been bred within the za. "Sigh! Here we go again! Senseless killing. Tsk!" Aldrich knew why the Crawler had left him in the valley without attacking him. The Viscount wanted Aldrich to waste away his Stamina and Mana before reaching the light. But the Lord of Storms and Thunder had made a terrible mistake. A mistake of underestimating his enemy. There was a reason that Aldrich had taken out the Broken Faith and not Stone Splitter. Yes, the Stone Splitter was undeniably stronger than the Broken Faith, but only as a finishing move. Its use left Aldrich devoid of Stamina and made him defenseless as he needed to enhance his Strength to use it. But Broken Faith was different. All its Skills and the ability to turn into a Count were locked, which meant Aldrich won''t have to use the penalized All Proficient Skill anymore. And being a Count ranked weapon, its sharpness alone was enough for him to just run into a Crawler to cut it down in half. He only regretted the fact that even after killing so many, he won''t get a single Experience Point. "Sha, now eat as much as you want. Don''tin afterward." Aldrich reminded the Shadow Homunculus, given that she had been nudging him constantly for more and more ''food''. But he hadn''t thought that his offer would be rejected outright. "I not eat Crawlers." " Why?! There are so many of them!" "They They taste bad." Aldrich couldn''tprehend how the taste buds of an Item worked. He shook his head and took a mental note to research it by putting Sha through one more ''session''. "Ok Let''s get over it and kill that faux ghetto." Zoommm! Aldrich ignored the pain from the violent winds, letting his tiny Defence take care of them, and dashed towards the blurry yellow light. The snakes lunged at his ckened afterimage, but even before they neared him, they got sliced apart in many pieces. Hisssss!!! Those whose heads had remained intact hissed manically. And those whose heads couldn''t be seen anywhere, their bodies wriggled like lizards'' broken tails. Aldrich wasn''t a swordsman, but his hands were experienced in handling knives and such des. It didn''t take him long to leave behind countless clean-cut parts of snakes. As Aldrich crossed a distance of a few miles and came out of the valley to reach the grassy in, both the nature and size of the snakes had changed. He could see hundreds of white pythons and even longer grayish cobra-like snakes. The volume of the hip-hop songs had increased along with the wind and the frequency of lightning. Tip-Tipp! Drippp!! Sizzz!!! Suddenly a drizzle appeared around him, and as the few raindrops touched his bare skin, Aldrich felt a burning pain followed by a sizzling sound. Aldrich narrowed his eyes and brought the raindrops over his sleeve near his nose. From the smell, he could easily tell that not only they were corrosive but venomous too. The directionless winds made it impossible for him to take cover. Crackkkkk! The brilliant bolt of lightning made Aldrich look in a particr direction, far behind the towering Pythons. There, hundreds of Cobras were spitting venom into the dark clouds. Aldrich knew it wouldn''t take long for the drizzle to turn into a downpour. Then even his Devil aura dded greatcoat won''t be enough to shield him from the lethal venom. He needed to take care of the Cobras before the Pythons, acting as guards, and fast. An evil smile came upon Aldrich''s face, and he couldn''t help but let out a lowugh. "Haha! Sha, would you like to y a game?" Sha must have taken aback by Aldrich''s question, for it took her a full second to reply. "Daddy I want to. Which game?" The song changed as Aldrich crouched and used the Target Lock Skill on one of thergest Cobra. [ Skill Target Lock is under penalty Agility: 193 (+86 +25) ] Zwipppppp! By the time the Pythons lunged at the ck trail left behind by Aldrich in the air, he had already arrived a few hundred meters above the Cobra''s hood. The storm had be devastatingly unbearable at this height, and the thunders seemed to be in a race of who would strike Aldrich first. But how could they have known Aldrich''s mood and his thoughts? Everything, the venomous rain, Pythons, the cobras, the stormy wind des, and the bolts of lightning lunged at Aldrich. It was just, Aldrich thought, that their speed was not high enough. Aldrich sped the sword''s butt tightly and raised both his arms outwards. "Well, it''s called Spinning, Sha. Let me show you ABSOLUTE PULL." Aldrich fell and gave himself a rotation. His Agility was so high that it felt like a mini-tornado had originated in the sky. The space rippled and got pulled towards him, bringing with it everything at an unimaginable speed. It was like Aldrich had be a bottomless hole, within which no life could exist. The Bloodbath had begun. Chapter 152: The Yellow Light Chapter 152: The Yellow Light When the bloody tornado ceased to spin, it was like a vacuum had been created. Aldrichnded on the ground ovein with mangled flesh, blood, scales, and bones. There was no sign of wind around him, and the shes of lightning could only be found in the distant clouds. Aldrich jerked the sword, sending blood drops flying off it. "Weeeeee Daddy that fun." Houuuuu! Although most of the snakes had been annihted, a few smaller ones still came rushing towards him from the farther reaches of the Dungeon. But even before them, came the howling winds, trying to reim the windless area around Aldrich. The hip-hop songs, unperturbed by the bloodbath, kept ying and riling up the storm and thunder among the dark clouds. Not waiting for any of them toe any closer, Aldrich dashed towards the yellow light atop the mountain. But Aldrich hadn''t expected to see the sight when he arrived at the mountain''s foot. The mountain was incredibly high, and the stormy winds were like an enormous snake coiling around it from foot to the top. Aldrich found out why the yellow light had seemed blurry too, for the top of the mountain was above the dark clouds. And the yellow sh only came out whenever there came a gap amid the dense clouds. Aldrich saw a slithering stairway vanishing into the clouds and took a deep breath before taking a step on it. Cr-Crackk! Suddenly a lightning bolt hit Aldrich as he was about to lift his foot and sted him away from the mountain. ck-colored mist rose from Aldrich''s greatcoat, and a palm-sized area of it had be charred. Aldrich stood up and eyed the thousands of stairs and heard the roaring thunder as if cheering for the hit. "Sigh! One step at a time, I guess. Change!" Aldrich sighed and enhanced his Defence. One of the shortest but also the quickest snakes had caught up to Aldrich and lunged at him, seeing him just standing at the foot of the mountain. The rows of half a foot-long fangs in the snake''s mouth spread out, and with its mouth leaning sideways, the snake snapped its mouth shut on Aldrich''s shoulders. Krrrrrrrrrr!!! The sound of metal grinding over metal echoed amid the chorus of the song. Pieces of ck fangs, covered in slimy liquid, broke off the snake''s mouth. Aldrich tilted his head upwards a little to look in the slit like eyes of the snake, and he could see a hint of fear in them. Aldrich looked back towards the stairs and took a step towards them, with the snake''s mouth still mping around him. Cr-Crack! Just as Aldrich lifted his leg from the first step of the limestone stairway, another bolt of lightning came rushing towards him. But instead of hitting him, it first came into contact with the snake''s mouth wrapped around Aldrich''s shoulder. Boom!! As the thunder followed the sh of the lightning, the snake got sted apart into hundreds of pieces and got incinerated in an instant. Aldrich, ignoring the surrounding happenings, took another step and then one more. The lightning kept striking him and the horn of his mask with every step. But it failed to leave a hint of any mark on him. Aldrich raised his head to look at the clouds and then towards the top of the mountain as a smirk came upon his face. "The essence of the mountain lies in its stability. Where would you run now, Lord of Storms and Thunder?" * Aldrich''s foot left thest step and came out of the cloudy mist. Cr-Crack-Crackkkkk!!! Houuuuuu!!! Countless small lightning bolts were coiling around his entire body. And the wind des kept getting demolished after running into him. It felt like Aldrich had somehow tamed the thunder after tiring it out. But for a moment, he too got taken aback by the sight in front of him. Above the clouds, there wasn''t any mountain anymore. But it was like the top of the mountain had been cut clean in one sh, turning it into a circr tform. And there were twelve limestone pirs spaced equally at its circumference. The lightning kept coursing over the clouds below the tform, and even the storm didn''t dare to cross over thest step of the stairway. Aldrich''s right hand shined blue, and the traces of lightning around him got sted away. He took a step over the tform and finally took in the sheer size of things in his eyes. The twelve pirs were at least a hundred meters in height, and the entire tform was longer than four to five football fieldsbined. "My man! Hey, dance bitches! Ain''t no time to stand around." Aldrich followed the voice and looked at the raised stage right in the middle of the enormous tform. The Viscount Crawler was there in a red-ck shiny jacket and was beating its tail, along with the beatsing out of the boombox on the ground. But he wasn''t alone. Around him were twelve females in ck bikinis and wearing ck pointy hats. Four of them were twerking with their butts towards the Crawler, and the rest were pole dancing, using some wooden poles nted in the ground. Aldrich couldn''t have cared for such a scene. It was just, all females were older than the oldest person Aldrich had seen in his life. Their skin was hanging loose from their faces, hands, stomach, and legs. Some had half of their faces burned, and maggots were crawling out of their noses and ears. Some had smelly, white, gooey liquid running out of their mouth and under their bikini. And all of them had at least one part of their bodypletely rotten. Aldrich saw the Viscount Crawler giving him an exaggerated and lusty smile as it gestured towards the ''things'' dancing around it. Aldrich couldn''t help but crane his neck up to look at the yellow beacon of light he was following so far aftering to this za. He was almost sure that it was rted to some hidden truth about the Skills of the Sugaar. "Daddy what that." Aldrich shook his head and reluctantly answered. " That''s a Disco Light." Chapter 153: Falsehood Chapter 153: Falsehood The beats were on; the music was in the air, and the twelve dancers-cum-backup singers were ready. Even the Disco Light, hovering in the air, focused its yellow light on the lead singer, Viscount ''Lil Sugaar''. "Hey Yo Yo Here it goes One day four Dreamers came to me, I fucked two and hanged the third upon a tree The fourth one gave me a Shock! Fuckin'' bitch had this thing called Boombox" "Yeyyy Boooomboxx" * Aldrich couldn''t handle it anymore. Thest sentence was like stretched-out lyrics. And the coarse voice of the twelvebined old women turned it into an annoying screeching sound, irritating and riling up the Mana within him. The Broken Faith in his hand turned to the Stone Splitter and Aldrich changed his maximum Attribute from Defence to Agility. He had already wasted quite an amount of time by climbing over the stairway one step at a time. Aldrich wanted nothing but to tten the entire mountain in one move. The only thing that troubled him was the ability of the Crawler to vanish like being a part of the wind. It would be disastrous for Aldrich if, even after using the Mountain Crusher, he won''t be able to kill the Viscount. Aldrich looked at the twelve pirs and then at the twelve dancers, and he couldn''t help but think if they were rted somehow. So he decided to take care of this unknown factor first. "Sha, keep your eyes open." "Okay Daddy. But I not have eyes in this form." "Tsk! I meant, be on alert." "Ohhhh" Aldrich dashed towards the nearest limestone pir, keeping himself at the edge of the mountain. He made sure to not enter the space within the tforms. The Crawler kept rapping, ignoring Aldrich''s action altogether. Even the disgusting dancers kept twerking and pping their butts, following the rhythm of the beats. Before nearing the pir to destroy it, Aldrich scanned it, using his Divine Sense, and made sure that it wasn''t an illusion. He kicked a pebble and sent it flying towards the pir. As the stone bounced off the pir, making a ticking noise, Aldrich lunged at the pir. And without using the Skill, he raised the Sword high and smashed it into the pir. BOOM! The limestone pir burst apart as if a stick of dynamite had exploded within it. Aldrichnded on the ground and marveled at the sight of white dust, but soon his eyes became wide with utter disbelief and shock. Beyond the pir where the Viscount and the tform should have been, there was ayer of dense dark clouds full of lightning and stormy winds. Somehow Aldrich had ended up within the tform as if the entire mountain had slid a few steps towards him. Without looking back, Aldrich jumped off towards the edge of the mountain and the clouds. Bang! HAHAHA! Aldrich''s head buzzed as he ran into an unseen wall and the distance of one step felt miles away from him. He stood up and tried to grip the sword tightly in his hands as he heard the burst of resoundingughter behind him. But the Stone Splitter couldn''t be seen anywhere. Even the pir he had just destroyed resurfaced anew over the rubble at its foot. A notification soon appeared in front of him, as if answering the bewilderment on his face. [ You have entered the space of Sorginak''s 12 Fortune Pirs Use of weapons is prohibited in this space ] "You know, why do I look down on my fellow Crawlers from other zas?" Aldrich turned around, following the voice, and his heart thumped, seeing the Crawler. Its hissing voice kept echoing in the enormous space of the tform. "The reason is very simple. They are afraid to take risks. Tch! They don''t understand the key to killing the Dreamers doesn''t lie in Skills or Items, but deception. In the service of the Ruler of Valencia, his lordship, El Cid, they can''t even sacrifice a few Skills?! Tch! But then again, not just anyone can be an Elite." Despite the ringing words, Aldrich couldn''t take his eyes off the Stats over the Crawler''s head. All the values and even the Rank were the same. But a word had been added. A word that made Aldrich doubt the invincibility of his Passive Skill, Shared Vision. [ Record of Elite ''Lord of Storms and Thunder'' Sugaar Status: Healthy Level: 35 ] Zooom!!! The entire space within the tform quaked, making Aldrich take his eyes off the Stats. Many ethereal voices reverberated atop the mountain from all around as if chanting a spell. "We aren''t, we are true, Twelve thousand here we are Under the heavens and over the earth" Aldrich looked around and noticed that the twelve old women in bikinis had vanished and were now sitting at the top of each pir. Their appearance hadn''t changed, but the expression on their faces had turned to that of reverence and fanaticism. Their chants seemed to be superimposed on each other, making the space ripple within the tform. "Sorginaks, the witches from the court of Goddess Mari. I had to sacrifice a whopping five levels to get them. But well worth the effort. Ah! Why am I telling you that? You must have got to know by now, right?" Aldrich looked at the slithering long tail of the Crawler and the evil smile on his face. His eyes went downwards towards the boombox, which hadn''t stopped ying the beats. "Oh, this? Like Goddess Mari, these witches feed on negation and affirmation, i.e. falsehood. So I need to keep acting against my true nature to use them whenever I need them. It''s not that bad, I quite enjoy it. It''s been hundreds of years since anyone has passed me. Things can get lonely even for us Crawlers, huh!" Aldrich knew why the Crawler was exining so much to him. He could interpret it by the look it was giving to him. A look the same as the butchers used to give the chickens before ying them. But Aldrich was calm, calmer than his calmest moments. Chapter 154: A Risky Lesson Chapter 154: A Risky Lesson "When Emotions, Curses, and Blessings congregate into the word called Risk, the next step is Transcendence." * From his research and studies in thest few days, one thing that he had foundmon was theck of facts about the Dungeons. Every Dungeon, every Crawler, and every legend were like an unsolvable mystery. There were books spanning hundreds of pages on Crawlers. But even they had a note at their end, stating the content in the book was a reference only and not to be taken as facts. That''s why, even though the House Venomous Rose was an ancient House, it had no data rted to various Skills and Personalities of the Crawlers. It was boldly, cruelly, and undeniably told to the new Dreamers that one could prepare for ages for a Dungeon, and yet not survive the first Crawler. All that mattered in the world of RECORD was strength, and at higher Ranks, experience. Aldrich, though a genius and a practitioner of Laws,cked this experience. That''s why when he found himself trapped and handicapped by the Crawler ingenuity, he became calmer and calmer. He knew the truth about the experience; it could only be umted and never be learned. So he wanted to clear the doubts before proceeding further. And one of the major doubts he had was rted to the discrepancy in the Crawler''s status. "What about the Elite? Is that a falsehood too?" Aldrich put his hands behind his back and asked as he walked around the edge of the tform, observing the rest of the pirs. The Crawler didn''t mind Aldrich''s behavior and gave a lowugh. "Hahass! No, though far-fetched, but that''s true. Outside this tform, I am just another Crawler. After getting these witches, I tried to lure Dreamers here, but none fell for my words, me being an Elite and all. They had the means to find out my Rank and Status. So I sacrificed two more Skills to be a regr Crawler down there." Aldrich apuded the Crawler''s bold decision. Even he wouldn''t havee here if he had seen the word Elite written over its head. Crawlers at that level needed to be dealt with fast, regardless of the consequences. There was no way he would have just taken its words as a mere y and followed it here. But at least he found out not to rely on the Shared Vision alone from now on. "How does this sacrifice of Skills and level works? Can you tell me?" Aldrich approached the pir and put his hand on it. He felt the slight vibrations and Mana in it before looking towards the Crawler and requested to know about sacrifices. The Crawler thrashed its tail on the tform and narrowed its eyes towards Aldrich. It was alright up to the point when it was muttering by itself. But the audacity of the chicken to talk back to the butcher with the knife at its neck was annoying and baffling. Aldrich knew the thinking process of beings in such a situation. But, as Aldrich had noticed, one thing that Humans or Crawlers shared with each other was that all were subjected to a sense of pleasure and pride. He gave a defeated smile to the Viscount Sugaar and added. "Haha! My Lord, I have always been curious about the might of Crawlers. I have dedicated my entire life to meeting the Ruler of Valencia, El Cid. You have seen how easily I took care of all those snakes. How could it be possible without years of preparation?" Aldrich''s white eyes were like an embodiment of a dying wish, the epitome of false truth. If it only was a matter of falsehood, then Aldrich knew all the basic concepts to y it out. Throughout history, men had been using the strategy to get less by asking for more. The Crawler went quiet after hearing Aldrich''s pleading and heartfelt words. The way Aldrich had emphasized the name of the Boss Crawler made it impossible for the Crawler to scoff at Aldrich. A lowugh escaped its mouth along with the hissing of its forked tongue. "Huhss! Your desire to meet his lordship ismendable. But it is bound to remain unfulfilled. Hmm! I can tell you a thing or two to ease your nerves." Aldrich gave a bow to the Viscount as it assented to let him know what he wanted. But the Crawler''s next words were totally unexpected. Hisss! "I am getting a weird feeling from your mask. Take it off!" Aldrich was still in his bowing posture when he heard the demand. Taking off the mask wasn''t just about losing the use of Skill Change. It also meant to lose the current enhanced Stat, the ess to all items, and facing the penalty again. It wasn''t an understatement to say that without the Devil''s Oldest Change, Aldrich was just Aldrich and not an overpowered Dreamer. But as the Crawler had said, Aldrich too believed that one shouldn''t be afraid of taking risks. As Aldrich straightened his posture, his hand went to the mask on his face. "Daddyyyy NO!" Despite Sha''s ringing screams in his mind, Aldrich took off the mask and threw it towards the Crawler. The mask slid and came to a stop near the Viscount, whose eyes were focused on Aldrich''s face. The light from the stars in the moonless night,bined with the yellow glow of the Disco Light, made Aldrich''s white eyes overpower his facial features. Viscount Sugaar picked up the horned mask and rotated it at the tip of its wed finger. He again gave Aldrich a cursory nce and hissed out. "Oh, so you are one of them. But you look " "Ordinary." "Ah, yes! That''s the word. You look ordinary." Aldrich sat down in a meditative stance, like a disciple from ancient times waiting for his master to bestow knowledge. The Crawler nodded as it saw Aldrich''s submissive attitude and snapped its fingers, shattering the Disco ball above its head. Even the Crawler''s attitude had seemed to change after seeing Aldrich''s face and realizing something about him. The Lord of Storms and Thunder sped its hands and asked. "What''s your name, Blessed One?" Aldrich sped his hands in response and replied, "Aldrich Guo." Who would have known that in a forgotten Dungeon, a lesson on the dark elusive truths about the working of RECORD will be given to a Dreamer at the door of death? Given by the pile of Experience Points, who beings of the Gxy called Crawlers. Chapter 155: RECORDs Authority Chapter 155: RECORD''s Authority Atop the ttened peak, above theyer of thundering clouds and storm, Aldrich was seated facing the Viscount Sugaar, the Crawler. The chants of the Sorginaks ''the witches'' hadn''t ceased, and added a mysterious tone to their surroundings. The stars above them twinkled with curiosity, and a slight breeze hit their faces on one side. Aldrich straightened his back and asked the first question. "What are the Blessed Ones?" The Crawler gave Aldrich a derisive smile and replied. "I give you a chance to ask something, and then you ask this? A wrong question?" Aldrich pressed together his brows, hearing the reprimanding tone of the Crawler. If anyone can im to be older than Aldrich and still alive, then it certainly was the Crawlers. Aldrich hadn''t figured out the process, but he was sure there was much more about them than what met the eyes. Aldrich knew the value of asking the right questions, so he gave it a thought and asked again. "Who are the Blessed Ones?" The Crawler''s tail that was slithering non-stop behind him momentarily stopped. Even its slit-like eyes widened as its tongue came out of its mouth ever so slowly. Viscount Sugaar nodded at Aldrich as ifmending him for getting it right in the second chance. An ethereal voice came out of its mouth which felt like the growl of monsters, howls of wind, and thunder in the rainy sky. "Cursed is everyone chosen by RECORD; Those who have ''THEIR'' Blessings are the Blessed Ones." Aldrich''s heart thumped as every letter and sybles entered his mind even before he could hear them. Blood came rushing out of his ears, and red veins popped up into the ck surrounding his white pupils. Aldrich clenched his teeth, not to bear the pain, but to prevent the ck Veil from surfacing on his body. The ck Veil wriggled and churned inside him, and tried toe out to resist the effects of Ancient Saying. But Aldrich needed to feel those words and the heart-wrenching pain that they had brought with themselves. "Aaaahhhhh!!!" Cough! Aldrich screamed and coughed out a mouthful of blood, painting the limestone tform''s floor red. His head buzzed with incoherent murmurs and he tried his best to not forget anything out of the sentence. Huff! Huff! "Hahass! And here I thought that would be enough to kill you. What an astounding Will! Brilliantly done." Aldrich tried to calm down his broken breath. He wiped the blood off his mouth and looked at the Crawler. Aldrich''s eyes didn''t show, but he was shocked. Socked to the point that he felt himself stunned at what had just happened. It was for a fraction of a moment, but he felt the presence of Laws in the Crawler''s voice. And not one, but three. "What What was that?" Aldrich presented an exaggerated haggard appearance and asked. "That was the Language of LAWS. Something beyond the capabilities of the Dreamers." Aldrich couldn''t say about others, but he could tell that two of the three Laws were rted to Wind and Electricity. But they were a little different, and their nature felt a little distorted. About the third one, he did not know if it was even qualified to call a proper Law or not. There was something about it that made it familiar and unfamiliar to him. Aldrich took a deep breath and kept asking. "May I know about the sacrifices now?" The Crawler threw the horned mask behind it. As the mask reached the tip of its tail, the tail hit it and sent it flying towards the farthest pir on the tform, opposite to the behind Aldrich. The Viscount took off its baseball cap over its head and ran the fingers of the other hand through its disheveled hair. "There are ways to remember things from past life. I hope you will be lucky enough to find one. Given that you asked me about the Blessed Ones, it means you didn''t be one voluntarily." Aldrich shook his head, epting right away that he didn''t have any idea. One way to know more of something was to ept one''s ignorance. s, few knew the importance of subtlety of these things. "Well, as named, sacrifices need a medium to work. And that medium is ''Record''. But the ''Record'' doesn''t ept sacrifices from Dreamers. Only those who have left behind their legend in the history of the Gxy are bestowed with this Blessing or Curse. You can call it whatever you want." Aldrich''s pupils vibrated and the tips of fingers throbbed as he heard the answer. He couldn''t help but ask more. "Then, can''t the Blessed Ones sacrifice to the Beings from whom they have got the blessings?" Viscount Sugaar gave an eerie smile, and its ckish fangs shed out of its mouth. It was almost like Aldrich had asked an obvious and childish question. But Aldrich minded nothing, as long as he got his answers. "Sure they can, if the ''Record'' would let them, and the ''Record'' isn''t that friendly to Dreamers. Or it would be better to say, it just doesn''t care. But there is one exception." "What?!" Aldrich asked with bated breath. He had a hunch as to what would be the answer. But he wanted to hear it from the Viscount. "If there is a ce where one could rival the ''Record''s'' Authority, then it is possible. Humph! But who could in this world approach that level?" A smile came upon Aldrich''s face as he heard the answer and then the question. He finally got to understand why he was forced to ept the ss at the Rare and Baron ranks. It wasn''t the work of RECORD, but of someone else. He finally knew what had transpired behind the scenes for him to turn out like this. And he finally found out why he ended up as the Boss of a Dungeon. The Viscount didn''t like Aldrich''s crazed smile and harrumphed. "Humph! Even thousands of years won''t be enough for you to understand the meaning behind these sentences. Or have you gone insane for you to smile like that? Haha!" Aldrich stood up and put his hands together, joining his palms. "I wasughing at your question, My Lord." Bang! The Crawler furrowed its brows and its tail thrashed on the tform, sending the limestone''s pieces up in the air. "My question?! What do you mean?" A blue-green light seeped out from the gap in Aldrich''s right sleeve. The wind picked up, lifting his long white hair. Aldrich replied with the same calm written on his face with which he had risked his mask. "My Lord, you got the question wrong. It isn''t a matter of ''WHO'' could in this world approach that level It''s a matter of ''WHAT''." Chapter 156: A Legend Chapter 156: A Legend Aldrich had a hunch after losing his original body since the time he heard Trifon addressing him as the God of White and ck. Countless theories kepting to him based on what he had observed and the things that he had found out from the Earth''s Dungeons. But it felt like there was a piece missing, preventing him from seeing the entire picture. So, when he got to hear the matter rted to legend and privileges of Crawlers, an idea came rushing to him. There was a reason for him to go against his nature to decide to save the Earth''s Dreamers from falling into the various kingdoms'' hands. Aldrich only had a wild guess, floating about him, but it was enough for him to send the Tomiv trio on a mission rted to this guess. And from the grace of the Risk and Lesson just a moment ago, he had got to verify his theory. The Crawler''s face was full of bafflement and rage, seeing the exaggerated smile on Aldrich''s face. Aldrich sensed Sha''s presence and sent her an order through the bond they shared. His palms got closer and closer to each other until he felt thepression in his arms. Aldrich had always wondered why uttering the name of that Being couldn''t bring about any changes in the material world. He had seen Berb muttering the same type of names through Sha''s memories, and he didn''t bring about any attention from those Beings. At that time, his focus had gone to the strange pyramid. And yet, even after seeing the pyramid, Aldrich couldn''t find out its use. But now he knew. He finally found out what the so-called Blessings were. They weren''t Skills or some kind of protection methods. The pyramid, and the blessings, were nothing but a means to mimic the traces of Laws rted to the Being they called out to. And the blessings were bestowed by the Wills of those Beings. The only difference between them was that the objects like the pyramid were artificial, making them a cheap copy of a copy. * Houuuu!!! The surrounding air became viscous, and thousands of Creatures of Darkness howled around Aldrich. A depthless hole opened in the middle of his forehead, and ck Veil came popping out from his body. The presence of the Veil was almost indistinguishable from his body. Aldrich''s mouth parted and but thenguage that hade out wasn''t anything like that of a human. "RECORD I, the GOD OF WHITE AND BLACK, on the authority of my status as a Legend, request to sacrifice my Skills for getting freed from Penalty." Darkness, for a moment, reigned the space within the boundary of pirs. The ever unseen and unfelt Creatures peeked into the material world. Their faces made the space distort as if it was paper. Their dark, formless eyes were nted on Aldrich, as he was their messiah. One more push, one more effort, one more step out of the Darkness, and they could interact with the Mana to be pure element beings called Darklings. AHHHHHHSSSSS! The screamsing out of the Crawler''s mouth were deafening but got ignored by the changes happening around it. Its skin broke apart, its eyes burst out, and foam came pouring out of its mouth. But the fear on its face wasn''t because of the condition of its body, but because of thenguage that hade out of Aldrich''s mouth. For the first in the Gxy, a Crawler had got to know the terror of a ss, which had yet to make a debut outside the Dungeon. A Generalist could master anything in the shortest amount of time. And only a person like Aldrich could use this ss to its full capabilities. Aldrich hadn''t found out the third unknown Law that hade out of the Viscount Sugaar. But he had something that could mimic that, better than any other object in the Gxy, the ck Veil. He knew it was extraordinary for it to filter out that sense of dread from the wordsing out of the Ancient Oracle Rosalia''s mouth. At that moment, he didn''t know that it was the Language of LAWS. As soon as Aldrich ceased the chant, the familiar words materialized in front of him. [ Processing request Checking the authenticity of status'' authority Authority confirmed Boss Crawler: God of White and ck Legend: A God that brought about the religion of duality, the Savior of Billions, the Destroyer of Doom State the Name of the Being to whom you want to sacrifice the Skills ] An evil smile came upon Aldrich''s face, surrounded by the Darkness, highlighting his white eyes and his waving white hairs. The bloodied Crawler could see the hole in Aldrich''s forehead despite its bleeding eyes, and a hissing voice full of wrath came out of its mouth. "You What are you? You You shouldn''t exist. DIE!" The Crawler shed it''s disgusting and broken skin and lunged at Aldrich. Its speed was mind-boggling as, in a fraction of a second, it had slithered in front of Aldrich. Its ws, coated with slimy venom, reached towards Aldrich''s throat. And Aldrich, with his stats, had no way to defend against them. But just as the ws were about to dig deep into his throat, a blinding sh came out of his right hand. ALMIGHTY PUSH! The level of Viscount and its strength were strong enough to resist either Push or Pull, but it was just too near to Aldrich. Its hand got sted away as if hit by a hammer, and its entire body slid away from Aldrich. ROARRRSSSSS!!! Aldrich needed time to call out the Name, but the Crawler didn''t seem to give him any leverage. The entireyer of clouds and the thunder riled up as it roared at Aldrich. One of its eyes turned into a condensed mass of winds, and the other turned into ake of thunder. Lightning covered its hands and its breath became howling winds. Even the Rumok failed to keep it away as it approached Aldrich again. But the space between them wasn''t empty anymore as a white-haired beauty was standing straight in front of Aldrich.. Her blue eyes were like pearls, and her body was the epitome of lust. Her left hand had ws, sharper than the Crawler. And in ce of her right hand, there was a ck shadowy humongous Megalith, pointed at Viscount Sugaar''s face. Chapter 157: Anomaly Chapter 157: Anomaly Sha, an Item created by Aldrich to save his Inventor''s space, had be something elusive even to him. Sha wasn''t a Dreamer, Sha wasn''t a Crawler, and Aldrich didn''t know if he could call her a proper Item too. He had even made sure that the Sha hadn''t turned into a pure elemental being, despite its tendency to be a Devil in the presence of Devil''s aura. Aldrich, regarding Sha, had truly failed to find out about her nature. He couldn''t find any better word to describe her than the words RECORD had used for her, i.e. an Unnatural Life form. Sha was an Anomaly. That''s why, even if Aldrich had lost the ability to use weapons within the space of twelve pirs, Sha could use them independently. The only thing that held her back was her inability to get stronger by herself. Sha didn''t have Stats like Dreamers, and her Rank fluctuated with the Item strongest Item she could possess. But her strength wasn''t nearly enough to handle an Elite Crawler of Viscount Rank, even if it has lost many of its levels. The one end of the hand-turned-Megalith parted as if pieces of a puzzle and a round opening surfaced on it. The Crawler was fast, but it wasn''t faster than the ck glowing out of the Bazooka. BOOM! A ckser came bursting out of the bazooka and hit straight on the Crawler''s chest. The power of the explosion was so great that it even sent the Elite flying a hundred meters backward. "Sha, I am leaving it to you." Aldrich needed to concentrate on the Law again, which could leave him vulnerable. So he had alreadymanded the Shadow Homunculus to attack the Lord of Storms and Thunder as soon as he pushed it away using the Rumok. Sha turned around and smiled, looking at Aldrich, before giving him a thumbs up. "Yes Daddy." Aldrich saw her dashing towards the Crawler and took a deep breath. The Law of Darkness was aw Aldrich had familiarized himself with for hundreds of thousands of years. The only reason he could master it and not the Law of Devil was because of the presence of Darkness after his death. Aldrich''s throat throbbed and the dark sapling within the hole in his forehead swayed as if it was facing a storm. Aldrich melted his understanding of the Darkness into the words that came out of his mouth. "DARKEST AMONG DARK" Sha was like a ck blur, sliding over the limestone tform. But as soon as Aldrich let out the first three words, her entire body jerked and fell over. Red Blood came pouring out of her eyes, ears, and mouth, but it soon turned ck before merging back into her body. Aahhhhh!!! Even the Crawler, who had stood up after getting dragged, let out another scream. As blood dripped down from the corners of its mouth, countless bolts of lightning covered its dozens of meter-long tail. The tail was like a lightning-whip and left behind the gurgling sound of thunder in its path before striking in the middle of Sha''s breast. Cr-Crack! Bang! Sha couldn''t have the Will to tolerate the murmur and strangenguageing out of Aldrich''s mouth like the one the Crawler had. The tail sent the Shadow Homunculus flying into the gap between two pirs. But an unseen wall bounced her right back towards the tform. The Crawler, seeing a clear path to Aldrich, rushed at him. "DEVOURER OF DREAMS" Aldrich''s white eyes looked into the Crawler''s eyes which contained storm and thunder. The Viscount raised its right hand as it neared Aldrich and gritted its teeth to bear the iprehensible pain from listening to Aldrich''s voice. A gust of powerful wind came rushing towards the Crawler and morphed into a scythelike de around its arm. The sharpness of the de even rivaled that of the Count-level Broken Faith. But Aldrich was calm, and his mind was focused on only one task. With its face filled with absolute ferocity, the Crawler shed at Aldrich. Shuuuuu!!! "Get. Away. From. Daddy." BANG! Katcha!! The wind rustled as Sha came screaming at the top of her lungs and smashed into the Crawler. There were two bat-like wings on her back and a ck Katana in her hand. One of her eyes had burst apart from thebined result of the whip and the murmurs. The Katana, like a hot knife into butter, entered the Crawler''s stomach and a strong p of her wings brought both Sha and Sugaar away from Aldrich. The wind-scythe, missing its mark, touched the tform and shed through hundreds of meters of limestone noiselessly. HISSSSSS!!! The Crawler hissed maddeningly and grabbed Sha by her hair. "I''ve had enough of you!" The Viscount lifted Sha and brought her towards him. Its ck fangs glistened and with a lightning-quick movement, it bit on her neck, injecting a huge amount of venom. The Crawler let go of Sha''s hair, and she was about to hit the tform, its lightning-covered tail came mming on her from the top. BOOM! "Huhss! Now remain buried. Who would save you now, Blessed One?" The Lord of Storms and Thunder scoffed at Aldrich and raised his right hand. But instead of wind, a tremendous bolt of lightning appeared in its hand. The bolt wriggled and struggled to get freedom like a crazed snake, and its tip had opened up like a snake''s mouth. Hisss! Cr-Cr-Crack!!! "END" Just as Aldrich tried to say thest sentence, the Crawler let go of the lightning. The space whitened as the thunder resounded and lightning appeared in front of Aldrich, with its mouth open to devour him in one bite. Thump!! But between the lightning''s reflection in Aldrich''s eyes and him, a white-haired head came popping out from the ground. Sha''s entire body was covered in dark green lines like branches of a colossal tree. Her mouth opened and unnaturally elongated, devouring the lightning snake in one gulp. BOOOOM! Aldrich didn''t have the time to wonder how Sha had reached him before the lightning. He looked at the Crawler through the Sha''s exploding pieces in countless blobs of shadows and let out a row of words. "ENDLESS VEIL OF SLUMBER." Chapter 158: A Nasty Stain Chapter 158: A Nasty Stain Hummm! The entire Dungeon hummed as if crossing the boundary of space-time. And an undting ck Veil came ripping apart the fabric of Reality in the sky over the ttened mountain''s peak. All beings, irrespective of their strength, felt groggy and were on the verge of losing their consciousness. Their minds implored them to go into a deep sleep, and let the ck Veil hover over them like a nket. And those who fell asleep vanished as if the Darkness had engulfed them. One could only see a trace of their existence on the enormous Veil covering the stars. On the tform, Viscount Sugaar wasn''t faring any better. The Crawler''s eyes were droopy, and its shoulders were slumping down. Its mouth kept muttering iprehensible murmurs to fight the grogginess. But even after using all the understanding of Laws it had, the murmurs failed to work against it. The Lord of Storms and Thunder struggled to look up at the ck Veil. And one could notice the sheer shock it had gone through because of the incredibility of such a thing from the shudders into its entire body. * [ Will of the Oldest One has epted your request Specify the Skills to sacrifice ] Aldrich looked at the words, "Oldest One", and wondered if it was the True Name of that Being. He had already found out that most of these Will and such Beings were known as the Great Old Ones, but he didn''t know the difference between them. The only that he was sure of was that this Oldest One had already eaten a Will of the Great Old One. "3 Miles Shot, Devil''s Whisper, Flood Rider." Aldrich had already decided the Skills he wanted to sacrifice. The three Skills he had chosen spanned all the Ranks from Common to Baron. 3 Miles Shot was a Skill he had acquired in his first Dungeon as a reward of the Quest. At the Common Rank and the starting phase of Rare Rank, it was a Skill that could make any Dreamer''s heart palpitate. But its cooldown and Mana consumption,bined with its limitation, was just not worth it at the level of Barons. Devil''s whisper was an even more justifiable sacrifice. The moment Aldrich had heard the Language of LAWS, he had made some connection to this Skill he had got from the Elite Crawler of Bellerophon''s Dungeon. Aldrich believed that with his limited understanding of the Law of Devil, he could try to mimic the Skill''s effect. And the Flood Rider got chosen for only one thing. Aldrich didn''t have a choice, and the Supreme Tamer''s nature was too important for it to be sacrificed. Aldrich didn''t want to take chances by not adding a Baron-ranked Skill, and the responsibility fell on the Flood Rider''s shoulders. [ Sacrificing 3 Miles Shot, Devil''s Whisper, and Flood Rider Skills Sacrifice epted Rewards: 1. All Penalties are lifted for the next 10 seconds. ] The sheer level of his underestimating the persistence of RECORD shocked Aldrich. He didn''t even want to think what could have happened if he hadn''t sacrificed the Baron Skill. But with every such experience, he was figuring the RECORD little by little. He hade up with a theory that the RECORD was like a middle-man, giving ess to some things on behalf of others. And it was the only reason that he hadn''t sacrificed directly to RECORD. Aldrich hardly made guesses far off from the topic, but he could tell even the 10 seconds were too generous in the eyes of the RECORD. 10 seconds weren''t enough, considering the time he would spend in the Dungeon. But they were plenty for the task in hand. The ck Veil receded as if it wasn''t there, to begin with. Those who had vanished were gone forever, and those who didn''te out of their half-sleep state were doomed to remain as so for the rest of their life. The chants of the twelve witches which had been buried under the Veil''s presence came back, livening up the limestone tform. 1 second has passed for these things to happen. ROARRRRRSSSSS!!! Tud-Tudddd! C-r-Crackkk!!! The Crawler, now freed from the unforgiving feeling of sleepiness, roared in rage and fear mixed within it. The entire Dungeon hissed along with it and the Viscount raised its arms as if holding the entire sky by his hands. All lightning from the covering of dense dark clouds around the mountain came rushing toward him. The lightning gathered in a massive ball and it felt like countless green thorny snakes were in it, rather than the thundering bolts. But it wasn''t the end. HOUUUUU!!! A storm came ripping apart the clouds and condensed into twelve extremely sharp rings around the lightning ball. The only thing that Aldrich couldpare this sight to was the image of the Saturn. Aldrich saw the Katana, still stuck in the Crawler''s stomach, and got to know that Sha hadn''t lost all her rationality yet. He crouched down and put his hand over one of the shadowy blobs spread around him. "Sha." Aldrich spoke out and sent amand to the Shadow Homunculus. Despite getting no reply, the dark blobs got pulled towards the blob under Aldrich''s hand and turned into a one-horned mask. Two red lines were running down from the eyeholes to the jawline on the ck mask, and there was a red circle in the middle of its forehead. Aldrich could also see hundreds of shy green lines like the branches of a tree on it. It was the Devil''s Oldest Change. 4 more seconds had passed for these things to happen. The Crawler stared at Aldrich in disgust and its low voice echoed within the tform. "Your existence is a nasty stain for all the Crawlers and the Blessed Ones. Let me purge this world of your ever-haunting presence Annihte - WORLD SCORCHING DUAL DEVASTATION!" THUMMMMMM!!! The entire Dungen quaked, and the mountain roared in pain as the ball of lightning expanded with the Crawler at its center. The razor-sharp rings of wind expanded along with it, trying to cover the entire tform. It didn''t seem there was anything Aldrich could do to avoid getting hit by this Skill. But at this moment, a fleeting thought came to his mind. A thought from seemingly countless years ago. He found himself quite familiar with this scene. There was a time during his first raid when he couldn''t use any weapons because of their ipetence, and the Boss Buckey had a dagger stuck in its chest, like the Katana in Viscount Sugaar. A smile came upon his devilish face as he finally remembered how much he liked to go with the ways of old school at such times. Chapter 159: Trash Skills Chapter 159: Trash Skills The za of Almenara had always been a ce full of storms and thunder, and a moonless sky filled with stars. But for the first time, a green sun seemed toe up, shining the farthest corners of the za. There was no sunrise, and apparently, no sunset. The sun''s existence was like a lone snowke, appearing and vanishing, ever-elusive from eyes. Only a greenish hue lingered as the starry night, dense clouds, and ghastly atmosphere came back within the za. Atop of the mountain, the twelve pirs still towered, but the limestone floor had disappeared. The Disco Light had vanished, and even the boombox couldn''t be seen anywhere. At the center of the vast tform, surrounded by the pirs, Viscount Sugaar hovered with its tail covered in coils of wind. And under its tail was a crater, hundreds of feet deep. A few green lightning bolts and howling of wind could be seen and hearding out of the crater. Shuuuuuuuu! A ck blur, like a trail of smoke, came rushing towards the Crawler. The Lord of Storm and Thunder was about to look around, following the echoing voice, but it was already toote. All things went dark for him even before he could know what had happened. * 4 seconds before Just before the first ring of condensed wind could hit him, Aldrich activated his Skill, but the result was out of his expectations. "Change." [ Devil''s Oldest Change has detected a Divine presence 5% increase in the effectiveness of Item-Specific Skill Title ''Enemy of Crawlers'' is effective 10% increase in all Attributes while facing Non-Boss Crawlers Defence: 317 (+7 +231) Perception: 77 (-231) ] The first ring touched him, and it was like a blow of airing out of someone''s mouth. Second, third, fourth, and to the twelfth, the ferocious rotating rings of winds lunged at him, like a circr saw cutting wood. But not one of them could make him flinch from his position. Then came the ball of lightning, ripping apart everything in its path in all directions. Even the air outside the reach of the lightning ball got affected and turned into sma. The ball brought with it a sizzling sound, thunderous cracks, and an odorless green gas. For the first time, Aldrich''s feet broke the limestone floor under it an inch deep. He could feel the enormous pressure, but not the pain. The green snakelike lightning opened its mouth and bared its fangs before mming into him from all directions. With every hit, the ground under him burst apart, burying him deeper and deeper. But any bolt that touched him got sted apart on the impact. By the time thest traces of the lightning vanished, Aldrich was already hundreds of feet deep in the mountain''s heart. Aldrich looked down and couldn''t find a spot of cloth on his body. The lightning was deadly enough to even devour half the Devil''s aura he had gathered out of Sha. The remaining half kept coiling around his body, trying to affect him somehow. "Tsk!" Aldrich tsked as it would take him a long time to gather that amount of Devil''s aura again. Ignoring his naked condition, he craned his neck up and saw a ck spot hovering above him. It was Viscount Sugaar, the Lord of Storms and Thunder. Aldrich had been counting the seconds and knew it was time to wrap things up. He narrowed his eyes at the Crawler and crouched down. "Change. Target Lock." [ Agility: 414 (+8 +231 +95) ] Aldrich had always been reluctant to use Metacreativity for creating Skills. He didn''t want to see the unwanted changes RECORD might put them through. And that''s why the sole reason he made Items, was to put Item-specific Skills within them. Along with high restrictions came low consumption of Experience Points and almost the desired result. But it all made the naturally obtained Skills even more valuable. Aldrich wasn''t overly dependent on these Skills, but even he felt that two of his Skills were just too out of proportion. They were Banish and Target Lock. Aldrich had yet to update the Rare Ranked Banish Skill to bring about a qualitative change in it. But it was still one of the deadliest Skills if used correctly. The only issue was one needed to understand a Law to banish it, of which the Skill mentioned nothing. Aldrich even believed if presented to other Dreamers randomly, the Skill was one of the most useless ones. The other was even worse, a Common Ranked Skill. Target Lock was a trash Skill if one were to think about the restriction ced on it. 30% increase in Agility was mind-boggling, but only in one direction. One needed to have a Perception high enough to sense a Dreamer from hundreds of meters away. And if one were to mark a visible target from miles away, a 30% increase in Agility wasn''t nearly enough to reach it before the target''s probable disappearance. Only a Dreamer like Aldrich could make these trashy things into the Gxy''s deadliest Skills. There was a reason he always used "Change" before activating "Target Lock". The 30% increment in Agility wasn''t in the original value, but the total value after transferring points from Perception. Shuuuuuu! Aldrich had never experienced such a speed. Even during climbing the Evesting Tower, his Agility hadn''t crossed a value of 350. How could he have known what reaching an Agility of 400 signified? How could he have known the sounding out of his body was a trait of a particr Rank and Boundary? Even before Aldrich could have known what had happened, he found himself among the stars, overlooking the entire Dungeon. He looked up and there was a Mana film, just under the Sky. His heart thumped as he looked down slowly. He couldn''t even see the mountain from where he hade up. Only a notification kept shing in front of him. [ You have killed 1 Sugaar ] Aldrich stared at the word rows of words and eximed out. "What What just happened?!" Chapter 160: Overflow Chapter 160: Overflow [ You have killed 1 Sugaar ExP obtained: 420000 You have leveled up You have obtained 24 Attribute Points You have obtained 3 Skill Point You have leveled up ] Aldrich could hardly believe the insanity of the situation that had just taken ce. He was at the bottom of the crater a moment ago, and just as he dashed at the Crawler, he reached into the sky. It was true he was nning to smash into the Crawler, and finish it in the next move. But the fact that he couldn''t even see and remember how the Crawler had sumbed to his hands truly baffled Aldrich. [ 10 seconds are over Reinstating Penalty ] HAHAHA! Aldrich saw thest lines and let out a burst of resoundingughter. Not only he had hunted the Crawler but also got the full Experience Points without Penalty. And he knew what awaited him to do now. Shouuuuuuu!!! The air rippled around Aldrich, hitting his bare chest and other things. The free fall made it almost impossible for him to open his eyes. Through the wetness, Aldrich saw a dark point on earth. He didn''t need to guess that it was the crater atop the mountain. From his maximum height and the distance between him and the crater, Aldrich approximated he had covered around 30000 feet in one jump. Aldrich decided to use his Rumok''s Push effect to slow down his descent just before hitting the mountain. But a Katana came rushing towards him halfway. Its sharp tip was pointed at his face, and it looked like it was going to pierce his brains out in the next second. But just as the Katana and mask came into contact, the sword melted into blobs of shadows and merged into the mask. Zuuuu!!! Two bat-like wings spanned out of Aldrich''s back, slowing him down gradually. Aldrich didn''t know if the Almighty Push was even enough to counter such a fall and he didn''t want to raise his Defence to face another penalty. Somehow the Change Skill had gone into Cooldown after his incredible ascent to the za''s starry sky. Aldrich pped his wings and hovered around the ttened peak above the clouds. The twelve pirs had vanished, and the witches were nowhere to be seen. In the middle of the destroyed tform, hovered 4 ck balls. A smile came upon Aldrich''s face, seeing the non-penalized rewards from the Crawler. But these weren''t the only thing Aldrich had gained by killing Viscount Sugaar. One more notification was shing in front of him. [ Quest 2 has beenpleted Rewards: 1. Skill Points: +6 2. Sugaar''s Antivenom: +2 ] Aldrich collected the 2 vials of antivenom and dripped one on the mask while gulping down the other one. The Crawler had already bitten off and injected a copious amount of venom into the Shadow Homunculus. Aldrich felt the reason Sha hadn''t responded to him since now was because of this. And the venom had affected him too because of the ball of green lightning, just not to that extent. Aldrich had all the equipment to make an antivenom if it was needed. But there was no reason to waste time when the rewards were so targeted, to begin with. There were more things Aldrich wanted to focus on. Because of the strange event, Aldrich had leveled up 3 times. And he knew the number of Experience Points was enough for him to go beyond the initial levels of Viscount. But the number of Skill Points wasn''t enough to update the ss. Aldrich checked out the selective Stats of his Record and contemted what to do next. [ Record of Aldrich Time Left: 00:00:00 hrs Status: Cursed Level: 30 (620500/112000 ExPs to next level) Warning: ExP overflow Rank: Baron ss: Generalist, Blessed Schr, Spawn of Darkness Title: Locked Attributes --> Strength: 82 Defence: 79 Agility: 82 Vitality: 72 Perception: 280 Correspondence: 25 Unassigned Attribute Points: 72 Active Skills --> 1. Metacreativity: Lvl 1 (Baron) [0/9 Skill Points to next Level] 2. Target Lock (Common) 3. Banish: Lvl 2 (Rare) [0/7 Skill Points to next Level] 4. w Detection (Rare) 5. All Proficient (Rare) 6. Summon (Rare) [Bonds: 1] 7. Supreme Tamer (Baron) Unassigned Skill Points: 27 Passive Skills --> 1. Shared Vision 2. Intimidation 3. Beginner''s Dagger Proficiency 4. Intermediate Bazooka Proficiency ] Aldrich assigned the Attributes Points among the Attributes other than Perception and Correspondence. The only thing he needed now were the Skill Points. From the pattern he had observed so far, Aldrich approximated he would need 34 Skill Points to upgrade Metacreativity to the next Rank. Seeing that the Quest had given him a reward of 6 Skill Points, even though he didn''t like it, Aldrich had high hopes for the Hidden Quest. Putting the matter of his abnormal speed to the back of his mind, Aldrich approached the rewards. He first collected the Viscount Mana core hovering among them and found it covered in wind and a few ethereal bolts of lightning coiled around it. "Sha, are you listening? One more core for the Rumok, haha!" Aldrich called out, but there was no response from Sha. It seemed like the effect of the venom was more severe than he had thought. He hadn''t analyzed the antivenom, so he didn''t know how much time it would take for it to kill all the aftereffects. From the rewards of first za, Aldrich had got to know that the Penalty not only was affecting the quantity but even the quality of the rewards. So when he saw the four little wormholes begging him to touch them, Aldrich couldn''t help but frown. He didn''t want another letter or anything to deliver to somebody, even if it somehow resulted in a Hidden Quest. These Quests brought too many unknown factors into the Raid. And Aldrich didn''t want to take chances until he had dealt with the matter rted to his home. Aldrich took a deep breath and touched the first reward. All the while thinking about only one thing. "Don''t turn out to be a lover. Don''t" Chapter 161: An Unknown Change Chapter 161: An Unknown Change The ck ball crumbled, and Stats appeared in front of Aldrich. [ Item: Sugaar''s Boombox Type: Instrument Rank: Common Durability: 60/60 Minimum Usage Condition: NA Description: A Boombox to enjoy music and rhythms Item-specific Skill: Lobdy Sound System Item-specific Skill consumption: 5 MP Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Increases the sound quality for a better experience for 10 minutes Warning: The sounding out of Boombox is addicting in nature and can adversely affect hearing in a long term Do you want to equip the Item? ...] Aldrich stared at the Data and stared hard for quite a time. The thundering clouds hadn''t calmed down, the storm hadn''t ceased, but atop the mountain, there was an eerie quietness. The ends of Aldrich''s white hair gently swayed by the light breeze, while Aldrich kept staring at the first reward. After a full 30 seconds, Aldrich closed his eyes and muttered. " Is this some kind of joke? If it is, it isn''t funny." Aldrich didn''t care about what he was saying at this point. He knew the Presence within the Mana and the Record, if it had its own Will, could hear him. And all he wanted to do was to curse at it. But there were three other Rewards left, making him hold the hundreds of "Fucks" within. Aldrich saw the question shing at the end of the Item''s Stat and, for the first time, replied. "NO." [ Dreamer has rejected the Item Are you sure you don''t want to equip the Item? ] " YOU, MOTHERF" Fffffuuuu!!! Aldrich took a deep breath to cut his sentence. His white eyes shook with rage as he sensed the mocking tone of that question. Suddenly, his mind went to the day he had assigned his name to the System. The three words came rushing to him. The words that should have given him an idea about RECORD. He now doubted if the RECORD saying "Best of Luck" had a sincere tone or that of mocking. ''No wonder I found it odd that it hadn''t done the same with other Dreamers. Humph!'' Aldrich harrumphed inwardly and calmly replied, again. "Yes, I am sure." [ The Item ''Sugaar''s Boombox'' is rejected Eliminating the Reward ] Sigh! If Aldrich had known that the RECORD would have begrudging thoughts because of the Sacrifice, he might as well have just sacrificed to it. ''I need to find a way to bypass ''RECORD'''' Aldrich thought for a second and looked at the second reward. He had a feeling about what it was going to be. His finger went to the ck ball and poked it. [ Item: Sugaar''s Disco Ball Type: Instrument Rank: Rare Durability: 250/250 Minimum Usage Condition: NA Description: A Disco Ball having ten thousand facets Item-specific Skill: Lightless Reflection Item-specific Skill consumption: 30 MP Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Produce the same effect as if reflecting many colored lights Warning: The shes have the potency to cause temporary blindness Do you want to equip the Item? ] "" Aldrich licked his lips and gave it considerable thought. He didn''t believe that a Viscount Ranked Crawler could only have such worthless Items as the rewards. But it was still better than the Boombox. The Disco Ball also gave him an idea for his next Item, so for the sake of it, he epted it. "Yes" A fist-sized ball, covered in what seemed like tiny mirrors, appeared in his hands. But Aldrich knew they were facets, which reflected the light. And the sheer number of them was beyond anything anyone on earth was capable of. Aldrich put the Disco Ball away in his Inventory, as the equipped Items couldn''t be stored in the FIR. "I will make Sha eat itter" "NO!" Aldrich was muttering to himself when Sha shouted out in his mind. Her voice was filled with intense disgust and fear of the inevitability of Aldrich''s thoughts. "Sha? Are you awake? Don''t tell me you were awake this entire time" Aldrich narrowed his eyes and asked in a strict tone. No way he believed that the moment he had mentioned Sha and the Disco Ball, she coincidentally awakened and shouted in refusal. "Da Daddy I woke up Boombox." Sha was still having trouble expressing herself, but Aldrich figured out what she meant. She had woken up when he was checking out the Stats of Item Sugaar''s Boombox. He just couldn''t figure out why she hadn''t said something. Suddenly, his mind went to their time in the first za and a thought popped up in Aldrich''s mind. "Did you think that I would force you to eat the Boombox?" "" Aldrich could find out the answer in Sha''s silence, but he needed to know what was going on in her mind. "Sha, speak!" "I I Eating that notdylike." Aldrich''s mouth fell open hearing the reason. He couldn''t help but smack the mask on his face and exim out. "And biting people''s heads off is?!" "I" "Never mind. Huh! You ARE eating the Disco Ball. Consider it as a punishment." Aldrich could feel Sha''s sulking emotions and shook his head. He looked at the third reward and touched it. And just for the sake of it, jokingly prayed to whichever God was watching him for this reward to turn out a worthy one. [ Item: ???####???****####??? [ Skill: World Scorching Dual Devastation (Viscount) Nature: Active, Non-Upgradable Cooldown: 30 minutes Minimum Usage Condition: Understanding of Law of Storm and Law of Thunder Consumption: 1300 MP - 1600 MP Description: A ball of condensed lightning and wind that expands outwards with the Dreamer as the center Warning: The Mana consumption will depend on the intensity of condensed lightning and wind Warning: Theck of Dreamer''s understanding about the required Laws can cause an implosion of the Skill Warning: Once letting the Skill expand, the lightning and wind isn''t controble Do you want to equip the Skill? ] Some things were beyond Shared Vision in the Universe, and some Beings were out of the category of the Great Old Ones and the Oldest Ones. If some wanted to call them Rules, then so be it. Aldrich smiled as he saw the reward, drastically different from the previous two, and let out a lowugh. "Haha! So even You are bound by Rules, ''RECORD''." Chapter 162: Serpent Slither Chapter 162: Serpent Slither "Yes." The little wormhole crumbled and one more Skill got added into Aldrich''s arsenal. Aldrich wasn''t overly enthusiastic about the Skill. The only thing he was concerned about was the Laws and their application. From the first time that Aldrich had got to listen to the Language of LAWS out of the Sugaar''s mouth, Aldrich was curious about some things. That Ancient Saying had three Laws mixed within, and Aldrich could feel Wind, Electricity, and a third unknown Law. But from the name of the Crawler, and the Skill''s requirement, he was sure that two of the three were Law of Storm and Law of Thunder. The only thing that troubled him was that he did not know how to go from Law of Wind to Storm or Law of Electricity to Thunder. "Sigh! Haha, so many new things to learn." Aldrich sighed and let out a low pleasantugh. He would be lying if he were to say that this momentary problem hadn''t excited him. He didn''t know how much time it would take, but once mastered, he could do it better than Sugaar. Houuu! A sudden chilly breeze hit him at the tip of his ''thing'', making him look down again. "Oh! I forgot about this" Aldrich was still naked, with only a tiny stream of ck shadowy smoke coiling around him. It was the Devil''s aura. He took out the House Venomous Rose staple white greatcoat and pants, without the rose insignia, and wore it. The Rumok on his hand glowed blue as he pushed the aura into the greatcoat. But the amount of Devil''s aura wasn''t enough to make the white greatcoat pitch ck. Aldrich looked at the gray-colored clothes and shrugged his shoulders. He preferred whites, but the color of clothes wasn''t even thest thing he cared about. Aldrich looked at thest reward, hovering lonely in the vast za, awaiting him to touch it. So far, thest rewards hadn''t fared advantageous for him. And now that he had got a Viscount Ranked Skill, the little hope he had for it to turn out to be a decent Item or Skill was fleeting, too. Aldrich''s mind involuntarily went to Sugaar''s red jacket and forgotten baseball cap as he touched the ck ball. [ Skill: Serpent Slither (Baron) Nature: Passive Minimum Usage Condition: Perception 90 Consumption: NA Description: Dreamers can speak and understand thenguage of serpent-like creatures Warning: Speaking and hearing the serpentnguage will exert heavy pressure on Dreamer''s Perception Warning: Perception-based Skills are subjected to some interference Warning: Dreamer will understand thenguage even if not desired Do you want to equip the Skill? ] Aldrich felt deeplyplicated about the Skill. Since his childhood, he had only dreamed of learning more and more, and at ater stage, he even tried to master those dreams. But even he was susceptible to some things, as such was human nature. Aldrich was a great fan of the book series Harry Potter. So when he saw the Data rted to Skill, he couldn''t help but exim. " Why not just name it Parseltongue?! ... Yes." The ck Ball crumbled, and Aldrich was more than happy to get a Passive Skill. Irrespective of the warning, the first thing Aldrich did was to use the Serpent Slither. Hisssss! Hussss!! A sheepish smile came upon his face, but it got buried soon, too. Aldrich took a deep breath and calmed himself down. He looked down and at the bottom of the crater, he saw a bluish-green glow like a reflection of ake. It was the portal to the next za. Aldrich drank a few SP and HP potions and brought himself to the optimal state. "These are about to run out" Aldrich muttered and made a count of his resources. The Penalty had made him use most of the potions he had, including his treasured Heart Venom potion. "Daddy" Aldrich was thinking about the losses he had suffered when Sha spoke out. "Yeah? Feeling hungry? Disco Ball is waiting for you." "" "" "Daddy The Potions" Aldrich narrowed his eyes as Sha mentioned potions. It would be a huge trouble if she started to focus her appetite on potions too. "What about them?" "That That Daddy make them." For a moment, Aldrich felt he had heard wrong. He couldn''t believe that the Shadow Homunculus was actively suggesting ideas to him now. It would be wrong to say that he hadn''t thought of making potions. But there had nevere a time when he needed them and he couldn''t find plenty of them lying around. And making better and more effective Potions for the sake of research had one of the bottommost positions on his priority list. "If it goes on like this, then I guess I will have to make a few. Tch!" Aldrich stared at the portal and dived into it, wondering what kind of being he would get to see. Zoooom! * [ You have entered the za de los Nueve Pres ] Aldrich came out of the portal and the Broken Faith materialized in his hands. He had decided to y whatever maye in his path now regardless of its Stats. As the Penalty was going to be exacted, anyway. But Aldrich hadn''t arrived at a valley surrounded by storms and thunder, nor was he in some kind of ruins. All around there was a light fresh air intermingled with honey''s sweetness. To his right, there was a garden of roses, lilies, and other flowers in full bloom. And on his left was a small waterfall, whose water ended in a crystal clearke. Everything was brimming with the light and pleasant noises of birds. The buzz of the bumblebees and the flutter of butterfly''s wings painted a serene and heart-pleasing picture. "Daddy. Behind. You." Aldrich snapped his head back as Sha''s words rang in his mind and raised the Katana to slice everything in half. But there was no beast in front of him, nor was there an enormous creature. Aldrich could only see a little fairy in front of him, hovering above the vibrant green grass, and there was a notification between him and her. [ Attacking Crawlers is prohibited in this za ] Chapter 163: Judgement Chapter 163: Judgement Aldrich looked at the fairy through the gaps in the notification. The Crawler could only be described as delicate. The extremely beautiful brown-haired fairy was half a foot tall and had milky white skin. Her eyes were like that of a peahen, nted and serene, and devoid of any evil thoughts. Most distinctive were her ck-blue pupils that twinkled like bright stars. For a moment, Aldrich thought to just hack the sword at the wildflower-crown over the fairy''s head, just to see what would happen. But as he was about to act on this thought, the fairy in front of him smiled. "I would advise against that, Aldrich Guo, the Blessed One." ''This How does she know my name?'' Aldrich got taken aback by the fairy''s sudden chiming words, making him look at the Stats above her head again. [ Record of ''Lady of Righteousness'' Anjana Status: Curious Level: 39 HP: 2180/2180 SP: 1377/1377 MP: 3325/3325 Rank: Viscount Attributes --> Strength: 65 Defense: 70 Agility: 76 Vitality: 130 Perception: 150 Correspondence: 175 Active Skills --> ????????????????? Passive Skills --> ????????????????? ] Aldrich couldn''t see the Crawler''s Skills, but its name made him remember a few things about the mythical beings. Anjanas were the most famous fairies of Cantabrian Mythology. They foiled the evil ns of cruel creatures and protected the people. Their generosity was known far and wide, and some even said that they were heavenly beings sent on the earth by God himself. But all the tales about them almost unanimously agreed that they were some kind of forest spirits. "Huh! You are exactly like the document said about you." Aldrich narrowed his eyes as the Anjana swished the hawthorn stick in her hand and made a derisivement. The way her corners had moved up at the mention of ''document'' made Aldrich feel it would be more troublesome than he had thought. "What are you talking about?" Aldrich said. The fairy yfully turned around, lifting her golden brown braids adorned with rainbow-colored ribbons in the air. With her back towards Aldrich, she extended her arms outwards and proimed. "This is my world. Here Justice is supreme and inevitable. Attacks, Schemes, and Betrayals can''t exist here. Only one thing rules above all in this ce, and that is" Thummm!!! 9 wooden pirs, engraved with countless Runic symbols, appeared between Aldrich and Anjana in a single line. Their height only reached Aldrich''s waist, and their top was t, but not empty. Aldrich could see all the pirs had folded blood-red papers ced on their top, which were letting out a golden glow. The fairy hovered on the other side of the pirs, at Aldrich''s eye level, and her prideful voice echoed in the vibrant surroundings. "JUDGEMENT!!" * Rosalia The Earl''s Manor had been erected over the rubble of the explosion that had taken the lives of many Dreamers, varying from Rare to Count Ranks. Not only that, it had almost wiped out the Goranov Bloodline by engulfing Earl Drago''s many cousins, and their heirs in it. With every Rank came an increase in Life Expectancy. And none were in a hurry to produce a horde of children in a world where the purity of bloodline mattered and sometimes even affected many Skills. This alone had made the Goranov Bloodline a House of only two Dreamers from the Main Branch. They were Earl Drago and Count Trifon. But many Houses still believed that given Trifon''s spoiled nature, he must have bastards lying around somewhere. And thus, when the House Venomous Rose dered the Presentation Ceremony of Trifon''s son along with the Territory Bestowment Ceremony, none questioned from where this son hade up. "Trifon, are you sure those were the Ancestor''s exact words?" Earl Drago was tending to a few roses as he pridefully eyed his son and asked for his doubt. A few meters away on the fresh grass, Count Trifon was seated on afortable chair and had a book opened up in hisp. As he heard his father''s question, the red-haired Count nudged his sses and pretended as a schr. "Ah! Father, you are getting overly worried about it. The Ancestor is more experienced and shrewd than both of usbined. I am sure there is a reason for him to order us to spread out this information." Earl Drago nodded, hearing Trifon''sforting words. He picked up the watering can and showered the nts after taking care of the delicate pruning. But Trifon could still see a trace of nervousness on his father''s face. He closed the book and took off his sses. "Father, what''s troubling you?" "This How should I put it?" Trifon narrowed his eyes, seeing the indecisiveness of Earl Drago. He couldn''t help but make a guess. "If it is rted to Ancestor''s demand, then I rmend it''s best not to say it." HAHAHA! Earl Drago let out a resounding burst ofughter and put the watering can down. He approached Trifon and patted him on his shoulders as he said. "Trying to guess my thoughts?! I am still your father." Trifon smiled as he heard Drago''s mocking tone and his exaggeratedugh. It at least meant that it wasn''t something as drastic as he had thought. The Earl took a deep breath and continued. "Let me tell you some facts, son. Yes, I have be an Earl. But since then I have leveled up only three times. Sigh! And the Gctic War is almost upon us. Who knows if I wille back alive or not?" Trifon took in all the words, but he didn''t pacify the Earl rted to the Gctic War. Trifon hadn''t experienced it, but those who had have always spoken about it in such a tone. Thoughte, Trifon had finally got to know what his father was trying to imply. "Father, I will not." "This is our duty to the House, and there is no running away from it. I have just got to know that Marquess'' daughter ising to the Ceremony, too. I will ask her hand for you. It''s time you give me a grandson." Trifon stood up and approached the watering can. But in between, he shook his head and tried to confront the Earl one more time. "Father" "NO! Consider it as a duty to House Venomous Rose. Don''t tell me the Great Pretender is scared of acting as a husband?!" Chapter 164: Guilty Chapter 164: Guilty Dungeon - El Cid The za de los Nueve Pres Aldrich stared at the Nine red papers over the Nine Pirs. He hadn''te to know their purpose, but from the Crawler''s name and the word Judgement, he made some guesses. How the Crawler would exact this said ''Judgement'' was yet to be seen. He let the Katana vanish and asked, "What are these supposed to be?" The fairy brought her arms down and swished the stick in her hand towards the pirs. "Look at these Pirs, Aldrich Guo. Look!" Aldrich didn''t like the Crawler''smanding tone. Nor did he like the way she was hovering above his eyes level and kept looking down at him as if she had some moral high ground. Nevertheless, he followed the gaze and looked at the pirs again. The fairy''s beautiful face became grave as she continued. "These Pirs used to tower in this za, their might was unparalleled. I couldn''t even reach the extent they had extended towards Heaven. And now look at them. Look at what is left of them because of the weight of your Sins." ''My Sins'' Aldrich thought and tried to make sense of the fairy''s words. He couldn''t help butpare the Sins Anjana talked about to the 9 red papers. He was about to ask the fairy to stop the bbering ande to the point when Sha''s voice rang in his mind. "Daddy" ''Yeah?'' "Daddy I eat her?" Aldrich got taken aback by this sudden request. ''Sha, didn''t you say that you don''t like to eat Crawlers?'' "I I She different." Aldrich tried to probe more out of Sha to know what did she mean by ''Different''. But Sha didn''t know herself. He gave it a thought and refrained from acting out against the fairy. From thest two zas he knew, the means avable to these Crawlers were weird and uniquely unpredictable. Ultimately, he decided that feigning ignorance was the best way to tackle this situation. Aldrich shook his head and let out a meek voice. "I don''t know what Sins you are talking about." The fairy narrowed her eyes at him, and in return got a shrug from Aldrich. "You will get to know about them soon. These letters contain 9 of the many sins that you havemitted in your life so far. One by one, you will be judged for all of them. You will have time to deny my arguments in favor of your Sins. And if at the end the number of your Sins remained to be in majority, you will be given the penalty of eternal death." Aldrich took in all the details. He sure was fascinated by the out-of-box way of handling the raid, but the use of thest two words at the end of the fairy''s speech troubled him greatly. "What is eternal death? And who will be the judge of our arguments?" Hehehe! A mocking smile came out of the Anjana''s mouth, livening up the fresh grass and the birds and butterflies all the same. "You think I don''t know how many times you have died, Blessed One? And who else will be the judge but the impartial ''RECORD''." Aldrich took in a deep breath as he got to know what the fairy meant by eternal. It seemed like most of the secrets rted to his life were avable to Anjana following the rules within this za. Aldrich had alreadye face to face with the RECORD''s impartiality, and he wasn''t very optimistic about the odds against him. "Humph! Hiding your face behind the mask won''t save you." The fairy harrumphed and made a passivement before bringing her hands together to hold the hawthorn stick. Her blue frock got lifted by an unseen wind, and her braids iled majestically. Suddenly, the surroundings became overly bright, and the chirps of birds quieted down. The ssh of the waterfall in theke made no more noise, and even the smell of the flowers receded within them. The tiny figure of the fairy felt like a towering giant and, as she opened her mouth, the world seemed to experience illusory quakes. A smile came upon Aldrich''s pressed lips as he clenched his teeth to face the wrath of what was going toe out of Anjana''s mouth. " RECORD I, the Lady of Righteousness Anjana, on the authority of my status as a Legend, request to initiate the Trial of Aldrich Guo, the Blessed One." Aldrich felt an immense weight upon his shoulders, but the weight didn''t affect him physically. An undeniable and irrefutable feeling of speaking truth and only truth. This feeling was so immense that Aldrich felt like his brain would burst apart and ultimately would make him enter aatose state. He knew by letting the ck Veile out, he could easily fight off this feeling. But then the purpose of experiencing another Law would have gone down the drain. Aldrich''s knees buckled, and saliva came seeping out of his shut mouth. A blurry whiteness overshadowed his vision, and all his strength seemed to be sucked out of his body. But the Will that even the Elite Crawler had praised wasn''t weak enough to not hold itself against these changes. By the time the notification materialized, Aldrich had already found a connection between the Crawler''snguage of LAWS and Justice. [ Processing request Checking the authenticity of status'' authority Authority confirmed Crawler: Anjana Legend: A fairy creature tasked to foil the cruel Ojancanu, the trapped heavenly being, the Punisher of the Wicked Initiating Trial Warning: The Dreamer and the Crawler need to ce a bet on the oue of each Sin ] Aldrich saw through the notification as the fairy pointed her stick towards the first red paper. A blood-red glow came out of the paper as it rose and hovered between him and the fairy. The paper unfolded itself and golden words materialized on both sides. Aldrich had remained toe out of the aftereffects when Anjana''s righteous voice echoed in his ears. "For the crime of saving a murderer from facing Justice, I proim you... Guilty." Chapter 165: A Trial Chapter 165: A Trial The red paper containing Aldrich''s first sin written in golden letters copied itself in two parts. Aldrich reached out his hand and grabbed one, while the other went to Anjana, who had yet to move her stern gaze away from his face. Aldrich looked at the content and found it was filled with all the minute details rted to the incident with Boomie and his parents. A notification appeared in front of his eyes, followed by the fairy''s promation of him being guilty. [ Trial of First Sin: The Crawler Anjana may present her argument ] "What is there to argue over? Humph! His every action is evidence of his crime." Aldrich ignored the Crawler''s words, full of mockery, and kept reading the entire paper. He was bbergasted by the way it mentioned his every step from point to point as if it was a video recording and not text. But despite the dire circumstances, Aldrich had a smile on his face. The smile was faded, and all the hints of it were small enough for the Crawler to not notice it. The Lady of Righteousness was busy with her prideful smile, brimming with sess. Aldrich let go of the paper and looked at the fairy, who was about to say her statement. "It''s an honor to be in your service, Your Honor ''RECORD''." Aldrichughed quite hard in his mind, as the fairy bowed and mentioned the RECORD as Your Honor. But it wasn''t his time to speak, and the fairy had more to say on the topic. "Dreamer, Aldrich, not only purposely prevented a criminal from facing Justice but also did it for sheer selfishness. Your Honor, let me present argument No. 1: Aldrich was aware of the abuses his friend Boomie was going through at home. And yet he never once mentioned it to Mr. and Mrs. Guo, or reported it to the police. Because of selfish reasons, he feigned ignorance about the said case of abuse." Aldrich''s mind raced to the time when he had first noticed the sign of nervousness and depression in Boomie''s eyes. With the knowledge he had, he could easily tell what type of bruises could result from a mere scuffle and a beating from an adult. But Aldrich never approached his parents or police. Aldrich never wanted to involve his parents again since the encounter with that teacher from his childhood. And Boomie''s father had many friends in the police for him to just ignore this and go to them. It wasn''t wrong to say that Aldrich had indeed not talked to anyone because of his selfishness. But Aldrich knew, given the image he had in locals, without concrete proof the oue couldn''t have turned out in his favor. The fairy looked at Aldrich in disgust and spoke again. "Argument No. 2: After finding the bodies of the Delmar couple, Aldrich didn''t call the police. He instead disposed of the bodies and made up a story in such a manner that none had once questioned the veracity of his words." The fairy pointed at Aldrich and harrumphed. " Humph! Not only he had hidden a crime but also a patient who needed the help of a trained psychologist." Aldrich narrowed his eyes as he heard the condescending tone of the Crawler. Even though Aldrich hadn''t practiced the subject of Denialism at that time, he considered himself qualified to judge right from wrong in Boomie''s case. Aldrich had never denied that Boomie had indeed killed his father. But to let Boomie fall into the hands of people, who he didn''t feel could ever understand Boomie''s circumstances and thoughts, was impossible for him. Aldrich saw the fairy taking a deep breath, and he knew she was about to put the nail in the coffin. Her brows pressed together as she made a fist and jerked her hand. "You must have gone in shock, right? Never thought that the ghosts of the past woulde to haunt you like this? I feel disgusted even before mentioning the thirst argument." "Daddy Thisss Bitch!" Aldrich heard Sha''s grating words through her clenched teeth in his head. But before he could pacify Sha, rows of notification surfaced between him and the Crawler. [ The Crawler Anjana is being warned She is advised to stay on point ] "Yes Yes, your Honor." Crrr! The fairy stuttered and passed a loathsome nce at him. The sound of her gritting her teeth reverberated in the za''s silence. Aldrich knocked the mask on his face with his knuckles and waited for the Crawler to speak once again. "Argument No. 3: Aldrich is not just guilty of obstruction of the Justice but also of being an incredibly selfish person. And I can prove this right now. Your Honor, I want the used to answer two of my questions." Aldrich raised his eyebrows, hearing such a request. But the RECORD had already seemed to grant Anjana''s wishes. [ Request Granted ] The fairy gave Aldrich a smirk and asked. "If there was some other person in Boomie''s ce, facing the same circumstances, would you have done the same, Aldrich, the Blessed One?" Aldrich didn''t even need to think about it as he shook his head and replied. "No." "Huh! And may I ask, Why?" Aldrich feltpelled to tell the truth. But he had already decided to do so regardless of thepulsion from the Law of Justice. His white eyes were calm and his voice was like the ripples in a clearke. "A patient who I couldn''t have ess to all the time, and whom I couldn''t save with a 100% surety, was of no use to me." HAHAHA! The fairy''s transparent wings fluttered, along with her resounding burst ofughter. "Use Use. That''s everything to you, isn''t it? Your Honor, this man is selfish and rotten to the core. If left unpunished, he would bring disaster to the innocent beings of the Gxy. And with this, I rest my case." [ Trial of First Sin: The Dreamer Aldrich may present his argument ] Aldrich looked at the fairy''s face, reflecting the shine of sess and confidence. An evil smile came upon his face, making the devilish mask on his face even more eerie as he replied. "I" Chapter 166: A Pile of Empty Words Chapter 166: A Pile of Empty Words "I I find it beneath me to exin anything to you." "" The fairy''s jaw dropped, hearing Aldrich''s words. How could she have expected this retort when even Aldrich hadn''t thought things would turn out like this? Haha! Aldrich let out augh as he saw the Crawler''s face getting all red with anger. Her sudden upsurge of emotions had kicked out the pinkish blush that gave her an otherworldly charm. [ The Dreamer Aldrich is being warned He is advised to stay on point ] Aldrich ignored the notification and took a jar of wine and a cup out of the FIR. He poured himself a cup of blood-red wine and took a sip. The fruity vor melted on his tongue, and its rosy smell enlivened the silent surroundings. Even the birds and the beetles got pulled towards him, following the scent. "You" The fairy''s wrath was about to burst out when Aldrich cut off her words and spoke. "Argument No. 1: I am an insane person. The things I do sometimes are erratic and result from a spontaneous decision from insecurity and superiority." "Humph! So you admit" Tink! Kunchhh!!! Aldrich gulped down a mouthful of wine and smashed the ss cup onto the pir, shattering it into many pieces. The Crawler was gobsmacked by Aldrich''s outrageous behavior and again got cut off from saying anything. Aldrich smiled as he noticed the expected oue and took out another cup. "Argument No. 2: I am a researcher and a schr. How could I ever let go of a guinea pig which was bound to help me learn and understand a broken human mind? Letting Boomie go was not only equivalent to a live bomb getting away from my eyes but also a matter of in and utter stupidity." "Inhumane creature" Not allowing the fairy toplete her rant, Aldrich shouted in his mind and let go of the cup in his hand. ''Sha, NOW!'' Themand was so abrupt that even Sha got almost dyed from following up. The Stone Splitter appeared like a ck blur in his hands, and without raising his Strength, Aldrich smashed it onto the pir''s top in front of him. BOOMMMM!!! The sound was deafening, and the shockwaves were so tremendous that they even swayed the fairy out of her position. Many birds got annihted on the spot and turned to dust. But there was no crack, and not even a scratch on the pir. Aldrich felt the immense vibration in his arm as the Stone Splitter got demolished in hundreds of shadowy blobs and merged into his mask. The Crawler, Anjana, came rushing at him, with her hawthorn stick raised high and a beam of incredible pure light came out from it. Its target, Aldrich. [ Attacking Dreamers is prohibited in this za ] "Arara! Now that is uncalled for. Haha!" Aldrichughed and saw the beam turning into thousands of bubbles in front of his eyes. The notification shed again, and Aldrich nodded to himself inwardly. Even a child could tell that Aldrich was purposely interjecting every time whenever the Crawler was about to speak. But the Crawler had other things clouding her rational thoughts, as intended by Aldrich. The fairy, now almost purple from the buried anger, helplessly retaliated by shouting out. "How dare you attack the Pirs of Justice? You You aren''t even worthy toy your eyes on them." The Crawler gritted her teeth and her winds fluttered maddeningly. But Aldrich had already returned to his calm state. The blood-red wine, spilled out from the jar, had painted the grass red under his feet. And the pain in his arm had subsidedpletely. The innocent smile on his face was like that of a child after finding a loophole in the elders''mand. "Lady Anjana, the ''RECORD'' never said that I can''t attack anything else other than you. The truth is Ahem! The wine didn''t suit my stomach, so I had to make some noise to hide a massive fart." "How shameless" The fairy, half shy and half disgusted by Aldrich''s words, scoffed at him. But how could Aldrich give her such a chance? "Argument No. 3: Contamination and Corruption are different but two faces of a single coin. And the concept of Selfishness epasses both of them with still plenty of room left behind for many things" Aldrich stared into the reddened and hateful eyes of the fairy and spoke out word by word. " A Schr who isn''t selfish is bound to remain aloof from the beauty of this world for Eternity." The silence between Aldrich and the Crawler had an electric feeling to it. Aldrich was doomed to only defend the fairy''s arguments and not speak more than the topic in hand. So when Aldrichpleted his third argument and didn''t even try to defend himself for a single time so far, it made the Crawler narrow her eyes at him. [ Both parties'' arguments are collected The Crawler Anjana and the Dreamer Aldrich are needed to ce their bet on the oue of the first Trial Warning: If the bet ced by one party severely exceeds in quantity or quality, then the other party will be forced topensate ] The fairy''s wings gave out a gust of wind and brought her high into the air. Aldrich noticed the way she looked down at him was like a God judging the mortals for their crimes. The fairy was about to raise her hawthorn stick, but then changed her mind and her hands went to the wildflowers'' crown on her head. "Humph! You are nothing but a pile of empty words. I bet the Crown of Purity and Righteousness for the oue of the Trial as Guilty." Aldrich saw the crown vanishing into bright golden shards. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out of it. The fairy, seeing that Aldrich hadn''t openly stated his bet, ridiculed him. "Not only selfish but also a coward, humph! Can''t even say that you are not guilty? Such a shame!" Aldrich heard the condescending tone of the Crawler and merely shook his head. Aldrich knew the fishing he had been spreading out since the start had already trapped the fish. What was left to do was to scoop up the and enjoy a hearty meal. Chapter 167: Compensation Chapter 167: Compensation The buried pirs were still glowing under the weight of Aldrich''s sins. But one of the nine pirs seemed taller than others. The symbols were the same, and the engravings were also the same. The only obvious difference between it and the other eight was theck of folded red paper over it. This sudden change hadn''t gone unnoticed by Aldrich''s eyes. But it wasn''t the time to think more about it. It was the time to enjoy a drama. [ Processing the bets of both parties Evaluating the Arguments Generating Oue ] Aldrich saw the fairy staring at the rows of notifications with a confident smile of victory and sess. Theck of crown hadn''t brought down her aura of righteousness, though it made her hairs and the braids stand out in the green and blue surroundings. The bluish-colored anger had receded from her face, and even the transparent wings on her back fluttered ever so slowly to just maintain the height. All the za felt like waiting with bated breath for the RECORD to sh out the notifications. Aldrich, contrary to the expectant look in the fairy''s eyes, only had one sentence in his mind. ''Be careful of what you wish for.'' [ Based on the Arguments presented by both parties, the oue of the Trial of Dreamer Aldrich''s first sin is: Guilty ] HAHAHA!!! The sudden burst ofughter that came out of Anjana''s mouth broke the seal of silence over the entire za. Her arms were stretched outwards, and her neck was craned up towards the sky. Even though herughter was loud, because of her size, it only felt like a tantrum of many birds in heat. Aldrich calmly observed as her tender and pleasing voice soon turned into a mocking one. "Sinner, how can you still be so calm? Kneel and repent for your Sin. Humph! And it was even the first of many. A small bet doesn''t justify the punishment for you. I will wait for you to stand at the door of Eternal Death after all the trials and" The fairy was still ranting out when the sudden sh of the notification made her hold back her words. Aldrich had been waiting for this notification for a long time. [ Both parties have won the bet The bet of party: Dreamer Aldrich, surpasses the bet of party: Crawler Anjana, in quality Crawler Anjana is required topensate to match the bet ] "This" The fairy''s starlike eyes became wide in shock and disbelief at the turn of events. "You mentioned reading about me in a document. Did that document mention that Aldrich Guo is not a fool?" Aldrich''s words were like a ripple in a cidke, undting with the sense of reality in the za. Aldrich''s eyes met that of the fairy through the notification between them. The way her eyes shook in a momentary horror was vividly visible to him. Her voice, now devoid of its previous charm and tenderness, crawled its way to Aldrich''s ears. "You You bet on the trial''s oue as Guilty?!" Aldrich brought his hands behind his back and replied to the question filled with incredulity. "Sins, trials, and your rants aren''t all of them just a facade? I had my doubts about the purpose of these trials from the start, but then I saw the warning rted to bets. Tch! The only question that came to me was why didn''t you mention the bet even once before the ''RECORD''?" With every word that came out of Aldrich''s mouth, the fairy kept losing her height and now almost hovered at Aldrich''s eye level. Her lips had a strange quiver about them, and Aldrich could even see her milky smooth chin, which had never dropped even once, was lowered at the moment. "These How dare you question the trials and pirs." The fairy tried to put thest attempt to ward off Aldrich''s theory, but Aldrich cut her off and chuckled. "Haha! When did I ever say that these Trials aren''t real? When did I ever question the existence of these pirs? Feelings, emotions, and intentions, are the things I always question first. No matter if it''s a Crawler or Dreamer." The fairy closed her mouth, and all the hints of shock vanished from her face. Aldrich saw a pale color of extreme seriousnessing onto her cheeks as the fairy''s needle-like voice tried to pierce his ears. "How did you know?" Aldrich yfully shook his head and replied. "9 trials, each about a sin that can not be defended. And even if one was to win the battle of trials, the war would have been lost, anyway. Isn''t that right? You don''t care a tiny bit about the losing or winning trials, all you care about is winning the bets. Again, a Dreamer without his Skills and Items is nothing but an empty shell. And you, the Lady of Righteousness Anjana, was to make sure that your bet always surpasses the quality in Skills or Items. The essence of this pretentious y of trials doesn''t lie in arguments, but the masterfully ced bets. Or am I wrong?" " not wrong. Daddy always right." Aldrich ignored Sha raising her fist of triumphs in his mind and stared at the fairy. He couldn''t hear it, but he could see her gritting her teeth hard enough to shatter them. But soon she let out a breath and a thin but sultry smile surfaced on her lips. "I can''t even remember thest time someone had realized this. Thousands, no! Maybe tens of thousands of years ago there was one who had passed the trials, but he died all the same. So what if you realized it sooner than the others? It won''t change anything. Hmph! I just have topensate for the bet, but you have already lost the first trial." The fairy had already raised her Viscount ranked hawthorn stick as thepensation. But Aldrich''s white eyes were like white pearls, reflecting the tiny image of the fairy and the world behind her. As the fairy harrumphed, Aldrich had only one question to ask her. "Lady Anjana, do you know who fears death the most?" The hawthorn stick vanished from the fairy''s hand. And as the notification materialized between them, Aldrich answered his own question that seemed to have perplexed the fairy. "Those who have lived the longest dread the death the most, and its very existence." [ Anjana''s Hawthorn Stick is epted Thebined quality of the bet isn''t enough Crawler Anjana is advised to add morepensation ] Chapter 168: A Bet surpassing Legends Chapter 168: A Bet surpassing Legends The smile on Aldrich''s face was getting more devilish by seconds. He took in the fairy''s image with her mouth open in horror and bewilderment in its entirety. It was apparent that the Crawler, Anjana, couldn''t believe the strangeness of the notification that was shing in front of her. She had sacrificed not one but two Viscount Ranked Items, and they weren''t just any ordinary Items. Even Aldrich at a nce could sense that those Items had a strong sense of Justice. From the moment he had heard thenguage of LAWS out of Anjana''s mouth, he could perceive their animosity towards him. It was the same as his Devil''s Oldest Change, who tended to act out in the presence of Divine. The only difference was that the mask acted out by increasing his Stats. "How how is this possible?" Aldrich heard the stagger in the fairy''s voice and found her staring at him in search of some answers. But all she got in return was Aldrich''s shrug and Sha''s middle finger in Aldrich''s mind. Aldrich knew as soon as the fairy were to calm down, hisst words woulde rushing to her rational mind. And then the actual terror would kick in her consciousness. Not getting any answer out of Aldrich, the fairy jerked her braids in anger and shouted. "SO WHAT? You think by betting your blessings you can put me in trouble. Hmph! I still have many means." Aldrich knew what blessings were. And he also knew the ck Veil he had wasn''t a true blessing and hence, he wasn''t a true Blessed One. But its presence made the RECORD and other Crawlers believe he was such a being. How could he even bet a thing which he didn''t have in the first ce? He just couldn''t find a reason for the RECORD to not mention him as a God of ck and White to the fairy. But Aldrich had confirmed a very crucial fact about the Crawler using his fiasco of attacking the Pir from moments ago. "Who are you fooling? You don''t have any Viscount Ranked Skills." Aldrich smirked and spoke with a tone of certainty, making the fairy snap her head towards him. From the way she wetted her lips and the movement of her throat, Aldrich got to know that he had guessed it right. "Ignorant" The fairy tried to reject Aldrich''s theory, but this time he didn''t need to be asked to speak. Like teaching a student the principles of science, Aldrich calmly spoke. "First, Skills are redundant in this za. The ''RECORD'' maintains and runs everything here, and you are just the executor. The hawthorn stick, wildflowers crown, and this za is a product of your Legend. If you have a Skill, then it is only rted to getting information on the Dreamer to gain some advantage. Isn''t that the reason for your continuous attempts to agitate the other Party, so as to make them not step on the truth behind the curtains?" Aldrich and the Crawler looked each other in the eyes. The fairy opened her mouth to retort, but soon shut it after not finding any usible retort. Aldrich continued, seeing the Lady of Righteousness'' loss of words. "Second, if you had a Viscount Rank Skill, why didn''t you use it to attack me?" This question seemed to have ticked off a nerve, for the fairy''s wings fluttered crazily as she acted out. "Huh, presumptuous! Do I need to use Skills to kill you?" Hahaha! Aldrich let out a heartyugh, but in the very next moment, he narrowed his eyes, as this behavior was not ording to his personality. But a ck glow fluctuated on his mask, and Aldrich forgot about this sudden realization. A devilish smile surfaced on his face, again, as he replied to the fairy. "It seems your Skill rted to the gathering of Data isn''t even of Baron Rank. Didn''t it mention what fields have I mastered? Tch! Your act of using an Item was an act of impulsion. Even I know that the use of Item-specific Skills is dyed because of transferring Mana from Dreamer to Item. At such a moment, filled with anger and rage, you didn''t use a Skill. It just meant You had never used one." By the time Aldrich finished his exnation, the fairy''s tight and small chest was already huffing and puffing in repulsion. Aldrich could only surmise the way she looked at him as a beast looking at prey to devour at the first viable opportunity. But the RECORD wouldn''t let her do so, and Aldrich had made sure of it. Aldrich observed the Crawler taking a deep breath as if preparing for a battle-turning decision. "You think you have figured everything out? But you know nothing, Aldrich Guo I add all my levels to the bet aspensation." [ Anjana''s 39 levels are epted Thebined quality of the bet isn''t enough Crawler Anjana is advised to add morepensation ] The fairy''s eyes widened as if her soul had escaped out of them. Aldrich realized the shock had finally calmed her down, and it was time for his words to echo in the Crawler''s mind. As he saw the fairying down on earth and her face getting paler and paler because of the sheer terror, Aldrich muttered to himself. "Do you know who fears death the most?" Aldrich''s low words snapped the fairy out of her delusions, and she craned her neck up to look at him. Her mouth struggled to open, and Aldrich thought there was even a possibility of her choking on her own words. "Impossible Your life can''t bepared to the existence of a Legend. Not even if you had bet your Eternal Death. No not even I I add my life to the bet aspensation." [ Anjana''s life is epted Thebined quality of the bet isn''t enough Crawler Anjana is advised to add morepensation ] Who could know better than Aldrich that even his Eternal Death wasn''t enoughpared to the existence of a Legend? But Aldrich had something that was even more important than that. A thing he knew that the RECORD abhorred. A thing he knew was a stain on RECORD''s Authority. A thing whose value surpassed many legends. It was the Skill, Shared Vision. Chapter 169: A Settlement Chapter 169: A Settlement Aldrich''s life before the Dream Initiation Phase used to roll around the word ''lucidity''. From the time he had realized that he could learn and do much more if he were to master his dreams, lucidity had fascinated Aldrich.This lucidity was the sole reason that had brought the unpredictable changes in Aldrich''s Record. And that change was Shared Vision. Aldrich had always wondered what the description of the Shared Vision meant. What was the statement ''You can see what ?#?#?# sees'' actually signified? He did not realise its meaning until he had died the first time and met the enormous Being behind the ck Veil. Aldrich remembered little of what had happened within the 1 year long Dream. The snippets of that long sleep felt blurry to him and induced massive headaches. And he couldn''t upgrade the Passive Skill, Shared Vision, hoping to find the answers. The only thing Aldrich had relied on to make some connection between the Skill and the Oldest One was his hunch. His first clue was the ability to see all kinds of Stats. Why would a System such as RECORD would have ever given him a Skill that summed up his entire existence in the word unfair? His second clue was his ability toe back to life in that colorless world, where he could dive into his dead body to revive. And both these clues defied the RECORD and its working. Aldrich kept asking himself who in the world could defy the RECORD and go against it. s, Aldrich hadn''t even left the constraint of Barren Earth for him to make an educated guess. But after leaving home, Aldrich had concluded if there was anything that could stand up to RECORD, then it was the existence behind the ck Veil. So in literal sense, Shared Vision wasn''t Aldrich''s Skill, but an extension of that Being into Aldrich''s Record. Like a Parasite. Aldrich had be so sure of it he even believed the reason for his unusual Perception wasn''t his ss, but this Skill. The reason for him betting the Shared Vision wasn''t because of its rarity, but it was to put the Oldest One against the RECORD. The small game of Trial that the RECORD had forced him to y, Aldrich changed it into an indirect battle, the extent of which even he didn''t know. How could Aldrich, or any legend''s existence, could matter when the scales had be so high? * Aldrich looked at the horrified look in the Crawler''s eyes because of the notification between them. The RECORD had even stated that her life wasn''t enough topensate for Aldrich''s bet. He knew that this life that the fairy had betted was rted to her spawning and not her true legendary existence. It was kinda like Aldriching back to life, but in the fairy''s case, it would be like a true rebirth. The fairy slowly turned her head to look towards Aldrich, and he had been waiting for her to do so. "The only thing that cane close to my bet is your legend, Lady of Righteousness. Let yourself be wiped away from the face of this world. Let those who worship you forget your deeds and let the RECORD wash away your existence in the torrent that none other than you have originated." Aldrich''s words were like the grating calls of hundreds of bugles, foretelling of an inevitable future. The fairy Anjana''s entire body shook and her knees buckled as she slumped down on the vibrant green grass. The corner of her eyes became wet, and Aldrich waited for her broken words toe out. "You You can''t do that" "Ah! Sure I can." The sheer confidence with which Aldrich had replied to her was like breaking thest straw she had been holding onto. Tears came pouring out of her eyes, and lips quivered with a whimpering noise. Uuu! "Wha What did you bet? How can there be something like that?" Aldrich crouched to meet the Crawler''s eye level and let out a chuckle. "Haha! And how would answering these questions lead us anywhere?" Aldrich''s retort worked as a nail in the coffin, breaking the fairy''s Will, who was just moments ago towering as a manifestation of Justice. Her condescending tone had already turned to one filled with disbelief, and now it finally turned to that of pleading. "Please. NO! Don''t do this" Aldrich stood back up and looked down at the glistening drops of pearl like tears as he spoke. "Hmm! I have a solution." " Really?!" Aldrich saw the fairy lunging back to her feet and asking in a suspicious tone. He gave her a nod and continued. "Let''se to a settlement. I can take away my bet On the condition that you forgo the rest of the trials and open up the portal leading directly to the El Cid''s za." Aldrich calmly waited for her response, but his proposal had already stupefied the Crawler Anjana. The shock was so great that she couldn''t help but stumble a few steps back. "How How do you know.. that I can open portals to other zas?" Haha! "How else did you send the Dreamer, who had passed all the Trials, to death?" "You knew. You knew. Then from From the very start, you were leading me to this situation?!" The fairy pointed her finger at Aldrich, but in return only got a smile. For the first time in countless years, Aldrich became the only person to see fear on the Lady of Righteousness, Anjana''s face. Aldrich saw the fairy going into a traumatic shock as she maddeningly shook her head, loosening the ribbons in her braids. Her hair dangled down and gave her a crazed look as she muttered. "You.. You can''t be a mere Dreamer What are you?" Aldrich ignored the low muttering and asked. "Do you agree with this settlement?" Aldrich didn''t know if the fairy with her disheveled hair could even listen to him anymore, but she somehow nodded her head at his question. [ Both parties have reached to a settlement The Dreamer Aldrich has taken back his bet Warning: The addedpensation is confiscated as a price of settlement ] A bluish portal opened up behind Aldrich, and the fairy started to turn into dust. Even at thest moments of her death, her glossy eyes couldn''t find out at what point Aldrich hadid the inescapable trap. Chapter 170: Birth of a Devil Chapter 170: Birth of a Devil Hehehe! A peal of shriekyughter came out of Aldrich''s mouth as he saw the warning mentioned by the RECORD. The price ofpensation wasn''t just the bets added by the Crawler, Anjana, but it also was the Experience Points and the Rewards. The fairy''s bet of all her levels had been confiscated, giving Aldrich no way to earn a single ExP. And she had bet her own life at the end, making Aldrich irrelevant to her death. Aldrich shook his head and was about to go towards the portal when he suddenly remembered something. He looked at the nine pirs and the eight red papers containing his Sins. Aldrich knew the moment he left this za, this entire ce would be scratched away, and a ditto copy of this za would appear in its ce. The Viscount Ranked Anjana would respawn, but she won''t have any memories of him, and even the Sins on the Pirs won''t be his anymore. "Towered towards heaven! Is that what she had said?" Even though it was a fraction of an inch, Aldrich could notice that the first pir had risenpared to the rest eight, when the red paper had vanished. It was like apressed spring, but in the pir''s case, something was holding it back from reaching its original height and shape. And Aldrich knew who was the culprit. It was his presence. Hehehehe!!! Theugh was getting sharper and eerier, as Aldrich''s eyes kept fixating over the pir. The ck glow on his mask gained a tinge of slight purple and Aldrich took a step towards the first pir. "There is no way I am going empty-handed out of this ce, humph!" For a moment, after proiming out, Aldrich halted his steps, and his right hand glowed blue. But even before the Rumok could take effect, the process got cut off before execution. The purple tinge on the mask intensified, and Aldrich kept walking towards the pir. The pir wasn''t overly big, nor was it small. Its thickness was about Aldrich''s waist, and despite the many engravings on its surface, it didn''t have any protrusions. From top to bottom, the pir was in like a pole. Aldrich put his hand on the surface, and he could feel a wooden texture in it. But he wasn''t sure what the actual material was, for it neither seemed wood nor metal. The runic symbols were also a mix of Rumoks and the Law of Justice, which Aldrich couldn''t analyze yet. Aldrich reached down to grab the thick pir. The size of his hands wasn''t even enough to wrap themselvespletely around the pir. Aldrich''s eyes narrowed in a slit and he pressed his hands into the pir to make a solid grip. Aahhhh! Aldrich put all his raw strength to pull out the pir. His gray boots slid backward, and Aldrich''s back twisted to give him an ideal position. His clenched teeth snapped open and he let out a shout, but even after giving it his best, the pir didn''t even budge. Aldrich let go of the pir and looked towards the sky. The smile that has surfaced on his face could have scared even a devil away. Heh heh Haha HAHAHA! "Daddy You scaring me." Aldrich spread out his arms, and his gray greatcoat fluttered with no wind. Sha''s voice was like an incoherent buzz, and there was only one word in his mind that kept repeating itself. "CHANGE!" [ Dreamer has used the Unnatural Lifeform to temper with the Attributes again Adding 6% additional Penalty Strength: 170 (+70) Perception: 280 (-70) ] Aldrich didn''t realize the heavy penalty that RECORD had instated on him. The addition of this penalty brought down the previous 31% transferable Attributes to only 25%. Strength coursed through Aldrich''s veins as he again gripped the pir. AAAHHH!!! The sheer vibrations from Aldrich''s shout decimated the surrounding flowery field. The faraway birds flew away to the distant parts of the za, and the cidke churned as if a hurricane was about toe. Aldrich''s muscles bulged and his feet got buried in the earth. The white of his eyes became red from the rush of blood, and snake-like veins came popping on his face. Aldrich''s teeth were clenched shut as he tried to pull the pir out, but there was a smile full of mockery on his face. "PUny ThIng, HAha! DOn''t KNow My MIGht." The voice that came out of Aldrich''s mouth was like there were two different beings speaking at the same time. One was harsh, thick, and evil. The other was sweet, sultry, and full of emotions. But none of those voices felt like Aldrich''s original one. Trr-Trrrr As Aldrich kept crazily trying to pull out the pir, first his nails burst apart. Then his skin broke apart, and all the muscles in his body got ruptured soon too. His gray clothing got dyed red, but except for pulling the pir out, Aldrich had nothing in his mind. The pir, however, hadn''t budged an inch. "Daddyy Daddyyy Wake up!" Heh heh Haha HAHAHA! The ghastlyugh again engulfed Sha''s screams and a hollow muttering sound came out of Aldrich. "SPawn of DARkness?! WHat a FLashy NAme?" ROOARRRRRRR! Aldrich let out a deafening roar, spitting out blood and saliva. The tinge of purple had now be gas and gathered on his forehead. A second horn erupted out of his mask and the purple gas turned into a tattoo of a horned goat''s skull with a snake coiled around it. But this wasn''t the extent of this purple hue. His white hair seemed to put up a struggle but soon turned into purple too. The red color of his blood seeping out from the grievous wounds turned purple, and his white pupils also started to glow purple. BOOM! Aldrich''s head got banged by an unseen force, and the Dark Sapling hidden in his forehead came rushing out from the security of that depthless hole. It towered behind Aldrich with only one leaf and swayed as if putting up a fight. Aldrich let go of the pir and slowly turned his head to look back. As his eyes fell on the Dark Sapling, an ear-to-ear grin came upon his face. "HEhe! DARKness, Oh DARKness! WHEre Are YOur DARKlings?" Chapter 171: An Ancient Relic Chapter 171: An Ancient Relic Thummmmm!!! The entire za quaked as Aldrich tauntingly asked the Darkness in a yful tone. But the two voices weren''t alone this time. If the Aldrich from before could feel, he would have realized that the words that hade out of his mouth were an amalgam of four Laws. Two of thosews were the Law of Darkness and the Law of Devil. The third Law was like the growling of a beast, and it was the same that had alsoe out of the Viscount Sugaar''s mouth. The fourth would have remained unknown even to him. The changes weren''t limited to the za, but even the Dark Sapling shivered as if someone had grabbed it by its neck. Aldrich was like an apparition, living behind purple and ck blurs as he approached the one-leafed Dark Sapling. The ethereal sapling wasn''t real but existed in another dimension altogether. Not giving a fuck about these facts, Aldrich''s hands reached toward the pitch-ck transparent leaf. Heee Hee Heee Heee! Aldrichughed again, making the mask with the purple goat tattoo give out a blinding purple sh. The four Laws again came out of his grinning mouth. "BLack is DARKness for WHite; WHite is DARKness for BLack ALdrich''s ORiginal: DARK GRIM REAPER!" The Dark Sapling that couldn''t be felt or sensed, got grabbed by Aldrich''s hand by its leaf. And with a swift jerk, Aldrich ripped the leaf apart from the middle. HUMMMMMMMM!!! It was like a trumpet had been blown throughout the Universe, alerting all beings of theing annihtion. The half part of the leaf that was still attached to the Dark Sapling trembled in fear. And the other half of the leaf, now detached from the main body, vanished into Nothingness. Shuuuuuu! A ghostly sound reverberated in the za, and Aldrich tilted his neck to look behind the Dark Sapling. An incredibly humongous Dark Tree had shown itself there, bending space-time and reality and Dreams. Aldrich could perceive that even one of its leaves was enough to hold an entire of the size of Rosalia. The grin on Aldrich''s face was bingrger andrger, making no sense, and his every single word now contained not four but countless Laws. "DReam ORigin WOrld TRee I, On My AUthority of SPawn Of DARKness, DEmand You To LEt Go of The CREATures." Houuuuuuu!!! The countless leaves of World Tree fluttered in reply and a rift opened in the za as if connecting the sky to earth. As the rift widened, a tempest of foul and unnerving gusts of winds came out. A ck shadowy hand withrge fingers followed these winds and grabbed the edge of the rift. And soon the entire body came out. It had two extremely long but slim hands and legs, like that of a spider. And its face was round and covered in dark ripples. But there were neither eyes nor a nose. And in ce of a mouth, it only had a gaping hole. Out of which came a low moaning roar, and behind it, there were hundreds of simr creatures waiting to rush out of the rift. Aldrich heard the howling wind and saw the Creatures who were eager for his call. He spread his hands in the air and grunted. "COme, DARKlings!" Dum-Dummmm Houuuuu The Creatures dashed towards him, and despite their feet leaving no impression, it felt like an earthquake had originated. From afar, it seemed like they were a sandstorm of dark ck dust. As the first Creature lunged at him, there was no impact. Aldrich''s body rippled like undtions in still water, and the creature melted into him. Aldrich''s muscles wriggled as if there were countless worms beneath his skin, and a covering of ckyer came over on his body. Even his size increased as if he was gaining mass by seconds. Hundreds of Creatures of Darkness followed the lead of the first and vanished into Aldrich''s body. By the time thest one entered, Aldrich''s body hadpletely transformed and now towered at a staggering height of 30 ft. All traces of his clothing had vanished, and it felt like there was a ck leathery suit over his bulging muscles. Even his face was covered in all ck and his eyes hadpletely turned purple. And his hairs were like a dense purple waterfall, hanging down 20 ft. It was like the possessed Shadow Homunculus had returned from the past, after bing even stronger. Aldrich''s mouth, lined with shark like teeth, opened and a long slimy tongue came out of it. He brought his massive hands up to his eye level and slowly spoke. But this time, all the voices had be one, and even thews couldn''t be distinguishable anymore. "Weak! Too weak" Aldrich shook his head as his tongue licked his fingers, and then he ran his hands through his purple hairs. " But, what a brilliant mind. Ah! These memories. This Will, This Understanding Hehehe!" Aldrich held the cowering Dark Sapling and threw it at his forehead. As the Sapling vanished, Aldrich turned around and stared at the Pir that hadn''t moved an inch. A ghastly evil grin came upon his face and in only one step, Aldrich closed the distance between them. His 30 ft. tall size didn''t seem to have any effect on his speed. Aldrich grabbed the pir from the top and muttered as if chanting an Ancient Saying. "Affection Loneliness. Jealousy Lust Passion Sorrow Envy Suffering. . ONE DEVIL''S THOUGHT; TEN THOUSAND EMOTIONS." ROARRRR!!! The Devil roared and jerked the pir upwards. wrooooommmmmm!!! The massive pir that hadn''t moved even after using Change got thrown towards the Sky like water out of a hot geyser. And as the fairy had described, it indeed reached the Sky. Aldrich or the Devil, now one and the same, put his hand onto the pir and felt the Rumoks and the Law. Soon a disordered whisper came out of his mouth, shortening the pir. And as the Pir came to a stop at a height of 50 ft., all the Rumoks came together to form an engraving of a massive Horned ck Bull on its surface. Hee Heee HAHAHA! Aldrich maniacallyughed, his tongue slithered, and his purple eyes stared at the materializing words over the Pir''s top. [ You have found an Ancient Relic Item (Relic): 2nd Pir of the Ten Bodhisattva Bhumi - The Pir of Footprints ] Chapter 172: Ashes of Memories Chapter 172: Ashes of Memories Ancient Relics, few knew these Items even existed, and hence, not much was known about them. Those who had some knowledge about thempared these Relics to the Ancient Saying that were equivalent to Skills. Like the Ancient Saying, they not only required MP or SP but also needed understanding of their respective Laws to be used. Both Ancient Sayings and Ancient Relics didn''t have any Ranking Criteria. And their effectiveness depended on the user''s insight on their respective Law or Laws. Another thing to be noted about Relics was that they couldn''t be equipped, same as the Ancient Saying. That meant they couldn''t be ced in the Inventory either. But the most basic difference between these two was their stored data in RECORD. Ancient Sayings were passed down from mouth to mouth and had no rtion to RECORD whatsoever. But a Dreamer could see the names of Ancient Relics via RECORD. It was like RECORD had tried to im both but ultimately only got the Relics. These Relics names weren''t just for show. Each Relic''s name showed its origin in the false histories of the countless Barren Earths. And one could find out which Law they worked on from these histories. The only way to know the limits of an Ancient Relic was to use it on the battlefield. * [ You have entered the za del Refectorio The Boss Crawler has detected your presence ] Thup-Thump! The 30 ft. tall Devil, with bulging ck muscles, walked out of the portal. His every step left a deep impression on the ground as he was holding up a massive Pir on his right shoulder. The 50 ft long ck Bull engraved Pir looked more like a log than a pole with its thickness. It seemed like Aldrich could lengthen and shorten it, but couldn''t control its thickness as this thickness kept changing with the Pir''s size. The za del Refectorio, unlike its name, had nothing to do with vaulted arcades that were used as Refectories. The entire za was a massive dome, whose roof seemed to have reced the Sky. The entire roof was covered in colossal paintings of battles and ceremonies as if Giants were hanging in the sky. And the ground wasn''t concrete, but it was ovein with bushes, shrubs, and towering Megalithic structures. But among these green and gray, there was a storm of Red and ck. A mile away from the Devil, a ck armored knight was trotting on a horse. The knight''s entire face was covered, and there were only two slits in front of his eyes. And two feeble and blurry red dots could be seen glowing in those slits. On his back, there was a blue cloak with the insignia of a golden crown and there were two swords on his waist. But even more eye-catching was the horse. It was rotten and bones were protruding out of its entire body. In ce of the horse''s face, there was only a skull, whose hollow eyes were also glowing in red. This was the Great Warhorse, Babieca, famous to the Christians and feared by his enemies. And the ck armored knight riding the horse was a warlord from medieval Spain, Rodrigo Daz de Vivar, or widely known by the name El Cid, the Ruler of Valencia. Ignoring the distance, the Devil''s purple eyes met the two red beamsing out of the knight''s helmet. The Devil looked beyond the knight and stared at the army of armored soldiers whose end couldn''t be seen. Hee Heee! The Devil grinned and blurted out. "Interesting." His gaze moved away from the massive army, and he looked down at his body. " The transformation needs more Devil''s aura. A visit to ''That'' ce can''t be avoided then." The Devil crouched down and his legs'' muscles throbbed. His toes cracked the earth, and bncing the Pir, the Devil jumped towards the army. BOOM! It was like a ck meteorite had fallen from the heavens onto the earth. The Devil''snding itself crushed hundreds of the armored soldiers along with their longnces. Hee Hee HAHA! BANG! BANG! BANGG!!! The Devil gripped the Pir with one hand and kept smashing heads as he aimlessly ran across the battlefield. And in the sheer madness he didn''t even question why the soldiers weren''t defending themselves and why none of them attacked him. This wasn''t even a bloodbath, as no blood coursed through those soldiers'' veins. By the time the Devil got bored, he had already massacred half of the tens of thousands of soldiers. "AH! That was satisfying. Who said there is no fun in crushing ants? Heh!" The Devil brought the Pir closed to his mouth and licked the brain matter stuck to it. He was about to dash to the rest of the soldiers when a hollow but sharp voice came from behind. "A Darkling? No. A Devil? Hmm, no. A Hybrid?!" NEIGHHH!!! The Devil turned around and found El Cid with his horse dozens of meters away from him. His gaze drifted from the Boss Crawler to the words hovering above its head. [ Record of ''Undefeated King'' Boss El Cid Status: Dead Level: 43 HP: 2920/2920 SP: 2870/2870 MP: 4290/4290 Rank: Count .] The Devil bared its shark-like teeth and a howling sound came out of his mouth. "Wait for your turn, kid! Can''t you see Daddy having fun here?" The Devil again eyed the rest of the soldiers, who hadn''t moved an inch, but the Boss Crawler had yet to say more. "There is a mark on the Dreamer whom you have possessed, Devil. The mark of Death. And those who have touched Death, their memories can''t be hidden from US" The Boss slowly raised both of his hands as if feeling the might of the howling winding out of the Devil''s mouth. His words echoed in the massive Dome, integrated with the Language of LAWS. "From the Ashes of Memories ARISE!!!" Boom!!! The ground between the Devil and the Boss exploded as 4 pairs of hands came bursting apart from the earth. The Devil saw a rifle held by a man wearing a slouched hat, a red spear in the hands of a red-haired and bare-chested man, and the sizzling thighs of two beauties. His tongue slithered as he muttered upon recognizing the identities of the four beings in front of him. "Hehe!! Interesting indeed" Chapter 173: Aldrichs Original Chapter 173: Aldrich''s Original ''You only die when your memories are forgotten.'' If one were to say this sentence out loud, people would cringe and would probably call it a distasteful cliche. But in this za and for El Cid, this wasn''t just a sentence, it was a Skill. s, Aldrich, as he was now, couldn''t dissect this theory. The Devil who had possessed him through the Devil''s Oldest Change had inherited Aldrich''s all memories and understanding. But not even he could control Aldrich''s thinking capabilities. Or was there another reason for the Devil to not be able to do so? * The Devil''s purple eyes reflected the image of Boss, who his body had fought during his first raid. The first being that hade out from the earth was Buckey O''Neill. The Rare Ranked Boss hadn''t changed in appearance, except his eyes which werepletely hollow. But the Devil could see the Data hovering above its head. [ Undead Buckey O''Neill Rank: Viscount ] The second being came reeking with the smell of blood. On his bare chest, several runic markings were glowing in red, and in his hand, there was a blood-red spear. This was the weapon that even Aldrich had felt helpless about, the spear Gae Bulg. He hehe! The Devil''s purple hair shook and an evil grin came upon his face as he felt the devilish aura coursing through the spear wielder''s vein. He again looked at the Stats, passing over the hollow eyes. [ Undead Cu Chinn Rank: Viscount ] Thest two beings were like two twins. One had light red hair, and the other had sky blue. The charm emanated by their bare body parts was full of lust and seduction. But the Devil had his eyes only nted on their thighs. Hisher region throbbed, and his tongue seemed to elongate to reach down towards them. The Stats above their heads also glowed in the Devil''s eyes. [ Undead Bellerophon Rank: Viscount ] Thump! The Devil put down the Pir on the ground vertically, and his overlyrge palm stroked it up and down as he looked at Boss El Cid. "Haha Ha!! I rarely have a taste for men But, I can manage if needed." Silence reigned the entire dome. The decapitated and smashed soldiers had covered the ground, and what had left of the army were standing still. The wind had stopped howling, the horse had stopped neighing, and the rustle of leaves had vanished. A brilliant beam of red sh came out of the Boss Crawler''s eyes, as he slowly muttered. "GO." AS soon as El Cid ordered them, the two beauties dashed towards the Devil''s left and right. Cu Chinn aimed at the Devil and threw his spear, but the fastest to take action among them was Buckey O''Neill. By the time anyone had even moved, he had already fired thousands of Mana Bullets at the Devil. ROARRR!!! The Devil let out a deafening roar and took the full brunt of the shots. The Mana Bullets entered his towering body and came out from behind, leaving behind gaping holes. Even the spear had caught up by this time and entered the Devil''s chest through one of the holes. As it was about toe out of its back, hundreds of thorns protruded from the spear''s shaft and came bursting out from the 30 ft. tall Devil. And these thorns brought with themselves unbearable and scorching heat. "Ahhhh. Ahhhhhh." The Devil bawled in pain as the thorns kept vanishing and appearing at different ces on his body. Sometimes they came out of his hands, and sometimes they came out of his face. And with the spear as the center, visible red hotness started to spread outwards. El Cid''s hands went towards the two swords at his waist, as the Devil kept screaming. "AHHHHHHH AHHHHHHAHAH HAHA HAHAHA!!! I am just fucking with you all" The sudden change in the Devil''s tone caught everyone off guard. Hisrge wed hand went towards the shaft of the spear that was yet to enter his body, and with a sudden jerk, he ripped it out. Katchaa! Houuuuuu!! The spear along with the thorns came rupturing out the Devil''s chest and stomach, leaving behind hundreds of gaping holes. But soon hundreds of shadowy, eyeless, and noseless faces appeared on the Devil''s body and rushed towards the holes. It didn''t even take one blink of all the Crawler''s eyes for the holes to vanish. The Devil looked at the trembling spear, trying to escape out of the Devil''s grip and he mockingly muttered. "What is this trash?!" CRUNCHHHH!!! The Devil''s purple eye shined as he tightened his grip and the spear shattered even before he could use all his strength. An illusory scream of pain and remembrance echoed in the dome as the spear''s pieces fell to the ground. "Heh! What powerful emotions!!" The Devil savored the outlet of emotions but soon snapped his eyes towards the Boss Crawler. In front of the Boss, the red hair of Cu Chinn iled and two teardrops fell from the corners of his eyes. The Devil''s eyes became wide as the entire body of the puny legend burst into a glob of redness. "RIASTRAD!!!" The undead Cu Chinn shouted and dashed towards the Devil. On the other side, a burst of Mana came out of the undead Buckey O''Neill and the nozzle of his rifle gave a brilliant sh of blue as he shouted. "MANA BURST!!!" From his left and right, a st of ethereal golden-red Divine Aura surrounded the two Bellerophon, shaking the entire Dungeon. The March of Arrogance turned to a raging dash as they lunged at the Devil and shouted. "Athena, bless us with thine wisdom Athena, bless us with thine protection " HAHAHA!! The Devil''s dense purple hair roiled like a churning waterfall, and he let out a peal of crazedughter. He looked at the Boss El Cid, who was calmly watching the entire scene, and with an evil grin on his face, he grunted. "You call these Skills?! Hee Hee HAHA! Let me show you bitches what a true Skill looks like. " The Devil raised his right hand in the air and pointed his finger towards heaven. "Law of Darkness. Law of Devil; Combine Aldrich''s Original: WORLD SCORCHING DUAL DEVASTATION!!!" Chapter 174: The Devil in shock Chapter 174: The Devil in shock "What are Skills?" There were thousands of Archaic Scrolls and Modern Books written about this question throughout the Gxy. But none hade close to verifying the statements mentioned in the infamous book, MANA and RECORD: a philosophical theory. In it, the author had mentioned, "Mana is like raw numbers. It is an ocean of positive, negative, and imaginary numbers that by itself make no sense. And there are two ways to use these numbers for one''s desired oue." "The first way is to master Laws. These Laws are nothing but a random congregation of these numbers resulting in a rule that governed the working of the Universe. Some pure element-based Crawlers and Dreamers have such mastery. Yet, other than the First Emperor of the Gxy, there had never been a single Dreamer whopletely mastered more than one Laws." In modern times, the Skills that originated from thisplete or partial mastery of Laws were known as the Ancient Sayings. "The second way to use the chaotic Mana for one''s use is RECORD. The RECORD works like the simplest or the mostplicated forms and functions. And simr to addition, subtraction, and multiplication, the RECORD provided the means to bypass the Laws like a shortcut." In modern times, these types of Skills were divided into many Ranks depending upon theplexity of the forms used by RECORD. A slight change in the variables of these forms could decide the nature of the Skills as Active and Passive. So, when the Devil proimed the Skill as Aldrich''s original, it truly was unique and one of its kind. As one could master the Law of Darkness and Devil, but it wasn''t necessary that the path they have trodden to reach that insight was the same or not. * As thenguage of LAWS came out from the mouth of the DEVIL, a dark globe appeared at the tip of his finger. It was like he had punctured a spherical hole in the space. Everything in the za felt an incredible attraction and heaviness towards the pitch-ck hole. And those who were nearest to it felt the full brunt of it. All Skills got canceled or disintegrated even before they could hit the Devil. But this wasn''t the end of things. An evil wind howled as twelve unseen discs surrounded the football-sized globe. The presence of those discs could only be felt from the twelve ghostly space fluctuations. The Boss Crawler and even the undead felt the turmoil in emotions as they looked at those fluctuations. Ha Ha Ha! The Devil looked at El Cid and let out a mockingugh. "Itadakimasu." Zoooo-roooo-ooom!!! With the Devil as the center, the dark globe expanded outwards, engulfing each and everything. And the twelve unseen discs sucked out the rationality from all beings. The four undead Viscount Ranked Bosses voluntarily came rushing towards the dark globe. All the soldiers that had remained alive and hadn''t moved so far dashed to drown themselves in the expanding mass of ck. Only El Cid, gripping the two swords at his waist, had remained calm. He neither took the horse away from the Devil nor he ran towards it. Beings at his level could tell that there was no escape from the Devil''s Skill. The contact was inevitable, like Death. The dark globe kept expanding and soon engulfed the entire za. It went down into the earth and even the Giants in the sky, as paintings, weren''t out of its reach. Whatever that came in contact with the pitch-ck ball disintegrated and got devoured, leaving no trace behind. Shooooop!!! With a sound of arge amount of water suddenly going down a drain, the ck globe vanished. A crater appeared on the ground, but it wasn''t depthless. In the middle of the crater, there was a massive pir going down to hundreds of meters and even beyond into the earth. On top of the pir, the Devil was standing and eyeing the beauty of the destruction that had ravaged the entire za. Tink The evil grin on the Devil''s face vanished as he heard a string vibrating in a sweet but unearthly tone. And like a chorus, voices soon followed the single note of music. "Ra ru ra ra Thou art King of Kings, I worship Thee and Thy will And I pray when we part today, Thee will be with us, in this life or the next For my Cid the Champion!!!" Thummmmmm! Thump! Thump! The high slopes of the crates and the false sky quaked. Tens of thousands of soldiers came bursting out of the earth. In no time, they assembled themselves in neat rows and columns, like an army ready to march. They held their longnces and pounded them onto the earth. "As long as there are beings who remember me, I can''t die. THIS IS MY LEGEND!!!" The sentence echoed in the entire Dungeon, along with the thumping sound, and the Devil snapped his head towards his left. Miles away on the, a hand came bursting out of the earth. And along with the hand came out the rest of the body. His entire body was covered in ck armor, his helmet had only two eye-slits, and there was a blue cloak on his back. He was Count El Cid., the Undefeated King. The Devil saw El Cid unsheathing the two greatswords at his waist. The left sword was dark red as ifva was about to solidify on it. And the right greatsword was dark blue as if it was a long crystal of ice. "HAHA! LEGEND?! Mere tricks and nothing else, huh!" Shuuuu!! The Devil crouched and was about to touch the Pir in preparation for the fight when from the corner of his he saw a ck and blue blur. The wind had almost stagnated, but even then he heard a flutter of long cloth. Tink!! Another sweet but ghastly sound originated just behind the Devil, but this wasn''t the sound of string but the sound of sheathing the swords. The Devil fumbled as the pir''s top he was about to touch had gone down. "No" The Devil looked down and found the Pir was still at its ce, but his thick right arm was nowhere to be seen. A hot, sizzling pain came out from his right shoulder and soon he felt a frosty bite of needles on his left. The Devil slowly looked at his left, but even his left arm had been cut off. "Impossible! This" The Devil snapped his eyes and looked at the Boss Crawler, but El Cid wasn''t there anymore. " How can this be?! How can a mere Count use ONE STEP SHUNPO!!!" Chapter 175: One Step Shunpo Chapter 175: One Step Shunpo The Devil had been truly shocked by El Cid''s use of One Step Shunpo. Only a small trace of an entire Will of Devil possessed Aldrich. And without the full transformation, the real Will couldn''t upy the body. The Devil''s actual memory wasn''t perfect, but from the things he could remember, it was near impossible for a Count to use this Skill. One Step Shunpo was neither a Skill rewarded by the RECORD nor was it an Ancient Saying. There was only one way to describe it, and that was a side effect. A side-effect of Attributes crossing a limit. But no Dreamer could focus on one Attribute and remain alive to cross that limit by the Rank of Count. Even more than the Rank of El Cid, what shocked the Devil the most was the fact that he had seen the Boss''s Stats and they weren''t enough. He did not know how Aldrich got this Skill, but it was working wonders for him so far. There was no reason for him to doubt it until now. "What''s going on?!" The Devil stood up and turned around. El Cid was hovering amid air dozens of meters away from him. The Boss'' body seemed tinypared to the Devil''s handless figure. The Boss Crawler spoke as if guessing the Devil''s questioning gaze. "You think too little of me, Devil." The Devil narrowed his purple eyes and saw the Boss again reaching for the two swords at his waist. He he HAHA! "Brilliant! It seems like I have been away for too long I will make sure to sprinkle salt before devouring you." Two bat-like wings came popping out of the Devil''s back and he dived from the top of the pirs towards the bottom of the crater. Shuuuuu! A ripple originated in the za''s space, and the Devil felt another blur. By the time the familiar ''tink'' sound of sheathing the swords reached his ears, the wings had been cut off. The wings turned to shadow blobs and melted into this body. The Devil didn''t care as he kept falling, ignoring the Bossing again for him. Shuuuuu! Arghhh!!! A painful grunt escaped the Devil as the two swords passed through his waist, almost cutting him in half. The unbearable heat and the frost kept the wounds from healing. The Devil sensed the Boss hovering above him and reaching again for the two swords, and saw his handsid into the shadow of the pir at the bottom of the crater. The familiar sound echoed in the Devil'' ears, making his purple eyes give a brilliant sh of light. Shuuuu! One Step Shunpo wasn''t just a mere agility-based technique. It relied on shrinking the distance in one direction and taking a step. There was nothing faster than it, not even a Skill given by RECORD, under the Rank of an Earl. But in that fraction of a second, the Devil had vanished. And the swords, missing their target, struck directly into the Pir of Footprints. BOOM!!! The greatswords that had cut open the Devil''s hands and had almost cut him in half couldn''t even leave a scratch on the pir. The Boss coughed out a mouthful of blood from the recoil and got thrown hundreds of meters away from the sheer impact. But before the Boss could hit the ground, the Devil came out of the shadows and he wasn''t handless anymore. The Boss tried to put the swords in the sheath, but the Devil had already grabbed the two swords. The Devil lifted El Cid and brought him to his eye level. For a moment, it was even hard to tell who was the Crawler and who was the Dreamer from their appearance. The Devil''s long tongue came out and licked El Cid''s helmet. A calm but out-of-breath voice came out of El Cid and the question that had perplexed the Devil moments ago was now on his mouth. "You tricked me! You weren''t going towards your arms, and you had a way to dodge even One Step Shunpo. From the start, you wanted me to crash into the Pir. But how" Hahaha!!! A low chuckle came out of the Devil''s mouth as he turned his head to look at the red greatsword. Its hilt was like a cross and there was an engraving of a golden crown on both sides. The heating out of it even tried to incinerate the Devil''s hand from existence. "TIZONA - The Firebrand, quite a nice Count Ranked Greatsword. It can burn all that is alive and evil" The Devil turned his head to look at that icy greatsword that was trying to freeze his entire hand. " COLADA - The Great Frost Steel. If wielded by an unworthy warrior, it can freeze him into a block of absolute ice." ARGHHH!!! For the first time, the Boss gave out a hint of panic and tried to snatch away the swords from the Devil''s grip. Frozen and burned, purple-red blood dripped from the erged Devil''s hand, but the evil smile on his face didn''t go away. "I can feel that these swords contain the Laws. So that''s how it is? You have learned how to use the Law of Fire and the Law of Ice to imitate the One Step Shunpo. Quite Impressive! But what would happen if the swords weren''t able to use the Laws?" The Boss gave up on moving away from the Devil andughed, "Haha! For millions of years, I have been using these greatswords. The Laws can''t be" "Kid" The Devil cut off the Boss'' words, and the grin on his face vanished. He brought his enormous face near the ears of the Boss. His hoarse voice turned into incoherent whispers, making El Cid see an illusion of thousands of mile tall purple-haired Devil. And it felt like the entire world was mumbling in the Boss'' head. "You wanted to know how I dodged your Baby Step Shunpo, didn''t you? You told me I think little of you? That''s right! The truth is You aren''t even equal to a hair on Aldrich''s balls..." " Law of Fire. Law of Ice; BANISH!" Chapter 176: Undead Dullahan Chapter 176: Undead Duhan "Thoughts are a thread, Emotions are a knot; The Way to unraveling this knot is DEVIL." * From the way the Devil took pride in Aldrich, it seemed that he thought highly of the previous owner of his body. But it may not truly be the case. When the Devil''s Oldest Change attracted the unwanted attention of the Will of a True Devil, the mask had started Aldrich''s corruption. And what it had corrupted were Aldrich''s thoughts. The only issue was Aldrich''s body wasn''t suitable for the entire Will to descend, so the thing that possessed Aldrich was only a trace of that Will. The Devil not only had taken over Aldrich''s body, but all his understandings, insight, and memories. So, to a certain extent, the Devil considered Aldrich an inherent part of himself. Aldrich''s strength had be the Devil''s strength. Aldrich''s achievements had be the Devil''s achievements. And even Aldrich''s goals had be part of the Devil''s goals. For the Devil, the name Aldrich had be like a most valuable Item. But in the face of Sha, the Devil had got a buy one, get one gift when he possessed Aldrich. And that was the reason for him being able to dodge the mimicry of One Step Shunpo. * " BANISH!!!" The Devil didn''t know why and how Aldrich had these deep insights rted to many low-grade Laws. But this was the thing about Devils; They rarely cared for the reasons. As the Banish Skill was activated, the Law of Fire from Tizona and the Law of Ice from Cda vanished. Both swords became visibly dull, and it felt like they were getting petrified by the seconds. "This is impossible" The Devil heard El Cid''s broken words and savored the emotionsing out of the Boss. He tightened the grip and with every ounce of his strength the heart-wrenching sound of cracks came out of the swords. Crrr-unchhh!!! Like shards of mirrors, the swords got broken and their pieces fell tens of feet down to earth. The Devil knew their absence was temporary until he dealt with the Boss'' Skill rted to the resurrection, but he had other ns in mind. The Boss, now holding only the cross hilts of the greatswords, fell. But what awaited him wasn''t the ground, but the Devil''s kick. BANG!! El Cid''s entire head almost got ripped off from his torso as the humongous Devil''s leg hit his chin. And the Boss got sent flying miles high in the sky, rotating and turning, like the rolls of a bowling ball. There was no sun in the za, but the sky was full of light, making the towering pir cast hundreds of shadows into the slopes of the crater. At the top of the pir, which was spotless moments ago, a ck spot appeared. But the tiny figure of the Boss wasn''t enough to cast this shadow on the pir. Above El Cid, the 30 ft tall Devil was hovering with the bat-like wings on his back, and there was a heavy sword in his hand. As the Boss became motionless at the top position, the Devil raised the enormous Stone Splitter high and brought it down like a bolt of lightning. MEGATON CRUSHER! There was hardly any sound of impact when the Buster Sword hit the Boss. The ck armor on his chest got sted apart, and his chest caved in. Bones came breaking out of his back, and like a cket, he got sent towards the pir, leaving a blurry trail. BOOM! El Cid''s entire body rebounded like a ball as he hit the pir''s top. The bones that were protruding out of his back, got smashed into his body again. Arghhhh!!! Cough!!! The Boss Crawler coughed a mouthful of ckish-red blood that half came seeping out from the eye-slits of his helmet. s, this wasn''t the end of his thrashing. The Devil again appeared by El Cid''s side as if he hade out of the air. The Devil extended the sword out, and narrowed his eyes, as he poured half of his strength into the sword. MEGATON CRUSHER!!! KA-BOOM!!! A mushroom cloud appeared in the za, covering the distant soldiers and the entire crater. It was like a nuclear bomb had exploded, decimating everything around it. Not even ashes had remained of any Crawler in the miles area surrounding the pir. The Devil sat at the edge of the pir, with his feet dangling down, as he saw thest traces of the smoke and dust vanish. For a moment, he was the only living being in the za. "Ra ru ra ra Thou art King of Kings, For my Cid the Champion!!!" Tens of thousands of soldiers came bursting out of the ground and the world sang the praises of their champion. The Devil saw the Boss El Cid, with the two greatswords intact, rising from the ckened glossy earth and let out a peal of a crazedugh. He He HaHaHAHA!!! "Out of my memories, El Cid?! I am getting bored by all this, tch!" A mass of ghastly red and ck vapors surrounded the Boss Crawler. As the Devil''s words full of mockery resounded in the za, El Cid growled like a beast. "As you wish! From the Ashes of Memories ARISE!!!" AHHHHHHHH! Hooooooo!!! The undead armored army that hadn''t moved an inch let out a deafening shout and dashed towards the pir. Along with them came the same sounds of explosions, as hundreds of hollow-eyed beings came bursting out of the earth. Among them were the Crawlers and even Dreamers. The Devil recognized Sugaar, Basajaun, Trifon, and Tomiv among many of them. But his eyes seemed in search of something as they didn''t linger on any being for long. Thumm! The Sky quaked as a big hole appeared and there was an image of a golden trident in it. But the Devil didn''t care. El Cid''s hands again went to the two swords at his waist, but the Devil still didn''t move. As a massive ball of condensed thunder materialized above Sugaar''s raised hands, the Devil finally saw what he had been waiting for. It was a Crawler with a detached head and a whip in his hand. The Stats above its head made the Devil''s heart throbbed in pleasure. "What luck! Got him on the first try, huh!" [ Undead Duhan Rank: Viscount ] Shuuuu! Time seemed to stagnate as the two swords in El Cid''s hands were about to cut off the Devil''s neck. But instead of helplessness, there was an evil grin on the Devil''s face. His entire body turned into countless blobs of shadows and a ghostly mutter came out of his mouth. "Sha''s Original Law of Shadows; SHADOW BLINK!!!"
  1. Here the Boss El Cid had activated One Step Shunpo using the greatswords
Chapter 177: Agreement Chapter 177: Agreement "From pebbles to mountains and mortals to Gods; Everything that is above and under heaven has Perception." * When Aldrich had created the Shadow Homunculus, he just wanted an Item that could devour other Items to save space in his Inventory. He did not even know that its name would be changed to "Shadow Homunculus", much less the idea of it having intelligence. Why in the world did he need an Item that could think for itself? Aldrich had considerable knowledge rted to AI. And as much as he was a fan, he also knew the humans weren''t ready to tackle such artificially intelligent beings. But he had already invested his Experience Points to create the Item, and the result wasn''t half bad. Unknown to Aldrich, the Shadow part in the Item''s name wasn''t just for show. There was a reason that the Item could hide in Aldrich''s shadow. Aldrich wasn''t just experienced enough to know about such things. The Devil, though, knew it. From the memories of Aldrich and Sha, he could infer that unknowingly the Sha was mastering the Law of Shadow, with a speed that even baffled him. It was no wonder to Devil why the RECORD hadbeled the entire Item as an anomaly and an unnatural life form. If it were him against the Item, he would have annihted such a thing from growing up. Then he saw the scene of Sha appearing in front of Aldrich as if she had even matched the speed of lightning. Aldrich had yet to ask her for an exnation as he didn''t encounter a fight in the third za, but the Devil needn''t ask to know what that was. In the desperate moments,pelled by the extreme emotions, Sha had mastered a technique that couldn''t be obtained through RECORD. It was the Shadow Blink. Shadow Blink wasn''t a Skill like teleportation, for the devil knew that no teleportation could catch up to lightning in a short distance. The reason that Sha could reach Aldrich was innate to her and her only, and this reason was the Shadow World. It was a world only essible to pure Shadow elemental creatures. And the Shadow Blink was nothing but traveling through it. The shadows in the real world worked as gateways to this dimension through which an effect of teleportation could be imitated. But it had its restrictions, and they were heavy. Not only one was needed to understand the Law of Shadow to go in ande out of the dimension, but one also needed shadows to work with. If the bolt of lightning hadn''t cast Aldrich''s shadow, then no matter how quick Shadow Blink was, Sha couldn''t have reached him in the moonless night of the second za. * When the Devil entered the El Cid''s za, the only thing in his mind was to finish things quickly and go back home. Aldrich''s home, the blue and green earth. The Devil needed to mold Aldrich''s body suitable forplete possession. When Aldrich''s memories came to him, he also saw Duhan''s Stats. And in those Stats, he saw a Name that he thought he would never get to see again. Though Aldrich couldn''t read that Name, he could. But when he saw the Boss Crawler using memories to call upon dead or alive beings, he couldn''t stop thinking about how to use it to his advantage. From then on, all attacks, trash-talking, and provocations were nothing but an act. An act to force El Cid''s hands to call all Crawlers until he chance upon what he wanted. But he didn''t think it would work on the very first try. * Under the undead Duhan, there were two shadows. One cast by its body, and the other by its head. Hundreds of shadow blobs churned into the little shadow of its head, and a 30 ft tall being materialized as the blobs came together. This being was the Devil and Aldrich. And this being was also Sha. The Skill used by El Cid had raised the Stats of various Crawlers and Dreamers to Viscount, but not even it could enhance the inherent intelligence. So when the Devil towered in front of it, instead of running away to make a gap, the undead Duhan did the same thing he had done with Aldrich. By this time, El Cid had again used the false One Step Shunpo to arrive at the Devil''s back, aiming the swords at his neck. Time again stagnated, not because of the use of Shadow Blink, but by Duhan''s use of Will of ?#?#?# As the sound of many threads snapping echoed in the za, the Devil evilly grinned and muttered. "See you soon, motherfuckers!!!" The Devil couldn''t find anything rted to the dark space he hade to in Aldrich''s memories. All he could remember was that Aldrich had used his maximum agility to slice up one of the two Duhans. But he cared little about it, for he knew what to expect out of this emptiness. The Devil saw an archaic altar hovering far away from him, and let out aughing roar. ROARRRRR! HAHAHAHAHA!!! "GOLDY! Old friend, I havee to save you!!!" The Devil dashed towards the ancient altar and as he kept getting closer to it, the true size of the altar got reflected by his purple eyes. The altar was even bigger than the tens of Rosaliasbined. But the Devil neither got fazed by its size nor by the sheer amount of devilish aura surrounding the altar. Time didn''t have any meaning in this ce, and the Devil kept going and going for months or years until he reached the center of the altar. There were two massive pirs at the center covered in many runes and two chains ran down from the top of the pir towards the altar''s floor. But the shackles at the end of the chain were empty. The moment Devil saw those empty shackles, it was like he had seen something that even he didn''t want to see. A trace of bafflement came to his face, which soon turned to absolute fear. "HE has woken up, HE has woken up How NO! NO! GOLDY!!!" The Devil maniacally snapped his head all around and shouted, but couldn''t find a trace of any call and presence. His heart was throbbing in pain and terror, that for a moment he didn''t even want to leave this ce ever. But soon rage and wrathful emotions came rushing to his ce. "HOW DARE YOU?! This wasn''t the AGREEMENT. How can RECORD let this happen?" s, no one could answer his questions. The Devil kept shouting until he couldn''t anymore. Atst, the Devil again looked at the shackles and took a deep breath. He flew down towards the shackles and felt the coarseness of the iron-like material. "Don''t worry, my friend. If you have more pieces of WILL, then I will find them. But this sacrifice won''t go to waste." The Devil closed his raging purple eyes and sensed the massive devilish aura. At first he had thought the BANISHED GOLDEN DEVIL could guide him towards a better source of devil aura, but now he decided to use what was left of his Old friend''s presence. He put his palms together and thenguage of LAWS came out of his mouth. "WILL OF THE DEVIL; COME!!!" Chapter 178: The Wrath of a Devil Chapter 178: The Wrath of a Devil The aura that couldn''t be seen in the dark background of the emptiness around the altar became a golden-ck dust stream. It was like countless rivers of tiny golden suns, giving a ckish glow, were dropping into the ocean that was the Devil. His purple hair iled and as the Devil''s aura entered his body and became a part of him, his size kept increasing. The two pirs around him, which were even taller than him even now, thrummed and the entire altar gave out a golden glow. The two chains almost lifted in the air and slithered as if they were metallic snakes. 100 ft 200 ft 1000 ft 10000 ft It seemed like the Devil''s size had no limit. But as soon as two-third of the Banished Golden Devil''s aura entered into him, the purple-haired Devil''s colossal size started to shrink. And it shrank at an exponential rate. 1000 ft 100 ft 30 ft But it didn''t stop there. The Devil''s body lost its thick structure and became leaner and leaner. The muscles that were bulging got condensed, and the ws became sharper and sharper. Even the wooden logs like legs became lean and felt like two ckish vines. As the Devil reached a height of 7 ft, the transformation stopped. Yet, the most drastic change happened to the Devil''s face. The face, that no one could tell if it ever belonged to a human, had changed to match that of the original Aldrich''s face. But like his body, the face was also jet ck. If it weren''t for thest traces of the golden stream and the altar, it would have been impossible to distinguish him from the dark space. And the purple hairs on his head were long and had a golden shine about them. Thrummmm! As the Devil opened his eyes, the pirs quaked. Those eyes were deep, menacing purple in their entirety, and had no pupils. But there were two golden rings at the center of the Devil''s eyes that gave out a ghastly dark glow. The chains with their open shackles lunged at him, trying to bind him for eternity. The Devil didn''t run away or even prevent the chains from approaching them. The shackles, like a snake''s open mouth, bite down on his lean ck wrist. But as soon as they came in contact with his skin, they bounced off as if following a pre-described rule. The Devil muttered as he saw the pir getting silent and the chains returning to their position. "Can''t bind the traces of humans? It seems the agreement is still valid then." The Devil brought his hands up and looked at them. His gaze went down to his entire body, and he mumbled, shaking his head in annoyance. "Still not enough. It only brought me to 50%pletion." The shaking of his head made him chance upon the Rumok on his right hand that had covered his long hand up to the elbow. "You/I learned how to carve Rumoks by myself. But didn''t how to use Perception. Tch! A disgrace!! No wonder I couldn''t use the Rumok to its full capabilities" The Devil raised his hands outwards, andmanded. " Perception. ZERO!!!" The enormous Divine Sense that had almost covered a spherical volume of 4 cubic miles, with the Devil as the center, came rushing back to his body. For the first time, Aldrich''s Attribute changed without the use of any Skill. [ Perception: 0 (-280) ] The lost value of 280 didn''t transfer to any other attribute but vanished. And the Devil, whose presence had riled up the altar, also disappeared along with it. Without looking directly at him, none could even sense if the Devil was even there or not. Perception could sense only those who had Perception. And that included all things, Crawlers, and even Dreamers. The Devil rotated his head to look at the dark space, and his eyes fumed with revenge. As his head came to stop to stare at the pirs and chains, the image of a golden figure shed by his mind. His sharklike teeth grated in wrath, and his eyes shut themselves to savor the emotion of loss. "I swear in the name of Ancient Devil, one day I will bind HIM here." By the time the Devil opened his eyes, he had already returned to the za. Time slowly seemed toe alive, but the swords aimed at El Cid''s neck couldn''t find their target, as the Devil''s height wasn''t overlyrge and crude anymore. Shadow Blink brought the Devil back to the pir''s top, and no undead Crawler or Dreamer noticed what had taken ce in that one second. None could sense the Devil anymore and even though the Devil''s figure had been shortened and morphed, all attacks were still aimed at him. Zoooom!!! A massive mass of condensed thunder, surrounded by twelve sics of wind, got fired at him. Countless thorns and petals rained down from his right. His left was covered in hundreds of Skills and over his head, there were millions of insects. And the tens of thousands ofnces thrown by the undead army had reced his background. The raging thoughts had still upied the Devil''s mind as he saw the countless Skills and weaponsing towards him. The golden rings in his deep purple eyes rotated, and the Devil took a horse stance and put his palms together. His long purple hair rose as if there was an updraft of air and all the furious emotions came out through his voice. "All things in the Universe that have Perception, cower before my Might ALMIGHTY PUSH!!!" Time seemed to bend as the Skills and weapons almost traced their path back a little. The entire fabric of Space-Time ruptured, ripping apart everything that was subjected to the rules of the Universe. Outside the Dungeon, the towering statue of the El Cid, which couldn''t be touched even by the Dukes, shook. And countless cracks appeared on its ck surface. CRACKKKKKK!!! As everything calmed down, multiple fissures opened up in the za. Purple-white thunder cracked and spatial winds ravaged the false Sky. The za''s earth kept disintegrating and reappearing following the RECORD''s rules. It was apparent that Skills at this level weren''t meant to be used in a Dungeon having Count Ranked Bosses. The Devil stood up and looked around, thinking of El Cid''s oue, and soon the abysmal song echoed again. "Ra ru ra ra " All undead again came bursting out of the broken earth, but half of them got annihted by the spatial winds and thunder. The Devil''s chest moved up and down in sheer anger and he put down his hand on the pir. "Goldy, among us, only you had the true understanding of Justice." The golden rings in his eyes again rotated and a brilliant golden sh came out from the tip of his two curved horns. On the pir, the horned ck Bull seemed to havee alive as it ran across the surface of the Pir. Shooop! BOOM!!! The entire pir shortened and became a 13 ft Bo Staff. The Devilnded on the earth, but the weight of the Pir hadn''t changed, and a cloud of dust exploded out. From all around, the remaining undead again rushed at him equipped with Skills and Items, and the Devil saw El Cid''s hands reaching for the two swords. "All Proficient" The Devil ignored the notification rted to the Penalty and took a stance holding the Bo over his shoulder. Even the Bull on the Pir seemed to bellow in El Cid''s direction. ROARRRRRR!!! " I am sick of you! I am sick of All of You! Aldrich''s Original Bojutsu: TEN THOUSAND KYU-SHAKU PRESSURE POINTS ARTS!!!"
  1. It is unknown whether the Devil is saying You or I here.
Chapter 179: The Return of a Useless Dreamer Chapter 179: The Return of a Useless Dreamer First came the army of the undead, with theirnces pointed at the Devil. A lightning bolt cracked behind them, elongating their shadow towards him. The Devil melted into the shadows and appeared among the thick of the army. And with a tiny flick of the Pir of Footprints, hundreds of undead soldiers got sent flying into the air. "Expand!" The Devil aimed at the soldiers in the air andmanded the Pir. The ck Bull''s eyes glowed and the Pir, in an instant, went up to the sky and came back. Not caring for the disintegrated soldiers in the air, an emerald point of light originated in the Devil''s eyes. FLAW DETECTION! The Devil maneuvered the pir, leaving behind purple burrs, as he kept decimating the soldiers, pieces by pieces. But noiselessly, a clear water drop came rushing towards him like an apparition. The Devil''s eyes stared at Tomiv''s blessing, and aiming the water-drop, he threw the pir, like a bolt of lightning. BOOM! The Pir broke the sound barrier, exploding hundreds of soldiers, and soon a ghostly figure of a ck bull surrounded the pir. ROARRR! The bull bellowed and smashed into the water-drop. For a second, the entire za seemed to have be an ocean, undergoing earthquakes. Massive illusory tsunamis arose, washing away thousands of undead, and drowned them into the unreal ocean. Above the Devil, the blurry golden trident changed its orientation and aimed itself at him. But before it coulde out of the eye-like hole in the sky, a world trampling foot appeared above it. The foot covered the entire sky, and the line on its sole felt like mile-deep ravines. Roarrrrrrrr!! The bull again roared, not in defiance, but submission. The Pir came rushing towards the Devil''s hands as the naked foot touched the trident. No sound of that world-ending impact entered the za, but the illusory ocean vanished, leaving behind traces of its wrath. The Devil vanished and appeared in front of Tomiv, who had taken out a Bazooka. "Impudent!" With an annoyed mutter, the Devil hit Tomiv''s arms with the Pir, making them useless. And a swift kick sted Tomiv''s head out of his torso. Behind him, the image of Evesting Venomous Rose was taking shape. The Devil saw Trifon summoning the ancestral spirit and let out an evil grin. Hehe! "Intimidation!" Trifon''s head jolted back, and the Skill got canceled. But before he could shake off the Intimidations'' effect, the Devil had already arrived behind him. Undead Trifon''s hollowed eyes couldn''t reflect the ckened face as the Devil opened his jaw wide and bit off Trifon''s head. "GO! Pussy Pussy!!" A shout came from the Devil''s left, and a purple kittennded on the top of the pir. The Devil''s eyes became wide as a chip fell off from the pir where the paws of the kitten hade in contact. He saw a mirror hovering above the purple-haired Christin and let go of the Pir. His purple eyes gave an emerald glow as he appeared above the mirror and cut it in half using the Broken Faith. The Devil''s feetnded on Christin''s head, crushing it in pulp, and the purple kitten vanished. But before the pir could return to him, TIZONA and COLADA shed by his eyes. El Cid had made his move. By this time, the unrestrained use of Skills had raised the Penalty so high that even his Shared Vision could hardly see any Stat over the Undeads. The Devil''s feet broke down into the shadow blobs, and the swords passed over his head, cutting a few of his dense purple hair. He threw the Katana at the Boss Crawler, but before it could hit, the sword vanished. It was just a distraction. Broken faith wasn''t enough to handle two Count Ranked Items. The Devil''s hand reached towards the Pir and the Rumok on his hand glowed. "No more resurrection, bitch! I am going to seal you for eternity. Rot here, along with your Legend!" As the Katana vanished and merged back into the Devil, the Pir got pulled and appeared in his hand. The Devil''s purple, golden, and emerald-colored eyes looked at the Boss in search of all the ws. El Cid raised Tizona to use a Skill, but the Devil had already struck the Crawler''s wrist using the Pir. The useless wrist couldn''t hold the sword and it fell, making El Cid squint his red eyes. HAHA! The Devil let out augh and mocked. "What are you thinking?!" The Cda shed and gave out an icy burst of Mana, but the Devil didn''t go for the blue sword. He smashed the Pir to his right, and it hit the Boss Crawler''s leg, who wasing for the Devil''s head. The Boss staggered as he lost the sense in his left leg and, in sheer terror, shouted at the Devil. "You! You can see the future?!!!" The Devil gave a horror-inducing smile that made the Boss visibly shiver. El Cid dashed toward Tizona, to use One Step Shunpo and get away from the Devil, but another flurry of the Pir made the Boss lose every sense of his body. Thump! The Devil eyed El Cid''s sprawled figure and put his leg over his chest armor. "Wait here! I am going to take care of these ants." What ensued wasn''t just a blood bath but a pure massacre. The entire za was covered in purple and emerald shes, and the figure of a massive pir could be seen appearing and vanishing here and there. Thousands of soldiers got pulled and annihted under the sheer weight of the pir. And what had left of the undead Dreamers also got crushed under the Devil''s wrath. The Devil approached El Cid and seemed a little out of breath. All the Skills, and fight had left him out of Mana and Stamina. The only reason he had been so careless about the Penalty was that he knew that other than Boss, none could kill him in one attack. That''s why only after making sure that El Cid''s couldn''t move, he had gone for the rest of puny things. Or, so he thought. "After sealing you, I will y you and cut off your dick. Let those whoe after me see what worthless crap you are." The Devil let go of the pir and his hand reached towards El Cid''s helmet. His Perception was still in its Zero state, and the w Detection had gone into cooldown. So when the Boss''s stomach sted open it took the Devilpletely off-guard. In sheer shock, the Devil saw what he had thought to be the Boss Crawler changed to a hideous being. And a crawled-up body of a ck armored knight, wrapped in tentacles, slipped out of the hideous creature''s stomach. A distant memory came to the Devil as he realized what the creature was. It was an Undead Changeling. The Devil was still thinking why the Boss Crawler would let himself be taken over by a Changeling when one more body came out of the Changeling''s stomach. But there were no tentacles attached to him. The Devil didn''t immediately recognize the funny-looking hippie man covered in juices and blurted out. "Who the fuck are you?!" The hippie extended his hand towards the Devil and muttered. "I I am Mantis, and I am not known by any other name LIFE-STEAL!!!" Before the Devil could even use Shadow Blink, everything in front of his eyes had be darker than dark.
  1. Pressure Points
Chapter 180: A terror named Aldrich Guo Chapter 180: A terror named Aldrich Guo The Devil opened his eyes, but even he hadn''t seen this much Darkness in his entire life. There was no Mana around him, and billions of Creatures of Darkness kept howling from near to far as if a parasite had entered amidst them. The Devil looked down and found his entire body had lost the presence of solidity and reality. But there was a ck mist rising out of his ethereal body, and he could see the faces of hundreds of Darklings he had absorbed in the third za. Their home and their kin were calling to them. And as soon as he realized what ce deserved to be called their home, unimaginable terror struck his head. ''RUN!!!'' It didn''t even take any effort for the word toe up to him, as it was more of an instinct. The Devil neither cared for the directions nor for the reason of his arrival at this senseless and timeless ce. All the logic, reasoning, and pride got ovee by the emotion of absolute dread. The Devil made a round turn and started to run, like a prey smelling the scent of a predator. It was like a man trying to run underwater. Even Aldrich, whenever he had arrived here, never tried to run or move, but only guided his body in a direction following the call. The Devil, however, had no ess to those memories. The way the purple-haired horned Devil iled his arms and legs looked quiteical. s, there was no one to take pleasure in this once-in-a-lifetime type of scene. But the Devil couldn''t go very far. A tremendous force pulled him back as if a rope was tied to his waist, jerking him on the impact. No speed wasparable to which he had been traveling at that time. All teleportations, Blinks, and Dimensional ruptures also seemed to pale inparison. The distance that Aldrich used to travel in hundreds of thousands of years, gotpressed in mere seconds. Hush!!! The Devil''s head jerked again, and he heard an endless sound of flutter behind him. A shiver ran down his spine, and with a horrified look in his purple eyes containing golden rings, he slowly turned around. Sweat couldn''t appear on his ethereal body, but the Devil felt wetness all around him. The fate he was trying to avoid after he visited his old friend, seeing the Endless ck Veil flutter in front of him, seemed inevitable. Behind the Veil, the Devil could feel a Being, calling whom massive would be an insult. There was an ever-present smile on that faceless Being, and the Devil perceived that there was even a smirk. Huff! Huff! The Devil''s breathing went out of control and he was about to say something when the ck Veil gave an out-of-rhythm flutter. This flutter differed from the uniform undtions on it, and it happened right in front of him. "WAIT!!! You Fucker, What are you doing?!" The Devil''s chest bulged and kept bulging outward as if someone was blowing air into a balloon. And just when it couldn''t expand anymore, it exploded. BANG!!! The Devil''s body wasn''t real, so there wasn''t any actual flesh or blood that had burst out of him. But not even he had expected the thing that came out. As his chest returned to its previous state, he saw a ball of another ck Veil, iprehensibly tinypared to the other Veil. It was like someone had wrapped a piece of ck cloth around arge ball. The mass of ball-like ck Veil openedyer byyer, and the form of a person took shape inside it. His hairs werepletely white, and there was a hole in the middle of his forehead. All around him, the Creatures of Darkness rejoiced at this figure''s arrival. And as he opened his eyes, the Devil saw his white pupils staring right at him. This being, was Aldrich Guo. * Aldrich opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a tall ck being with purple hair and purple eyes. But there were two golden rings in those eyes, brimming with Justice. He noticed the two horns and the deep look of fear and dread on his face. Aldrich turned his head left and gave a nce to the Endless ck Veil and the hint of a colossal Being towering behind it. A low chuckle escaped Aldrich''s mouth as he again looked at the Devil and muttered. "Haha, well! I would have never thought that you would die so early." "What What do you mean?!" The small ck veil wrapped around Aldrich''s naked body as he heard the shocked voice of the Devil. A smirk came upon his face as Aldrich asked. "Humph! Do you think I would have just let the matter of a Devil possession go? Just that easily?!" "Im Impossible! I know all your memories and thoughts. Even at thest moment, you did not know that I had been corrupting you." The Devil was indeed right, and Aldrich knew it. But Aldrich knew even more than he had shown outwards. His face became grave as he muttered, like stating the truth. "Dreams are inadvertently rted to Thoughts; Like Dreams, Thoughts can be Real or a Hoax." Aldrich''s words, full of the Law of Darkness echoed around him. The Devil raised his hand and pointed a finger at him. "You" But Aldrich cut off his words and continued. "You know that all my life I have been trying to master my thoughts to gain lucidity in dreams. But only aftering to this ce did I realize that there was an inherent rtionship between dreams and thoughts. After mastering Law of Darkness during my time here, I put all my time into controlling my thoughts. And then after hundreds of thousands of yearster, an insight came to me. I could just break my thoughts apart and attach them to something else. Something that was and also was not a part of me. Like this ck Veil." The Devil staggered and brought his hand down, but Aldrich didn''t show any mercy and kept bombarding the Devil''s mind with facts. "I knew that there was a gargantuan difference between somews. Like the Law of fire and the Law of Darkness. The former seemed empty and lonely, while thetter wasplete and whole. And then I came into contact with the Law of Devil. In an instant, I got to know that it was on par with Darkness. But I had no means to master that Law and even millions of years didn''t seem sufficient for it in this ce. So you can imagine when I saw an opportunity to master another Law how happy I was." For the first time, the Devil calmed down. His head drooped as the scenes just after Aldrich''s resurrection shed through his mind. "So the reason you took Devil''s aura out of Sha and kept it on your clothes" The Devil muttered. Aldrich didn''t pity seeing the hopelessness of the Devil andpleted his words. "Yes, it was to allow you to corrupt me. I had already used the ck Veil to separate my thoughts rted to you and this ce." Chapter 181: A terror named Aldrich Guo (2) Chapter 181: A terror named Aldrich Guo (2) The reason that Aldrich had given seemed too outrageous and incredible. There were just too many factors involved that felt out of ce. The Devil snapped his head up at Aldrich and asked, "But that is" "What? Risky?! Yes, it indeed was. I had no way to know what you would do to my body. But it couldn''t be avoided. How else was I to master two Laws of the same levels? Also, even if you hadn''t died, the moment you would have tried to Rank up, HE would have done something about you." Aldrich gestured towards the ck Veil, but the Devil didn''t dare to look at his right. It was as if the Devil was denying the existence of the Being altogether. As Aldrich mentioned the Ranks, the Devil retorted. "Just guesses?! How did you even know that I would Rank up or not? Look at me, do I need a mere Viscount written in front of my name?" Aldrich shook his head, and emotion of sadness came over him. "You disappoint me, Devil. In this world, there can''t be another person who would know me better than you. And yet you think I made a wild guess?!" A trace of doubt appeared on the Devil''s face. Aldrich brought his hands behind his back and continued. "What is my ultimate weakness? I knew it, so how could you not? It''s our life essence. I knew the first thing you would do after taking over my body would be to Rank it up considerably. High enough for the body tost thousands of years. Let me make a guess right now. Tell me If I am wrong, the first thing you did after taking over me was not to leave the Dungeon, but you went straight for the Boss Crawler. I can bet all my insights that the reason you died is also rted to life essence." Gulp! The Devil gulped heavily, trying to wash away the dryness in his throat. But neither the dryness nor the wetness was real. A mixture of pleading and a suggestive voice came out of the Devil''s mouth and reached Aldrich''s ears. "You are right! You are absolutely right! But if you let me be devoured by this wretched bastard, you won''t get my Understandings. Then everything that you have done so far would be nothing but a joke. I/We/You aren''t that much of a fool, right?" An evil smile came upon Aldrich''s face. And for a fraction of a second, the Devil felt a terror even more horrendous than what he had felt after looking at the massive ck Veil. Aldrich, almost in a scoffing and reprimanding tone, spoke. "If I were topare the Great Old One''s WILL to a body, then the part that had descended in your form must be the tip of his dick. How can you even forget that We aren''t the only two parties involved in this matter?" "Sha" A name escaped out of the Devil''s mouth. "Yes, Sha. The moment I return to my body, I would make her transfer her memories to me. Sure, they would be the scenes from her perspective" Aldrich raised his arms out as if holding the entire Darkness in his arms. " But I have nevercked time in this ce." Aldrich knew it sounded usible and cool, but he didn''t want to keeping here. It made him count on a thing that he wasn''tpletely sure of, making it highly unreliable to him. The Devil became quiet, eerily quiet, hearing Aldrich''s exnation. But soon the devilish emotions kicked in and heughed out maniacally. "Hee Hee HAHAHA! When you get those memories, you will also get to know my NAME!! THE TRUTH." The Devil didn''t get toplete his words, as with another out of rhythm flutter of the ck Veil, his ethereal body disintegrated. Crunch! Much! Thum!! Hushhhhhhh!!! Aldrich narrowed his eyes as he heard the familiar sound of chewing crunchy chips. The entire Darkness thrummed with pleasure and a whisper entered Aldrich''s mind. The call urged him to present his conditions for the trade. Aldrich didn''t know why a Being of such stature and such capabilities would even bother to maintain such a rtionship with him. But without having more facts and evidence, he refrained from making further guesses. The only reason he kepting here, regardless of the drastic difference in strength and status, was that he liked this idea of fair trade. As long as it would remain on his terms. Aldrich turned and faced the ck Veil. He knew what he had given this time couldn''t bepared to the previous dish, the Banished Golden Devil. Keeping his limits in mind, Aldrich proimed. "Seal the Devil''s Oldest Change to an extent no matter how many times I use it, it doesn''t attract the attention of a Devil''s WILL." The ck Veil undted with a rhythm in response, and the whisper in Aldrich''s mind implored him to ask more. Aldrich gave it a thought, and his white eyes shined with deep cunningness. "I know YOU can affect RECORD. I don''t know how the Devil died, but I want you to" * Space ripped apart as Aldrich''s ethereal form entered the Paza. The world had lost its color, and everything had be white and ck. On the ground, Aldrich saw the Devil''s sprawled body, and over him stood a hippie man. Aldrich raised his brows as he recognized the face from the long past. But unlike his previous experiences, when he could see himself in past timelines, he didn''t see other scenes rted to the Devil. It was apparent that what had died was an amalgam of Aldrich and the Devil, but only Aldrich had got to return. As the world hinted at gaining color, Aldrich dived into his morphed body. Aldrich opened his eyes and stood up. The hippie man raised his hand again, but a kick from Aldrich sent the Mantis flying in the distance. Aldrich clenched and unclenched his hands, and felt a little out of ce in the transformed body. "Sha" "DADDDYYYY Daddyyyy WAHHH Sniff!! He.. hit me He Sniff!!!" Aldrich knew if the Shadow Homunculus could leave his face, Sha would have already put her hands around his neck and bawled her eyes out. It seemed this transformation had tortured the Item too. Aldrich ignored the outlet of emotionsing out of Sha and said. "Cryter, send me all your memories." Sniff! Still crying in Aldrich''s mind, Sha sent out scenes after scenes to him. Aldrich took his time going through the memories. The pir, the Boss, and the Undead made his heart throbbed with anticipation. As thest scene of the Devil''s death shed by, Aldrich involuntarily looked at the Boss, who seemed frail because of the tentacles. "Impressive!" A mutter came out of Aldrich''s mouth and the ss Generalist presented its terror in the material world again. Aldrich didn''t master the Law of Devil outright, but his insights had deepened just from these memories. He put his jet ck palms together and thenguage of LAWs came out of his mouth. "One Devil''s Thought, Hundred Emotions LAW OF DEVIL; BREAK!!!" The entire ck body exploded into a dark mist and condensed into a ck greatcoat. On the shoulders of the coat, there were two dense purple rings, and from time to time, they gave out a golden glow. A familiar mask materialized on Aldrich''s face, and his hair returned to the whiteness of a foaming ocean. "How Huff! How are you still alive?! Who are you?" Aldrich heard El Cid''s broken voice, who was trying to sit up but failed miserably. And as his white eyes met those of the Undefeated King''s bleak red eyes into his helmet, he calmly introduced. "I am Aldrich Guo."
  1. here the Devil is addressing Aldrich and himself as one being
Chapter 182: Drinking with a Boss Chapter 182: Drinking with a Boss In front of Aldrich, El Cid had somehow sat up, but this tiny effort had consumed thest ounce of strength he had left. The ck-armored Boss couldn''t move his head to look into Aldrich''s eyes anymore. Aldrich could feel a red gaze on his waist as the Boss Crawler spoke. "Kill me." The two words felt less like a plea and more like amand. Aldrich gave the Boss a look and then sat down on the ckened ground in front of El Cid, crossing his leg. The ring that had almost vanished after his transformation, could be seen once again. Aldrich sent a tiny trace of Mana, which he had left, and took a golden jar of wine and two cups out of the FIR. "Care to have a drink with me?" A slight breeze passed between Aldrich''s and El Cid''s faces as their eyes met. The Boss''s chest heaved up and down, and Aldrich, receiving no response, poured the wine in the cups. "I AM MANTIS" Aldrich looked beyond the Boss and saw the hollow-eyed Mantis running towards him, shouting his name. Without using the Skill Change, Aldrich''s strength wasn''t enough to kill a Viscount Ranked Undead in one kick. The Rumok on his hand was about to give out a blinding sh of light when a slight tremor originated in El Cid''s unmovable fingers. The lone undead that had survived and brought down a Devil, stopped in his tracks and slowly approached the Boss. It was like all the emotions had been sucked out of undead and Aldrich could only call this kind of being a puppet and nothing more. The undead Mantis grabbed the Boss Crawler''s helmet and lifted it out. And for the first time in countless years, a Dreamer saw the true face of this legend. El Cid''s face wasn''t brimming with the shine of a young knight. His eyes with red pupils were sunken into his skull. His cheeks were copsing in his mouth, and the face, which should have been glowing white and golden, was pale and purple. Aldrich stared at the hole in the middle of the Boss Crawler''s head and handed the undead Mantis a cup of wine. Aldrich took a sip, and in front of him, El Cid controlled Mantis to take a sip of his own. A slight redness came over on the Boss'' face as soon as the drink went down his throat. Aldrich''s FIR was full of such wine jars not only because they were a specialty of House Venomous Rose but also because they were a rich source of Mana. But this Mana wasn''t enough to bring any changes in the Boss. It was to just make El Cid able to speak, and Aldrich wanted answers out of him. Aldrich spoke as he looked at El Cid''s disheveled ck hair and the trace of a light beard on his frail face. "El Cid, the Undefeated King, died of the famine and deprivation caused by the siege of the castle. His wife, Queen Jimena, ordered his corpse to be fitted with his armor to boost the morale of soldiers. As the soldiers cried and howled, the King returned from the dead, along with an army of undead, and crushed Valencia''s besiegers. History speaks of the incident as ''Won the Battle but lost the War''. But it didn''t clearly say who won the battle and who lost the war." Mantis'' hand, carrying the cup, stopped amid its trajectory to Boss Crawler''s mouth as if it wasn''t the hand of the undead, but El Cid''s own. As Aldrich''s words rang around the two of them in the annihted za, El Cid gulped down the entire cup of wine in one go. Tink! The wine cup fell on the ground, and El Cid blurted out with the broken breath. "I hope you have poisoned this wine." Aldrich amusingly shook his head and took a light sip of the wine. His mind went down to the death of the Devil and he couldn''t help but bring this topic to light. "A brilliant strategy you used there! First, you let a Viscount Ranked Changeling take control over you. And you even gave the Undead Changeling your swords. Given Changeling''s nature, it thought it was you and attacked me. But that was just oneyer of the cunning n, isn''t it? At the expense of getting weakened, you took advantage of the fact that the Changeling could only handle one body at a time." Aldrich nced at the Undead Mantis and continued. "You hid Mantis in the Changeling''s stomach, anticipating that I would go for the rest of the Undead before killing you first. And as I came close to Changeling and let my guard down, the hidden Mantis came out and snatched my tiny Baron life essence like a piece of cake. Amazing!" The Boss Crawler didn''t speak but only stared as Aldrich broke down his nning piece by piece. Aldrich could feel the deep shock hidden in those emotionless eyes. He knew that what had happened was due to a series of luck, as the Boss didn''t know about his Shared Vision. But he had to crush all the traces of El Cid''s hope for him to know what he wanted. Aldrich gulped thest wine drops out of the cup and smirked. "But this nning and wonderful execution is nothing but a pretense, right? The key question isn''t how you came up with the n, but when you came up with it. Was it after I had ripped apart the space-time here? No! Hmm, was it after the first time I had killed your undead? NO!" Aldrich leaned forward and stared into the red pupils as if seeing within El Cid''s soul. " Or was it the moment when you received Record''s notification allowing you to use your Legend''s authority and upgrade the Dungeon''s difficulty?" For the first time, El CId''s weak but calm eyelids shivered and the mask on Aldrich''s face ovepped with that of the purple-haired Devil''s face in his eyes. As Aldrich waited for the answer, the Boss Crawler''s words came out, containing a tinge of horror. "... Kill me." Chapter 183: Evolution Chapter 183: Evolution The two words "Kill me" felt empty to Aldrich. He had an idea why the Boss kept saying this, but this wasn''t the time toe to that point. A more terrible and cruel theory had been forming in his mind for quite some time. Aldrich stood up and dusted off his ck greatcoat. He put his hands behind his back and looked down at the Boss, who could barely move his head now because of the wine. As their gazes met, Aldrich mumbled as if talking to himself. "What had troubled me since the very first day I came to know ''RECORD'', wasn''t its existence, but the way it had developed Dungeons. It''s quite different from those poprly known on my home, but this could be ignored. The Dreamers can do optional Quests, and even in Random Dungeon, one only needs to take care of Elites or a minor Quest rted to Boss." "What are you implying?!" El Cid blurted out, and the undead Mantis beside him flinched. Aldrich was quite pleased with this reaction, so he continued. "The thing that got ignored by many baffled me deeply. Why is the difficulty of clearing a Dungeon, Random or not, so hard? It is up to the point where not even a party of 5 Rare Dreamers can actually take on a single Baron Ranked Boss. This was the case on my. Then I came out in the Gxy and I found out not only on Barren Earth, but this is also the case everywhere. It almost seems like the RECORD doesn''t want you guys to die under Dreamers'' hands." As soon as Aldrich halted his outlet of doubts, Mantis lunged at him with his hand stretched towards Aldrich. A smile full of mockery came on Aldrich''s face, as the Rumok on his right hand gave out a blue and green glow. BANG! The Almighty Push sent the undead flying into the air. The two purple rings on his shoulders shed with golden light and amand resounded in the silent za. "Expand!!!" The Pir of Footprints elongated and hit directly into the Mantis'' chest, ripping him apart in pieces. Aldrich gave the Pir a look as it returned to its original state and snapped his head at El Cid. A low chuckle came out of Aldrich as he scoffed at the Boss Crawler. "Haha! Ticked a nerve, did I?!" There was a trace of anger on El Cid''s face. And after mastering a better part of the Law of Devil, Aldrich felt himself bing sensitive to these emotions and their changes. Even without the Law, he could guess the emotions, but not to this certainty. Ignoring the silent and fuming eyes of the Boss, Aldrich started to walk around the motionless El Cid. All the world seemed to condense onto the two of them, as Aldrich kept bombarding El Cid to wear him down. "Evolution. The creatures of water evolved and came out tond, but lost the ability to breathe underwater. If this is evolution, then what is ''RECORD'' up to? I have asked myself many times. I could feel myself getting stronger, but where was the sense of loss. Once again, my ability to theorize based on the facts got affected because I was on a Barren Earth." Aldrich came to a stop in front of El Cid, who seemed deader than dead since hisst attempt on Aldrich''s life. "Aftering here, I Came to know that this loss has another name in the Gxy. It''s just called a Count''s curse. And with every rank, this curse intensifies or changes or more curses add on, depending upon the quality of evolution. So if every Count has a curse, what is your curse, El Cid?" "Who are you?!!" El Cid stared at the sky over his head, and nonsensically blurted out, like a trapped prey losing all hope. Aldrich followed the Boss Crawler''s gaze and saw the painting of Giants. The space-time ruptures had vanished and the cracks in the paintings were disappearing by seconds. "Asking twice won''t change my identity" Aldrich took his eyes off, and his eyes met that of El Cid. Aldrich knew the time hade to put thest nail in the coffin. "As long as there are beings who remember you, you can''t die. This is your legend. I wasn''t quite myself when you proimed this out. But let me ask now, who are these beings, El Cid? Do the memories you mentioned belong to the people of countless Barren Earth? Or are they the memories of the army of the undead who sang the song of your return? Why did you let me run amok and annihte the undead soldiers when I entered the Paza?" "So you know," El Cid muttered, and the redness of his pupils dimmed. Aldrich gave a nod and answered. "The memories that kept making youe back belonged to me, didn''t they? You distracted me from this fact by meaningless things and attacks. Your use of undead and even the song was nothing, but a well-nned scheme. You can rise from my memories, but if I am to forget about you, you will turn to dust right now. El Cid" Aldrich put a hand on El Cid''s shoulder and whispered in his ears. " Your curse is your legend." Hahahaha!!! A shrieky and coarseugh burst out of the Boss Crawler and he narrowed his eyes at Aldrich. "So What?! You can''t just stop thinking about me. I have already imprinted my image into your memories. You will never leave this Dungeon." Sigh! Aldrich sighed and, for the first time, showed pity in his eyes. This pity wasn''t for the knight in front of him nor was it for the Dreamers. It was for the gap in his knowledge that was eating Aldrich from inside. "As I was before, I couldn''t stop thinking, you are right. But the person you see before you can. El Cid, just tell me, why ''RECORD'' would go to such lengths to make sure you win against Dreamers in a life and death fight?" Chapter 184: "WILL" Chapter 184: "WILL" Aldrich''s question was not only to the point, it was also a question striking the RECORD''s heart, trying to dig out the deepest secrets hidden within it. Aldrich had always thought about the need for a Mana field around a Boss Crawler''s chamber. If RECORD could create different worlds, then why not put Boss in another dimension rather than going through this tedious process. The only reason Aldrich could find for it was that it wasn''t something in RECORD''s hands. It didn''t create the Mana field because it needed to, but because it had to. And Aldrich knew if he got the answer to the question he had asked El Cid, he would also get to know the reason for the doubt in his mind. "Why?" Aldrich narrowed his eyes as El Cid asked a simple question. "Why?! Because I want to know" Aldrich tried to exin, but the Boss El Cid shook his head in between. "Not that why. Why, as in, why should I tell you anything?" Yes, Aldrich never thought why in the world a Boss Crawler would cooperate with him. ording to Aldrich, if there was a piece of information that could only result in benefits and no loss for any party, then it must be shared. There was no reason to even think of why El Cid should not tell him. But now he had to think of a way to make the already depressed Boss Crawler even more miserable. Sigh! Aldrich sighed in his mind as the only way he could force El Cid to open his mouth came to him. But this method was a double-edged sword. For him to use this method meant that he would certainly lose a very crucial thing he needed to do, which also required Boss Crawler''s help. "When you charged into Valencia''s besiegers after already dying once, a legend was born that time. A memory got nted in the many enemies, your subjects, and even in the beings from beyond the uncrossable waters. Yet you, El Cid, never cared for those memories. Because it wasn''t them that had made you bring yourself out of the clutches of Death." As Aldrich looked away from El Cid and spoke these irrelevant words, a redness spread throughout the Boss Crawler''s eyes. It was like his red pupils were two suns and there was a reddish hue surrounding them. Aldrich heard the sheer grating of teeth, and a fuming roar came out of El Cid. "YOU DARE!!!" Aldrich didn''t mind the powerless Boss shouting at him. The only thing that mattered to him was El Cid''s reaction, and he was pleased with it. He gave El Cid''s frail and purplish face a deep look and continued. "Who had won the battle and who had lost the war in your legend? Historians interpreted it at face value. They theorized that the reason for winning the battle was your wreaking havoc within the enemies'' ranks. And the war was lost because it came at the price of your death. But that is not even remotely rted to the meaning hidden within this sentence" Aldrich''s eyes deepened as he dissected the history piece by piece, and an inevitable feeling of doom ran through El Cid''s mind. The Boss Crawler wasn''t the first to experience this look of Aldrich. Boomie used to see it too from time to time. Words like sharp needles poured out of Aldrich''s mouth. "Schrs thought it was Valencia and its citizens that had won the battle and lost the war. But how could that be the entire truth? You, El Cid, you had won the battle for the sheer Will that you had shown bying out of the dead. But it wasn''t you who had lost the war. It was Queen Jimena. It was for her you got revived, and it was only her memories you cared for. One saying two legends, connected by a thread of eternal love. Brilliant!" Love was an emotion Aldrich was very familiar with and estranged at the same time. But he knew what kind of strength it could bring into some people in dire circumstances. The Boss Crawler, who could hardly even move his head, stood up and towered in front of Aldrich. The loathing in his eyes was burning with such intensity that it could even burn Aldrich to ashes. His voice, now on the brink of losing all rationality, reached Aldrich''s ears. "I thought I have seen all the evil in the world in that purple-haired Devil''s eyes. I thought that none was worthy enough to be called a Devil other than him. But you? You have surpassed all my thoughts." By this time even the Boss had realised there was a difference between these two existence that had shared the same bodies. Aldrich never cared for what other people thought of him. He just knew that when an opportunity presented itself, one needed to grab it as if their life depended on it. So what if he would be called a Devil or God for it? As long as he got his answer, all the paths leading up to the result would be meaningless. "I will find Queen Jimena''s Dungeon after getting out of here. Seal her and break her legend. I will rip her memories out of her, memories of you. She will never know who you were and what you had done for her. She will never know the existence of any love. A love that had made both of your legends. She will be nothing nothing more than a useless puppet. Tell me what I want to know and I won''t do these things. I promise." Aldrich and El Cid stared at each other. The conviction in Aldrich''s eyes couldn''t be copied, and it wasn''t needed to be said out loud, that Aldrich will definitely do what he had just said. The Tizona and Cdaid on the surrounding ground quaked with boundless rage, but then a gentle look took over El Cid''s eyes. It didn''t seem that he was looking at Aldrich, and there was a trace of remembrance in his eyes. Thump! El Cid fell back with a loud thump and stared at the bright sky. ''Death'' came on his lips and an Ancient Saying escaped his mouth unwillingly. "Mana doesn''t create Life without a WILL, RECORD makes it do so" " And ''RECORD'' needs to pay a heavy cost every time this WILL is removed from us. Find out what a WILL truly is, and you will have your answer." Chapter 185: Puppets Chapter 185: Puppets "WILL" Aldrich muttered under his breath and gave it a deep thought. He knew that the WILL mentioned by the El Cid differed from the Will he hade to know during his time in the Darkness, meditating over the Laws. Thetter could be surmised by the sheer willpower to bear suffering for a long period without losing the sense of self. These sufferings epassed a broad type of things including but not limited to pain, hunger, and loneliness. And of the former, ''WILL'', he knew nothing. But it wasn''t like he hadn''te in contact with it before. Just as he had heard thenguage of LAWS, uncaring for the stabbing pain in his head, Aldrich''s mind went to the weirdest Title Quest he had got so far. There wasn''t any description for that Title, but there was a reward. And it was the WILL of Darkness. Somehow, a feeling came to life in Aldrich''s heart. And it told him that once he got this Title, he would get to know what a WILL is, and with it wille even more wonderful questions. Aldrich never shied away from facing questions. Every unanswered question represented a step towards the unraveling of the unknown. And this was also a step toward his goals and mission. Aldrich took a deep breath to calm his mind and rubbed away the stream of blooding out his nose and ears. Unless he mastered the Law of Death entirely, there was no way for him toe out unscathed after hearing the Ancient Saying. Aldrich looked at the sprawled Boss, awaiting the inevitable oue, and feebly called out to Sha. "Sha turn into that letter." "Daddy He" "Just do it, Sha." A ck vein, which couldn''t be seen with the devilish greatcoat in the background, separated from the mask and reached into Aldrich''s palm. As it bloomed, a dark scroll appeared in Aldrich''s hand. He approached the Boss and extended his hand holding the letter. "It''s a letter that I got in reward from one of your zas. It seems a Crawler of yours had deep feelings for you." El Cid''s blurry eyes came out of reverie, and Aldrich waited for him to receive the letter. But just before the Boss Crawler could ept it, Aldrich saw him narrowing his eyes. El Cid snapped his head towards Aldrich and blurted out. "A Dreamer willingly letting go of a scroll?!! What are you up to now?" Aldrich was about to shower the Boss with another paragraph of philosophical teachings when El Cid''s eyes shone with realization. "Wait a minute! Is this rted to some Hidden Quest?" Thuu! El Cid spitted on the letter and resumed his previous careless posture on the ground. Without looking at Aldrich, his wordse out, along with a feeling of unimaginable disgust. "Fuck You!!!" "E Daddyyy. Ew wipe it" Aldrich shook his head, hearing El Cid''s refusal. In his mind, Sha kept screaming, feeling nauseated by the spit over her. Aldrich wiped away the wetness over the letter with his sleeve and let the letter return to the mask. Aldrich had expected this kind of behavior out of El Cid after forcing the Boss to answer his question. He knew that threatening him with the means of his wife, Queen Jimena, was a double-edged sword. Once it worked, the chances ofpleting the Hidden Quest had already approached zero. And Aldrich couldn''t hand over the letter before. He didn''t know if the RECORD could prevent him from knowing something through the notification of Hidden Questpletion or not. Aldrich crouched down near El Cid''s head and put his hand on the motionless Boss'' forehead. His white eyes briefly met that of the red pupils of El Cid and he slowlymanded. "Law of Darkness BANISH!!!" The depthless dark hole in El Cid''s head burst out a massive dark ethereal aura and another seed materialized in front of Aldrich''s eyes. The diamond-shaped seed had many tentacles running across El Cid''s forehead and kept pulsating and iling maniacally. Aldrich had nearly taken out the Broken Faith to rip El Cid''s head apart, but this time something had changed. The seed for which Aldrich had to take massive help from Items both the previous times, left El Cid''s head voluntarily and hovered in front of him. A hole also opened up in Aldrich''s head and a blurry image of one-leafed Dark Sapling materialized behind him. But half of its single leaf was missing as if someone had ripped it apart. All around Aldrich, the Creatures of Darkness howled and an incredible suction force originated from the hole. The Dark Seed rushed and entered Aldrich''s head,pletely disregarding the mask on his face. Aldrich didn''t need to see or use Perception to sense what was happening behind him. Just as the seed melted into his head, with an unbelievable speed, the broken part of the single leaf regenerated. Then a second leaf originated opposite to the first leaf and of the same size. But this wasn''t the end. Aldrich''s mind went to the memory of the colossal World Tree as he felt a third leafing into existence. s, it couldn''t even reach half of the size of the other two. Aldrich knew that some things were beyond his reach, and only with time, he could get an understanding of them. As the image of the Dark Sapling disappeared, and upon not finding any new notification, Aldrich pulled the Pir of Footprints. He gave the Boss Crawler another look and raised the Pir high. "You told me that my wife would be a useless puppet" El Cid muttered. Aldrich narrowed his eyes as he felt the incredible weight of the Pir, making the purple rings on his shoulders glow golden. El Cid gave out a chuckle of mockery and pity and continued. " Haha! Fool! What are we if nothing but puppets?" Aldrich put the iprehensible words to the back of his mind, and as he brought down the pir on El Cid''s head, he spoke. "Thank you." BOOM! Chapter 186: The Second Request Chapter 186: The Second Request The entire body of the Boss Crawler turned to dust and vanished, and along with it disappeared the two swords. [ You have killed Boss - ''Undefeated King'' El Cid ExP obtained: 0 Warning: Because of the continuous vitions, Dreamer is subjected to a 100% penalty ] Sigh! Aldrich let out a helpless sigh, seeing no amount of Experience Points and the warning. He already had an idea that this could happen to him, but it wasn''t all that he wanted out of the Boss. He already had the required amount of the ExP. The only thing hecked was 7 Skill Points to Max upgrade his ss-Specific Skill, Metacreativity. Even though the Hidden Quest could certainly have given him either many Skill Points or powerful Item or Skill, Aldrich hadn''t lost all hope. The reward from one of the Quests had yet toe, and Aldrich could only wait with bated breath for the notifications. [ Hidden Quest time limit is over Hidden Quest''s Status: Failed Quest 1 has beenpleted Rewards: 1. Skill Points: +8 .] "Yeyyyy" There was a big smile on Aldrich''s face. Inside his mind, Sha kept jumping up and down with her hands raised high. Aldrich didn''t mind theck of over one reward, and the number 8 never felt so beautiful to him before. Houuu! A bluish portal opened up nearby which looked like a bright rotating body of water. Aldrich knew what the existence of the portal meant. There were no rewards for killing the Boss, not even a single one. This was truly disappointing. But this trip had brought him knowledge and gifts that even hundreds of years felt too short to understand their secrets. Aldrich didn''t outright go into the portal. He liked this silence within the za after killing a Boss. In this ce, under the Authority of RECORD and the eyes of Mana, at least he was sure that there couldn''t be anyone else to watch him from the shadows. Yes, he didn''t trust the RECORD or even the Mana, but up to this point, none of them had shown any outright animosity towards him. All these facts made this space a perfect ce for the thing that could make him vulnerable for a short amount of time. This thing was the ss update. Aldrich poured all the Skill Points into the Metacreativity and brought its stats in front of him. [ Skill: Metacreativity (Baron) Nature: Active, Upgradable Lvl: Max (upgraded) Cooldown: 15 hrs Description: Dreamer can create Items and Skills of Baron ss upon sacrificing Experience Points. Warning: Items must be equipped upon creation. Unequipped items would be destroyed. Warning: Only ''Active Skills'' can be created. The Skills created can''t be upgraded using Skill Points. Warning: Dreamer will permanently lose the ExPs once used. There is a high chance of dropping to the previous Level. Warning: The number of ExPs will be calcted based on the description provided by the Dreamer You are eligible for ss Update ] Aldrich took the Devil''s Oldest Change off his face. His deep white eyes stared at the single-horned mask. The red stripes running down from the eyes to the jawline were still the same, and so was the red circle on the middle of its forehead. But Aldrich knew it had been heavily tampered with, as per his first request to the Devourer of Dreams. As the mask was part of Sha, and thus, was his equipped Item, he could see its Stats. [ Item (Sealed): Devil''s Oldest Change (Transformed Shadow Homunculus) Type: Mask Rank: Baron Durability: 12000/12000 (NA) Minimum Usage Condition: The highest Attribute of Dreamer must be greater than the sum of the two lowest Attributes Description (Sealed): 3% addition in the Item-specific Skill while facing the Divine Item-specific Skill: Change Item-specific Skill''s Detail (Sealed): Transfer 10% of any Attribute to another Attribute Warning: All effects of the Item would be lost if unequipped Warning (Sealed): The Item would influence the Dreamer to be a Devil ] Now that Aldrich knew the reason for his teleportation-like speed in the 2nd za, he felt a tremendous loss seeing the sealed Skill. It wasn''t just a drop from 70% to 10% it also meant that his Correspondence Attribute had be a true handicap for him. But Aldrich also didn''t want him to be influenced by the Devil anymore. Unless he found a way to thwart all attempts by The Great Old One from corrupting him, it was better to have the mask sealed. The most important thing was to get the memories and take a tremendous leap in understanding the Law of Devil. And that he had masterfully aplished. "Sha." The mask in his hand jumped out and turned into a big blob of shadowy mass. The dark churning blob soon outlined itself into a female figure. Her eyes were deep blue, and her hairs werepletely white. Her entire body was covered in a ck leather suit, which couldn''t be distinguished if it was cloth or bare skin. It almost felt like, except her face, the part below her neck was nothing but the congestion of countless shadows. Sha put both her hands at her small, curvy waist and her chin moved up as if taking immense pride in her presence. "Don''t worry Daddy Sha protect you." Aldrich noted the way Sha had spoken two words without taking a pause. Sha, unaware of Aldrich''s cunning eyes, turned her right hand into a long telescope-based Item that she had eaten and started to look all around. Aldrich joggled his head and took a deep breath. "Update ss." [ Level: 30 (620500/112000 ExPs to next level) Warning: ExPs overflow ss-Specific Skill: Metacreativity (Lvl Max-upgraded) Unassigned Skill Points: 1 Conditions met Updating ss ] Without Sha''s memories, Aldrich had no way of guessing how exactly the Devil had sumbed under El Cid''s hands. But he was sure that a Skill of ss that brought down a Devil couldn''t be ordinary. And based on his experience, his next ss would also be in line with his Perception and Darkness characteristics. That''s why the second request that Aldrich had made was to add a ss based on El Cid''s specific abilities. Aldrich clenched his hands as he stared at the notificationing up. [ Congrattion Aldrich for obtaining Viscount Rank Chapter 187: Viscount Chapter 187: Viscount [ Congrattion Aldrich for obtaining Viscount Rank Select one of these sses as the Update 1. Conjurer of Darkness 2. Shadow of Arahant 3. The Chosen Devil 4. Golden Justiciar ] And the list kept going on and on. By now Aldrich had realized that a ss wasn''t random words thrown together in a blending machine. Every ss meant that, based on the Dreamer''s past, the RECORD had analyzed that he/she was worthy enough to get that ss. The entire point of the Dream Initiation Phase was to analyze a Dreamer''s life and decisions. That''s why Aldrich didn''t like the way he couldn''t update his ss to the Item Creator when it clearly presented itself to him. But even then he hadn''t thought that after clearing just this Dungeon, he would be eligible to get so many sses. The sheer number of them was mind-boggling. And the existence of some had even baffled him. Aldrich looked at the first of the many, the Conjurer of Darkness. And for the first time, he felt the unfairness of the fact that he couldn''t check out their description without updating himself to that ss. If he had to make a guess, then he would go for it to be the sessor of his current ss. Spawn of Darkness not only gave him a 100% boost in Perception in the presence of Darkness but also increased his other Attributes by 50%. The only issue with this ss was that he had no way to call upon the Darkness for him to have these boosts. But Aldrich had a feeling that the Conjuror of Darkness could be rted to this. Aldrich stared at the second option. The ss, Shadow of Arahant, was rted to the fact that he was holding one of the ten Pirs of the Ten Bodhisattva Bhumi - The Pir of Footprints. And his Dark attribute had morphed the purity of an Arahant and turned it into a mere Shadow. The third and fourth weren''t even close to Aldrich''s mind. The Chosen Devil directly pointed to his insights into the Law of Devil. Though the Golden Justiciar seemed harmless, Aldrich knew from whom the purple-haired Devil had got the Law of Justice. Both these options belonged to the two Great Old Ones, and Aldrich didn''t like either of them. Aldrich''s eyes kept going down and down, rejecting sses one by one. Only Aldrich knew he was in search of the ss that had been forcefully added into these options as per his request. As he reached the bottom of the list, Aldrich''s mouth cracked into a smile. His heart throbbed in rhythm, and the two words written in front of him were like the brightest star, brightening his entire face. [ 20. Dream Necromancer ] Aldrich gave it some thought, but he had already decided his choice. "Select Dream Necromancer." [ ''Dream Necromancer'' ss is selected Updating ss... ss is updated ss: Dream Necromancer Description: From their Dreams, Dreamer can bring the dead into reality ss-Specific Skill: Arise Skill: Arise (Viscount) Nature: Active, Upgradable Lvl: 1 (0/13 Skill Points to next level) Cooldown: 5 minutes Description: Dreamer can induce dreams rted to the target beforehand. And when needed, the target can be brought back to reality Warning: The high-ranked beings would be limited to a Rank lower than the Dreamer''s Rank. Warning: Only one being can be taken out at a time Warning: The Dreamer must have aplete understanding of the target before using this Skill ] Space fluctuated around Aldrich and his head ballooned up as if there was arge ball in ce of his brain. Countless images of familiar and unfamiliar people shed through his mind. He saw Sonu, the Crawlers and the Bosses. Any other Dreamer would have gone into aa, but Aldrich was beyond the reach of sleep. His eyes opened slightly and his head returned to its original state. Aldrich took a deep breath and felt the Dark Sapling in his mind iling as if in deep disappointment. But he had other important things to do. The piled-up Experience Points were enough to bring him to level 34 in one go. In the Viscount Rank, with every level up came 48 Attribute Points and 4 Skill Points. As much as he didn''t want to, Aldrich decided to bring his Correspondence up to a decent number first. After carefully assigning his Attribute Points, Aldrich brought up his full Stats. [ Record of Aldrich Time Left: 0 hrs Status: Cursed Level: 34 (620500/650000 ExPs to next level) HP: 2063/2063 SP: 2200/2200 MP: 3935/3935 Rank: Viscount ss: Generalist, Blessed Schr, Spawn of Darkness, Dream Necromancer Title: Enemy of the Crawler, Divine Rumok Engraver Attributes --> Strength: 110 Defence: 109 Agility: 110 Vitality: 100 Perception: 330 Correspondence: 125 Unassigned Attribute Points: 0 Active Skills --> 1. Metacreativity: Lvl Max - upgraded (Baron) 2. Arise (Viscount) 3. Target Lock (Common) 4. Banish: Lvl 2 (Rare) 5. w Detection (Rare) 6. All Proficient (Rare) 7. Summon (Rare) [Bonds: 1] 8. Supreme Tamer (Baron) 9. World Scorching Dual Devastation (Viscount) Skill Points: 17 Passive Skills --> 1. Shared Vision 2. Intimidation 3. Beginner''s Dagger Proficiency 4. Intermediate Bazooka Proficiency Equipped Items --> 1. Shadow Homunculus 2. Sugaar''s Disco Ball ] Aldrich made sure that the requirement to use Change was still valid. He stared at Metacreativity and noticed how it hadn''t reached Viscount Rank. But for now, Aldrich couldn''t be happier after bing a Dream Necromancer. For others, first havingplete knowledge of the target, and then bringing this knowledge to dreams was exhrating. But for Aldrich, it was like a heavenly blessed ss and Skill. The most devastating terror about Aldrich was that he was always dreaming. There was no separation between his dreams and reality, a cruel fact that he had learned after his first death. Everything that had died in reality, Aldrich could remember them in just one thought. Aldrich took a deep breath and extended his hands out. The entire reality seemed to blur as words came out of his mouth. "From the ashes of my Dreams ARISE!!!" Chapter 188: Second Contact Chapter 188: Second Contact " ARISE!!!" The two-syble word rippled around Aldrich. There were many dead beings whom Aldrich had analyzed well enough to bring them back to reality. But one man was too close and personal to him. Aldrich knew everything about him, his strengths and weaknesses. He also knew what his goals were and for what he truly cared for. And the most wonderful thing about this man was that he had not died only once, but thrice. The space didn''t fluctuate, nor was there any sound. It was as if the word itself was a mirage that kept vanishing with every passing moment. A man in a tattered ck jacket and jeans materialized in front of Aldrich. He had rough ck hair, and there was an eerie ck mask on his face. Through the eyeholes of the mask, his ordinary ck eyes brimmed out with unimaginable intelligence. This person was the Masked Menace, Aldrich Guo. Aldrich had brought himself to life just before he had died the first time. As they approached each other, the white-haired Aldrich realized he was taller than his previous self. The undead Aldrich took off his mask, but unlike El Cid''s undead, his eyes weren''t hollow. For a moment, both Aldrich stared at each other when an evil smile came on their face and they both let out a deepugh. Hahahaha! The white-haired Aldrich took the hornless Oldest Change from undead Aldrich and put it on his face. But in the next moment, it vanished and again appeared in undead Aldrich''s hand. It seemed to Aldrich that the constraint of equipped Items was still valid even for his undead. From the other side, affected by the strangeughing voice, Sha came running towards both Aldrich. Her mouth opened wide as she kept turning her head from one Aldrich to the other. But soon her gobsmacked expression turned into a big smile as she shouted. "What better than one Daddy Two Daddies." Aldrich couldn''t help but let out a wry smile. He picked up the Count Mana Core, which wasn''t a part of rewards and hence didn''t get subjected to a penalty. As he neared Sha and held her hand, he said. "Let''s go. We are done here." Aldrich pulled her towards the portal, but Sha didn''t seem to like this gesture. She jerked her hand out of Aldrich''s grip and pouted. "We not leaving any Daddy behind." Sha snapped her head back, but the ck-haired Aldrich had already vanished. Aldrich grabbed her face and squeezed her plump cheeks. "Come on." "This Daddy mean." Sha''s entire body folded unto herself and turned into the Sealed Devil''s Oldest Change. Aldrich extended his hand towards the pir and it came flying to him. He tried to put it into FIR but the entire ring vibrated as if it would copse in the next moment. Sigh! Aldrich let out a sigh and put the pole-like pir on his shoulder. Giving the decimated za and the vast paintings in the sky thest look, Aldrich took a step into the portal. * Aldrich stepped out of the portal and expanded his Divine Sense out. All around him, there were countless bodies cut in many pieces, and the entire ground was covered in blood. The low moans of a few Dreamers that haunted the Dungeon''s surroundings before Aldrich had gone in, had also vanished. Aldrich made sure that all the Penalties had got lifted for good, and soon, a notification appeared in front of him. [ Dreamers can request to be teleported to their original location Time Left: 3 minutes ] As he saw the time limit given by RECORD, Aldrich felt curious about the time left for his next Random-Dungeon. "RECORD." [ Record of Aldrich Time Left: 4 months ] "Hmm, so it''s the same for all the Dreamers." Aldrich had already found out that the time given to the Baron and Viscount Ranked Dreamers was just too far apart from each other. And with every subsequent Rank, this gap would only increase. Keeping the 3-minute countdown in his mind, Aldrich crouched down and felt the wetness of the blood on the ground. "Around a couple of hours. There is not much time difference." Aldrich nodded to himself and made sure that the data he had read in thest week was correct or not. Thisck of time difference didn''t rte to the fact that he was out of Barren Earth. But as stated in the books, with an increase in Dreamers Ranks, the time in the Dungeons would keep bing the same as outside. Aldrich stood up and turned his head to stare at the colossal El Cid statue. The red heinous light around it kept turning to a dull, muddy yellow. And on the statue, he could see countless tiny cracks, but they were getting sealed by seconds. "Huh! Let''s try out again next time." Aldrich scoffed and smirked at the Statue but only he knew what he was referring to. He was about to call out to RECORD to teleport him when Sha shouted in his mind. "DADDY HE ALIVE!!!" Even before Aldrich could ask who Sha was speaking of, the mask on his face flew off by itself and turned into Sha. For the first time, there was a wave of slight anger in his eyes as he saw Sha running in a particr direction. And a curse escaped his mouth. "Fuck puberty!" Sniff! Sniff!!! Aldrich followed Sha and arrived at the open ground some hundreds of meters away from the Dungeon. There, Sha was crouching down, and he could hear her damp, crying voice. But even after using his Perception, he couldn''t tell what was going on. As a guess surfaced in his mind, Aldrich towered above the Shadow Homunculus and saw the creature sprawled onto the ground. It was the same kitten-like creature to which Aldrich had given two drops of his most valuable potion. The ws of its paws were digging deep into rocky earth, and there was a tiny trace of life in its six eyes. Its wings kept pping, pushing him forward ever so slightly. Aldrich could even see it gritting its teeth as the creature put strength in its legs and crawled as if it was climbing an enormous mountain. As Sha and Aldrich approached the creature, it lifted its head to look at them. Aldrich''s eyes became wide as he felt an extremely powerful emotioning out of the creature, which he hadn''t felt thest time. "This Such a strong will to live" Chapter 189: Thunderous Dark Shadow Teleportation Spaceship Chapter 189: Thunderous Dark Shadow Teleportation Spaceship Grrr! Hiss!! As Aldrich''s eyes met those of the creature''s, it let out a growl. The two snakeheads on its tails weren''t lifeless anymore, but they had no strength to slither. Only a buried hissing sound kepting out of their mouths. "Daddy" Aldrich ignored Sha''s pleading voice and picked up the kitten like a gray ball of fur by the back of his neck. The creature pped its wings helplessly, and Aldrich could see the look of defiance it gave to him. The slim tails hovered behind the creature''s body before lunging at Aldrich''s right hand. Aldrich didn''t prevent the two snakes from biting his hand over the sleeve. As their silvery fangs came in contact with his pitch-ck greatcoat, the devilish aura churned, filling every corner of their mouths. Hissssssssss!!! Ao! The tails twisted and turned as if experiencing a seizure, and the creature let out a howl of pain. A smile came upon Aldrich''s face as he threw it towards Sha. "I have changed my mind. Let''s see if we can find anything about it." Sha caught the creature as if it was the most fragile thing in the world. She brought it to her bosom and massaged its head. "See? Shu Daddy notpletely heartless." Grr! Aldrich''s thoughts broke and his brows crumpled as he heard Sha''s nonsensical words. In only one sentence, not only she had given the creature a name but had also berated him. There was still half a day left until the Earl''s ceremony. And this time seemed enough to Aldrich to check out the next checkpoint and get further information on the creature from the Red-jacket''s leader. He had already got the vice leader''s memories through Sha, and with it came the coordinates. The only issue was that he had no spaceship. "So let''s make one." Aldrich had already got to know the basic theory of the spaceships that worked on Mana cores. But no spaceship from House Venomous Rose seemed fast enough to him. Aldrich knew he would spend too much time roaming the gxy from here on. And teleportation points were only avable on some selectives or regions. An incredibly fast spaceship, disregarding other variables, was the only thing Aldrich wanted right now. Though he could only create Baron ranked Items from now on, he could be generous regarding the number of Experience Points. Aldrich, taking in everything at his disposal, tried to fill the gap using sheer numbers. Aldrich gave it a second thought and took a deep breath. His white eyes glowed blue with runic symbols as he said. "Metacreativity." [ Skill Metacreativity is now active Specify your creation: Item or Skill? ] "Item." [ Fill up the given temte for Item Item Name: Warning: The above data would be optimized ording to the maximum avable ExPs Warning: Item-Specific Skill would not be upgradable Warning: Item''s Rank can be upgraded using ExPs ] As soon as Aldrich had said ''Item'', Sha''s ears perked up. With a catlike walk, she moved behind Aldrich and kept licking her lips from time to time. The creature in her bosom had no strength to even try to free itself. And by the way, it kept rubbing its face on Sha''s breasts, it didn''t seem ''Shu'' hated the feeling. Aldrich put his entire focus on the task at hand but kept a part of his Divine Sense on the Shadow Homunculus. The only thing he wanted out of this Item was speed. He didn''t care for defense, and nor did he care for attack capabilities. Saving time was Aldrich''s only priority for now. [ Item Name: Thunderous Dark Shadow Teleportation Spaceship Do you want to submit this data? ] Aldrich nodded. [ Submitting request to create Item. Optimizing Item Item ''Swordfish'' is created ExPs consumed: 600000 Warning: The consumed ExPs are permanently lost Warning: You have fallen back to Level 15 ] "NO!" Aldrich involuntarily let out a shout as he saw RECORD shortening the name that he had given the Item. And not only that, it changed it to the name of a fish. Aldrich''s eyes became wide as he saw a blue-red spaceship appearing in front of him. Saying it was like a swordfish would be an understatement, as it was exactly the same in appearance as a swordfish. From the tip of its nose, also called a bill, to the end of its tail, the spaceship was 12.5 meters long. There was a curved cylindrical window running from one eye to another, covering the entire upper portion of its mouth. Aldrich was silently fuming, but then his gaze went over the Stats of the Item and he let out a breath of relief. The numbers and Skill were in tandem with his requirement, and as long as they weren''t tampered with, he didn''t care what the Item''s name was. [ Item: Swordfish Type: Spaceship Rank: Baron Durability: 20000/20000 Minimum Usage Condition: Mana Core at or above Baron Rank Description: An Item that can breach the space Item-specific Skill: Light-year Blink Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Based on the Mana Core, it can jump from one coordinate to another regardless of the distance between them Warning: If touched by water, the Item-specific Skill will fail Warning: If the bill of the ''Swordfish'' gets damaged, the Item-specific Skill will fail Warning: If someone makes a joke about the looks of ''Swordfish'', the Item-specific Skill will fail Warning: ''Swordfish'' is size sensitive. If there is a bigger spaceship in a 100-meter radius, the Item-specific Skill will fail ] Sigh! Aldrich sighed as he saw the sheer number of warnings that made little sense to him. But he knew how to use the Item, and that too, at only a Baron Rank, there was no way to avoid the restrictions that came with it. Aldrich was about to take a step towards the Item when the shadow under it rippled and a cave like opening came into Aldrich''s eyes. He didn''t even get to shout as the entire spaceship got devoured by Sha. Chapter 190: The first jump Chapter 190: The first jump There weren''t many times when Aldrich had to facepalm himself. This was one of those rare moments. The shadows vanished and Sha came out of the ground. There was a deep satisfaction on her face, and her cheeks had be red from the sheer deliciousness. Even though Aldrich would have given the Swordfish for Sha to devour, he thought it was better to check out its capabilities first. Now he knew why Sha had gone behind him with that weird walk. It was to stand over his shadow. For the first time, Aldrich truly felt helpless and couldn''t find any solution to counter this Shadow Blink Skill. As he approached Sha, he noticed how the creature was still with her. It meant she had taken Shu to the Shadow World along with her. "Can you remain in the Shadow World as long as you want?" Aldrich stared down at Sha''s red face. Her head was drooping shyly, and in her arms, Shu matched Aldrich''s gaze in pure retaliation. The creature let out soundless growls and bared its fangs towards him as a sweet but meek voice came out of Sha. "No for some time." Aldrich nodded and asked again. "Can you take me there with you?" "Yes" The corners of Aldrich''s mouth lifted as he heard a positive response. But soon his face became grave again. "ytime over. Come back and turn to Swordfish." "Daddy Sorry" Ouch! Aldrich shook his head and tapped Sha''s forehead with his knuckles. "Next time, wait for me to test the Item out." Aldrich''s voice had a reprimanding tone, and despite giving him a pouting look, Sha let go of the creature and returned to his face. A vein separated itself from his mask, and as it bloomed, a pitch-ck version of the Swordfish reappeared in front of him. With the Pir of Footprints still over one of his shoulders, Aldrich grabbed Shu by the back of his neck again, as if holding a stic bag. Grrr! Hiss!! The creature let out furious growls and maddened hissing sounds through its tails, but it didn''t have the strength to act out against Aldrich. As Aldrich entered the Swordfish, he noticed the absence of any kind of switches and panels for user interface purposes. Despite theck of an obviousmand module, in front of the driver''s seat, there was a in panel. And in the middle of the panel, there was a hollow opening. There were only two passengers in a single row, just behind the driver''s seat. Aldrich threw Shu into one of them and sat down in the driver''s seat. He didn''t know which quality of Mana core would be enough to go to the intended coordinates. So, for starters, he took out a spare Baron Mana core. Just as Aldrich ced the bluish-green Mana core in the hollowed portion of the panel in front of him, a notification materialized. [ Mana fuel epted State the coordinates for the space jump ] Sigh! This sigh was waiting toe out of Aldrich''s mouth for a long time. From the notification, Aldrich finally got to confirm that there was no way to stir the Swordfish like an actual spaceship. If he had topare it to a vehicle, then a train would be more appropriate. Swordfish was like a train going from one station to another, and Aldrich was just a passenger who needed to provide a ticket to ride on it. From the memories of the vice leader of the Red-Jackets, Aldrich gave out the exact coordinates of the next meeting point. [ Confirming coordinates'' validity Coordinates confirmed Activating Skill Light-Year Blink Preparing for the jump in 9 8 ] The entire spaceship lifted and hovered hundreds of meters in the air as soon as the coordinates got confirmed. Ao!!! Behind Aldrich, Shu let out howls and was about to fall off the seat when the seat belt wrapped around him by itself. The bill of the Swordfish poked the space like a dart, and a dark hole appeared at the point of the impact. It was like the Swordfish was a dart and the space was nothing but paper. As the countdown started, the hole exponentially expanded and became big enough for the spaceship to enter easily. Ethereal ck lightning cracked around the Swordfish and howling spatial winds came out of the hole. And all around the spaceship, thunderous booming sounds kept reverberating. On the curved cylindrical viewscreen in front of him, Aldrich could see all these changes vividly. Every process and action of the spaceship got embedded in his memory for further analysis and inspection. The countdown, not caring and waiting for Aldrich''s thought process, kept going on. [ 4... 3 2 1 0 ] "Whoohooo Daddy To Infinity and" "Shut up, Sha!" ZzzzzzooooooM!!! * In the 3rd Quadrant, on a dwarf many light years away from Rosalia, the space rippled, and like a needle, something poked the space from within. The entire dwarf was covered in Mana shield and was being patrolled by thousands of spaceships in outer space. But the pitch-ck Swordfish that hade out of the punctured space seemed to ignore all the defensive measures. It was like a scientific apparition who''sing and going couldn''t be detected by anyone. But as the spaceshippletely came out of the hole, leaving behind ck shes of lightning and spatial winds, the equipment on the picked up on its presence. Mayhem was a word that feltcking to describe that situation. By the time the Swordfishnded on the ground, three triangr ships had already flown over to its location and surrounded it. Hundreds of men in red jackets jumped out of the newly arrived spaceships and aimed their Items towards the strange Swordfish. One more Dreamer came out from one of the triangr spaceships. He had a thick mustache and a bald head. His eyes were brown, but the red jacket on his body was a little different. There were golden threads embroidered on it, and as he shouted, rows of four golden teeth could be seen in his mouth. "Come out or we will st this ugly thing to pieces mate." As the Swordfish''s door opened, a response, full of mockery, came out and echoed in the ears of all the Dreamers. "What? Haha! Robert, don''t tell me you gonna kill your Vice-leader." A shocked voice escaped the mouth of Viscount Robert, the leader of Red-Jackets, hearing the man''sughing out of the spaceship. "Gary?!!!" Chapter 191: A new Life Chapter 191: A new Life Gary was arge man. Larger than most of the Dreamers who imed to be descendants of giants. With a towering height of 8 to 9 ft, Gary walked out of the Swordfish. His hairs were curly ck and reached to his shoulders. His face was beardless and his eyebrows were thick. And his ck pupils had a hint of blue and red at their round edges, a trait of giant descendants. Not one Dreamer, craning their neck up to look at him, could have believed that such a Dreamer had begged for his life just a few hours before. Thump! As Gary jumped out of the spaceship, his shadow flickered, but it soon stabilized itself. From afar, Robert came running towards him. "Gary, mate, you are alive. Hah! Everyone thought you were done for when we lost contact with your spaceship." From the way Robert and Gary hugged each other, it didn''t seem that their rtionship was just limited to a Vice-leader and a leader of a trafficking gang. Sigh! Gary sighed and briefly told Robert about the events that had happened to him and his crew. "Fuck the two Viscounts that had shown up along with two Barons for that Dungeon. I barely killed those four Dreamers, but all my crew got annihted by them. Who knew the Great Father had blessed me and I found this masterpiece among the Items in one viscount''s Inventory." Robert furrowed his brows as Gary mentioned that a group of two Viscounts and two Barons hade for their Random-Allocation. It wasn''t like this had never happened, but it was extremely rare. But there was no reason for Gary to lie about something like that. "Mate, by masterpiece did you mean this ugly piece of fucking shit?" "" "" Gary licked his lips and looked above the spaceship as if there were words written in the air at the top of the Swordfish. "Robert, I just came ripping the space''s ass apart using this spaceship. No one even noticed me. And look at its nose, it''s so beautiful." Robert''s eyes became wide as Gary mentioned the ripping of space. "Gary, I thought you just sted through the Mana field. You know how it''s of extremely bad quality because we can''t afford a better one." Mana fields weren''t a luxury item. No, even saying they were precious and pricey would be like cursing them. Mana fields were like a privilege, and only ancient Houses having an Earl or Marquess could afford an above-average quality. To have a bad quality Mana field in their hands already told of many things about the Red-Jackets. "Don''t waste time, Robert. Tell me the coordinates of the meeting ce immediately." Robert scratched his bald head and muttered. "Coordinates of meeting ce" But then his jaw dropped, and a shiver ran down his spine. With his quivering hands, he held Gary''s hands and looked up into his eyes. "Oh Mate! You still have the package?" Gary squinted his eyes and seemed offended by the question. He jerked his hands away from Robert and asked. "Of course! What kind of question is that? Don''t you know me? It''s in the spaceship." Robert didn''t mind Gary''s outrage and his eyes became watery. "You don''t know, Gary. You have just saved all of our lives. There is no need for further coordinates. As you didn''t reach the location on time, the other party had alreadye here. And And they have a Count among them." "Oh! So all of them here? You sure there isn''t anyone missing?" Gary put a hand on Robert''s shoulder and whispered. But Robert was too indulged in the emotions to notice the cement of the strange question. "Ah! Yes, yes. And let me tell you, Gary, they are mad. Just follow my lead and keep your mouth shut in front of them." As Robert eyed Gary, his face became iprehensibly grave. Both looked at each other and nodded. Robert turned his head and pointed at one baron among the other red-jackets. "Oi, go get the package from ''that'' whatever it is." Robert pointed his chin toward Swordfish, but before the Baron Ranked Dreamer could move, Gary leaned over Robert''s face. "Robert, I think you didn''t understand how precious this spaceship is. Come with me. Let me give you a tour. And I don''t think we should let anyone else handle the package from now on." Robert turned his head from left to right, but as Gary mentioned the package''s handling, he found the suggestion quite reasonable. "Ok, but keep it short." A smile came upon Gary''s face, hearing Robert. Both walked towards the Swordfish, and in between the path, Robert observed the spaceship. "Maybe Maybe we can throw it as a gift to the Count. You know, as an apology. What do you think, mate?" It didn''t seem that Viscount Robert truly understood the magnitude of the matter of ripping space. But Gary didn''t correct him. He just looked at Robert''s face and let out a silentugh. Both men jumped into the spaceship and the door closed by itself behind them. * Inside the spaceship, Robert stared at the kitten-like creature seated in one of the passenger seats. An exaggerated evil smile came upon his face which, if not for his ears, would have reached to the top of his bald head. Not caring for anything else, he walked towards the creature, but a tapping sound behind him caught his attention. He turned his head and found a white-haired man standing there. There was a one-horned ck mask on his face, and over his right shoulder, he was holding a pole. "Gary, who the fuck is this?" Gary, towering just by his side, seemed to have lost all emotions and stared down at the floor. The masked man tapped the pole on his shoulder and suddenly threw it towards Robert. "Here, catch!!!" Perplexed by the sudden motion, Robert extended his hands to catch the pole reflexively. Both of his hands wrapped their palms around the pole, but they couldn''t stop its trajectory even for a moment. It felt as if Robert''s hands had never existed, to begin with. The pole, whose material felt both wooden and stone, kept falling and brought Robert''s hands along with it. Thump! Viscount Robert couldn''t even process what had just happened as he saw his shoulders getting ripped from the sheer weight of the pole. Unlimited rage as a tremendous amount of Mana had almost burst out of his body, but then he felt something pointying towards him. Even though he was a Level 37 Viscount, the space within the spaceship was limited. By the time he could know what was happening, a spike had entered his body and made a fist-sized hole in his chest. Cough! Cough! Robert, coughing out blood, turned his head and found Gary at the other end of the spike. " G Ga Cough! Gary why?!" "Robert, I had no purpose in my life. My giant''s blood was rotting and though I took pride in being a Red-Jacket, even that was nothing but an empty title. Now I serve the God of White and ck, and I feel more alive than I was ever before Sigh! Don''t worry, no one truly dies in the eyes of My Lord." A dense, devilish aura came and touched the back of Robert''s neck. With his teeth ttering and blood pouring out of his mouth, chest, and shoulders, Robert slowly turned and found the masked man standing inches away. "Sha." Onest word, onest name, and onest shriek were the only things that reached Robert''s ears before everything went dark. But the Darkness didn''t remain so for long. Another word reverberated in the timeless and spaceless Darkness. And as Robert finally got to hear the sweet sound, light again shined over him as a blessing. " ARISE!!!" Chapter 192: Payment Chapter 192: Payment Aldrich brought the dead Robert back to life. From the brief contact, and even from Gary''s memories, it wouldn''t have been possible for him to use his ss-specific Skill on Robert. So Aldrich first lured the Leader of the Red-Jackets and fed him to Sha, gaining all his memories while doing so. And having the ess to these memories not only helped him execute his authority of Dream Necromancer, but it also told him of many secrets. Aldrich got to know the trafficking gang ''Red-Jackets'', wanted in the better part of 3rd Quadrant, wasn''t just a local lord backed up by the Nobles. There was a mightier organization behind them, and the red jackets were just a small part of the bigger picture. But even Viscount Robert didn''t know the full extent or the name of that organization. One thing was certain. There was always a middleman from the organization who set up meetings between Red-Jackets and the other parties. The Organisation, depending upon the customers and difficulty level, helped Robert to find the "packages". All this was to deepen their footing in the 3rd Quad. And such was the case regarding Shu. After getting the order, Robert had done his research and used his contacts to find out the exact whereabouts of Shu. But after months of running around throughout the Kingdom of Swordless, he couldn''t find a trace of it. It was then he contacted the Organization, and they handed over the Shu within weeks. But he never thought that even after sending his trusted Vice-leader to the agreed-upon meeting ce, there would be an incident. It didn''te as a surprise when the people waiting for the package to be delivered didn''t receive any response. Robert had guessed that they would being directly to one checkpoint ahead. Aldrich used Sha and entered Robert''s shadow. There was a link between him and all his undead. Unlike the deep link between him and Sha, Aldrich could only share senses and a fewmands with his undead. They had their separate thoughts, their own thinking capabilities, and their own reactions. But one thing they all shared was undeniable loyalty towards Aldrich. It was like nothing mattered to them, other than serving Aldrich. Hismands were like a blessing to them, and his gaze was pure and divine. No matter how they had died, aftering back to life, they now lived for Aldrich. * Robert stepped out of the Swordfish, holding Shu, but there was no sign of Gary behind him. He was only a Lvl 37 Viscount, and thus there was almost no change to his Rank or level after getting revived. He looked at the dozens of Dreamers surrounding him and shouted out. "Let''s go. I am sending Gary on another mission." Yes, Boss Oi! Start the engines... Damn! Vice-leader looked so cool "" From the eyes of Robert, Aldrich could see enormous battleships in the distance. Even the three triangr spaceships were bigger than Swordfish. As Robert walked towards one of the local spaceships, a ck vein came out of the Swordfish''s shadow and touched its surface. The entire spaceship copsed into itself and vanished on the spot. The Dreamers'' jaws dropped, seeing this incredible scene. It almost looked to them as if the spaceship had teleported. "Move on, fuckers! It''s not like we have much time to spare. Fucking morons!" A purple vein popped up on Robert''s bald head as he cursed the Dreamers. Rustleeee!!! Those who knew the seriousness of this purple vein hastened into the spaceships. Robert turned his head and nced at his shadow. An incredible, fanatic look appeared on his face, giving Aldrich goosebumps. "Just do as nned," Aldrich sent amand to Robert. "Yes Yes, my Lord." * Robert, along with two of his trusted Baron Ranked Dreamers, climbed the stairs of an elliptical battleship. There was a gray cylindrical tube in his hand, and his face was graver than the gravest moments in his life. One of the crew members brought the trio to the main chamber of the battleship. Shoop! As the door opened and Robert walked in, he saw an old man standing behind a long rectangr table with no chairs. The old man was also bald, but there was a thick white beard on his face. His nose was like an eagle''s beak, and his eyelids were closed. This was the man Robert was talking about, Count Rodrigo. Behind the Count, there were three Recordless with in white masks on their faces. Aldrich could feel that their Rank hadn''t surpassed a newly ranked Viscount before they turned or made to turn into Recordless. "What was so important that you had to go out?" A slow but sharp voice came out of the old man. His eyes were still closed, but the Dreamers behind Robert were already shaking from the sheer amount of Manaing out of Count Rodrigo. Robert smirked and ran his unupied hand over his bald head. "I went out to receive wonderful news. Gary, my Vice-leader, had survived the crash and on the sacrifice of his team, he brought the package here safe and sound." As soon as Robert mentioned the package, the old man''s eyes snapped open. His eyes were glossy gray and seemed lifeless. Aldrich could see the Stats over the old man''s head and knew that these eyes weren''t normal, but a powerful Skill. "Where is it?" The Old man blurted out, but he was already looking at the cylindrical casing in Robert''s hand. Robert put the casing on the table and pressed the button on its top. The gray color of the casing became transparent, and everyone got to see a six-eyed kitten-like creature growling at them. Robert pressed the button again and slid the gray cylinder towards the old man. "Well done." The Old man smiled and nodded at Robert as one of the Recordless behind him picked up the container. "I don''t need your good wishes. Where is the money?" Count Rodrigo stared at Robert as he asked for the payment. But this was the thing Aldrich had been looking the most forward to. Even Robert himself didn''t know the full extent of the agreement after he had decided to take help from the Organisation. The old man took a False Inventory Ring off his left hand and threw it towards Rodrigo as if throwing a piece of bread at a dog. Robert didn''t mind the Count''s gesture and sent a trace of Mana into the FIR. And through their shared senses, Aldrich also got to see what was inside it. For the first time, even Aldrich took a big gulp as he saw the sheer number of Mana cores. They weren''t in the range of hundreds, nor were they in the range of thousands. As Robert and Aldrich''s eyes became wide, Count Rodrigo''s voice echoed in the silent chamber. "One Million Baron Ranked Mana cores, One thousand Viscount Ranked Mana cores, Ten Count Ranked Mana Cores, and One Earl Ranked Mana Core. Now Get Out!" Hahaha! Robert let out a deepugh as he put the FIR on his ring finger. "Quite rich! Well the richer the better. Haha! Have a safe trip, Count Rodrigo. Let''s go boys. We are done here." Robert and other two Dreamers turned around and walked out from the chamber under the supervision of many guards. But none of them, not even Count Rodrigo, noticed that a part of Robert''s shadow had separated and attached itself to the shadow of the table under it. Chapter 193: Maskless Chapter 193: Maskless Aldrich eyed Count Rodrigo from the shadows. "Daddy I can''t hold more." This was the third time Sha had spoken out in his mind. It has already been over 5 minutes from the time limit that Sha had told him. But he couldn''te out now. And the reason was simple. Aldrich wasn''t sure if he could handle the Count by himself as smoothly as he had handled Viscount Robert. There was a big difference between a Count and a Viscount, irrespective of levels. Aldrich could have made a move if he could use Devil''s Oldest Change to the full extent. But now, even though he was sure that he could kill Rodrigo, this wasn''t his prime motive. Aldrich wanted Count Rodrigo''s memories. And for it to work, he had to make sure that Sha got to devour the old man entirely. "Sha, hold on. Just a few minutes more." Aldrich pacified, but he wouldn''te out of the shadow even if Sha were to burst out in millions of shadowy blobs. This was a crucial moment, and for all things to go well and as nned, it all depended on how long he could maintain his unknown presence. "Leave me alone and don''t let anyone in." Aldrich saw the Recordless nodding and leaving out of the chamber following Rodrigo''smand. The old Count traced another FIR on his hand and took out a white cube engraved with purple markings. Even from afar, Aldrich could analyze that these markings were rted to voice transfer. They were like a crude copy of the Runic Symbols that he had spent six months mastering. Aldrich recognized the cube as he had also one exactly the same. He had got one from Robert''s Inventory, which he used to contact the middleman from the Organization behind the Red-Jackets. It was a general Gctic Information Transfer Cube or GIT Cube for short. And by general, it meant that the High Nobles and High Ranked Dreamers used it to transfer information from one part of the Gxy to another. But it had its limits, as it could only transfer voice and not images, making the ''Information'' part in its name nothing but a joke. Aldrich felt a ripple in space as Count Rodrigo covered the entire chamber with his Divine Sense. A burst of Mana came out of his hand and entered the cube. Tick-Tip-Tick!!! Following a rhythmic sound, a scrambled and hoarse voice came out of the cube. "Rodrigo, how dare you contact me after failing your task?" Aldrich couldn''t tell if the voice belonged to a male or female. Whatever technology that was used to hide the characteristics seemed to work out as intended. But the next sight that got reflected in his white eyes was even more unexpected than seeing the sheet amount of Mana cores as the payment. Count Rodrigo fell on both knees and mmed his head on the hard metallic floor. Bang! Bang! . The voice went silent, and the bangs kept echoing in the chamber. "Ok, stop. Sigh! " Count Rodrigo stood up, but there wasn''t a single impression on his head stating the reality of what he had just done. There was no blood on his head and not even a single bruise. Unlike his prideful tone in front of Robert, a feeble and gentle voice came out of Rodrigo''s mouth. "My Lord, I have got the package." "WHAT?!" Aldrich could sense the sheer astonishment from the single word. But his mind was upied by Rodrigo''s use of the Lord for the person behind the other end of the voice transfer. In the world of RECORD, as Aldrich had found out, the use of the Lord to call out someone was a sacred thing. Low Ranked Dreamers in presence of Higher Ranked Dreamers used it. Unaffiliated Dreamers used it to address nobles of the Kingdoms. Heads of the Houses used it to address their ancestors. And Recordless used it to address every Dreamer of the House they belonged to. Count Rodrigo obviously wasn''t a Recordless. So for him to call out someone, My Lord, meant that either the other person was an ancestor of a House, or he was higher ranked than Rodrigo. No matter what was the case, the other person was certainly an Earl or even a Marquess. Aldrich had expected that there was an ancient House behind all this trafficking. But to chance upon a big fish from the get-go was truly a blessing. "Haha! It''s getting interesting" An evil smile came upon Aldrich''s face, but soon Sha again shouted in his mind. "Daddyyyyy I can''t Iting out." Aldrich narrowed his eyes, hearing the senseless sentence. He kept his eyes on Rodrigo, who was about to say something and asked. "What''sing out?" "Pee I need to peeeeee" "Huh?!!" Aldrich''s eyebrows jumped up as Sha mentioned she had to pee. From thest "Session", Aldrich had already made sure that every organ inside Sha''s body was nothing but an imitation. It was true that Sha had devoured many beings, but Aldrich had observed that there wasn''t any waste production. All things that went inside her had vanished without a trace. Aldrich''s mind raced and concluded that this sudden urge to pee was just an effect of staying in the Shadow World longer than Sha''s current abilities. It was her existence''s way of telling her to go out. Aldrich shook his head, and ignoring Sha''s pleas, he passed ament. "Sha It''s all in your head. You can''t pee." "Daddy Sniff! You are mean Wahhh!!! Get outtt" Sha''s sudden outcry took Aldrich off guard. Every conversion between him and Sha was taking ce in his mind at a fast pace, so the Count had yet to give a reply. Aldrich sensed something was wrong and hurriedly pointed it out. "Sha wait" But It was already toote. BANG! The shadow under the table rippled and Aldrich''s body got thrown out in the chamber. The Pir of Footprints was still in his hand, but Aldrich was more worried about something else. Aldrich could feel the cold metal on his face and realized that Devil''s Oldest Change was no longer on his face. ''Shit'' BOOM!!! Through his Perception, Aldrich saw the Count pounding the GIT Cube which also crushed the table along with it. Ten long swords materialized around the Count, and his glossy gray eyes dimmed. A roar quaking the entire battleship came out of his mouth. "WHO ARE YOU??" Chapter 194: Mess Chapter 194: Mess Rodrigo''s raging voice was enough to shake the thin steel door of the chamber. Aldrich slowly stood up and noticed the shattered pieces of the GIT cube. This was one thing that he could use to backtrack the entire event. But even he couldn''t turn back time. Aldrich straightened his spine and looked into Rodrigo''s eyes. The glossy gray eyes of the Count, which had almost be red from sheer anger, were now quaking in insurmountable fear. The fist that Rodrigo had used to smash the cube and table was shivering, and his knees showed a hint of buckling. Under his eagle-like nose, Rodrigo''s thin lips parted, and a name came out. A name that could instill terror in the hearts of every single Dreamer within the Milky Way Gxy under the Rank of a King. " White White-Haired Assassin!!!" By now, from famous cities to the secluded parts of the Gxy, all had at least seen a hint of this face. White hairs and the white pupils inside ck sclera had be a part of the nightmare-inducing stories for the children. This name was alone enough to topple a Duke''s pride and a Duchess'' arrogance. But Aldrich knew this shock wouldn''t take much time to recede. First, there was no hole in his forehead, and unless he used his Boss Crawler''s authority, it wouldn''t resurface. Second, he had already found out from Robert''s memories that these battleships had hidden systems. And one of these systems'' purposes was to alert if a higher Ranked Dreamer were to step into the battleship. Aldrich also knew that those who had any idea of the Rank of Dreamers thought of White-Haired Assassin as a Duke on the borderline of bing a King. Otherwise, leaving alive after an attempt on the life of King Antiochus made little sense, up to the point of sheer ridiculousness. Aldrich took advantage of Rodrigo''s state of absolute shock and used the quickest method avable to him to subdue a Count. Unseen Creatures of Darkness howled around Aldrich as the Law of Darkness came upon his lips. His hair iled without wind, and his ck greatcoat lifted from its ends. Aldrich took a step forward, making the Count involuntarily back up towards the metallic wall, and called out. "Kneel, or die!!!" Aldrich''s dark and iprehensible voice seemed to suck out the life out of everything around him. The color of the walls became dull, the broken pieces of the GIT cube felt colorless, and the entire chamber almost turned white and ck. AHHHH!!! Count Rodrig held his head and let out an inhumane shriek. Blood burst out of his ears and from the corners of his eyes. His fingernails dug deep into his head and almost broke his skull. His strengthless knees couldn''t handle his shaking weight anymore and the old Count fell on the floor. But this harrowing pain had also scared away the shock out of Rodrigo''s mind. "You are not him. Haha! Trying to get to my Lord using a false identity?!" Aldrich, not caring for Rodrigo''s mocking words, had already dashed towards him for a killing strike. But, even though Aldrich''s Agility had increased significantly, it wasn''t the major deciding factor for Dreamers. Agility influenced a Dreamer''s reaction time and thinking capabilities. It tuned Dreamer''s muscles and body for fast processes. Hence, for one to be called fast, a Dreamer needed high Agility and a considerable Strength Attribute. But there was one thing where Agility alone could be deadly. And that was the use of Skills. To use Active or Passive Skills, one just needed to think and their Mana would pour into the "equation" by itself. But even then, a Dreamer needed to let that Mana out of their body for that Skill to work. The whole idea could be visualized by taking a water tank as an example. If the shape of the water tank was a particr Skill, and the water was Mana, then the tap at the bottom of the water tank was the oue of the Skill. And Dreamers, from horrifying experiments, had found out what would happen if that tap were to remain close even after ceaselessly pouring water into the water tank. The Pir of Footprints was about to be smashed on the Count''s head when Aldrich saw a brilliant blue shing out of Rodrigo''s eyes. But instead of filling the chamber with blue rays, this sh kept flooding the space within his eyes and showed no sign of stopping. Aldrich''s eyes went wide, and with sheer willpower, he stopped his actions and turned around. A smirk came upon Rodrigo''s face as he muttered. "Let''s see if you can survive a Count''s self-destruct." BOOOOOOOM! The entire world had gone silent just for a moment before a blue explosion blinded everyone in a 10-mile radius. This explosion was even mightier and deadlier than Aldrich''s Megaton Crusher in the first za of El Cid''s Dungeon. All living and nonliving things got annihted even before they could feel the shockwaves. Aldrich had made Robert call in the patrolling spaceships, and thus, not a trace of any spaceship could be seen anywhere else. Life seemed to have forsaken this dwarf for a few minutes. * Bang! As the bluish shes died down, a hand came bursting out of the shiny, ssy earth. All the fingers of this hand were ckened, and the jet ck sleeve over it was in tatters. Under the sleeve, some markings kept glowing with colors of blue and green. This hand belonged to Aldrich. Aldrich used the earth as a holding and pulled out the rest of his body. There were deep cuts on his greatcoat here and there, but the most bizarre was the ck-golden fog around him. If one was to look from above, the outline of this fog matched the image of the ck bull. The fog churned with a jerk of Aldrich''s hand and turned into a solid form of a pir. This pir was the Ancient Relic, the Pir of Footprints. But even after using this secret Skill of the Pir, it didn''t seem Aldrich hade out of the explosion unscathed. Half of the world in front of Aldrich was dark, making him realize he was missing his left eye. His head tilted as he saw the blurry image on the left side of his body. Half of his thigh was missing, flesh and bones were protruding out of his stomach, and most of his left shoulder was gone. Huff! Huff! Aldrich, taking control of his breath, sent a trace of Mana in FIR and took out thest drop of the Volcanic Blood Amplifier potion. He gulped down the hotva-like drop and muttered as he eyed the devastation that had resulted because of a matter of "pee". " Heh! What a fucking mess"
  1. The white part of human eyeballs. Its ck for Aldrich.
Chapter 195: Lost Riches Chapter 195: Lost Riches [WARNING] [WARNING] [ Warning: Dreamer HP has fallen to less than 10% of Max HP Warning: Dreamer SP has fallen to less than 10% of Max SP Warning: The effectiveness of all Potions would be limited to 50% ] Aldrich eyed the blinking warnings as the searing heat burned within his body. Flesh regenerated, the broken bones twisted and turned, and the darkness towards his left side vanished. His left eye reappeared with a popping sound, and he could feel his HP going up by seconds. Aldrich remembered what Earl Drago had told him. A single drop of Volcanic-Blood Amplifier potion was enough to heal the most grievous wounds of even a Count. Much less needed to be said about the missing body parts of a mere Viscount. Only this kind of potion could have the potency to heal him entirely even with limited effectiveness. Aldrich clenched and unclenched his fists and let out a hot breath of air. He eyed the Pir of Footprints in his hand, which hadpletely returned to its solid form. The image of a ck bull shined on its surface and there was a golden, ethereal halo surrounding it. Aldrich could have survived the devastating explosion even without using the Pir. But then his injuries wouldn''t be just limited to missing flesh and broken bones. The most disastrous and troubling thing about this self-destruct, which had made even Aldrich feel helpless, was Mana. This outburst of a Dreamer wasn''t just fire, shockwaves, and other elements. Uncountable quantity of Mana was in its every part, condensed to an incredible degree. And the sheer presence of this fact made Aldrich''s Banish skill unusable to protect himself against it. Banishing a Law first requiredplete mastery over it. Even if Aldrich could banish fire or most of the explosion''smon elements, he couldn''t banish the core of the self-destruction, Mana. For just a moment, Aldrich had even thought of using the Almighty Push to scatter the Mana. It would have easily made him untouchable by the explosion. But like the Skill Intimidation, both of his Rumok''s Push and Pull were burst types. They were like a switch, having only two options, on and off. Even though Aldrich could momentarily push Mana''s explosion away, he couldn''t maintain it for minutes without ever stopping. "The next time this happens, I will unequip you." Aldrich spoke out loud, but there was no one around him. He turned around and stared at his shadow. As seconds became minute, Aldrich narrowed his eyes and harrumphed. "Humph! The audacity ABSOLUTE PULL!" Aldrich reached out with his hand and used the Rumok. If he hadn''t known about the existence within his shadow, he wouldn''t be able to pull it out. But unfortunately for Sha, Aldrich knew. Sha came rushing out of the Shadow, and Aldrich canceled the pull. Her face had be almost purple as if she was about to vomit. And in her hands, there was a gray cylindrical tube. It seemed the moment Aldrich got thrown out of the Shadow World, Sha had used Shadow Blink to retrieve Shu from the Recordless, who was holding the tube. Bleh!!! Not able to hold it within anymore, Sha belched a mass of ck liquid out of her mouth. As the slimy liquid fell on the ssy earth, shining with blue Mana particles, it turned into ck shadowy vapors and merged into Sha''s body. Her eyes became watery from nauseated feelings, which Aldrich could sense in his mind, and a deep sorrow overtook her heart. "Daddy I I" "Don''t stutter." Sha lifted her head and Aldrich''s white eyes met the blues on her face. There was anger in Aldrich''s eyes, but this anger was like a boat in a depthless ocean of calmness. Whenever Aldrich wanted, he could topple this boat, or if he wanted he could show it the grandest sunset of its life. For now, this anger was for Sha and her deed, which had cost him an investigation and an opportunity to learn something new. "Daddy I am Sorry Sniff!" As the sorry came out of Sha''s mouth, her head dropped and by the end, she had already started to cry. Aldrich shook his head and put his hand on her head. As he ruffled her hair, he whispered. "You knew this could let us know something about Shu, right? And now one end of the rope has vanished from our reach." Aldrich knew that Sha''s action of throwing him out of the Shadow World was nothing but a psychological barrier. And if he were to let go of it doing nothing about it, it would be an impassable bridge for Sha. The best way to handle these situations would be to intermix harsh admonishments along with gentle reasoning. Only by this way Aldrich could make sure that Sha would try to break her limits next time. Instead of just subjecting herself to the constraints of the Shadow World. As expected, upon Aldrich''s mention of Shu, Sha tightened her grip on the gray metallic tube. Without looking up, Sha nodded and wiped her tears away. A smile came upon Aldrich''s face, and he tapped Sha''s head. "Good girl." "Hehe Sha good." An ear-to-ear smile also came upon Sha''s face and she turned to a mask. Aldrich caught the gray tube as the mask came upon his face by itself. He gave a look to the deep crater and only one thing remained which had upied his mind. "My money" Even if Aldrich were to shout out loud, running naked in the streets, who would believe that he was as rich as an Earl''s House for a few minutes. Having an Earl Mana core was a clear-cut sign of the strength of an ancient House having an Earl-ranked Head. Aldrich didn''t know the whereabouts of the undead Robert and the FIR when the Count turned into a huge blue candle. But he knew nothing could have survived that explosion, much less the Mana cores which were nothing but solidified Mana. If Aldrich had to make a guess, the moment the explosion hade in contact with the Mana cores in the FIR, they would have be a part of it. He didn''t have the time to search the area of the explosion, inch by inch, but he could find out the FIR''s fate through another method. Aldrich extended his hands out and a deep voice came out of his mouth. "From the ashes of my Dreams ARISE!" Space rippled, and an ethereal Darkness materialized in front of Aldrich. And ripping the darkness came out a bald Dreamer wearing a red jacket. This Dreamer was Viscount Robert. From the experiments, before stepping out of Swordfish, Aldrich had already confirmed that if he called out the same undead twice in a row, then they would have their memories intact. These memories weren''t of their lives, but of their revival. As soon as life came into Robert''s eyes, he pounded at Aldrich''s feet and bawled out. "Oh! The Sin! The Sin! My Lord, punch my bald head and kick me in the balls. Oh! I have lost the money" Sigh! Aldrich sighed as he snapped his fingers, and the Viscount vanished. He tapped the mask on his face with his knuckles and said. "Let the Swordfish out. It''s time to attend a ceremony." Chapter 196: A misunderstanding Chapter 196: A misunderstanding The redness of the Rosalia had always been mesmerizing to the locals and foreigners. But sincest week, it took a step further in terms of beauty. The entire looked like a bride, covered in a dress of rose petals. A dim but heart-pleasing red sunset had overtaken half of the, and in this halfy the vast manor. Manor of Earl Drago, the Head of House Venomous Rose. The manor looked like abination of Victorian pces, topped by Imic domes. It was of elegant white and engraved on its walls was the history of House Venomous Rose in sharp red color. A light breeze had surrounded the entire manor, bringing the fresh scent of millions of roses into its spacious chambers. And thousands of crocodile mouth red flying beasts were hovering around the castle, bringing the local nobles of the. Inside the Earl''s bedroom, Trifon was watching his father getting dressed. The clothing was still white, but there was an unearthly red beauty on it. On one side of the white greatcoat, there were green vines, and roses were blooming out of the vines like brilliant red pearls. Trifon''s garments were more simple and cruder than that of his father, but still extravagant enough for a mere Viscount. Earl Drago had yet to dere the real Rank of Trifon, and was saving it for the moment after meeting the Marquess. Trifon nudged his sses and pretended like he cared nothing for his father''s dressing. "Ancestor iste. He should havee by now." It was customary for the entire main family to remain present before the arrival of the other High Ranked Nobles from others. And despite the deep history of the House, there were only three members in the main family. Two of which were staring at each other right now. Earl Drago, straightening any creases on his attire, smirked and said. "Don''t think too much about the working of Ancestor A" The little smile on Earl''s face suddenly vanished as his words halted in between. Within a fraction of a second, Drago''s face became incredibly grave, and even Trifon picked up on this abnormality. All pretenses had to be dropped seeing his father, an Earl, getting so serious over an unknown matter. "Father, what is it?" Earl Drago''s heart was pounding from the impossibility of the thing he was sensing. He turned his head to look at Trifon, and his gaze gradually softened. Sigh! "Stay here! If I don''t return, then survive." "FATHER" BOOM! BOOOOM!!! Two booming sounds of breaking the limits of speed buried Trifon''s scream. Through the sses, the Great Pretender watched as Earl Drago flew away like a bullet towards the Evesting Tower. Even if Trifon had the means to fly, he couldn''tpete with the natural ability avable to all Earls. * At the top of the Evesting Tower, over the red mirror-like floor, red ethereal fog came out and outlined the form of a 13 to 14-year-old girl. Her hairs were of deep red, and there was a crown of thorns on her head. Her eyes were soft green, but now, there was also a deep disastrous feeling embedded within them. The entire''s wind seemed to die down as she took a deep breath and prepared herself for theing of doom. BOOM! From the distance, a booming sound originated. And in the next moment, Earl Drago could be seen hovering just outside the tform, towering above theyers of the cloud. The beauty of the sunset had receded, and stars hade into the sky. A distant arc of a half moon also seemed to struggle to rise above the horizon. Earl Drago gave Rosalia a look and gently nodded. "Ancient Oracle, have you done any prophecy rted to this?" Rosalia''s eyes lost focus, as if she was contemting herst prophecy and past. As her eyesnded on the ripples of the space, some hundreds meters away from her, she finally shook her head in refusal. But this refusal did nothing to calm the grave look in Drago''s eyes. Nor did it prevent him from blurting out. "Why in the hell a Duke ising to our? And that too in such an open and crude manner?!" Rosalia wasn''t some dwarf nor was the House in its reign a simple one. Both the and the House had a deep history and their own secrets. The Mana field surrounding the was of Grade 5, an entire two grades above average. The countless battleships were like tiny moons orbiting the. And unknown to all, Rosalia herself had ayer of defense around the. Without her knowledge, no one could enter or leave the. So when the space within the showed signs of ripping apart from within, it could be nothing but an invasion. A type of invasion that could only be done by the Rank of a Duke. Who else in this entire Gxy could even have the capabilities of the thing happening in front of Ancient Oracle''s and Earl''s eyes? "Drago, you know what we have to do, right?" Both the little girl and the man straightened their spines and shared a look of understanding. The space in front of them bulged as if something was poking it from within. POKE! Cr-Crack! Howuuu!! Like a bubble, the space burst apart in a hole, and ck thunder along with howling spatial winds came rushing out. But even before them came a long needle-like bill of a ck and shadowy Swordfish. Its mouth was slightly open, and over its eyes was a curved cylindrical window pane. Its fins wreathed with thunderous sounds, and its tail iled, creating wind out of nothing. Rosalia''s and Earl Drago''s jaws dropped, seeing this incredible scene, as the entire Swordfish came out. The ruptured space behind it vanished, and the spare lightning bolts and gusts of spatial winds blurred as if they were illusions. Both of their hearts skipped a beat as the spaceship hovered in front of them, and a door opened at its side. From the door didn''te out any grand figure nor any catastrophic burst of Mana. It was just a simple man. This man had a one-horned ck mask on his face. And the greatcoat over his body was darker than the dark night they had ever seen. There was a long pole on his back, whose tip was protruding over his head. As the man stepped out, the entire spaceship copsed onto itself, scaring the hell out of these two figures, who were at the prime of this. But before the man could fall, two bat-like wings came out of his back. With a furious p of those wings, the man approached the Earl and Rosalia and stared at both of them. "What''s going on?" The sheer shock on Drago''s and Rosalia''s faces had yet to go away. As the man casually voiced out a question, the first one toe out of reverie caused by this incredulous scene was Earl Drago. "An Ancestor" Gulp! Only one word coulde out of Earl''s dry mouth before he had to gulp down a mouthful of saliva. Beside him, Rosalia knew the secret behind this man''s identity, and thus, her shock was tremendously higher than that of Drago''s. The man in question tilted his head and again asked. "What is it? Am Ite?" A wry smile came over Earl Drago''s face as all nervousness ran out of his pounding heart. "Haha! Ancestor, how can you ever bete for something now?" Chapter 197: A Price unseen by the Kings Chapter 197: A Price unseen by the Kings "I wille by myself. Leave us alone for now." Aldrich addressed Earl Drago, who was clinging to him from the moment he had arrived on the. Drago''s presence had not surprised him. Even though he was given the''s coordinates, Aldrich could tweak it to control the point of emerging out of the space jump. The entire reason for him to choose Evesting Tower toe out was to alert the Earl Drago of his presence. But Aldrich wasn''t prepared for the shock on Drago''s face. As Aldrich mentioned leaving him and Rosalia alone, an embarrassing red color came on her plump cheeks. And it didn''t go unnoticed by Aldrich. Aldrich had already told Drago about the Swordfish briefly. So when he saw Drago flying away with a weird smile nted on his face, he couldn''t help but narrow his eyes at Rosalia. "Have you note out of your delusions? Or do you want another round of spanking?" "You" Crrr! Upon the mention of spanking, Rosalia pointed at Aldrich and gritted her teeth. The intensity of her anger came out as the grating noise of her teeth rubbing on each other. Her face was about to be red and blue, but soon a deep blush came rushing to her. The phantom pain of three ps on her tiny butt coursed through her body, and along with this pain came the memory of pleasure. Aldrich ignored the tumultuous emotions Rosalia was going through. After having an initial mastery over the Law of Devil, he could interpret these emotions vividly. The corners of Aldrich''s mouth lifted, seeing Rosalia''s indecisive situation. "How far can you materialize this form of yours outside the Evesting Tower?" Even though the was originally Rosalia, all its vitality and strength were concentrated on the Evesting Tower. This was also the reason for the changes in the''s atmosphere Aldrich had experienced when he had first arrived here. It was almost like this ce had its own climate. Rosalia, still trapped in Aldrich''s normal words, didn''t hesitate before answering and blurted out. "Anywhere I want, but I won''t have any Dreamer-like qualities." Aldrich nodded as he dissected Rosalia''s sentence. It meant that though she can pop up anywhere on the, she would be equivalent to a normal human. And thus, if one were to attack her with the intentions of killing, she would dissipate like smoke. It could be attributed to an effect of Skill, but not all the High Ranked Dreamers could be easily fooled. If even one got to notice that Rosalia wasn''t a real person, then a horde of nobles would soon invade the to im her. How could any Dreamer resist the temptation to know a being that had survived for hundreds of millennia? Aldrich put his hands behind his back and walked around the edges of the tform, talking in the incredible night view of the over the clouds. After a slight pause, he turned around and took a step towards Rosalia''s petite figure. This sudden step made her flinch. She put both her hands over her butt and meekly muttered. "What What are you doing? Stay away" But these weren''t the only words ringing in Aldrich''s mind. There, Sha was also fuming in anger. "Daddy Is this bitch making fun of me?" Aldrich let out a wry smile and stopped a few feet away from Rosalia. He looked into her expecting eyes and said. "I think I have found a way by which you can go out to any part of the Gxy." Aldrich had been thinking on this matter since the time he had found a way for Sha toe out, leaving the mask on his face. The core of both the problems was the same. In Sha''s case, Aldrich needed to attach a Rumok to her body, so that she could control the mask and other Items in Aldrich''s hands. And in Rosalia''s case, he could do the same by engraving a Rumok on Evesting Tower. Aldrich could engrave Rumok on living things even before getting his second title, as proven by his experiment with Boomie. Like Boomie, Rosalia was also technically a Dreamer and not Item. The only issue was she had lost all her sses'' authority and Attributes. But doing all this required a great price. Grand enough to shake the spirit of an ancient. As Aldrich''s words magically echoed in the empty and spacious tform, Rosalia involuntarily took a step towards him and shouted out. "Really?!!" Aldrich nodded and continued. "Even though it wouldn''t be the same as freeing you entirely, it would be enough for the time being. It''s just It costs a heavy price." Rosalia stared into Aldrich''s white eyes and took a deep breath. "Don''t worry about the price. Tell me what you need." "A King Mana Core." "" "" Pfft- Bwahahahahaha. Aldrich watched as Rosalia let out a resounding burst ofughter, holding her belly and rolling on the floor. Even after a few seconds, the sharpugh hadn''t stopped. The rose petals were about to lose the shape of a makeshift bra over her breasts. And even the leafy skirt seemed ipetent to hide her milky thighs. "What''s so funny about it? You were a King Ranked Dreamer one time, weren''t you? You must have a King Mana Core stacked somewhere." Aldrich didn''t know if he could handle a Mana core of that level to make Rumok yet. But its presence could open several unopened doors for him through countless experiments. That''s why he couldn''t understand the reason for Rosalia''s bellyugh upon hearing his honest words. Rosalia somehow managed to stand up and press down on her skirt. Her voice, still hinting at a mocking tone, escaped her baby mouth. "Wait so you weren''t joking?!!" Aldrich''s calm and unwavering stare was enough to answer this question. Rosalia let out a chuckle and responded. "Haha! If I had a King Mana Core, I would have already sacrificed it to get almost the same effects as you have mentioned." "But why" Aldrich was about to ask when Rosalia harrumphed and cut him off. "Humph! You think they are so easy to get. Go ask the current Kings, if they had even seen a single King Mana Core in their entire life so far." Chapter 198: Bastard Chapter 198: Bastard In front of the main door of the manor, Aldrich was standing to the right of Earl Drago, while Trifon was on Drago''s left. All local Barons from Rosalia had already arrived and they were lining up on one side of the pavement leading up to the trio. Standing on the other side of the pavement were a few white dded men and women. They were the members of the side branch of House Venomous Rose. The absence of Trifon''s cousins from the main branch could be seen as the sheer amount of fear on their pale faces. And the wrath of this fear fell on Aldrich''s shoulders. All knew that this white-haired man was nothing but a product of Trifon''s one-night outing. He didn''t even have red hair, a trait of all members of the House. The mask on his face seemed an insult, and the way he carried himself felt superfluous. Not caring about these gazes, Ancient Oracle''s words had still upied Aldrich''s thoughts regarding the King Mana Core. Is it true that not one King had got King Mana Core so far throughout the history of the Gxy? Is it true that not even a party of Kings could clear a Dungeon of King Ranked difficulty? Questions like these kept popping in and out of Aldrich''s mind. He didn''t know how raiding worked at that level, and even Rosalia remembered little to nothing of her past self. Aldrich took a deep breath and brought his mind to the current task at hand. The nobles for whom they were waiting had already stationed their spaceships outside the for quite some time. The only thing that needed to be done was to receive them in order. Thousands of Counts had alreadye to pay their respects to Earl Drago in thest week. And only a few hundreds of them, at least those that mattered, remained to attend the ceremony. But to receive an Earl and a Marquess, Drago himself needed to be present. Rosalia''s sr system was part of a local cluster of 67 sr systems under the reign of House Divine Enclosure. And the Head of this House ruling this cluster for thest 300 years was a woman. Famous enough to be called the peerless talent of her generation. Roarrrrr!!! A deafening roar shook the manor''s surroundings and the footing of many Dreamers lined up in front of the Aldrich trio. Aldrich craned his neck up and saw a blue sh in the distant night sky. The sh kept elongating until he could see the image of a blue dragon. The dragon coiled and dashed towards the manor, not giving anyone a chance toe out of their shock. Aldrich could sense Earl Drago giving him a look. But this kind of pressure couldn''t even faze Aldrich''s toe, much less his Perception. What Aldrich was conscious about didn''t rte to the image of the blue dragon, but the person riding it. As the slithering dragon neared the manor, it lost its outer form, giving everyone a clear view of its actual shape. It was a blue heavy sword, around 8 ft long and 1 ft wide. This sword was the reason for the terror in many nobles'' hearts. This sword was the reason for saving many lives in the previous Gctic War. Known by many, and feared by all, the Crowned Flood Dragon. And above the sword towered a long-legged beauty in a blue thigh-high slit dress. There were churning and foaming wave patterns on her dress which matched with the curls of her ck hair. Her eyes were also deep ck, and her face was slightly round. Nothing seemed out of ce for her in one nce. This woman was the Head of House Divine Enclosure, Earl Frida Ingegerd. Earl descended off the sword, and with a wave of her hand, the Crowned Flood Dragon vanished. Just behind her, a blue rod-like spaceshipnded, on the outer wall of which was the insignia of a blue sword nted into a blue cubical box. The door opened, and like the sh of countless swords, 4 blurs appeared behind Earl Frida. Three of them were girls in almost the same blue slit dress and one was a boy in a blue greatcoat. "Haha! Earl Frida, wee to my humble abode." Earl Drago took a step forward and bowed. Following this bow, Trifon and Aldrich also bowed in tandem. A sultry and sweet chuckle resounded in the open area. "Hehe! You don''t need to bow in front of me anymore, Drago. We will soon be colleagues." As Aldrich straightened his posture, he eyed the Stats over Earl Frida. Gradually, his gazended on the four young Dreamers behind her. All looked in their twenties, but looks could be deceiving in the RECORD''s world. The girl directly behind Frida had her chin up and her eyebrows were like two thin swords. The girl next to her was even prouder, but Aldrich could see a hint of jealousy on her face. Aldrich then looked at the boy, whose eyes were filled with disgust for everyone who was wearing white and had red hair. And a few steps behind the three of them was the fourth girl. Her presence, unlike the first three, was unsubstantial. But unknown to everyone, Aldrich lost control of his breathing for a moment as he saw the stats over her head. It was like a tremendous eruption of a volcano in the depths of an ocean. Which could hardly be felt, but whose presence would be seen as thundering tsunamister. Aldrich took a deep breath to calm himself as Earl Frida shook Drago''s hand. She took a step aside and introduced the four Viscounts behind her. "Vivi, the most talented Dreamer of my House. Sonja, the master of formations. Enok, the boy who thinks he can be the next Head" Hehehe! The two girls, Vivi and Sonja, let out a mocking chuckle as Earl Frida openly ridiculed Enok. But contrary to the norm, Enok didn''t have an iota of shame on his face. Aldrich could even feel the emotions of pride and defiance surrounding his straight posture. "We congratte Earl Drago for bing an Earl." The four imed Viscounts bowed and congratted Drago. And no one seemed to ask why Earl Frida didn''t even bother to introduce the fourth girl. It was as if she was just ast-minute burden who was forced toe along with her. Earl Frida, done with the formalities, looked at Trifon and smirked. Her gaze thennded on Aldrich, making him hear an illusory sound of waves crashing on high rocky walls. As he saw hering towards him, step by step, a heavinessnded over him. But this heaviness also had an uncanny sharpness, tearing his flesh from within. Frida stopped a few feet away from Aldrich, but even before she could say something, Enok blurted out. "How dare you put up a mask in front of an Earl? Such impudence" Hehe! Vivi took a step towards Enok,ughingly, and put her hand over his shoulder. "Those whose existence can''t be hidden anymore, need to hide their faces in the open." Earl Frida raised her eyebrows, seeing Aldrich not flinching under the might of her Perception. The corners of her mouth lifted as she said. "So You are the famous Bastard." Aldrich gave the fuming Drago a look and then stared into Frida''s ck eyes. "So what if I am?" Chapter 199: Bastard (2) Chapter 199: Bastard (2) Jaws dropped all around, and the brief silence that ensued Aldrich''s retort was choking the breath out of almost all the Dreamers. There was a slight smirk on Trifon''s face, and just a few steps ahead, Drago was letting out an exaggerated smile. But none had the time and presence of mind to catch the pair of father and son. All were looking at Aldrich as if seeing a dead man standing in front of Death itself. When the shock retreated out of the Dreamers'' minds, an uproar originated among them. Three swords materialized in the hands of Vivi, Sonja, and Enok, and they lunged at Aldrich. Even the fourth girl took a step forward slightly, but itcked the intensity of other threes. Aldrich, seeing the powerful bursts of Manaing towards him, didn''t move. Instead, an evil smile came upon his face which, and from the characteristics of his mask, this smile could be seen by all the Dreamers near or far. Humph! Thump!!! The Viscounts were about to take a swing at Aldrich when Earl Frida harrumphed and all three of them fell face down on the ground. Not caring for their shivering arms and legs, Frida took a step towards Aldrich and looked at his white eyes. She poked Aldrich''s ck mask with her long blue nails and then licked it with her cherry-red tongue. "Hehe! Tasty Bastard or not, a Duke''s blood sure courses through your veins. Who else can have such guts to stand in front of me and utter a word of defiance? I... will forgive you this one time." The evil smile on Aldrich''s face didn''t go away, even after seeing Frida winking at him at the end of the sentence. Earl Drago came running towards them now that Frida had dropped the issue of Aldrich''s retort. "For the mistake of children, the elders of a house are as much responsible as them. This is my grandson, Viscount Aldrich. Hees from a very rough background. Poor child is unaware of many things rted to Nobles." It wasn''t hard to know the Rank of low-level Dreamers by higher Ranked ones. Every Dreamer''s body had a set amount of Mana, also countable as MP. Higher Ranked Dreamers could sense this Mana''s amount, giving them a rough estimate of a Dreamer''s Rank. And Aldrich had already let Drago and Trifon know about him Ranking up. It didn''te as a surprise to them, as in their mind, Ancestor Aldrich was just regaining his lost Rank. Earl Frida shook her head, gesturing she didn''t mind Aldrich''s behavior. But the three Viscounts standing up behind her weren''t that quick to let go of things. As all of them followed Frida, Enok turned around and sent a disgusted look at Aldrich. "Scum And a Bastard What abination!" If it was any other time, Earl Frida''s presence would have been enough to carry on with the ceremony. But times had changed, along with Drago''s Rank. Without the presence of Marquess, none dared to take a step into the Grand Hall. Even the few Counts that had stayed for the ceremony were nowing out from their respective chambers one by one. The 3rd Quarter, ruled by the Kingdom of Swordless, was divided into 99 sectors. Each sector had many low to high numbers of sr-system clusters, overseen by their respective Earls. One of these Earls was Earl Frida. The cluster under hermand was part of the 10th sector. All Marquises were represented by the number of their sectors. And such was also the case for the Head of the Ancient House, House Star Dust. The sky had gonepletely dark, and the shine from the arched moon had whitened the red roses around the manor. The stars twinkled here and there, but a sudden starry river overtook all the brightness of the world in the next moment. All Dreamers lifted their heads and awed at the splendid disy of might and status. The starry river churned in the night sky and then, with no warning, dropped like a waterfall. No one could hold oneself from squinting as the sparkling lights shed in their eyes. When the blessing of sight returned to their eyes, all saw a 10-year-old boy holding the hand of a red-eyed female. The boy had a ponytail, and his eyes were like two yellow suns that seemed to sparkle in the night''s background. One could see his bare chest through the loose white shirt, and the beauty of his face was like a sword cleaned just after a massacre. This seemingly 10-year-old boy was the Head of House Star Dust, Marquess Harold Sindri. Also famously known as the 10th Sword of The Imprable Shield. But again, Aldrich was staring at the Stats over the head of the smiling beauty by his side. Her eyes, which resembled a peacock, kept moving from one side to another. Sigh! Aldrich let out a sigh in his mind and muttered under his breath. "Trouble is brewing behind the curtains" As the Marquess took a step forward, all Dreamers bowed in his direction. "We greet Marquess Harold!" "We" The sentence kept echoing in the Manor''s surrounding from one side to the other, and Harold Sindri seemed to savor every vor of this sound. "Haha! Kid Drago, I told your father that one day you will make him proud. Another Earl to serve His Majesty, Impressive!!!" Earl Drago and Earl Frida stepped out of the masses and greeted the Marquess. Harold gestured for the female toe forward and introduced her to the two Earls. "May I present the star of my eyes, Viscount Amalia. It''s also her first timeing out of the main on official business." The Earls didn''t need to bow to this Viscount Amalia, but the status of Marquess'' daughter outranked even their meager RECORD given Ranks. As Drago and Frida gave her bow, Amalia also returned the gesture politely. But then suddenly her eyes snapped in a particr direction behind the two Earls. A white-haired masked man was standing there calmly as if nothing could affect his posture, and no Rank or Status could make him bend his spine. This sudden movement of Amalia''s head didn''t go unnoticed by many. And the most outrageous at this was Enok. He ran towards Amalia, and giving a bow to Marquess, he extended his hand for her to hold on. "My Lady, I am Viscount Enok, third grandnephew of Earl Frida from my mother''s side. And that person" Enok pointed at Aldrich and shouted for all to hear. " That person is the Bastard of House Venomous Rose." Chapter 200: Another Guest Chapter 200: Another Guest Aldrich was used to standing in a ce where none wanted his presence. All his life, people were giving him looks. Looks strange enough for a third person to understand, but Aldrich had always been a little different. In a nce, he could notice if the mass of people didn''t want him to present. So when Enok mentioned him as Bastard and all the nobles lined up there nodded their heads, Aldrich couldn''t help but remember a few parent-teacher conferences from his childhood. This memory was sudden, as it came after crossing the barrier of time. A time equivalent to many millions of years or even more. There was nothing pleasant or unpleasant about those memories. But through these memories, Aldrich got to see the faces of his parents shed by his eyes. A smile came upon his face, so sincere that almost none got to understand the pain hidden behind it. s, following some unknown Will, there were a few who didn''t misunderstand this smile like that of a shameless one. Few at one point of their lives had smiled just as the same. One of these people was Trifon, who was lucky enough to be looking in Aldrich''s direction. Another was Amalia, who hadn''t taken her eyes off Aldrich''s mask since the time she had noticed him staring at her. And thest was the fourth girl, who hade along with Earl Frida. Her ck eyes stirred, and for no reason, the corner of her eyes became wet. Unaware of the karma caused by this single innocent smile, Aldrich buried the two gentle faces deep in his heart. His two, now emotionless, white eyes matched that of the yellow eyes of Marquess Harold, who seemed to size him up from afar. "One should learn from Ingegards how to make a hill out of a mole? Hahaha!" The child-likeughter resounded in the ears of many, and Earl Frida''s eyes squinted unnaturally at Enok. But Enok seemed not to hear a word of the Marquess as he kept looking at Amalia, hoping to get her attention. Marquess Harold smirked as Amalia gave her hand for Enok to kiss, following the custom, and shouted. "Let''s go, I am hungry. Kid! I hope you have all my favorite treats." "Haha! Of Course, and a little surprise too," said Earl Drago. Aldrich had a little idea of this surprise Drago spoke of. As he saw the two Earls led by Marquess Harolding towards him, Trifon neared Aldrich and put a hand around his shoulder. It looked like a father pacifying his son, but Aldrich had already raised his eyebrows at this gesture. Trifon pretended like Aldrich''s dearest friend and spoke. "Ahh! Love. What a feeling! Ancestor, I didn''t know you were so romantic." "" Aldrich did not know what to say. Even though Trifon was known for his cunning in the circle of Dreamers around him, he couldn''t guess Aldrich''s emotions just from a slight smile. Marquess Harold was about to pass by Aldrich and Trifon when he halted and looked up towards Aldrich. Aldrich could feel him looking beyond him towards the pole on his back, and little by little, Harold''s eyes narrowed and a grave look appeared on his face. But before the two Earls could ask him anything, Harold let out a deepugh. "Hahaha! Son, so what if there is a white rose among the red ones. A rose will always bloom grandly. Come with me." Following behind Marquess and Earls, Enok clenched his teeth and scoffed at these words. Amalia''s arched eyebrows perked up, hearing her father praising someone, and even the yet nameless fourth girl kept staring at Aldrich like never before. Vivi lifted her chin as she saw Amalia''s tall figure a few steps ahead of her. The hint of jealousy on her face was vividly visible. Aldrich saw Earl Drago nod his head towards him and was about to take a step when the smell of blood and piss overtook the entire Manor''s surroundings. Tap-Tapp-Tappp! The sound of footsteps was everywhere and nowhere, too. Marquess Harold''s yellow eyes lit up with the sprinkle of starlike dust. Even the two Earl''s faces became serious enough to call them pale. The blood-pissy smell made almost all Dreamers under the Rank of Viscount nauseated. And a few Rare Dreamers guarding the outskirts of the Manor even vomited on the spot. Tap-Tapp!! The footsteps wereing closer and closer, but they also felt like going farther and farther. Aldrich looked out at the end of the long path and his heart stirred as he sensed something. This was a feeling Aldrich was most familiar with, and this feeling materialized as a single word in his mind. ''LAW'' Aldrich became happy as he couldn''t recognize the nature of this Law even remotely. It meant that he would soone in contact with a new thing to learn. "Congrats Daddy." Contrary to the thoughts of Aldrich and Sha, the high Ranked Dreamers weren''t that eager for this person''sing here. Tap!!! A final tap echoed, and everyone got to see a man in a white uniform, covered in dozens of medals. On his left arm, there was an insignia of a sword running through a starry spiral. It felt like the sword was going through the entire Milky Way Gxy, and would soon cut it in half. "What the hell are you doing here?" Tap This tap was even fainter than all the previous onesbined, and with it, the man vanished and reappeared in front of the Marquess and two Earls. "Retd. Commander of UGF, Marquess Nichs Askr of House Lost Steps, congrattes Earl Drago Goranov on his Territory Bestowment Ceremony." "This wasn''t the answer to my question." The seemingly 10-year-old boy, Marquess Harold, approached Nichs and stared into his eyes. Aldrich couldn''t feel any trace of Lawing out of Harold''s body, but the retired Commander seemed wary of him nheless. As Marquess Nichs heard Harold''s condescending tone, he let out a slight smile and his words struck everyone''s hearts like a Death Knell. "What?! Don''t tell me, you are asking me to deny a King''smand? Haha!" Chapter 201: Personal Student Chapter 201: Personal Student A King. A king, the Most Powerful Dreamer under the Title of Emperor. A King, whose authority ruled supreme in the hearts of many. Why would such a Beingmand a Retd Commander to send his congrattions to Earl Drago? Why would such a Being bother about the proceedings of a mere House Venomous Rose under the rule of a Kingdom? Questions like these were in the hearts of many, but who would have dared to utter them out loud? Who would have dared to question Marquess Nichs'' presence in such a case? The answer was obvious. None. Even before these questions could havee at the tips of anyone''s lips, they got buried, trampled, and crushed. Aldrich eyed the hesitation of Marquess Harold as the Retd. Commander smirked after letting out his question for everyone to hear. Even the fourth nameless girl, who hade along with Earl Frida, had utter shock written on her face. And Aldrich also noticed a trace of deep fear hidden behind the calm face of Harold''s daughter, Viscount Amalia. "Counts from the 10th and 15th generation of House Venomous Rose had served in the United Gctic Front. And though we can''t keep track of all of them, UGF doesn''t forget their contributions. A little gift, approved by the King himself, for Earl Drago." Marquess Nichs, not caring about Harold staring daggers at him, approached Drago and took out a fist-sized green object. Its surface glowed with brilliant blues and whites, and it was incredibly smooth to touch. Aldrich couldn''t help but raise his eyebrow as he recognized the object which he had alreadye close to getting one for himself. It was an Earl Ranked Mana Core. For a moment, the Mana core was like a star who had left the night sky and hade down. All eyes were nted on it, and taking advantage of such a situation, Marquess Nichs took a secretive nce at Aldrich. But Aldrich was looking directly at him. From the presence of the nameless girl and Amalia, Aldrich had already theorized that something weird was going down. And this nce was like pressing an Enter key on the keyboard, giving his theories a solid substance. Unaware of the thoughts going through Aldrich''s mind, Earl Drago had a big smile on his face. It wasn''t needed to be said that without an Earl Mana Core; him being Head of an Earl House was nothing but an empty im. So when this came as a gift to him, by none other than a King, he had no choice but to ept it with open arms. "I, Earl Drago, Head of House Venomous Rose, will remember this kindness from UGF. Thank you." "Humph! Let''s go, I am hungry." Marquess Harold harrumphed, making Drago let out a wry smile. And followed by the lead of many servants, all entered the Banquet Hall. * There wasn''t much to say about the dinner being served. Other than rare delicacies, the hall was full of red creamy cakes. Although almost all had finished their dinners, Aldrich could still find Harold, munching on a few cakes, with a ss of wine in his hand now and then. The space in the middle had been cleared out, and beautiful dancers were showing their curves with every step. Their eyes were full of seduction and love intermingled with each other. On one hand, Earl Drago had lost the happiness after getting Mana Core and now had a frown on his face. Aldrich could only guess that somehow Drago didn''t get a favorable response from Harold on the matter of Trifon''s and Amalia''s marriage. This frown didn''t suit Drago''s nature, given him being the host of this vast ceremony, but Aldrich knew it couldn''t be avoided given Drago''s curse. ''Hmm! The pride in his son seemed to have amplified after bing an Earl.'' Aldrich was still upied in his thoughts when Trifon approached him. "Ancestor, do you like that quiet girl?" "" Aldrich had been observing the nameless girl''s movements for quite some time before Trifon noticed this oddity. Trifon pretended as if Aldrich''s silence meant a yes, and continued. "I was chatting with that useless side character, Sonja. I think she has taken a liking to me Which I have to say tells a lot about her taste in men" "Come to the point." Aldrich snapped his head towards Trifon, making the Great Pretender flinch on the spot. The red-haired Count cleared his throat and pretended like a journalist. "Ahem! ording to Sonja''s little brain, the Ancestor of House Divine Enclosure has suddenly taken an interest in this girl called Tyra. This ancestor had done such things in the past, so none took a deep interest in the girl. But when the ancestor asked Earl Frida to bring her along to our ceremony, you can imagine the displeasure on nobles'' faces. We can presume that the reason for Earl Frida to not introduce her is also rted to this." Tink-Tinkk-Tinkkk By the time Trifon finished his brief report, Harold had already climbed onto the stage and used the ss of wine to bring everyone''s attention. The dancers swiftly left, and all nobles gathered around the Harold and Drago duo. Contrary to them, Marquess Nichs was still sitting on a high-back chair leisurely. Harold''s child-like voice echoed in the hall as he smilingly said. "Before bestowing territory to Earl Drago, I have two wonderful announcements to make." Aldrich narrowed his eyes as he saw the shock on Drago''s face. It was clear that even he wasn''t aware of these announcements. "First, like father, like son, Trifon of House Venomous Rose has already Ranked up and became a Count. Congrattions." p-ppp!!! ''Silence'' was the only thing that lingered in the hall as everyone looked at Trifon with their gobsmacked expressions. But the pping sound originated from Amalia, brought everyone out to reality. The hall got overtaken by the sound of pping and murmurs, and Trifon shamelessly bowed with a pretentious smile on his face. Tink!!! Another ''tink'' made the crowd remember that this was only one of the two announcements. Contrary to the little hopeful smile on Drago''s face, Aldrich knew this wasn''t rted to any engagement. And soon his guess became true as Marquess Harold faced him directly and proimed. "I have decided to take Aldrich, Bastard of House Venomous Rose, as my personal student." Chapter 202: An Opportunity Chapter 202: An Opportunity Sigh! This sigh was waiting at the tip of Aldrich''s tongue for quite a while. It wasn''t unexpected for Aldrich to hear something like this from a higher Ranked Dreamer. Only he knew the reason for him to portray himself as a Bastard of House Venomous Rose and not its ancestor. There were certain things that he could only do with his identity in question, but credible enough to be epted by an Earl, like Drago Goranov. One of those reasons was to attract the attention of theing Marquess. But even Aldrich seemed to have underestimated the lure of the bait he had thrown into the sea for him to catch the biggest fish. A personal student wasn''t a position that could simply be earned or taken. It was a pure luxury that could only be given. Since ancient times, high Ranked Dreamers had been choosing children of nobles as students. It used to be considered a great honor and a ceremonial thing for a newly Initiated Dreamer to get chosen. But then, at one point, this ceremony died out. The only thing that got left behind was its traces, which certain Houses persistently followed up to this day. House Star Dust was one of such Houses. The only thing that baffled everyone was why Aldrich. Earl Drago had a massive frown on his face, and by Aldrich''s side, Trifon kept squinting his eyes, trying to find the scheme behind all this. Even though Trifon had already be a Count and he was a ck spot in the name of Nobles, for others, he was still a legitimate heir to an ancient House. None could have dared to feel disgusted if Marquess Harold had chosen him as a personal student. Aldrich could calcte what would be the impact of him being epted by Harold. Even if the name of his mother would remain taboo among nobles, after this, he would be a legitimate Goranov. None would have the audacity to call him a bastard. How can a personal student of a Marquess be a bastard, they would think? ''But why? Why does he want to legitimize my im in House Venomous Rose?'' Aldrich was still thinking about the possible hidden meaning behind this announcement when his eyes fell on Amalia''s face. She was looking at him, and seemingly for quite some time. There was a heavy blush on her face, and her peacock-like eyes were brimming with expectation and anticipation. ''This'' Aldrich got to know why Marquess Harold hadn''t rejected or epted the proposal of engagement between Trifon and Amalia. Rejecting the offer would havee as an expected oue to Aldrich, but things seemed to have developed beyond his ns. The bait had caught the fish, but not the one he wanted. All were silent, and none waited for Aldrich''s response on the matter. This announcement was a deration and not a question. Only a fool would go against it, and if a bastard was to reject it, then he would be the biggest fool. But before Aldrich could give any response, there were some already opposed to this. Someone harrumphed from one corner of the Hall, breaking the ever reigning silence. "Huh! What a bold statement! Are we still living like cavemen, Harold?" Marquess Nichs stood up from his chair and took out a cigar. As he lit it up, he climbed onto the stage and stared down into the eyes of the 10-year-old boy. "Don''t make me lose my temper, Nichs. This is my sector. These are my Dreamers. YOU have no say in this." HAHAHA! Nichs was a tall and lean man, and though he looked a little older than Earl Drago, in age he was even older than Marquess Harold. The heartyugh that hade out of him was shrill and ear scraping. Before theugh could die out, a scroll had appeared in his hands. But it didn''t stay with Nichs for long. It lifted, hovering high in the air for all to see, and glowed bright gold. A shiver ran down in the spines of Dreamers, regardless of their Rank. For the first time in Aldrich''s life, he felt non-existentpared to a single scroll. It was the same feeling he used to get from the Being behind the ck Veil and the Banished Golden Devil. But this was reality, and its pressure was also much real. Runic Symbols appeared all over the scroll and even in the surrounding space. Aldrich didn''t take long to analyze that they were rted to judgment. Soon a Divine Sense came out of the Scroll, like Perception but unimaginably powerful. And before anyone could blink, it covered the entire VR-252. The Evesting Tower shuddered, and in the next moment, the Ancient Oracle appeared near Drago. Aldrich calmed himself and muttered the Ancient Sayings under his breath. He observed Tyra and Amalia''s faces getting horrified by moments while the pir on his back thrummed with soundless vibrations. As the scroll opened by itself, all Dreamers fell to their knees with no need of anymand. And starting from Marquess Harold, Earl Drago, and the Ancient Oracle, the voices of many resounded on Rosalia. "LONG LIVE HIS MAJESTY, THE KING." This scroll was handwritten by a KING himself. The Divine Sense palpating the hearts of Dreamers was nothing but a minuscule part of him. This scroll''s presence was equivalent to a King being present in person. Only one person was not subjected to the pressure of the King''s Perception and that was Marquess Nichs. There was a smirk on his face, and as he looked at the kneeling Dreamers, he proimed out. "I am here not only to congratte Earl Drago but also on an official business. I was going to announce this message to Harold personally, but hearing his announcement, I had to make some changes in ns." Aldrich could feel the falseness of Nichs'' words. All Dreamers stood up, but their heads stillcked the sternness of before. Marquess Harold''s teeth were clenched hard, and even he said nothing at this moment. As the scroll came down in front of the tall marquess, Nichs gave Aldrich a look and then read out loud. "Dreamers of the Gxy. I, Supreme Commander of the United Gctic Front, have a wonderful opportunity for all of you" Aldrich saw Harold narrowing his eyes as he heard the word ''opportunity''. Not everyone could imagine what the scroll could be rted to, but Aldrich still didn''t hesitate to make a guess based on the time and ce. Nichs continued in a heavy voice. "The 3 Year time limit for the selection of a new Suprememander is upon us. In another seventeen months, there will be countless new Dreamersing out of Barren Earths. To handle this surge of Dreamers efficiently, I am creating a brand new unit called Barren Earth Overseers. Regardless of their kingdoms, all Count and Earl ranked Dreamers will be eligible to be a part of this unit. The selection process willprise a tournament after 5 months, the details of which are yet to be finalized." Aldrich was calm, but there was anger buried deep in his eyes. All his ns woulde to nothing if this tournament would go as stated. He saw Nichs skimming the bottom part of the scroll and waited for him to finish. "The top Dreamers of this tournament would be given the privilege of being under the tutge of Dukes. I hope for healthy participation." As Aldrich watched the scroll vanishing, he got to know why there was a mocking tone in Nichs'' voice when Harold gave out the second announcement. Who would settle to be the personal student of a mere Marquess, when there was an opportunity to be with a Duke? Chapter 203: A Show of Might Chapter 203: A Show of Might The aftereffects of a King''s presence still lingered in the Great Hall. Everyone knew the shock originating from this news would engulf the entire gxy pretty soon. It wasn''t just a matter of obtaining the priceless resources of UGF or bing a student of a Duke. At the back of their mind, all were aware of the fact that whoever woulde under such a prestigious Dreamer would definitely achieve the next Rank. The Counts would at least be Earl, and the Earls would approach the Rank of Marquess if not be one. This lure was too great to be passed on, and Marquess Nichs seemed to know it perfectly. But before carrying on with another round of murmurs, all Dreamers had to bow again. It also included Harold and Nichs, for the person they were now bowing to had a status higher than Blessed Ones. Ancient Oracles were always known to be mysterious beings, with their powers unknown. So when the Ancient Oracle of House Venomous Rose appeared among them, with no disturbance, it didn''te as a tremendous surprise. "We greet the Ancient Oracle." The sentence echoed for a few seconds before Aldrich saw Rosalia giving him a look and turning around. "Carry on. I won''t impede any proceedings." Tchh! The two Marquesses and Earls bowed again as Rosalia snapped her fingers and a chair made of vines and roses appeared just by the raised stage. As the seemingly 14-year-old girl took a seat, Aldrich saw Harold narrow his eyes and continue his previous argument. "It is an undeniably great opportunity for any youth to get the teachings of a Duke. But how does it be relevant to me taking this boy as my personal student? Huh! Old age is getting to you, Nic." Nichs still had his characteristic smirk on his face as he stared down at Harold and retorted. "Relevant? All Viscounts have the same time left, around 5 months. In these 5 months, they need to Rank up and get enough Skills to outsmart half the Gctic Dreamers. Won''t it be better for him to be with someone who has experience of being in UGF than some golden spoon brat like you?" The middle-aged man and the yellow-eyed boy looked like two brats scuffling over a toy in the school yground. Marquess Nichs'' words to Harold weren''t as clear cut, but those who knew what he was talking about made them take a second nce at Aldrich. Harold took a step closer, his eyes wide, and shouted. "Do you mean" "Huh!" Nichs scoffed and nodded his head as he said, "Of course! I want to give this young white rose an opportunity to be with me for 5 months. I will personally mold him to tackle the uing tournament." It didn''t need to be said that this sudden interest by the two high Ranked Dreamers in a bastard perplexed everyone. Jealousy had already been washed over the faces of other Viscounts and now sheer hate had taken its ce. On one side, Enok, standing near Amalia, was red and purple as he looked at nobles on stage fighting over a scum. On another side, Vivi and Sonja, standing behind Earl Frida, had their plump breasts moving up and down in anger. The wrath of the beauties was about to decimate the delicate makeup in their faces. Amid the brief silence, a sultry giggle resonated in the Hall, making everyone look at Earl Frida. As she climbed the stage, her long leg kepting out of the slit dress up to her thigh. Under her throat, there was a blue coiled dragon tattoo, whose tail ran down and got lost in the ravine between her breasts. "Hehe! Pardon my intrusion My Lords, but I couldn''t help myself." The two Marquess and Earl Drago eyed the Head of House Divine Enclosure standing tall among them. Aldrich noticed how even Nichs and Harold turned to give her full attention. By the stage, the Ancient Oracle still had her eyes closed when Frida gave a bow to her and continued. "I assume you two are dead set on grooming a Viscount for the uing tournament. Then why are you limiting yourself to only one option?" Drago seemed to understand where Frida was going. Aldrich noticed how the prideful Earl harrumphed and addressed the audience. "Humph! This is a decision better left to the Marquesses. Earl Frida, you and I have no say in this." But Earl Frida deliberately didn''t take the hint and let out another charming smile. "I am just saying that there are other fishes in the ocean. Even if we ignore the brilliant star, which is Viscount Amalia, I have three outstanding viscounts with me. And let us not forget the many Viscounts who hade along with many guests." The entire Hall lit up with murmurs and buzz about Frida''s genuine words. Earl Frida governed many sr systems, and thus, the number of Counts presented in this ceremony wasn''t low. Even if they didn''t consider themselves, there were as many or more Viscounts in the Great Hall who also wanted to be considered for this position. Called by an unseen gesture, Enok, Vivi, and Sonja stepped forward and bowed towards the stage. And following them, many Viscounts also approached the stage before bowing towards the Marquesses. Earl Frida walked on the edge of the tform and eyed the dozens of viscounts with their heads bowed. She extended her right hand outwards and looked at Nichs and Harold. "See, My Lords? Even the Supreme Commander is hoping for healthy participation, isn''t he? It would be such a shame to not give these young blood a chance." Aldrich sighed under the guise of his mask. He knew by bringing the name of Supreme Commander, Earl Frida was pressuring the Marquesses to uphold their image. And as expected, the two old Marquesses nced at each other before Nichs in a shrieky voice called out. "Frida, what do you propose then?" Earl Frida put her pinky finger on her lips and let out a yful chuckle. "Hehe! Nothing much, but a quick show of might. Whichever Viscount wille out on top will be the most deserving of the status of your personal student." Chapter 204: First Fight Chapter 204: First Fight An exchange of pointers. These events weren''t rare, but amid nobles, they had a specific time and ce. Especially not during a ceremony and unannounced. There were just too many constraints on such events. One needed to consider age, Rank, and levels. And even if one was to ignore the background, the thing that couldn''t be ignored was the arsenals avable to them. So, despite their harmless nature, Aldrich knew these events were held to show the power of their Houses. The better the young Dreamers of the House, the better would be their prospects. And in the presence of so many High-Rank Dreamers, this also meant to put a pointer of their Houses on the maps of Marquesses. Who would have rejected this cunning idea of Earl Frida? Aldrich was just a bastard, and even if Trifon had been taking care of him since his birth, there wasn''t much he could do regarding his strength for him to remain hidden. Aldrich also knew that in the mind of everyone, the Marquesses were targeting him to put Earl Drago in their pockets, but it wasn''t even near the truth. One thing that he was sure of was that he couldn''t back out from this scheme. A part of his promise to the Ancient Oracle was to assist House Venomous Rose in regaining its lost footing. It was also one reason he said nothing when Harold presented his 2nd announcement. No matter who was to challenge him, he needed to win this "quick show of might". Otherwise, Earl Drago might lose his credibility in the eyes of Marquess Harold. Winning wasn''t an issue for Aldrich. For him, the only issue was how to win without showing all his cards. There were Dreamers presented in the Great Hall, who he hadn''t thought woulde here before the beginning of the ceremony. Aldrich scanned the Great Hall and remembered that these hidden Dreamers could kill him in one breath. The Pir of Footprints had already caught their attention. There was no way Aldrich wanted to give them any more reasons to prod his background. "Very well." Marquess Nichs nodded as he looked away from Frida and gave Harold a look. Harold, lost in thoughts, took a long moment to nod in response. It was clear to Aldrich that if Nichs wasn''t here, Marques Harold would have never agreed to this nonsense. But now, things have proceeded out of his hands, and Harold had to take the lead from here. "I also don''t mind. BUT" Harold''s yellow eyes shone with a brilliance that of a star as he stared at Frida, Nichs, and the mass of young Dreamers. The power of this single ''But'' was so strong that even Aldrich''s found it irresistible and almost fell to his knees. It didn''t even need to tell that all the other Viscounts weren''t faring any better. Aldrich too pretended he was having troubles and buckled his right knee in response. From the corner of his eyes, Aldrich saw Trifon wearing an exaggerating smile, and giving him a thumbs up on the acting. "" The pressure soon disappeared, and Harold lowered the intensity of his voice. " But there won''t be any dealing of deadly blows. There won''t be any bets rted to Items, and those who get defeated once won''t be able to fight again." Humph! Aldrich harrumphed in his mind as the boy Marquess blubbered out the conditions. While people were focusing on the second matter rted to the bet, only Aldrich knew that thest one was the crux of the matter. Both Marquesses didn''t want him to die before they could get their hands on him, as shown by the nodding of Nichs'' head. Not even one of them thought he could win against the Viscounts of ancient Houses. The only question that worried Aldrich was why Nichs showed interest in him even before he found the presence of the Pir of Footprints. "Hehe! My Lords, you can be the judge along with the assistant of me and Count oops. Earl Drago. Let this stage serve as the battlefield. Making one''s opponent yield or throwing out of the stage''s boundary would count as winning, " said Earl Frida. Aldrich saw Earl Drago giving him a secretive nod as he followed the Marquesses off the stage. Five more chairs appeared on the Ancient Oracle''s left and right, who seemed unaffected by all this. Aldrich noticed the two Earls sitting down on the right of Rosalia. On her left, Amalia, along with the two Marquesses, sat down and Aldrich found her looking directly at him. Aldrich shook his head and muttered. "What a waste of time" "Daddy" Sha''s voice rang in his head as all the Viscounts lined up in an orderly manner around the stage. "What?" "Daddy Sha y too." "Not now." "Whaaaa! Why??? Now I can" Sha eximed out defiantly but Aldrich ignored her gaping mouth. "Not now." Aldrich approached the stage, and Enok came to stand beside him, pushing away a few Dreamers out of his way. A fat Dreamer jumped up onto the stage and bowed towards the six chairs. "Level 36 Viscount Jerker, House Right Hand." Upon getting a nod, Jerker stood up and eyed the entire crowd surrounding the stage with hawk like eyes. An enormous ck hammer materialized his hand, and he pointed it straight towards Aldrich. "Bastard,e on stage." Sigh! Aldrich sighed and took a step, but Enok''s voice came as if he was waiting for this moment. "Not even caring to stand for yourself. Huh! Not even a thread of shame The apple didn''t fall far from the tree." Hahaha! A lowugh spread out among the Dreamers around Aldrich. He gave the blue dded Enok a look and jumped on the stage. Aldrich wanted to spend the least amount of time doing these pointless things. And there was only one way he could make sure that things would work out as he wished. Aldrich bowed in the same style towards the six chairs and spoke out. "Level 34 Viscount Aldrich, House Venomous Rose." After getting the nod, Aldrich walked and halted a dozen feet away from Viscount Jerker. Aldrich had already retracted all the traces of the Devil from his greatcoat, and now it seemed nothing but in clothing. With his hands behind his back, Aldrich waited for the Jerker to make a move. The fat viscount gave out an evil smile as he kept tapping on the hammer with the other hand. "Take out your weapon, bastard." The opponent looked at the pole on Aldrich''s back, thinking it was his main Item, but Aldrich didn''t give any response. It did nothing but maddened the Level 36 viscount as he took the form of an attack and shouted. "Gave up already? Doesn''t matter, you aren''t going off this stage in one piece." Haaaaa! The fat viscount, wearing a cream-colored jacket, let out a shout and lunged at Aldrich. The wind howled as he raised the hammer, and with all his might, he brought it down on Aldrich. BOOM! There wasn''t much dust, and as the debris settled, all got a look at the oue of the attack. The hammer was buried half in the stage, and on it stood Aldrich as if the hammer had gone right through him. Before anyone could realize what had just happened, a breath came out of Aldrich, and along with it came out words which only he could hear. "All Proficient Traditional ITF Taekwondo: Heaven Ascension." THWACK!!! Chapter 205: Conrad Chapter 205: Conrad Thwack!!! Aldrich''s kick was like a blur caused by countless raindrops. It wasn''t quick as lightning, nor was it swift like a whip. The only words that could describe it were illusory and unavoidable. The kicknded squarely on the jaw of the Viscount Jerker and lifted his enormous body into the air. But instead of going straight up, Jerker''s body twisted and spun clockwise. "Heaven Ascension" was just one part of the move. The entire purpose of this half part was to lift the opponent''s body in the air and to change the vertical position to horizontal. Aldrich was now only standing on the tip of his right toe. His left leg was like an axe raised high, just above Jerker''s tilted head. For a moment, the horror in the level 36 Viscount''s eyes could be seen before Aldrich brought down the outstretched leg. " EARTH BURIAL!!" Crunch! A ck blurnded on the side of Jerker''s face and a distinct sound of bone-crunching came out. But unfortunately for Jerker, this wasn''t the end. Aldrich''s leg kept going down, bringing Jerker''s head along with it and mmed into the floor. Bang-r-unchhh!!! Jerker''s entire body spasmed as his head got buried into the floor. Aldrich, now standing with one foot over the hammer and the other on the buried face, looked towards the six judges. Silence "Uuuu. aaaaa ghh" Except for the low growling and moaning sounding out from under Aldrich''s foot, the Great Hall was absolutely silent. It seemed Viscount Jerker wasn''t dead, but it couldn''t be confirmed if it was because of Aldrich''s mercy or hisck of strength. "BASTARD! YOU DAREEE" As the hammer on the stage vanished, a deafening cry of anguish and wrath came from far in the Great Hall. An even fatter man, with a bigger hammer, dashed towards Aldrich. His face had some simrities to that of Jerker''s, and his eyes were brimming red with anger. Earl Drago was about to leave his chair, but before this fatter Count could reach the stage, Marquess Harold tapped his finger on the arm of the chair. Rumbleeee! It was like an earthquake hade up. And what quaked wasn''t the Manor''s walls and windows, but the hearts of the Dreamers. The Count, about to swing his hammer at Aldrich, seemed to have hit an unseen wall and got thrown outwards with twice the momentum he hade. The only thing he left behind was a bloody trail of his presence. "Humph! Trying to avenge your son''s ipetence?!!" Harold scoffed and then looked at the many Counts standing beyond the lined up Viscounts. His voice was childlike, but it was stern and unforgiving. "Unless any rules of the fight are vited, I will not tolerate any interference." Gulp! Many nobles who thought of doing the same as the bleeding Count wetted their dry throat. On Harold''s side, Amalia had a big smile on her face. As her honey-like smooth words came out of her mouth, all pressure of Marquess Harold vanished. "Impressive!" Following Amalia''s praise, Earl Frida on the Ancient Oracle''s right also nodded and called out. "Brilliant!" Even Nichs had a big smile on his face as he nodded, hearing the two beauties'' remarks. The reason for these praises was partly rted to Aldrich''s ordinary background, and partly to him being underestimated. No one believed Aldrich could hold himself against a Level 36 Viscount from a noble''s house. But those who lost their cool on the battlefield deserved to be trodden upon. "Take him away." Earl Drago casually pointed out and two Recordless appeared on the stage. As Aldrich shifted his feet away, the Recordless pulled the Viscount by holding him from shoulders. "Uuuuu" GASP!!! Aldrich nodded to himself as many low-ranked Dreamers gasped openly. Even the remaining Viscounts flinched as they saw the badly mangled face with blood and saliva dripping out. Aldrich knew if he didn''t take this drastic measure, then more and more of these Viscounts woulde to challenge him. But not all of them got scared away by this inhumane sight. Aldrich noticed how Enok''s face became grave, but his determination to bring down Aldrich seemed to have risen. And along with Enok, there were a few Viscounts who also had an expectant look on their faces. Aldrich was about to step down when another young man jumped over the stage and gestured for Aldrich to stop. "No need, brother. Let''s exchange a few pointers." The young man in front of Aldrich had long curly hair and a beardless face. His eyes were ck and brown, and on his left cheek, there was a starry scar. The man was wearing a gray overcoat, and on his shoulder, there was an insignia of three daggers forming a triangle. Aldrich returned to his position as the man bowed towards the six chairs and shouted. "Level 35 Viscount Conrad, House Daggers Trigon." Thump! Before Conrad could lift his head, a loud thumping noise attracted everyone''s attention. Aldrich saw Enok pounding his fist on the stage as he looked at Conrad with fuming eyes. "Conrad! You were once the personal student of Earl Frida. Don''t shame her teachings by fighting this bastard." Aldrich narrowed his eyes as he realized there was some connection between this Conad and House Divine Enclosure. He also noticed the hesitant smile of pride on Frida''s face, and the emotion of remembranceing out of Vivi and Sonja. But he couldn''t find any such emotions in Conrad. Conrad gave an extra bow to Earl Frida and gently spoke as he turned to face Enok. "We studied together, yet our thinking is worlds apart. You are an excellent Dreamer, but the things holding you back are your own ideals. For me, this is just another fight to hone my skills." As Conrad''s mouth halted its movement, dozens of daggers appeared around him. The daggers kept changing their formation from circr to triangr, from spherical to cubic. Aldrich analyzed the not-so-obvious patterns and Conrad, unaware of Aldrich''s thoughts, misunderstood his silence. "Prepare yourself! Even if you are a close-range fighter, I won''t show any mercy GO! Trigon First Formation: Rain of 33 Daggers." Chapter 206: A Math Problem Chapter 206: A Math Problem Aldrich couldn''t find any mention of this Skill on Conrad''s record, nor he remembered it reading on the scrolls rted to different Houses. By now he had found out that besides Dungeons, there were other methods to get or transfer a few Skills gically from one member of House to another. This was one of the reasons why nobles gave such importance to maintaining the purity of the House. And also why they abhorred children born outside the family. Summoning Ancestral Divine Spirit and House Venomous Rose''s Rose Clones were a few of such Skills. And it seemed this Trigon Dagger Formation also came under such a category. None had found out why and how these Skills popped up in a Dreamer''s Record. But Aldrich thought of them as a virus,ing alive when a few lucky pureblood nobles became Dreamers. It didn''te as a surprise that the presence of these Skills became a selection criterion among many Houses. Aldrich scanned through Conrad''s Stats, but he couldn''t find any remarkable Skill. His Attributes were only ordinary and his sses were also above average if not good. For him to get selected as a personal student meant he had shown remarkable talent in learning these innately transferred Skills. From afar, the daggers running towards Aldrich were like the approaching storm. And the only thing this stormcked was thunder and wind. Shu-Shuu-Shuuup! The 33 daggers sent by Conrad came to rest above Aldrich''s head one by one. They were like thick ck clouds churning with the heaviness of the water they carried. Ripples originated and vanished into theyers of daggers, and all their tips were aimed at Aldrich. Conrad had his two fingers pointed at Aldrich, and as the final dagger joined the cloud-like formation, he made a stabbing gesture. Tip! A dagger fell downward, but instead ofing towards Aldrich, it stabbed towards the Earth. Aldrich narrowed his eyes as he saw the ripples on earth when the dagger''s tip came into contact with the floor. In the next moment, the dagger vanished and appeared in the dense cloudlike dagger formation again. Tip-Tip!! Two more daggers fell on Aldrich''s right and left, but as soon as they touched the floor, they vanished, too. Contrary to the phenomenon that baffled the Great Hall, Aldrich was concentrating on the ripples within the dagger cloud and the earth. A slight smile came upon his face just as the drizzle suddenly picked up the pace. Tip-Tip-Tip-Tippppp The sound was the same as the people have heard countless times, but instead of raindrops, this rain contained daggers. Daggers sharp enough to rip open a Viscount''s body. None could tell this relentless downpour had resulted from only 33 daggers. But something even more outrageous was happening over the stage. Among the unseen outline of daggers, Aldrich was like an apparition, appearing here and there erratically. The downpour was getting intensified by every passing moment, but even then, it couldn''t wet Aldrich''s cloth. Many Counts and Viscounts were shocked beyond belief as they saw this mboyant disy of Agility. But those who had an idea about this particr Skill were gobsmacked. On one side, Enok was clenching his fist so hard that blood was seeping out of his fist. His nails had dug holes in his palm, and the corner of his eyes had be red. On the other side, Earl Frida had stood up with her face nted on Earl Drago. There was no question on her face but only sheer incredulity about the event happening on stage. Marquess Harold and Nichs both had their eyebrows raised high and even Amalia''s pupils had constricted. In a hidden corner, Tyra''s eyes were squinting in Aldrich''s direction, as if he was the brightest star in the Gxy. But the most dumbfounded, to the point of being called stunned, was Conrad himself. Only he knew that this rain couldn''t be avoided with just Agility alone unless Aldrich''s Agility had already crossed the limit of Count. The only thing one could do was to defend and pray that the number of daggers won''t increase. For Conrad, even the idea of avoiding Trigon First Formation was miles away from his thoughts. There was only one way to avoid every single dagger in this downpour, and that was to know which daggers would fall next. But even Earl Frida knew it had taken Conrad a dozen years to master the first formation. How could a closebat-based non-noble Viscount do it in a mere nce? Conrad''s steps faltered as he nonsensically blurted out. "Im Impossible This" Throughout history, people had been encountering inexplicable things, which they couldn''t ept at face value. And instead of seeing things as they were, they''d rather go with an exnation that soothed their conscience. Earl Frida''s chest heaved up and down as she smirked and scoffed at the same time. "What a House Venomous Rose! Your spywork even got their hands on the secret of Trigon First Formation. Humph!" Frida''s words echoed throughout the hall, and a man with curly hair appeared a few feet away from both the Earls. His gray overcoat had also the insignia of three daggers in a triangr formation, and the beard on his face was thick and pointy. There was no anger on his face, nor there was any hint of raising amotion. He was the current Head of the House Daggers Trigon, Count Einar. Count Einar bowed towards the six judges and looked at Drago for a moment. But instead of acting out and asking questions, he approached Marquess Harold and implored. "Marquess Harold, I am sure you will not let the matter rest as it is. If it is indeed theft, I want you to carry out Justice right here and right now." It was a grave sin for one House to make a show of the secrets of another House''s gically transferred skills in front of others. Aldrich''s avoiding the 33 dagger formation was nothing but an open threat to House Daggers Trigon. But the two Marquesses didn''t think so. Harold mockingly gave Earl Frida and Count Einar a nce and spoke. "I have never been so wrong about a Dreamer in my life. Let us wait for the match to finish." Nichs nodded in agreement and added. "Indeed, there is no hurry. I am quite enjoying these unexpected scenarios." Earl Frida snapped her head at both Marquesses'' suggestion of waiting. She took a step towards the stage and shouted at Conrad. "Conrad! Don''t shame my tutge anymore. So what if they found the first formation? Use the second and finish it quickly for fuck''s sake." Aldrich was enjoying himself as his mind raced with hundreds of calctions. For him, this rain was nothing but a math problem. He saw Conrad taking a deep breath to calm himself down, hearing Frida''s angry voice. Aldrich avoided another round of Daggers as he saw even more Daggers materializing around Conrad. A light breeze appeared in the Great Hall, lifting the corners of skirts. This breeze felt natural, but Aldrich could tell the breeze had originated out of the rippling daggers around Conrad. The Level 35 Viscount again made a dagger-like gesture using his two fingers and pointed at Aldrich. "Trigon Second Formation: GALE of 99 DAGGERS!!!" Chapter 207: Sign of Weakness Chapter 207: Sign of Weakness As Aldrich saw the 99 daggers hovering around Conrad, he realized there was more to this second formation than just its name. The daggers kept orienting themselves in such a way that, by abination of reflection and refraction, most of them seemed to disappear. The illusion wasn''t apparent to all but to only the target they were aimed at. Here, this target was Aldrich. Aldrich tilted his head and saw one part of the formation getting visible to him. But then the part he could already see disappeared. No matter where hended while still dodging the rain caused by the first formation of 33 daggers, he could never see all the 99 daggers in one go. Aldrich''s mind again raced as he calcted the position of "raindrops" and the area of collision of daggers based on light sources in the Great Hall. The things that were unimaginablyplicated to others were like painting a picture to Aldrich. Every other variable was just another color he would get to work with. And the more colorful the painting, the better it would be. But Aldrich also knew that by avoiding all daggers in the rain, he had already be a genius in the eyes of Marquesses. To avoid even the Gale of 99 Daggers would mean that he wasn''t just a genius, he was extraordinary. This was not what Aldrich had nned for House Venomous Rose. ording to him, a genius young Dreamer would be enough for the House toe out of its dark shadow and broken past. Aldrich''s hand reached towards the pole on his back, and he showed a frown on his face for others to see. The mask on his face, which was like anotheryer of skin, reflected this frown openly. Earl Frida snapped her head at Drago and smirked. "Humph! Thought so." On the other side, Harold and Nichs also had a frown on their faces. And this frown was heavier than that of the white-haired Viscount on the stage. Aldrich going for the pole to defend himself meant he had reached his limit with the first formation. Conrad''s face had be purple. Aldrich could tell controlling these many daggers was taking a heavy toll on his body. Conrad made another stabbing gesture at Aldrich and shouted. "GO!" Shouuuu!!! It was like a wind in a storm, but it was also like a breeze over a still ocean. All the 99 daggers silently merged into the continuous downpour caused by the 33 daggers. Aldrich noted Conrad''s MP and SP reaching almost half of their maximum value in one go. But it didn''t seem to stop there. His HP also fell little by little, and the purple hue on his face was bing bluer and bluer. Aldrich didn''t want to use All Proficient again. The Skill didn''t have a set limit on the consumption of MP as it consumed 3 MP per second continuously. But the circumstances were such that he needed to use it again. The only upside of this heavy consumption was that it had a cooldown of only 1 minute. "All Proficient Bojutsu: TWIN LOTUS BLOOM!!!" Shouuu! The wind howled again, and all the daggers erratically attacked Aldrich from all sides. But the pole in his hand was like a rotor of a jet as it hurled and thwarted most of them. The few that got missed, Aldrich let them scrape his greatcoat, leaving behind shallow wounds in his body. Tink-Thump-Tink Both the wind and rain melted into themselves to give a false impression as if Aldrich was facing a heavy storm. But even more impressive was his masterful disy of using the pole. The sound of many daggers hitting and resuming their trajectory echoed in the hall. And as Aldrich rotated and twisted the pole, an illusion of two images came up on the stage for all to see. The first image was like that of petals of the lotus, blooming around Aldrich, and shielding him from the daggers. The other image was also the same, but it was upside down and hovered above Aldrich. Both the lotus seemed as if the two illusions were embracing Aldrich, trying to protect him from any harm. This Twin Lotus Bloom was not a Skill, nor was the Heaven Ascension Earth Burial. They were just abined effort of Aldrich''s knowledge, All Proficient, and his outstanding Stats. Even if one were to bring pole-wielding warriors, it couldn''t be said they could copy what Aldrich was doing just by seeing and learning the moves. "This is bad" Earl Frida muttered as she resumed her position on the chair. She didn''t even try to hide her words, as anyone could see that using two forms back to back had taken a huge toll on Conrad. Count Einar''s fists were clenched hard as the image of blooding out of Conrad''s ears and nose got reflected in his eyes. For a moment, Aldrich and Conrad''s eyes met. Aldrich could see the disbelief and disappointment written on his face. Aldrich also noticed how Conrad slowly turned his face to look at Earl Frida, and ignoring his father, gave out a smile. ''He isn''t that stupid, right'' Aldrich thought to himself, and as if his thoughts hade alive, blue-purple veins on Conrad''s head burst open. As the shower of blood rained on the stage, the level 35 Viscount shouted. "Trigon Third Formation" "ENOUGH!" Before Conrad could execute the Skill, another powerful shout overcame the Mana, riling up around Conrad. The might of this shout was so great that it broke the two lotuses around Aldrich into pieces and sent him flying off the stage. The rain and gale both vanished, and Conrad seemed to have been petrified by an unseen force. Marquess Harold appeared in front of Conrad and he stared at Earl Frida, who had her eyes glued to Aldrich. By a motion of his hand, Conrad lost consciousness and fell to his knees. Aldrich used the pole to stand up, countering the heaviness over his shoulders, which seemed toe from Frida. Harold lightly shook his head and said. "Not knowing when to stop is often a sign of weakness. This young man''s teachings are stillcking Frida" The Marquess briefly paused and took a step in Aldrich''s direction as he proimed. " This match''s winner is Viscount Aldrich." Chapter 208: Undercurrents Chapter 208: Undercurrents A me lit up in the hearts of all Viscounts standing around the stage. Most of them were there to beat the bastard to pulp and to get praises for themselves and their Houses. But they lost their will to fight after only witnessing the first exchange between Aldrich and Jerker. The rest of them, who were there to check their limits, couldn''t control the expectant expressions on their faces after the second bout. None came forward to say that the decision of the winner of the second match wasn''t just. And why would they, when even Earl Frida and Count Einar were as silent as one could be? Trifon appeared near Aldrich and handed him an MP potion. As Aldrich''s Mana count became full, he looked around and found all the Viscounts looking at him with wary eyes. Marquess Harold had returned to his chair, and a few Recordless were tending to Conrad''s injuries. Taking the advantage of themotion caused by Aldrich''s unexpected win, Trifon slightly leaned and muttered in Aldrich''s ear. "Ancestor, you were right. I just got confirmation that Marquess Harold''s men are searching for Houses who have the characteristics of white-hairs." Aldrich didn''t know what would be the reaction of Marquess Harold upon seeing an Ancient Relic on him. But from the data he had got, one thing was sure that Harold won''t act out openly. Aldrich knew these types of personalities like the back of his hand. That''s why he deliberately didn''t change the color of his hair to red, even though a Marquess could distinguish these tricks easily. House Venomous Rose had no history of any Ancient Relic left after their fall. And after seeing Aldrich fight like an expert in the two fights, it had be certain that Aldrich''s background wasn''t as ordinary as told. Aldrich had guessed that the first thing Marquess would do was to find out Houses having gically white hair. If Aldrich didn''t have the red hair of the Goranov family, then the only reason for his unusual hair could lie on his mother''s side. It was nothing but a distraction to keep Marquess Harold upied. But Marquess Nichs, Tyra, and Amalia''s presence had washed over Aldrich''s well-nned fiasco. He nodded to Trifon''s info and said something which made Trifon''s eyes widen on the spot. A shiver ran down from his hands to his spine as he held Aldrich''s shoulders. From afar, it looked like a dreary scene of a father checking up on his son. But only Earl Drago had an idea that Trifon''s concerned emotions weren''t a part of his curse of pretending. "Ancestor this... NO! I won''t" Aldrich could sense the intensity of the emotions bubbling in Trifon''s mind and heart. He turned to face the handsome red-haired Count and slowly muttered. "Don''t make me say it twice. I also hope things aren''t as drastic as they seem." Aldrich tapped the Pir of Footprints on the floor and walked towards the stage. Two more Viscounts had jumped on the stage, but they didn''t look towards Aldrich even once. The entire reason for him to crush Jerker, ande out of Conrad''s gic Skill almost unscathed was to get this oue. As the fight continued, Aldrich too began tweaking his n to amodate the new characters who had entered unannounced. From the corner of his eyes, he made sure that Enok was still interested in fighting him. It was essential for Aldrich to go on stage at least once more for his n to work smoothly. One after the other, the Dreamers kept going up anding down. But in front of the match between Aldrich and Conrad, all fights paled inparison. There wasn''t any shock factor, nor was there any unordinary collection of Skills. And there weren''t even that many viscounts for the exchange of pointers tost more than half an hour. Amid these boring and passable fights, not even the two Marquesses noticed that the person standing as Trifon wasn''t his actual body anymore. * "I think that''s it." Knchhh! Marquess Harold took a bite of the ky pie''s crust and muttered without looking at Nichs. Nichs nodded in agreement, but before he could say his intention out loud, a person appeared on stage. The appearance of this person caused an upheaval in the Great Hall. Themotion was so great that even Harold widened his sleepy eyes. This person was Vivi Ingegerd of House Divine Enclosure. No one was expecting her to take part in these fights. Not because she was the most favored by Earl Frida, but because her strength was undisputed. Other than Viscount Amalia, seated beside Marquess Harold, she was undeniably the strongest. Even Earl Frida squinted her eyes, seeing Vivi standing in the middle of the stage. The ck-haired and ck-eyed beauty scanned the entire crowd. But most of the male Viscounts were staring at her right leging out of her slit dress. Viscount Vivi''s eyes came to a stop at Aldrich, making Earl Drago snap his head towards the two Marquesses. The consequences of Vivi challenging Aldrich could be disastrous for the two Earls'' Houses. Only Aldrich knew that even though Vivi was looking at him, her heart was full of jealousy. The emotion was so strong that the Devil''s aura on his greatcoat was roiling in pleasure. And soon enough, words came out of Vivi, making Earl Frida jump to her feet. "VIVI!!! How dare you?!" Frida jerked her hand, making a blue Flood Dragon image appear behind her back. But Vivi was also adamant about her words as she repeated them. "I challenge Viscount Amalia." HAHAHA!!! A thunderousugh came out of Marquess Harold, and there was a smile on Amalia''s face. Harold looked at Frida and casually spoke. "Stand down Frida. Let the kids have their fun." Amalia gracefully stood up and approached the stage. Her red eyes were like two marbles in a white sea. She slightly nodded towards the six chairs, and for the first time, the Ancient Schr opened her eyes and nodded back. In the pin-drop silence, Amalia and Vivi stared at each other without making a move. Gulp! The sound of this gulp was like firing a bullet. A long and slim blue sword appeared in Vivi''s hand, and before anyone could realize what happened, the tip of her sword had already entered Amalia''s chest. Ktch!!! Chapter 209: Death Roll Chapter 209: Death Roll Zrrr! This long sword didn''t just enter the space between Amalia''s breast, it also came out of her back. But contrary to the shocked expressions of the audience, both ck-haired beauties were smiling at each other. There wasn''t any blood as half the sword protruded out of Amalia''s back. The only thing that one could see was ayer of starry shine around the supposed wounds. Bang! Just as Vivi buried the entire sword into her opponent, Amalia''s body blew up in millions of shiny globules. These globules were like mini light bulbs that lit up the Great Hall. For a moment, it was as if everyone were seeing the birth of new stars in a neb. Amid this wonderful sight, Vivi smilingly spoke out. "Nice trick. But that''s what it is A mere trick. Humph!" The light globules vanished one by one, and the Great Hall felt darker by the loss of this exaggerated light. Like a mirage, the stage''s floor behind Vivi blurred and Amalia walked out. The slight smile on her cherry red lips couldn''t be more enticing. A sweet and sultry voice came out of her mouth as she giggled and replied to Vivi. "It''s not a deathmatch. We must please the audience, too." Whooo hoooo! Yeyyyy!! Miss Amalia!!!! Cheers rang out throughout the young Dreamers in the Great Hall. Vivi, despite the smile on her face, was boiling from the rage within. She extended her blue sword, pointing it at Amalia''s heart, and activated two Skills in one go. "ICE DIMENSION" Following a small burst of Mana out of her body, ayer of blue ice covered the entire stage with Vivi as the center. At one nce, there was nothing special about it. But if one looked at it from above, one would have realized that there were no reflections in this crystal clear and mirror like blue ice. Vivi took a step, making the blue ice under her feet ripple, and called out. " Flood Dragon Swordstyle: First Wave ICE MAELSTROM!!!" An icy whirl covered the stage and when everyone thought Vivi would dash towards Amalia, her feet sunk into the blue ice under her feet. In a fraction of a second, her entire body vanished into ice. But in an even smaller fraction, the blue sword came out, aiming at Amalia''s back. When it seemed Viscount Amalia could never avoid this sudden attack, a starry light came out from under her ck dress and she disappeared. Amalia materialized on one corner of the stage, but as soon as her feet touched the frozen floor, another blue icicle-like sword attacked her. This scene kept repeating until the entire stage got covered into thorny icicles, giving Amalia no ce to even stand. "Let the Stars turn to Dust First Constetion: SEVEN WINGS!!!" All lights dimmed for a moment as Amalia put her hands together and prayed. In the half-dark surroundings, seven magnificent wings of light unfurled behind her back. On her left, there were three wings. They were almost white and one could even see a hint of feathers in them, hidden by the brilliant covering of light. On her right, there were four wings. There was no hint of feathers, nor was there any particr color about them. They kept changing from transparent to golden from time to time. This was the gically transferred Skill of House Star Dust. Famous for its uniqueness even among the Dukes. Nichs, awed at this disy, stood up and muttered. "Seven Wings?!! At this age This can''t be exined just by talent." At the end of his sentence, Nichs turned to look at Harold. And along with him, even the two Earls perked up their ears, hoping to chance upon something crucial. But to their disappointment, Harold kept eating the pie as if what was going on stage didn''t matter to him at all. "Humph!" Nichs harrumphed and sat back down. The dark corners of the hall were now regaining their color, but all eyes were still staring at the hovering winged beauty. p! With a flutter of Amalia''s wings, all the icicles burst apart in countless shards. It was like tiny blue stars were rotating around a central golden figure. The entire scene was so mesmerizing that even the Ancient Oracle''s eyes were wide open to remember it. pp!! With another p, the Ice Dimension, covering the stage, broke apart. Vivi, holding the blue sword, got thrown out and rolled on the stage before stabilizing her footing. The Seven Wings in the air had almost all be transparent. But from the reverent smile on Amalia''s face, it was apparent at least one more flutter was on its way. "A Skill Huff! that can break all other Skills" Vivi gritted her teeth and blubbered under her breath. The breaking of two Skills didn''t seem to discourage her. Her breathing was rough, but there was also defiance in her eyes. From the corner of her eyes, an unseen nod came to her from Earl Frida. Vivi took in a deep breath and rxed her posture. As Amalia''s wings drew back, she again lifted her sword and mumbled. "What a wonderful sight it would be to see those feathers getting ripped apart" Two bone horns emerged out of Vivi''s head, and illusory blue and gray scales materialized all over her body. The pie in Harold''s hand slipped out and fell on the floor. Beside the stage, Enok''s head was cranked up high as if gazing at the mountain''s peak he was ever climbing. A buzz overtook the already awed Dreamers, and a roar came out of Vivi''s seemingly unremarkable sword. Roarrr! Vivi''s ck eyes becamerge ck snake-like slits, and a growl came out her mouth. "Flood Dragon Swordstyle: Thirteenth Wave DRAGON DEATH ROLL!!!" As Vivi pointed the blue sword at Amalia, starting from the tip of the sword, a ruthless blue-gray face emerged. It was as if an alligator was peeking its head out of the water to mark its prey. But this emergence didn''t stop there. Time seemed to slow down as the entire head of a Flood Dragon came out and reced the sword in Vivi''s hand. Her skin, now covered in scales, and her dress, shining with the blues of an ocean, looked like the dragon''s body. The space behind Vivi blurred as an illusory image of a mile-long Flood Dragon appeared. All jaws dropped seeing the image''s head ovepping to that of the Dragon''s head on the sword. ROARRRRRR!!! As the dragon opened its mouth and roared, the breath of an ocean spread out in the Great Hall. Vivi''s figure was like a humongous drill lunging at Amalia in a straight line. The space around the long Flood Dragon''s body twisted and the dragon bit down on the wings as they finally pped for the third time. pppp! BOOOM!!!! Those who were lost in their thoughts around the stage disintegrated on the impact. Before the Shockwaves could do any more harm, the two Marquess let go of their deep shocked expressions and appeared on two sides of the stage. With a gesture of their hands, the shockwaves vanished, but even they couldn''t subdue the countless feathers raining around them. Marquess Harold narrowed his eyes as he saw the transparent white feathers losing their colors before hitting the ground. On the other side, Earl Frida had her head down, but even then she could see the red trail of blooding out of the corner of Amalia''s mouth. And opposite to Amalia, Vivi''s bloody figure was sprawled on the stage face down. The long blue sword was still clenched tightly in her broken hand. Chapter 210: Gaslighting Chapter 210: Gaslighting Throughout thest fight, Aldrich''s eyes didn''t move away from Amalia. The entire fight was nothing but well-nned theatricals to him which had even fooled the two Marquesses. The only other person who seemed to share his feelings was Tyra, the previously nameless girl. Aldrich could feel a slight smirking emotioning out of this ordinary-looking ck-haired girl. "Vivi!!!" Aldrich heard a shout and saw Sonja running towards the stage. But before her, Earl Frida appeared by Vivi''s side and poured potions into her mouth. Aldrich could see that Vivi''s HP had lowered to less than a tenth of its maximum value. And thus, even after consuming those potions, she could hardly open her eyes. Opposite to the crouched figures of Frida and Sonja, Amalia straightened her posture and wiped away the trail of blood seeping out of her mouth. Harold gave her a look and walked towards Earl Frida. A little away from the stage, Aldrich saw Enok taking a step in the stage''s direction, too. But then the young Viscount looked at Amalia and held himself down. "Thirteenth Wave" On stage, Harold muttered, but his voice caught everyone''s attention. Few knew the significance of Vivi''s usage of the thirteenth wave in the fight, and Harold and Nichs were among those few. Flood Dragon Sword Style wasn''t a gically based Skill. This Skill could only be performed by using thebination of specific types of Items and Skills beforehand. Abination that was ssified even among the many members of the main branch of House Divine Enclosure. Unfortunately for them, this secret was nothing but an open book to Aldrich. The sheer irony of the situation was that Aldrich had no interest in this pathetic Sword Style. It was stylish, mboyant, and looked mighty. But to him, itcked substance. However, Marquess Harold didn''t seem to think so as he continued. "Don''t tell me she learned the thirteenth wave right after the first" All eyes and ears waited to get the answer to this iprehensible question. Leaning over Vivi''s motionless body, Earl Frida broke her silence and lightly said. " Yes." Aldrich shook his head as he saw the stunned expression on Harold''s and Nichs'' faces. ''Such fickle hearts.'' Aldrich couldn''t help but think to himself about such words. Even a child could tell from the way Harold licked his lips that he was having second thoughts about his decision rted to the personal student. Nichs, too, didn''t seem to remain unaffected after hearing the unheard talent of Vivi. But how could Aldrich let Vivi rece the greed he had nted in Harold''s heart? Tikk! This was the sound of Aldrich lightly tapping the Pir of Footprints on the ground. It wasn''t loud, nor was it anything special for it to catch anyone''s attention. But to the ears of Marquesses, it was like a bomb exploding in the distance. For it contained a hint of Laws, Law inherent to the Ancient Relic. Both Marquesses snapped their heads towards Aldrich and stared at the pole. The image of the ck Bull on it felt likeing alive with every passing moment. Even the two Earls sensed a hint of an elusive concept in their surroundings. Aldrich feigned ignorance and kept scratching the back of his head. Sigh! Aldrich sighed as he felt the greed in the Marquesses'' hearts increasing with every other look of the pole. Harold turned his head to look at Vivi, and, after a few seconds of contemtion, shook his head. A blood-colored potion appeared in his hand, and there were golden dust particles in it. The seemingly 10-year-old boy with a ponytail approached Earl Frida and handed over the potion. "This" Earl Frida hesitated, but her hand betrayed her and took the potion, regardless. From the other side, Nichs came to stand tall over Harold''s tiny figure and chuckled. "Haha! To think you would give away a Star Blood Potion to anyone outside of your family." Harold''s yellow eyes stared at the Retd Commander, and a scoff came out of his mouth. "Huh! You are just jealous because you never got one." "You" Before the tall Marquess could let out an angry shout, Aldrich heard Harold cutting off Nichs'' words as he proimed. "Let''s end the event here. I think we all have seen enough." Aldrich narrowed his eyes, hearing this sentence. He noticed how Nichs, though furious at being mocked, didn''t refute Harold''s words. Earl Frida was still busy pouring the newly acquired potion into Vivi''s mouth slowly. While Drago kept secretly ncing at Aldrich to get any hint of how to proceed. But Aldrich knew the most important person was neither the Marquesses nor the Earls, but Viscount Enok. Aldrich nned to let everyone know the pole in his hands was an Ancient Relic. And he could only do this by fighting a strong enough opponent. To let the exchange of pointers end as it is would be detrimental to his future proceedings. There was no way Aldrich could let things end in any way other than how he desired their endings. Aldrich swiftly approached Enok, who was staring at his feet with blood still dripping off his palms. Taking a risk, Aldrich brought an inconsequential trace of Law of Devil to his lips and tried to mimic the Devil''s Whisper Skill as he said. "Hm!... Sloppy Sword Style. Tch! How pathetic?!" It was a big no-no among nobles to just let their Perception run amok during ceremonies and other functions. So Enok did not know who was speaking these outrageous words. But when he snapped his face like a bullet, Aldrich was looking directly at him and had an evil mocking smile on his face. "You motherfuc." BANG!!! Nobody could understand why Enok''s fist, burning with raging emotions,nded on Aldrich''s face and sent him flying. The sound was so great that the hearts of all calmed Dreamers pumped out a bucketful worth of blood suddenly. Thup-Thup-Thupppp! Aldrich kept rolling and sliding, breaking any tables and chairs that came in his path and hit the Great Hall''s wall. Bang! Cough!!! Aldrich forced out a mouthful of blood and shouted. "HOW DARE YOU?!!!" Chapter 211: One Step at a Time Chapter 211: One Step at a Time Aldrich''s shout was like a fire rm, conspicuous and having a specific intention. In a single hearing, none doubted that this shout was full of sheer anger, and the shouter wanted nothing but revenge. The Law of Devil didn''t only help Aldrich to perceive people''s emotions clearly, it also helped him to share his innate feeling with others. Though it was uncertain if there were Dreamers, except Aldrich, who could manipte their feelings to give a false impression. "What''s going on?" On the stage, Harold narrowed his eyes and asked in a grave tone. Even his child-like voice couldn''t hide the madness in his words. Far from Aldrich, Enok''s chest heaved up and down as he nkly stared at his fist. At one nce, one could say that Enok was like a person who had just awakened from a nightmare. He seemed to know the reason for hitting Aldrich but did not know why the things happened in the way did. Aldrich secretly smiled as he felt Enok''s emotions, which were running all over the ce. There wasn''t much difference between Aldrich''s level and that of Enok''s. That''s why, even though Aldrich hadn''t used the full extent of the Law of Devil, he could still influence Enok''s thought process. Aldrich feigned his inability to stand up and struggled with the pole to lift himself off the ground. He wiped the blooding out of his mouth as Trifon and Earl Drago appeared beside him. Following a brief silence after Harold''s question, Aldrich answered. "Sucker punching me after calling me a bastard?! Huh! Are these the tricks nobles of the Ancient House are taught?" "HE IS LYING!!!" Enok maddeningly shouted and lunged at Aldrich from afar, but Earl Frida appeared behind him and grabbed him by the neck. None for a second believed that Enok might be right. He had already dug up this hole for himself by openly calling Aldrich a bastard many times. On the other side, Earl Drago took a step towards Marquess Harold and said in a heavy voice. "House Divine Enclosure must answer for this insolence." Earl Frida furrowed her brows as Drago''s words echoed, and the entire Great Hall buzzed in agreement. Only she knew that even though Enok was impulsive, things weren''t that drastic for him to lose control during a ceremony. But Aldrich didn''t give her enough time to contemte this matter. Shaken, but in a stern voice, Aldrich scanned the crowd and openly said. "Grandfather, Marquess Harold, and Marquess Nichs. If this person abhors my existence this much, then let our strength decide who is better. I request an exchange of pointers with Viscount Enok!" "You think I AM SCARED OF YOU!!!" "Enok, shut your mouth." As Aldrich''s "reasonable" words reached everyone''s ears, Enok, fumingly shouted. But Earl Frida tightened her grip on the back of his neck and whispered in his ears to shut him up. Harold and Nichs nced at each other briefly before the yellow-eyed boy snapped his head and stared intensely at Enok and Frida. "Frida, you need to control this young blood. Tch! I am truly disappointed." "But Marquess" Frida was about to present her doubt, but Nichs interjected in between. "Humph! No need to lower yourself for a mere Viscount, Frida. Aldrich''s request is granted. Let them settle this here once and for all." Both Marquess shook their head as if this was nothing but a nuisance for them. Enok''s face had be red and blue from the iprehensible proceedings that had just happened. Not only did he getbeled as a liar, but even the Head of his House got reprimanded because of Aldrich. The hate in his heart for Aldrich had even surpassed the jealousy in Vivi''s heart for Amalia. Aldrich nodded his head towards Earl Drago and walked towards the stage. By now, House Venomous Rose healers had taken care of Vivi''s inconsequential injuries. Her face had regained its red-milky color, and her broken arm seemed to have been healed by Star Dust Potion. Amalia had returned to her position, and even though she was smiling, there was a hint of lethargy on her face. Marquess Harold walked up to her, and before taking his seat, he put his hand over Amalia''s shoulder. "Even one sector of our Kingdom is inconceivably big, let alone the entire gxy. There are countless talents, hidden under the sheet of Houses and forgotten streets" Harold paused, and taking a nce at Aldrich, he continued. " The only thing we can do to maintain our status is by nevercking in effort. You did exceptionally great out there. Well done!" Amalia shyly smiled and sweetly said. "I understand, father." The Ancient Oracle and Nichspletely ignored this heart-warming conversation. On the stage, Aldrich and Enok had taken their respective positions. The surrounding Viscounts, taking the hint from their disintegrated colleagues, backed up to a respectable distance. Cr-rack! Aldrich saw the blue dded Enok cracking his knuckles. His gaze lifted and again eyed the Stats hovering above Enok''s head. [ Record of Enok Status: Disoriented Level: 38 HP: 2065/2065 SP: 2465/2465 MP: 2485/2485 Rank: Viscount ss: Water Beast, Awakened Swordsman, Ice Maniptor, Ice Lord Title: The Defiant, Ocean Crosser, Flood Dragon Favored Attributes --> Strength: 125 Defence: 100 Agility: 120 Vitality: 105 Perception: 95 Correspondence: 140 Active Skills --> 1. Ice Dimension 2. Maelstrom 3. Summon (3) 4. Ocean Might 5. Seven Seas Remembrance 6. Ice Hail 7. Water-Thunder-Cloud Stepping Technique 8. Water Fusion Passive Skills --> 1. High Heavy Sword Proficiency 2. Intermediate Long Sword Proficiency 3. Intermediate Mana Maniption Proficiency 4. Beginner Water-Driven Martial Art Proficiency 5. Sense of Water ...] ''No wonder! Why would they even need Dreamers of Barren Earth?'' Aldrich shook his head, seeing the sheer number of Skills and Attributes in Enok''s Record. Even though he didn''t know to what extent Earth''s Dreams could grow, Aldrich believed they could neverpare to a single Dreamer of an Ancient House. Aldrich''s mind returned to the present as he saw an enormous heavy sword materializing into Enok''s hand. He lifted the pole in a defensive posture and slightly muttered under his breath. "One step at a time Aldrich, one step at a time." Chapter 212: JUSTICE!!! Chapter 212: JUSTICE!!! This sword was even longer than twice that of Enok''s height. The sword''s color was ocean blue, and its edge was like foaming waves. Despite its overwhelming size, Enok masterfully carried it as he jumped into the air. The High Heavy Sword Proficiency wasn''t just for show. Aldrich felt the air getting heavy around him as Enok hurled the entire sword at him. "All Proficient" BANG! Neither the heavy sword nor the Ancient Relic was exactly a metal, but as they struck each other sparks flew out everywhere. From the very first strike, the shockwaves were strong enough to crush the debris lying on the stage. Aldrich''s knee buckled as he felt the enormous weight of the sword. But soon he realized this pressure wasn''t just because of the sword. The stage under his feet turned to ice. But instead of reflection, Aldrich saw hundreds of towering waves. The smell and sound of an ocean took over his senses, and Aldrich felt something clouding his Perception. Hovering in the air from the impact, Enok, back to back, shouted out. "ICE DIMENSION! OCEAN MIGHT! SEVEN SEAS REMEMBRANCE: FIRST SEA - NORTH ATLANTIC!!!" Aldrich''s eyes lit up with an emerald color as he tried to find out a w among Enok''s continuously increasing Ocean''s Might. His gazended on Enok''s left shoulder and before Aldrich''s knee could hit the Icyyer on the stage, he let go of the pole in his hands. All Proficient could only grant Aldrich one Beginner level Proficiency at a time. And once changed, it would go into cooldown. So Aldrich had to make sure that he chose a proficiency relevant to his n for this fight. And it certainly wasn''t to show his Bo-staff handling Skill. Caught off-guard by Aldrich''s sudden letting go of his weapon, Enok, along with the sword, stumbled towards the stage. The emerald in Aldrich''s eyes intensified as cold and shivering words came out of his mouth. "Traditional ITF Taekwondo: HUNDRED COBRA STRIKES!!!" From the unreachable inferior position, the tip of Aldrich''s foot reached into Enok''s armpit. There wasn''t much difference between Aldrich''s and Enok''s raw strength, and thus, this kick shouldn''t have breached Enok''s defenses. But Cr-err-rack! The sound was so grating that even many counts gritted their teeth and squinted their eyes. Enok''s left shoulder got dislocated, and the heavy sword fell on stage along with the Pir of Footprints. Enok was still in the air, and though the tip of his sword was on the floor, he was still holding its hilt by one hand. s, this was only the first of many strikes. Enok''s ck eyes horrifyingly stared at the intensifying emerald coloring out of Aldrich''s mask. And one more kick, like a ck cobra''s lunge,nded at the same spot. Whack! And again Whack! Whack! And again and again. Whack-whack-whack. From an outsider''s perspective, Enok''s left shoulder seemed like a badly mangled jelly. But Aldrich didn''t show any sign of stopping, and he kept kicking the same spot. "ENOK! GET OUT!!!" Vivi''s broken shout reverberated throughout the Great Hall. As ifing out of a terrible dream, Enok finally let go of the sword. As the heavy swordpletely fell on the stage, it melted into the ice. Aldrich was about to rip Enok''s hand off his body with the next kick, when an enormous icicle protruded out, aimed at his back. Aldrich dashed left, avoiding the icicle, letting Enok finally breathe a lungful of cool air. Enok''s entire face was distorted from unbearable pain. The Ocean Might Skill was still effective, pressing Aldrich to kneel, but the Ice Dimension seemed to reach its limit. As Aldrich and Enok reached the two farthest ends of the stage, they could see countless cracks on the icyyer under their feet. The Pir of Footprints hurled itself towards Aldrich. The way he used it to stand up made others think Aldrich could only do so by using the pole Item in his hands. Aldrich could feel questions arising in many hearts about the Rank of this pole Item, and he secretly nodded to himself. Huff! Huff! Both Dreamers struggled to catch their breath after just exchanging their moves one time. Things should have ended here, but even the two Marquesses seemed lost in the fight''s thrill. CRACK!!!! CRACKKKKKKK! Out of nowhere, thunderous sounds of a dozen bolts of lightning overtook the brief silence. Aldrich noticed the twisted smile on Enok''s face, and he slowly looked down. Through the cracked ice, Aldrich could see a dense ck storm brewing over the Antic Ocean. Purple and white lightning cracked upwards as if in the next moment they would leave the Ice Dimension ande out. The ocean water churned as the entire storm transformed into an enormous fist. And like a bullet, apanied by hundreds of bolts of lightning, it extended towards Aldrich. But what came out of Ice Dimension wasn''t some illusory fist. Like an apparition, Enok had appeared in front of Aldrich. Water-Thunder-Cloud Stepping Technique!!! With a menacing look on his face, Enok''s fistnded squarely on Aldrich''s chest and he shouted out. "Water-Driven Martial Art: ATLANTIC HURRICANE PUNCH!!!" BOOM!!! There was no avoiding this punch. There was no defense against this punch. This punch was ethereal and this punch also had substance. All heads moved up, following Aldrich''s rising body towards the high roof of Great Hall. Cough! cough!! At the highest point of his momentary flight, Aldrich forced out blood from his mouth as his chest caved in. "I HATE YOU!!! Summon" Enok cried out bloody murder, standing directly under Aldrich, and a tremendous burst of Mana came out of Enok''s body. " Lord of North Antic: GREAT WHITE DEMON!" Rahhh! Ssh!!! A Great White Shark, bigger than an entire world, peeked out of the Antic Ocean within the Ice Dimension. Marquess Harold narrowed his eyes, but there was no stopping this fight. An illusory image of a smaller but still iprehensiblyrge great white shark appeared on stage. Aldrich''s motionless body fell, and simultaneously, the shark swam upwards with its jaws wide open. All Dreamers stupendously watched as the shark gulped Aldrich down in one bite. SPLASH! Cr-ackkkk!!! The illusory shark went back into the Ice Dimension, and the Great White Demon disappeared into the depths of the ocean. The Ice-Dimension finally couldn''t hold longer and burst apart, making the ocean within vanish, too. Tapp Everything and everyone was silent as Enok''s left hand fell out of his sleeve. Earl Drago, like a lifeless being, stood up and took a step towards the stage. But Trifon appeared beside him and held Drago down. The Ancient Oracle furrowed her brows as if brooding over something. On the other side, Amalia''s face became so grave that for a moment even Harold felt estranged from his daughter. Tyra, the most silent of all, now had her mouth slightly opened and was standing on her feet in shock. HAHAHA!!! The silence got broken by none other than the sole Dreamer on the stage. Enok lifted his left hand off the stage and maddeninglyughed. He hurled the ripped arm over his head like a trophy. And when all were finally epting the reality of Aldrich''s death, this happened to them. Justice They wanted Justice. Their heart itched for Justice. Their minds cried for Justice. The two Marquesses jumped off their seats and looked around as their thoughts got ruled by Justice. A voice, crossing all dimensions and spaces, echoed in the Great Hall. "Let this world witness Justice Ancient Relic Secret Technique: BUDDHA BULL SUBLIMATION!!!" Chapter 213: The greed of a Marquess Chapter 213: The greed of a Marquess Crack! Cr-rack!!! The entire space around the stage got covered in ck shadowy cracks as if it was a mirror. Most Dreamers under the Rank of Earls did not know what was happening. The only thing they were concerned about was getting Justice for Aldrich''s wrongful death. They wanted justice for the Marquesses'' inability to stop the fight in time. And they also wanted to decapitate Viscount Enok for his crimes, all in the name of Justice. On the other side, Vivi''s eyes were red beyond the color of blood. She also felt these emotions, but there was a hint of doubt on her face. Amid the collision of her abrupt anger towards Enok and other feelings, Vivi''s talent showed itself in the face of her quietness. Behind her, Sonja was a hint away from climbing on the stage and ripping Enok''s other hand by herself. But few knew what this feeling was thatmanded the others to do so. As Aldrich''s voice crossed the strange dimension, it had a heart-shaking effect on the Earls and Marquesses. Earl Frida''s lips were quivering as a word struggled to escape her mouth. Her throat had be dry, and the blue flood dragon tattoo on her breast kept shing in rhythm with her shaky breath. Earl Drago''s curse of taking excessive pride in one''s family acted up. He did not know why the Ancestor had that pole strangely clung to his back, but he had discarded that as nothing but a mere habit. Marquess Harold''s heart palpated as he finally confirmed his theory rted to the Ancient Relic. He could feel the staff on Aldrich''s back had a hint ofw about it. And as there were many things and ways in which one could imitate these feelings, he refrained from getting his hands over it openly. But the most overwhelmed was none other than Marquess Nichs. All his life, he had been feeling the same subservience towards Justice. Though the Justice he was experiencing now couldn''t even be named in the same terms as the other, there was no doubt in his heart that it was the Law of Justice. Only these four Dreamers, and the two unknown beauties, knew the consequences of the presence of an Ancient Relic. Not only did it give a direct path to observe and understand the working of an entire Law, but it was also rted to a fact known throughout the Gxy. The Gxy was big, and the number of Dreamers was countless. There were billions of Counts, but the Earls were only in millions. And despite the ample opportunities, all the Marquesses were numbered into thousands. One could expect that the number of Dukes must reach up to hundreds. Wrong! Without understanding the traces of at least one Law, the Marquesses couldn''t rank up to be Dukes. It was only spection based on a fact that all Dukes in the Gxy had at least one Ancient Relic on them. Leveling-up wasn''t enough in the world of RECORD. * CRACK! BANG!! ROARRRRRRR!!! The space over the stage finally burst apart in shards, and along with howling spatial winds and thunder, a massive ck bull made of fog charged out. Its bellows shook all the Dreamer''s hearts and souls, and its majesty fell on the saints and evils alike. This was the same technique through which Aldrich had survived the self-destruction of Count Rodrigo. Within the ck-golden fog, the purple rings on Aldrich''s shoulders kept giving out golden shes. The space within Rosalia differed from that of Dungeon. The Dungeon''s space was artificial, and thus it required quite a lot of time to get repaired. But this was reality. As soon as the ck Bull came out, all the traces of spatial winds and thunder, along with fissures, disappeared. The dust-like fog churned and condensed back into a solid form of the Pir of Footprints. Aldrich extended his hand, and the pole, engraved with a bull''s image, appeared in his hands. All Dreamers, even Enok, looked dumbfounded, seeing Aldrich alive and well. It only took a moment of silence before the entire Great Hall erupted in cheering sounds. Weet-whooo!!! Aldrichhhh!!! The emotion of relief washed over their anger, and the sound of whistling took over their ears. Aldrich joggled his head as he realized the effect of the Law of Justice was even stronger and dangerous when used in a crowd. He slowly walked towards Enok, but the young Viscount wasn''t in a state to speak or even react. Aldrich towered in front of him and put the tip of the staff on Enok''s shoulder, making him kneel. The trophy-like left hand fell out of Enok''s grip and rolled away, leaving a bloody trail behind. The wound on his left shoulder was grievous but not deadly. Aldrich did not know if House Divine Enclosure had means of healing ripped-off arms, but truly, he did not even care. Looking into Enok''s unfocused eyes, Aldrich loudly called out. "Yield." Earl Frida appeared behind Enok, but not before the appearance of Marquess Harold beside Aldrich. Nichs did not move, but there was a strange conviction on his face. Both Harold''s and Frida''s eyes were nted on the staff in Aldrich''s hand. Aldrich knew that not for a second, they thought Aldrich had any mastery of Law. To them, it was the Ancient Relic itself who was letting Aldrich use it. This was also a reason for Marquess Harold ordering his men to search Aldrich''s maternal background. Aldrich noticed that the greed in Frida''s and Nichs'' hearts wasn''t any lesser than Harold''s. But none of them disputed as Harold traced the curves of the staff with his fingers. Soon Harold jerked his hand away, and his face gained a ruthless expression. He stared at Frida and called out. "I should kill this idiot for what he had done" Harold gestured at Enok with his chin and continued. " But, seeing Viscount Aldrich is alright, let him be a Dreamer with only one hand. This will be both his punishment and repentance." Not caring for the bubbling rage on Frida''s face, Harold looked up and faced Aldrich. The crowd was still cheering as if waiting to hear something. Harold was just as tall as an average 10-year-old boy. So as he pointed his hand towards the ground, Aldrich took the hint and kneeled. "Before the beginning of the ceremony, you were a bastard" The Dreamers became silent, and most of them, including Sonja, approached the stage as if witnessing the oue of a Just-Trial. A starry light shed and a circr badge appeared in Harold''s hand. The badge was ck, like the vast space, and there was gold dust on it like countless stars. Harold put the badge on Aldrich''s right shoulder and proimed. " But now you are Viscount Aldrich Goranov, a personal student of Marquess Harold Sindri." p! p!! p-ppp!!! The hall lit up with the thunderous sound of ps, but this wasn''t the only thing Marquess Harold had to say. By now Earl Drago had also appeared on the stage and, as Harold called for Amalia toe, he too got to know why the Marquess had not epted his offer. With a big smile on his face, Harold took Amalia''s hand and handed it over to Aldrich as he shouted for everyone to hear. "I also ept Earl Drago''s offer for the engagement between his grandson and my daughter." Chapter 214: Love Chapter 214: Love A few hours before Just after arriving at the Manor, Aldrich had two hours to spare before the first arrival of guests. Two hours weren''t much for the task he had in his mind, but there was a way to congest it within that time. Aldrich hastily went to a spacious room and ordered Trifon to not let anyonee near. He sent a trace of Mana in the FIR and took out the Mana Cores he had got from his expedition into El Cid''s Dungeon. With a gesture of his hand, the two Viscount Mana Cores hovered in the air in front of him. The most important task right now was to let Sha out of Mask''s influence. But at the first nce, there were many things wrong with Aldrich''s decision. Even though Aldrich had an outline of the Rumok, a duration of fewer than two hours wasn''t nearly enough to carve a Baron-Ranked Rumok. The second issue was even bigger and serious. As per his experience, afterpleting the engraving of Rumok, Aldrich would be in his weakest state. This was a time Aldrich used to abhor in his life. For many hours, not only he would be defenseless, but Aldrich would also struggle to even think properly. Aldrich had yet to know about Tyra, Amalia, and Nichs'' arrival. But even then, he would never want to attend a ceremony full of strangers in that weak state. There were no cutting corners, and there were no roundabout ways to make Rumoks. It seemed a Divine Engraver was destined to lose all strength in exchange to get his hands over these sole RECORD defying things. But Times and Aldrich both had changed since thest time. Aldrich had got his hands on something that he could use to speed up Rumok making process without losing his thoughts and Divine Sense. He spread his Divine Sense, making sure that none was spying on him, and extended his hands out. A heavy and grunting voice came out of his mouth, darkening the space in front of him. "From the ashes of my Dreams ARISE!!!" As the space parted, a masked man wearing a spacesuit walked out. The spacesuitcked the helmet, and the mask had a single curved horn. From the eyeholes, Aldrich could see a pair of ck dull eyes looking straight at him. This was Aldrich before dying after taking off his helmet in space. This was Aldrich Guo before gaining the authority of a Boss of a Dungeon. As both Aldrich nodded at each other, the white-haired Aldrich slowly worded out. "I will think of the first half." The ck-haired Aldrich also simultaneously spoke. "I will take care of thetter half." Both Aldrich sat down in a meditative state, facing each other. The minds of two more than millions of years old beings raced together toplete the Rumok''s outline Aldrich had already nned. One hour passed in a blink of an eye, apanied by nothing but slight breathing sounds. The white-haired Aldrich opened his eyes. And not more than a few secondster, the ck-haired Aldrich opened his eyes, too. Both Aldrich again nodded their heads, realizing the discrepancy of theirputational powers. "The Evolution to Viscount has some effects." "Indeed." Both Aldrich smiled at each other and stood up. As the ck-haired Aldrich prepared parchment for Rumok, the white-haired Aldrich ordered Sha to take out the Schr''s Pen Item. This was an Item he had fed to the Shadow Homunculus. Aldrich melted the two Viscount Mana cores and filled the barrel of Schr''s pen. As he held the pen in his hand, the ck-haired Aldrich put the parchment in front of him. Aldrich handed over the Schr''s Pen to the undead Aldrich. And Upon seeing the Pen not vanishing, both Aldrich nodded to themselves. "When you meet them" The ck-haired Aldrich touched the tip of the Pen on the parchment and muttered. " give them my love." The white-haired Aldrich turned his head and stared in a senseless direction before slowly replying. " I will." * Current Time The Great Hall of the Manor "Daddy I am in." Sha''s voice rang in Aldrich''s mind. The low and fine-tune music had cleared away both the gloomy and cheery atmosphere of before. It was customary during a ceremony to hold a Ball after dinner. Aldrich was sitting beside Amalia on one side of the Harold. And even though all Dreamers were busy dancing, the sudden announcement of the engagement was still on their minds. Now that he had taken care of Sha''s Rumok, she could function by herself. This was also the reason that though Aldrich had sent her on a mission, she wanted toe to the ceremony for the exchange of pointers. ''Ok, now listen carefully." Aldrich gave a perfunctory smile for others to see andmanded Sha through the bond they shared in his mind. "Yes I.. listen AHHHHHH!!!" ''What happened?!!'' "Daddy rat." '''' " Sorry" ''Sigh! Listen'' As Aldrich sent outmands aftermands in his head, he saw the inconsequential girl, Tyra, approaching him. The Ingegerds had be quiet after Aldrich''s and Enok''s fight. Earl Frida was an excellent Dreamer, who had shown her might in Gctic Wars, but in front of a Marquess, she was nothing. There were many such Earls under Marquess Harold. And if it wasn''t a matter rted to fallen Duke House, the Ancient Oracle, and Aldrich''s unknown maternal background, Harold would have already annihted everyone to get the Ancient Relic. Harold briefly gave Tyra a look and continued munching on cakes and pies. And Nichs was unusually silent after Harold had epted Aldrich as a personal student. The ck-haired and ck-eyed girl came to a stop in front of Amalia and courteously bowed. "Miss Amalia, congrattions!" As Amalia nodded in response and smiled, Tyra looked at Aldrich. Aldrich couldn''t feel anything as he tried to prod her feelings. Not a single emotion, and not even a trace of hesitation. The dull-looking Tyra gave Aldrich a bow and genuinely asked. "May I have the honor of having a dance with the star of today''s ceremony?" Chapter 215: A Touch! Chapter 215: A Touch! To ask each other to dance in a Ball wasn''t frowned upon. Yet, Tyra''s asking Aldrich for a dance raised a few eyebrows. Especially when just a few minutes before Harold had announced his and Amalia''s engagement. It was apparent that even the couple had yet to dance together. Aldrich saw the innocent smile on Tyra''s face. Though the Law of Devil wasn''t helping him in perceiving her emotions, Aldrich had been reading faces since his childhood. As he stared at Tyra, not caring for the time it was taking for him to reply, Amalia coughed and sweetly said. "Ahem! Go on, one shouldn''t make ady wait for too long." Aldrich was still holding the staff in his right hand. As he stood up from the chair, he put it behind his back. The Pir of Footprints clung to his back with no need of straps. Amalia, seeing this scene, giggled and mockingly said. "Hehe! Will you dance with it on your back? Afraid if someone might steal it?!" Dreamers not leaving their Items strayed wasn''t unheard of. But the nobles usually had one or two FIRs on them to store spare Items which weren''t equipped and couldn''t be stored in Inventory. Only Aldrich''s case was a little different, as it was rted to the Ancient Relic. Aldrich nced at Amalia and gave out a smile that could have creeped the hell out of anyone else. The Devil''s Oldest Change on his face did what it was best at, and amplified Aldrich''s creepiness to a higher degree. Amalia''s giggle suddenly turned into a wry smile as Aldrich nodded towards her and straightforwardly spoke. "I will be back shortly." Aldrich passed by Tyra and headed towards the open dancing area. The music was light and soothing, washing away the tense and weary atmosphere of before. The dance chosen for the asion was the typical Basse Dance, or also known as the Low Dance. Aldrich saw many couples moving gracefully in an almost gliding motion on the floor. At one end, he found Trifon''s clone flirting with Sonja as he kept massaging his hand on her back. The Great Pretender was very versed in presenting his spoiled nature during ceremonies, it seemed. Aldrich had never danced before like this, but he had theoretical knowledge of the dance. And his Agility gave him ample control of his body to fill the gap created by hisck of experience. As he kept walking into the thick of the crowd, couples parted ways to let him through. When all thought Aldrich was walking towards the center of the dancing area, he took a turn and halted a few dozen meters away. This spot wasn''t the best, nor was it any special in any sense. The only reason Aldrich had stopped here was that it was farthest from Trifon. As Aldrich turned around, he found Tyra standing just a step away from him. There was no shyness on her face, nor was there any weakness expected because of her unwanted presence. For a moment, Aldrich felt like the entire reason for hering to the was this dance. "Please." Aldrich extended his left hand for Tyra to hold. The ck-haired girl was a full head smaller than him. But the way she took a step and from her bodynguage, Aldrich theorized her original height must be taller than his own. epting Tyra''s invitation to dance was one of the most dangerous things Aldrich thought he had done in his life. But what happened next was even beyond Aldrich''s calctions and guessing capabilities. As Tyra''s icy fingers touched his left palm, the entire world in front of Aldrich''s eyes turned blood red. Uwa-uwaaahhh! The cries of a child rang all around, and Aldrich felt an incredible pain in his stomach. The pain was so agonizing that he couldn''t even remain standing and fell on the floor. All the things and even air felt as if they had turned water. And for the first time, Aldrich feared theing of death. But just as the end seemed inevitable, a warmth came and enveloped Aldrich''s entire body. Uwahhhhhhn!!!! The cries of a newborn hadn''t abated, but within this heart-wrenching cry, a simpleforting sound came to Aldrich''s ears. "Shh! Shhhh! It''s ok" This sound was relieving, and this sound was also thest thing he heard before everything went silent. The blood-red world receded, and Aldrich found himself standing in the same ce. It was like all that had just happened was a thing farthest from reality and even illusions. But not everything was gone along with that vanished world. The ethereal and phantom cries of a newborn kept lingering around Aldrich, and in his heart, he despised theing of that blood world again. From the corner of his eyes, tears fell under his mask, and Aldrich realized that the girl opposite him was crying too. It seemed he wasn''t alone to go through whatever just had happened. ''This is dangerous'' Aldrich felt the phantom pains in his stomach and analyzed his condition. His mind raced as he riled up the Law of Devil within him and controlled his emotions. As the pain vanished, Aldrich stared at Tyra with his almost dead white eyes and asked. "What did you do to me?" By now Aldrich had found out that the Record of a Dreamer didn''t show his or her full capabilities. There were other ways and secrets deadlier than RECORD given Skills and Items. But Aldrich''s question didn''t have any effect on Tyra. The tearsing out of her eyes didn''t stop, and unlike Aldrich, she didn''t seem to have any control over her emotions. Her broken voice, along with a little saliva, came out, making Aldrich narrow his eyes. "I don''t know Sniff!" Aldrich couldn''t perceive Tyra''s emotions, and seeing her Record, it didn''te as any surprise to him. But even then, it didn''t take any schr''s brain for Aldrich to decide, as he thought to himself. ''She isn''t lying. This What the fuck is happening?!!'' Chapter 216: Sealed Duchess Chapter 216: Sealed Duchess Sigh! If it was any other normal Viscount or even higher Ranked Dreamer in ce of Aldrich, he wouldn''t have given out such a sigh. With this sigh, Aldrich put all the inexplicable visions and sounds that he had just experienced to the back of his mind. He wasn''t among the people who kept brooding over something that was beyond their reach. It took more than patience, calmness, and a cunning mind to be a schr at Aldrich''s level. The incident had indeed perplexed Aldrich. But instead of losing himself in search of its meaning, Aldrich''s mind was focused on more pressing questions? Questions that one could only think of by letting their mind free of distractions with only one sigh. Who would benefit by giving Aldrich and Tyra such visions and experiences? Was it a Skill? Or was it even the work of some person? If it was spontaneous, what moment or action could be its cause? Questions like these kept popping into Aldrich''s mind, and he kept answering them to himself. But thest question stuck to his head, with no answer. As Aldrich repeated it a second time, he felt a shaking in his left hand. Aldrich looked at his palm and found Tyra''s stiff fingers shivering as she kept crying in front of him. He narrowed his eyes as he remembered thest thing that had happened before the vision. Aldrich couldn''t help but again scan Tyra''s Record thoroughly. [ Record of Bouda Status: Cursed, Sealed, Disoriented, Sad, Longing, Curious Rank: Duke (Sealed - Viscount) ] The moment Aldrich had seen the name Bouda, he knew things had gone awry at some point. There was no way he wasn''t aware of big names in the Gxy by now. And the name Bouda was on the lips of many, taken in the same breath as the other name, Duke Eydis. Aldrich did not know why no scroll talked about the previous Marchioness bing a Duchess. He could only guess that she had recently ranked up. But even after mulling over it many times, he couldn''t find the reason for her sealed Rank. Aldrich could only dismiss it at the time being because of theck of data on the Duchess. The more vital question Aldrich had asked himself was whether this Sealed Status could even be lifted at will or not? Coming back to Aldrich''s present thoughts, he couldn''t remotely find any Skill in Tyra''s or Bouda''s Record that was based on touch. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed "Amalia" narrowing her eyes at them. Not giving her an excuse toe up to them, Aldrich slightly nodded and said to Bouda. "You still want to dance or not?" As ifing out of a lost state, Tyra snapped her head up and looked at Aldrich. It didn''t take for one to be a genius to know that her eyes were full of hope and expectations. As she nodded, Tyra took a deep breath, and with it, any presence of tears on her vanished. The entire period of Tyra putting her hand on Aldrich''s hand didn''t take more than a few seconds. It was enough for Amalia to narrow her eyes at them. But not enough for other Dreamers and Marquesses to give it another thought. Aldrich grasped Tyra''s hand and pulled her close to him. Tyra put her left hand on Aldrich''s shoulder and Aldrich gently put his right hand on her waist. Their transition from fazed state to just another couple gliding on the floor in tandem with music couldn''t be smoother. Aldrich, controlling the movement of his lips so that none could read them, asked. "So let it out. Why did you ask for a dance?" Tyra still had a hint of redness on her nose and at the corner of her eyes. But she seemed to have regained the strength from her unknown purpose as her feet moved along with Aldrich''s in perfect rhythm. She gently smiled and replied. "You are smart." "Humph! And yet you consider me a fool." Aldrich harrumphed and snapped his devilish face downward. For a moment, his white eyes met that of the ck eyes of Tyra. From an outsider''s perspective, Aldrich''s seemingly white eyes were just an effect of the mask on his face. And hence, people had yet to make a connection between him and the white-haired assassin. Tyra shook her head and broke this contact. She again nted her eyes on their next steps, following the music, and spoke out. "All men are fools to some extent." Aldrich raised his brows as, for the first time, he sensed a hint of deep repugnance towards mening out of Tyra''s heart. But this repugnance wasn''t strong enough to control Tyra. A big evil smile came on Aldrich''s face after sensing this emotion. He couldn''t believe that one of the biggest doubts he had about Tyra would be cleared so soon. ''So the Seal ced on her Rank is self-inflicted.'' It wasn''t certain how in the world Aldrich could infer such a thing from a simple emotion. But it was clear from Aldrich''s expression that he would be soon using this information for his gain to the full extent. Not letting the hidden Duchess sense anything out of ce, Aldrich nodded his head and said. "Maybe. Maybe not. Or maybe you aren''t just interested in men." As Aldrich passed thement casually, he felt a pain in his left palm. Tyra had squeezed it so hard that his fingers had contorted and were about to break. From the depressions and tension on her face, it seemed she had even gritted her teeth. But before this sudden squeeze could cause a cracking sound, Tyra rxed her grip and apologizedughingly. "Hehe! My Lord, forgive me." Aldrich said nothing, but these few exchanges were enough for him to figure out Tyra''s personality. Not finding any reason to stay with her any longer, he blurted out. "Okay. You can cut the crap now. What do you want?" The smiling expression on Tyra''s face vanished as soon as it hade. She stared at Aldrich in dead silence for a second before gravely saying, "There is" " a heavy Darkness about you." Chapter 217: A Prophecy (2) Chapter 217: A Prophecy (2) Prophecy One word meant countless things. If a man were to have a vision, how would he ever know if he was supposed to be a witness or a cause for that vision to be a reality? How was he to know if the vision was even rted to him or not? And how was he to proceed with no clue whatsoever other than iprehensible images? Prophecy People thought it to be a blessing and a gift beyond measures. But for Aldrich, those who prophesied and worked based on these "foreseen events" were the most cynical people in the world. * Tyra''sment did not surprise Aldrich. For her being a Duchess, even if sealed or not, it meant that she already had some mastery over at least onew. And any being who had some insight in one Law could find out the trace of another in their proximity. It was the same reason by which Aldrich had recognized that there was a hint of Law on Marquess Nichs. Aldrich had been scrutinizing Nichs throughout the ceremony. He had found out that this hint was because of the gene-based Skill of House Lost Steps, and not because of Nichs'' understanding of it. Aldrich tilted his head from one side to the other, hearing Tyra''s words, and replied. "Maybe all men have a heavy Darkness about them. That could be a reason for their foolishness." Seeing Aldrich''s poker face, Tyra harrumphed and said, "Humph! You think I am joking?!" "Haha! Yes!!! Why else would you waste my time by making pointlessments?" Aldrich chuckled. "" The current music has almost reached mid-length. And it won''t take too long to finish, given that the main event had yet to be held. Though Aldrich''s words were harsh, they were right. First, he had yet to do a customary dance with Amalia, and then he had to stand as a member of House Venomous Rose for the Territory Bestowment Ceremony. Time always was one of the most important things to Aldrich. Especially when he didn''t see any further opportunities to learn anything new out of Tyra. Tyra''s dumbfounded look didn''t faze Aldrich even a bit as he waited for her to continue. The dull-faced girl took a deep breath and finally spoke. "Ok then. I know someone. And she needs a Dreamer who is favored by Darkness." ''The ssic I know someone huh!'' Aldrich scoffed as he contemted the words in mind. Aldrich did not know why this Bouda wanted a Dreamer like him. First, she didn''t even say clearly that she needed a Dreamer who understood or had the traces of the Law of Darkness. On the other hand, Aldrich knew Bouda''s background. Why would the niece of a Queen need toe so far in search of someone like him? Aldrich''s mind raced as he kept thinking over countless scenarios. These were the most dangerous waters he was sailing on right now. He knew there was almost zero possibility of the Queen not being aware of Bouda''s presence here. And this thought culminated in only two theories by Aldrich. ''Either this Bouda is here to hire a being "favored" by Darkness on the orders of a fucking Queen'' Aldrich slightly turned his head and stared at Amalia, sitting leisurely on her chair, and looking right towards them. '' Or she ispelled to be here Wait a minute!!!'' As Aldrich was thinking about these theories, his eyes lit up suddenly. It was like a knot of entangled threads had loosened by itself. One more news about Bouda, which was only a rumor, was surfacing around. Trifon had only passively mentioned it to Aldrich, and he, too, had put a little weight over it. And why would he? What did he have to do with a rumor regarding the Dukes and Royal families? How he would have known that one of the prime participants of the rumor would dance with him so soon? As Aldrich remembered the rumor of a sighting of Golden Luan, his mind went to the time of his meeting with The Great Old One. That was the time of his first meeting with the Ancient Oracle. And that was also the time he received an inexplicable prophecy. In that prophecy, there were two images. One of an incrediblyrge golden bird, and the other of a snake, lunging at the bird. Aldrich nced at Tyra, and then his face again moved towards Amalia. "Why are you smiling? Are you interested?" Tyra asked. Yes, there was a smile on Aldrich''s face. This smile wasn''t evil. And this smile wasn''t even innocent. Only a few people had seen this ordinary smile of Aldrich. His parents, Boomie and probably Sha. This was a smile Aldrich gave after figuring out the ins and outs of a problem. At this moment, Aldrich realized he was the witness and the cause of that prophecy. He was the foreseer, and he was the beneficiary of that prophecy. At first, he thought of waiting for it to happen, but now he would make sure that the events of the prophecy wille true. Cynical times needed cynical people. And after knowing the few secrets rted to RECORD and Barren Earths, all times had be cynical for Aldrich. Holding back his innate smile, Aldrich nodded and curiously asked. "Who is this ''She''?" "That I can''t say. If you are interested, I can set up a meeting." Aldrich, like the cunning old man he was, yed along and harrumphed. "Humph! Have you taken me for a fool? I just made the entire House Divine Enclosure my enemy. And you want me to meet someone rmended by you?!!" "This" It seemed Tyra hadn''t thought that far. Aldrich''s reasonable question caught her off guard. While following Aldrich''s lead in the dance, she pressed her lips for a moment and asked. "So what do you suggest?" "Hmm! Let me think! Do you have a way to contact her?" "Yes, yes" Tyra nodded like a little girl, and Aldrich continued. "Okay, then let''s do this. Contact her right now, I will meet her here on Rosalia after the ceremony." Chapter 218: Bumblebee and Snakes Chapter 218: Bumblebee and Snakes Aldrich''s request was absurd, but he also knew that it would get epted anyhow. And as per his guess, Tyra didn''t even think about it. A huge smile came upon her face as he dly nodded and replied. "Of course! I am sure she will be here on time." The music had almost ended, and all couples were moving off of the main dancing area. From the corner of his eyes, Aldrich noticed Amaliaing towards them. He had already nced at her at the beginning, and his second nce seemed to have ticked her off. Aldrich put his right hand off Tyra''s waist and paused the dance. He gave a slight nod to Amalia, making Tyra aware of the presence behind her. The dull-looking Viscount from House Divine Enclosure bowed and shyly greeted. "Miss Amalia! Apology for keeping Viscount Aldrich to myself for so long." "Hehe! No worries. I hope you had your fun," Amalia winked. As Amalia came to stand beside Aldrich, all Dreamers backed off the stage. Aldrich saw Tyra moving off to Ingegerds'' side, but not before receiving an intense hateful stare from Vivi and Sonja. Harold appeared on stage and looked at Aldrich and his daughter. His child-like voice again resounded throughout the Great Hall. "Now let the two brilliant have a dance. Then we will proceed to the main event and call it a night." The Dreamers became silent, and Aldrich handed his right hand to Amalia. The dance was still the basse, but the music felt more intimate than the previous one. Aldrich put his hand on Amalia''s waist and tried to lead her in a short but graceful move. But Amalia jerked his body towards her, making their body rub each other. The distance between them was so close that it couldn''t even be called distance anymore. Aldrich felt Amalia''s breath on his face through the mask, but he didn''t shy away. The red-eyed beauty kept smiling throughout the dance, saying no words or showing any hint of shyness. The dance ended in the same position it had started. Aldrich and Amalia had glided in a circle, almost showing everyone the closeness they shared. Amalia finally loosened her grip on Aldrich, making him move back, and followed him to the center of the dancing area. With their one hand on each other, Aldrich and Amalia bowed towards the six chairs upied by the high-ranked Dreamers and Ancient Oracle. The seemingly 14-year-old had her eyes closed, but only Aldrich knew that there was a fit of deep hidden anger contained behind her closed eyelids. The anger bubbling in Rosalia''s heart made even the Devil greatcoat on his body savor its vor. Following this customary bow, they then bowed in the rest of the three directions towards the audience. p-pp!!! The sound of pping, for a moment, overshadowed the music in the background. The two Earls and Marquesses stood up and moved towards the Conference Hall, following the lead of a few Recordless. From one corner, Trifon''s clone made his way towards the group, and Aldrich too took a step. But Amalia didn''t let go of his hand. "As a member of" Aldrich tried to exin, but Amalia just giggled and spoke. "Hehe! Yeah, yeah. Let them handle that boring bestowment whatever. Won''t you apany me for a walk?!" "But" Aldrich would never miss this opportunity to have some time alone with Amalia. Not after he decided to make a bitch out of that prophecy. Yet, he had to pretend that there were things more important than a walk that needed his attention. And it seemed, even Amalia had been preparing for this walk of theirs. She took a step towards the main door of the Great Hall and muttered. "Come on, don''t worry! I have already taken permission from my father." Aldrich shook his head and followed her out of the manor, but still showed a reluctant look on his face. Outside the manor, the immediate surroundings were covered with countless guards and Recordless. Two paths parted in front of them just as they left the manor behind. The left was leading to the area where various spaceships and flying beasts were parked. And the right one directly went to the rose field surrounding the Manor. As Aldrich led her away from the sound of music until it became a low hum, Amalia gazed at the stars and the distant moon in the sky. But despite the size of the, it had only one moon. Houuu! A low breeze hit their faces, and with it came the sweet and refreshing smell of millions of roses. Amalia took a deep breath, and to Aldrich, it felt like a person letting go of their entire worries. Amalia was wearing a fancy ck long skirt zed with golden threads on its edges. Under the white moonlight, and among the roses, she was like a bumblebee, buzzing around in search of the sweet nectar. "I heard Viscount I mean Count Trifon and thete Viscount Rayko were in Death Separation. And this too, that he had just returned a week ago." As the youngdy "hovered" over the sheet of roses, she brought up this irrelevant topic. Yes, this topic was truly irrelevant to Aldrich, because he already knew what Amalia wanted to ask him. But for the sake of maintaining his facade, he had to show a shocked expression. And usually, these expressions came out as a gaped mouth and raised eyebrows. Seeing the expected emotions on Aldrich''s face, Amalia giggled. "Hehe! Don''t make that face. It isn''t much." Aldrich closed his mouth, and his brows ttened to their position. He walked alongside her and asked. "Then what is the reason for you to bring that topic?" "Hehe! You are indeed smart as father said." Aldrich said nothing in reply to this passivement from Amalia. He waited as the huming from behind them got lost in the slight breeze, and Amalia turned to face him. There was still yfulness on her face, but she wasn''t giggling anymore. ying with locks of her hair, and curling them as if they were coiled snakes, Amalia asked. "Is it true that you grew up in Death Separation?" Chapter 219: Kiss Chapter 219: Kiss " Yes." Aldrich paused but admitted positively to Amalia''s question. Aldrich knew Dreamer woulde looking for House Venomous Rose soon. Many had seen Trifon in Death Separation, and even if there wasn''t a leak from his side, there was one more House involved in this. A House, whose Viscounts didn''t leave out of his Dungeon. It was the House Firebird. And the issue was, they had hired just too many Dreamers. It was no wonder to Aldrich, someone must have seen or mentioned Darkling or the Darkness Seeking Compass among them. And after not getting their Viscounts andpass back, maybe House Firebird itself had released this news to the public. Trifon and Drago didn''t know the full extent of Aldrich''s reasoning behind iming Trifon''s bastard. But one of the reasons was to give a false impression to people, who thought themselves above others in cunning, that he hade from Death Separation. It didn''t matter to him what Amalia would have asked. Aldrich had already thought to go along and give answers that pleased this woman. As soon as he gave a yes, a satisfying smile came upon her face. It was as if there were doubts in Amalia''s heart that finally she finally got to confirm. Amalia approached Aldrich like a snake slithering towards its prey and looked into his eyes. "Say Have you ever heard of Darklings?" ''I knew it.'' Sigh! Aldrich thought to himself, and let out a sigh. The only issue was that Aldrich didn''t think a Dreamer of her rank woulde here seeking him directly. He briefly sent his gaze to the top of her head and saw the secret hidden there which only he could see in the Gxy. [ Record of Maya Status: Happy, Aroused Rank: Marquess ] There was no mention of Seal anywhere on her Record. At a nce, Aldrich could tell this was a true Marchioness in her full majestic authority. No matter what means Aldrich had, what mastery of Law he had, if she wished, Aldrich would undeniably die. ''Huh! No wonder both Marquess are being fooled by her. And that poor Marquess Harold. Tch!'' Aldrich scoffed in his mind as he saw Amalia''s actual level and her arsenal of Skills. Not letting his present thoughts affect his appearance, Aldrich also stared back and replied. "Yes, who hasn''t? They are creatures of pure Darkness taking form in reality. In this entire Gxy, only Darklings are beings who can provide an unlimited amount of Darkness attributed Mana to a Dreamer." Amalia''s eyes lit up as Aldrich kept speaking about them. She nodded at the end of his sentence and added. "You are right. But that''s not their limit. Few know the true extent of what a Darkling is capable of. This is also rted to the reason for them to go extinct in thest Gctic War." Aldrich narrowed his eyes at this out-pour of information. He knew that before thest Gctic War, these Darklings could be found in the possession of the Kingdom of Life-Authority to a great extent. But he didn''t exactly know the reason for their extinction. Aldrich feigned ignorance and shook his head. "Mydy, I am not sure where this is leading." "Hehe!.." Amalia giggled and abruptly changed the topic as she continued, "Viscount Aldrich, do you know the full extent of your House''s background? Do you know it was once a mighty House with a Duke as its Head? Do you know why it fell from that mighty status to this?" At the end of her questioning tone, Amalia pointed to the Manor in the distance. But Aldrich knew she was gesturing at the entire. And though the was unimaginably big, in front of the status of a Duke, its size and majesty were not even worth looking at. "I only know what I was told by my father, Miss Amalia" Aldrich casually and helplessly replied to all questions in one line. He was about to say more, but Amalia suddenly smiled and cut him off. "Don''t you want to reim this lost status, Viscount Aldrich Goranov?" "Of course! I want" But Amalia again cut Aldrich off and called out. "WE can help you with that. WE can help you clear roadblocks that seem unpassable to even Earl Drago, your grandfather. WE can help you get rid of this bastard''s status once and for all. And WE can make you much more than a wielder of Ancient Relic." As she kept speaking, Amalia''s red eyes elongated, and became slits like that of a snake. Her usage of ''WE'' wasn''t a simple capitalization of letters. Aldrich sensed a deep mastery of Law suffused in it. This ''WE'' was thenguage of Laws. But somehow it didn''t make Aldrich bleed or wreathe in pain. It didn''t make his ck Veil involuntarily try toe out. The only thing it did was to make him trust and follow Amalia with all his heart, all his mind, and all his thoughts. All the Darkness within Aldrich riled up in defiance. The three leaves of the Dark Sapling fluttered, and the Pir of Footprints behind him gave out a secret golden glow through the eyes of the Bull. ''No wonder even Marquess Harold thinks she is her daughter. Sigh!'' Aldrich thought to himself, but outwardly he presented a captivated face. His pupils dted and the emotions of pride and ego came to his face as he lifted his chin and looked at the stars. Aldrich snapped his head in Amalia''s direction and asked absentmindedly. "Who''s ''WE''?" Amalia gently smiled and approached Aldrich. Standing on her toes, she reached up to his lips. A scent of jasmine overtook Aldrich''s senses even when he was surrounded by roses. Her breath was warm and wet. But the most dangerous was the ck mist that came out of her mouth and entered Aldrich. And as Aldrich''s body stiffened, Amalia''s thin lips pressed on Aldrich''s mouth. This simple touch was enough to suck out the soul of any being under the Rank of Duke. Amalia parted from Aldrich and with a sultry and proud voice finally answered. "WE are the Hallowed Phantoms." Chapter 220: Ugly hearts Chapter 220: Ugly hearts Aldrich''s entire body seemed to have be part of two beings. One was reciting ancient sayings and kept muttering Language of Laws by keeping his thoughts tied to the ck Veil. The other savored the sweet vor of Amalia''s lips as she proimed her identity. Even beforeing out of Barren Earth, Aldrich''s identity had gotten tied with the organization called Hallowed Phantoms. He got little information on this organization, even from the secret datapiled by House Venomous Rose. The only thing he could summarize surely was that the leader of the Hallowed Phantoms was a King. And the aim of this organization was nothing but to spread Chaos throughout the Gxy. As Amalia''s ckish breath entered Aldrich''s body, he felt an incredible familiarity for Amalia. It was as if he had known her for all his life. There was a seed of deep love and affection getting buried in his heart for her. And once sprouted, this seed would rece his identity and his goals. But unknown to Amalia, the part of Aldrich who kept reciting Laws like a recorder, didn''t let these emotions take root in his body. On the surface though, there was no sign of this intense struggle within Aldrich''s body. His eyes had be wide, and the love on his face for Amalia was getting stronger by seconds. This wasn''t some Skill, as Aldrich hadn''t seen it on her Record. And from the way it worked, it didn''t seem that its purpose was to control Aldrich. The only thing that this transfer of breath did was to let Aldrich feel intense emotions for Amalia. A gentle smile came over Aldrich''s face as he spoke out. "Hallowed Phantoms So the House Star Dust is also tied with them?" Amalia took Aldrich''s left hand and entwined her fingers with his. As the "couple" kept walking, Amalia answered. "You can say that. If you be a member and pledge your loyalty towards his Majesty, you will have enough power to reim what is owed to you." The ck mist inside Aldrich became a covering around Aldrich''s heart. Threads, like misty tentacles, kept trying to prate and enter his heart. But every time they did that, the ethereal voice echoing within him broke those tentacles. Outside, not letting Amalia sense anything wrong with the execution of her ck Misty Kiss, Aldrich presented a red shy expression. Aldrich''s right hand went towards Amalia''s face and he pushed away a strand of stray hair. As Amalia gave a sultry look to him, Aldrich slowly spoke. "If If I join the Hallowed Phantoms, will I get to remain with you?" There was an incredible sincerity in Aldrich''s voice. None could deny that at this moment, Aldrich wanted nothing more than to remain together with Amalia. This scene of a white-haired man and red-eyed beauty, sharing their feelings, could have been heart-warming. If not for the ugly nature of the scheming in their hearts. Amalia, putting the same stray strand of hair on the back of her ear, nodded. The traces of shame brimmed out as a hint of a smile and the redness on her blushing cheeks. Under the moonlight, and witnessed by none other than the spirit of an entire, Aldrich reached out and kissed Amalia''s forehead. As he took a deep breath of her hair, Aldrich reluctantly moved away and spoke. "Then so be it. I will join the Hallowed Phantoms." Hearing this, Amalia suddenly leapt off and gave Aldrich a deep hug. Herrge breasts pressed against Aldrich''s chest, making theyer of ck mist over his heart even more riled up. There was no reason for a Marchioness of Amalia''s level to go through such a roundabout way regarding Aldrich. A better way was to just abduct him, or make him brain dead, or cut off his arms, legs, and tongue. And then take out all his memories with the help of some Skills. Aldrich could only think of one reason for Amalia to not do that and instead made him fall in love with her. As the beauty let go of Aldrich, the half part of an Ancient Saying he had recently got to know came to his mind. ''Cursed is everyone chosen by RECORD'' "I will take you to see the King after our work here is done. Now I have a few questions for you. You will tell me, right?" Amalia asked. From her side, she plucked a rose and put her over her ear. Her slit-like eyes had yet to regain their normal appearance. Aldrich, pretending like a hypnotized being, didn''t even think before replying. "Yes. Why wouldn''t I?" "Which House does your mother belong to?" "I don''t know." Aldrich''s answer was terse and to the point. Amalia stared at him for a second, trying to sense any discrepancy in Aldrich''s emotions, but soon a smile surfaced on her face. Her hand reached up and ran through Aldrich''s white hair. A shiver ran down Aldrich''s spine as Amalia again asked. "How did you get an Ancient Relic?" "An old man gave it to me when I was just a boy." Amalia again narrowed her eyes, but Aldrich''s eyes had nothing but love for her. No matter how unbelievable it sounded, there was no way Aldrich could lie after getting affected by that ck Mist. "What was his name?" "I don''t know." "How can you use the Law of Justice?" "I don''t know what that is." Questions after questions kepting out of Amalia''s mouth, and Aldrich replied with nothing but the "truth". Atst, after not getting any crucial detail out of Aldrich, Amalia frustratingly frowned. But this frustration didn''t remain for long on her face as sheughed and squeezed Aldrich''s head with her fingers like ying with a toy. "Hehe! Okay, one more question, love. Tell me how House Venomous Rose is tied with Darklings?" Aldrich tilted his head from one way to another, feeling the softness of her palm. His expression had almost turned to that of a fanatic as he touched his FIR and took out an Item. It was apass, whose red needle was directly pointed at him. Amalia''s eyes went wide as she eximed out. "Darkness Seeking Compass?!!" Chapter 221: Aldrichs Scheme Chapter 221: Aldrich''s Scheme Amalia''s shock not only came from the existence of thispass but also from the way the needle didn''t move away from Aldrich. Only by hiding the falseness under the guise of truth could Aldrich make sure that his n would work out. Caughtpletely off guard by this sudden scene, Amalia absentmindedly took thepass out of Aldrich''s hands and asked. "Why is the needle pointing at you?" ''Finally'' Aldrich inwardly smiled. He had been waiting for Amalia to ask this question for quite a while. On the surface, with the same face as before, Aldrich answered. "There is thisdy. She does something to me every night in my dreams." Amalia narrowed her eyes and Aldrich could see a hint of cruelty and murder on her face. "Whatdy?" Her tone was the same as that of a child upon finding out that someone had taken away her favorite doll. "I know little about her. But she alwayses in my dreams and touches the middle of my forehead." As Aldrich made up the story, he held Amalia''s hand and put it on his forehead. Using his authority of the Spawn of Darkness, and the Boss of a Dungeon, he let the trace of Dark Sapling seep out of his forehead. The moonlight vanished around them, and all and everything became dark. Hundreds and thousands of Creatures of Darkness howled, and their voices brought unimaginable fear to Amalia''s heart. Amalia snatched her hand away and stumbled back, but Aldrich kept continuing his story. "Every time after touching my forehead, she says that I will be ready soon. Soon IT wille out, and all my troubles will end. During myst dream, she said that today will be ourst meeting." Amalia''s chest heaved up and down in sheer anger. Her hair slithered as if they were a dense mass of countless snakes. Her appearance kept changing from Amalia to another girl, whom Aldrich thought to be Maya. And not caring about Aldrich''s reaction, she blurted out. "How dare she? Who is this bitch?" Amalia snapped her head towards Aldrich and put her hand over his face. As she felt the coldness of his mask, she added. "Don''t worry, love. No one can snatch someone, whom I have imed for myself. Let here. Humph! You just remain by my side in the spaceship." Aldrich nodded and was about to put more fuel in the fire when a loud noise came from behind. BOOM! Both Aldrich and Amalia turned around and stared at the smoke rising out of the Manor like a chimney. Before he could say something, Amalia grabbed Aldrich by the back of his neck. Shuuu! The world distorted around him, and Aldrich felt like he was running through immensely dense water. By the time he realized what had happened, they were already only a few meters away from the manor. ''This'' This wasn''t the first time for Aldrich that he had heard that strange sound. In justst week, he had seen this kind of speed over one time. The first time was his own, but uncontrolled and chaotic. The second time came from memories of Sha. In them, he could see Boss El Cid using that speed many times. And the purple-haired Devil had called out a name for it. '' This is One Step Shunpo!'' "Just act like yourself." Amalia gave Aldrich a gentle nce. But he could feel the emotions of deep possessioning out of theyer of ck Mist over his heart. Seeing these emotional upheavals of Amalia, represented by the ck Mist, Aldrich had theorized what this ck Mist was now by then. It was almost like his ck Veil. After his resurrection, Aldrich hade to know he and the ck Veil were the same. But unlike him, Amalia could nt a part of this ck Mist into others like a parasite. That''s why, even though Aldrich could hardly sense any emotion directly from Amalia, he knew exactly what she was feeling. The thing that should have assisted Amalia in controlling Aldrich was now working as a double spy, giving Aldrich all the information. Aldrich nodded and led Amalia towards the main door of the Hall. But before they could approach it, Earl Frida came barging out of it. There was an enormous blue heavy sword in her hand which she kept mming here and there on walls. Bang! Bang!! Bang!!! Following her were the three girls, including Tyra. An expressionless Enok also walked out as if whatever was happening had nothing to do with him anymore. Frida had a ruthless expression on her face as the flood dragon tattoo on her chest shed with a menacing blue and red. As she mmed the sword again on a pir, bursting it with one sh, Marquess Harold and others too walked out. "FRIDA! Behave yourself. Do these actions suit the Head of an ancient House?" Harold shouted, but didn''t stop her from going away. Beside him, Amalia had a cunning smile on her face. Aldrich neared her and asked. "What is happening?!" "Hehe! Love, a small gift for you. I made Harold give a part of Earl Frida''s territory to your House too. Now Earl Drago won''t have to move the entire and can rule over the Counts who had nned to overtake the House Venomous Rose." ''Is she crazy? nting such hate over nothing but as a gift.'' Aldrich thought to himself, but on the surface, he had already shown a grateful expression. "No gift could be finer." As Aldrich spoke, holding Amaia''s hand, from the corner of his eyes he noticed Tyra narrowing her eyes at them secretly. By now, Marquess Harold too had noticed Aldrich and Amalia and came towards them. Amalia skippingly lunged at her father of a 10-year-old boy''s appearance, and yfully shouted for everyone to hear. "Father, I am missing home." Harold tapped Amalia''s head, but soon a wry smile came upon his face. "Ah! I think we are experiencing some issues rted to Jump Drive on the spaceship. Let''s stay on the for the time being. It will take at least 6 hours for them to repair it." Amalia went silent suddenly, but before she could call her doubts, Earl Drago came running and added. "Haha! Miss Amalia, you will soon be a part of this Manor. It won''t hurt to spend some time." "Right, right!" Harold nodded. "Hehe! Okay, I will do as father says." Amalia, not finding anything wrong with the situation, held Aldrich''s hand and walked into the Manor. As they walked side by side, Aldrich turned his head to look at his shadow and smiled. ''Good work, Sha.'' "Daddy... kicking that thing was fun." Chapter 222: Goodbye Chapter 222: Goodbye It was the dead of the night. Aldrich was pacing in his bedroom. It had been hours since the end of the ceremony and the local Barons were the first to go. The Counts hadn''t stayed for long either. Especially after learning that a few of them hade under the rule of the newly appointed Earl. Aldrich was more thoughtful of Marquess Nichs'' leaving, creating no drama. The ck Mist around his heart had fallen still, but now and then a few tentacles kept trying to prate it. A part of his thoughts, tied to the ck Veil, also kept reciting thenguage of Laws to fight this weird thing off. But it wasn''t taking any heavy toll on Aldrich. Suddenly, a disturbance happened around him, and Aldrich felt as if he was buck naked. This was the tenth time in thest hour he had felt so. It was none other but Amalia scanning Aldrich''s surroundings with her Perception. Aldrich knew that she probably thought he couldn''t tell if she was monitoring him. But Aldrich had always been sensitive about Perception. Aldrich was waiting exactly for this moment. "Come out." There was no one in his room, but as soon as he called out, red mist came out of the room''s floor. The red mist churned and took the form of a 14-year-old red-haired girl. There was a crown made of thorns on her head and rose petals had covered her tiny chest. She was the Ancient Oracle, the spirit of Rosalia. Rosalia opened her eyes, and her green eyes had a hint of red at the corners. At one nce, Aldrich could tell that she was angry. Not caring about her condition and anger, Aldrich asked. "Get over it! Can you sense her?" Rosalia gritted her teeth, and a buried voice came out of her mouth. "The fucking bitch kissed you" Wham! Wham!!! Rosalia lunged at Aldrich and banged her tiny fists on his legs. After hitting many times, Rosalia seemed to calm down and asked concernedly. "She did something to you. I saw that ck Mist." Aldrich shook his head and said, "We have little time. Can you sense her?" Sigh! Rosalia sighed and sprawled on Aldrich''s bed. The only way for her to maintain her mysterious nature was to speak less around other people. That''s why even after being present at the ceremony, she had remained aloof from the events. Rosalia stared at the designs on the ceiling and answered. "Yes. I don''t know how she did it. But after House Divine Enclosure''s ship had left, that girl Tyra reappeared on the. She is a few miles away from the Manor and would reach here before the moon reaches the highest point in the sky." Aldrich nodded and looked out. He calcted and found out that Tyra would be here in two minutes, max. "Where have you sent Trifon?" Rosalia asked. Aldrich took a deep breath and looked at her. "Somewhere far. I am afraid I couldn''t send Earl Drago. The Marquesses were already keeping a close eye on him." The wind howled outside, bringing with itself the heavy silence before doom. Rosalia sat up and her eyes met those of the Aldrich''s. "Is it really that bad?" "Yes, maybe worse. You should wipe out all traces of your existence." As Aldrich mentioned hibernation, pearl-like tears fell out of the corner of Rosalia''s eyes. "I I can go into false hibernation for a few months." Aldrich nodded at getting a positive response. If his guesses were right, then this prophecy would lead to a world-shaking fight. A fight that would bring the attention of the Kings and the Queen here. And if any of them got to know about Rosalia, then it would be nothing but a disaster for her. The events that would happen from now on, were nothing but aption of unimaginable risks. But with every higher risk, the potential rewards Aldrich could fish out were also higher. He just didn''t want for the House Venomous Rose to perish in his pursuit of knowledge and power. So, to prevent the bloodline from extinction, he had sent Trifon to some unknown location which even he didn''t know of. "Ok then," Aldrich approached the Ancient Oracle and put his hand over her head before continuing, "Don''t worry. Even if I die, I won''t forget my promise." Aldrich was just stating the truth, but this was enough to break the dam Rosalia was holding within. Tears burst out of her eyes like a river, and her voice broke the moonlight-lit silence of Aldrich''s bedroom. Uwaaaa! Sniff! Sniff!!! "Daddy Sniff" Even Sha started to cry in his mind, getting affected by the pure emotionsing out of Rosalia. Dense ck clouds overtook the surroundings of the Manor in a matter of seconds, and all the signs of stars and the moon vanished. As the first drop of the water fell out of the clouds, Rosalia lifted her teary eyes and looked at Aldrich. "She is here. Goo Goodbye!" Aldrich gave out a rare smile. As the tip-tap of raindrops turned into a drizzle, the entire body of Rosalia burst into a mass of dense mist and disappeared. Knock-knock!!! At the same time, a knocking sound came from the open window on his left. Aldrich felt the traces of the red mist in his hand and rubbed it away. He turned to face the neer and found a tall blue-haired beauty stepping into his bedroom. The traces of rain had covered her entire long white frock, but it soon disappeared with a shake of her hand. Aldrich stared at the blue-eyed beauty, and after giving a deep bow, he spoke. "Your highness, if Tyra had told me that thedy she mentioned is the Queen''s niece, I would have saved you the trouble ofing here." Yes, this tall woman was none other than Duchess Bouda Rhiannon. Bouda didn''t speak but went to the chair and sat down. Aldrich noticed that though her Record still showed a status of Sealed, her Rank wasn''t Viscount anymore, but Marquess. Bouda stared at him for a few seconds before speaking out slowly. "A praise from the White-Haired Assassin himself. I am quite honored." Chapter 223: Mask Off?!! Chapter 223: Mask Off?!! One woman, two shocks. After already experiencing a shock today, Aldrich never thought there woulde a time soon for him to feel so surprised. But it seemed the existence of Bouda was nothing but a pile of surprise for Aldrich. A single touch of her fingers had made him experience a world full of blood, and hear things even he couldn''t make sense out of. And now, she called him the white-haired assassin. Aldrich could tell by just hearing that Bouda wasn''t firing arrows blindingly. She was dead sure of his identity as the rumored assassin who was wanted throughout the Gxy for the unspeakable crime. And though the Lt. General of UGF had broken ties with the force, Aldrich knew Bouda could apprehend him in the name of justice if she wanted to do so. Aldrich''s breathing was normal, and his posture was straight. There was no breaking of rhythm in his blood pressure, nor was there any disturbance in his heartbeat. His thoughts, though shocked, couldn''t affect the Mana within him for it to be perceived by the Sealed Duchess. But Aldrich''s face wasn''t emotionless. The expression on his masked face was of in and utter bewilderment. "White-Haired Assassin?!! Your Highness, don''t tell me you came here because of this absurd theory." Bouda narrowed her eyes, seeing no changes in Aldrich. The Dreamers of the Kingdom of Life-Authority had always been sensitive about Mana. Much less needed to be said about the members of Royal families. Aldrich could tell from Bouda''s frown that the most dangerous thing about him was the control of Mana. If it was his self of the Barren Earth, he wouldn''t be able to do it. But after getting to understand a little about ck Veil, Aldrich could control his thoughts precisely. And thus, he could prevent any fluctuations in Mana, too. "There is something off about you. I can feel it in my bones." Aldrich heard Bouda''s words and couldn''t help but give out a wry smile. Anyway, he had to find out why she even came to a guess that precise, to begin with. Only his white hairs couldn''t be the reason to use him of such a heinous crime. "Ahem! May I know why would youpare me to a being who could even leave alive after failing an assassination attempt on a KING?!" Hahaha! Theugh that came out of Bouda''s mouth was an answer to his question, per se. She lift her hand and showed Aldrich her palm as if asking him to wait for herugh to go away by itself. "Wait a minute Cough!" Bouda tried to catch her breath as she coughed and spoke simultaneously. Aldrich couldn''t believe that the person in front of him was truly none other than a fucking Duchess. "Cough! Tyra told me that you are a smart one. Huh! And here you are standing and suggesting to me that someone in this Gxy can leave alive after having an attempt on the King''s life?!!!" "But" Aldrich added a "but" to Bouda''s exmatory question, trying to force her to speak more. And as expected, Bouda didn''t let himplete his statement and cut him off. "Humph! Fool, do you even know the true capabilities of the Rank King? Can you even imagine what kind of Beings they are? The only other being who stands a chance in front of a King is another King." ''So this is how it is. Hmm! There isn''t much time before Amalia''s another round of scanning this room. I need to wrap things up with Bouda soon.'' Aldrich thought to himself, and presenting a sad expression, he asked. "But that still won''t exin your guess of me being the same criminal whose face is getting circted throughout the gxy." Bouda shook her head in disappointment and stood up. As she walked towards the window and gazed at the drizzle, she slowly spoke out. "Oh yes, he is a criminal. But not because of the crime of assassination. His crime was even graver" Bouda turned to look at Aldrich and continued in the same tone. " His crime was to get noticed by The Last Saint." Bouda lightly stepped and came closer and closer to Aldrich until she towered in front of him. Even on Earth, Aldrich had an average height of 5 feet and 10 inches. And after getting resurrected, his height had already increased to more than a couple of inches. Aldrich noticed that her height was a full head taller than him. Bouda almost looked down at Aldrich as she answered his question. "There are many reasons for me toe up with that guess. First is your sudden appearance in the House of having a Duke history. The second is you have an Ancient Relic. The third is you being favored by Darkness. And the fourth is my presence in front of you. When taken separately, these four things mean little. But when you take them together, only one word can exin these many coincidences" Aldrich didn''t need to prod Bouda for her to say the word out loud by herself. " Destiny!!! When one is influenced by Destiny, even the smallest thing can reveal the biggest absurd secrets. Like themon thing between you and the white-haired assassin, white hairs." Aldrich took a deep breath. Yes, the most irrelevant thing he considered in the world was Destiny. And here was one person, standing in front of him, who had guessed his identity based on mere spections. Spections guided by this one word. Aldrich''s hand reached towards his mask. "Daddy NO!" Aldrich ignored Sha''s shout. If every little thing about him was a secret, then he had to make sure that Bouda would never consider his mask as his ultimate secret. For the first time, Aldrich took off his mask in front of someone else. His white pupils were like death''s gaze staring into Bouda''s soul. The ckness around those pupils was like the incarnation of Darkness. A smile came upon Aldrich''s face as he again bowed. "Congrattions, your highness! You caught me." Chapter 224: Rumors Chapter 224: Rumors Aldrich let Bouda take a good view of his face. She stared at her for a few seconds, scrutinizing the discrepancies on his face that differed from the circted photos. But even after searching thoroughly, she couldn''t find a single one. This face was exactly that of the white-haired assassin. Aldrich, seeing her not caring for his face anymore, ced the mask back upon his face. Sigh! Bouda gave out a long sigh and returned to her chair. "I don''t care how you managed to piss off a King of all Dreamers. But, as Tyra must have mentioned, I need your help." Aldrich nodded, but not before giving out a self-deprecatingugh. "Haha! Of Course! But your highness, a matter that is rted to you and needs my help, will surely get me killed." There was no doubt in Aldrich''s tone. No matter if he was a white-haired assassin or not, he was just a Viscount. Where even a Duke failed to aplish a task, Aldrich was sure to perish and perish badly. Bouda, with a grave tone, leaned forward and replied. "If you were to ept my offer, I swear upon the Mana within me that no harm wille upon you." As Bouda kept speaking, the Mana in the surrounding became visible. Aldrich narrowed his eyes as he saw the blue-green-white streams of Mana approaching Bouda''s lips as if they were kissing her. ''This'' Aldrich''s heart palpated as he realized what he was seeing. This was the thing he had been trying to do since his imprisonment as a Boss of a Dungeon. This was the maniption of the Concept of Mana. And this was the presence within Mana actively responding with no foreign stimnt, like his Skill Banish. Aldrich pretended to pace around as if in deep thought, but he had already made up his mind while still dancing with Tyra. Suddenly, he halted, losing any honorifics, seriously asked. "Ok, but in return, I want two things." Bouda put one leg over the other and leaned back in her chair as if what Aldrich had just said was the most rxing thing in the world. Her shoulders visibly lightened and there was a stiff but sweet smile on her face, showing her piled-up lethargy. "Good! If you hadn''t asked for something in return, now that would have been a bad sign." Aldrich approached her and upied the chair next to Bouda. Seeing her not saying anything, he at least confirmed an outline of her personality. There was a big difference between Bouda and the Marquesses he had met so far. Though they weren''t as strong as this Sealed Duchess, theycked her pointless and excessive pride. Even the Marchioness, who was just a step away from being a Duke, didn''t have Bouda''s subtlety. "First" Aldrich pretended to give it a deep thought as if this was the only thing that mattered to him. " I want my House to return to its previous glory. If you can''t do it in this Kingdom, then you must transfer the to the Kingdom of Life-Authority and help the House Venomous Rose be a Duke House. Time is irrelevant here." Aldrich couldn''t find a better way to dump this responsibility on Bouda''s shoulders. He cared little about House Venomous Rose, but Aldrich believed in Karma. Even if manipted, they had revived him and had given him a chance to learn. The Ancient Schr was indeed a maniptive old woman, but her emotions were at least sincere. If by any means he could fulfill his promise, then Aldrich won''t shy away from that. Bouda''s mouth slightly opened, but then it closed even sooner. She said nothing but gave Aldrich a silent nod. Aldrich had taken excessive measures to figure Bouda out to know by now that this nod was enough. "What''s the second thing?" Aldrich took little time to think for the second, showing it was fine even if he didn''t get it. "I want to know everything that is in your mind rted to this task. Why are you doing it? What is our destination? And what are the expected oues?" Aldrich fired three questions back to back. He only expected a brief answer to all questions, but Bouda didn''t shy away from speaking out openly. "For you to recognize me immediately, you must have also heard the rumor about me." Hahaha! Aldrich let out augh andmented. "Rumors can be the farthest from the truth. Even if there is a rumor about you, it certainly can''t bepared to the one I am infamous for." Aldrich was right. The rumors about anyone that didn''t involve a King or Queen couldn''t approach the proximity of him being the white-haired assassin. Bouda gaped at Aldrich''s making jokes about such a grievous thing. But soon she returned to her previous state and continued. "The rumor about me isn''t farthest from the truth." Aldrich raised his eyebrows, hearing Bouda openly agreeing to the veracity of the rumor. There were many parts of this rumor. From her being an illegitimate child to her being the user of a summoning that shouldn''t exist anymore. But Aldrich didn''t care for either of them. What he cared for was the other persons involved in this rumor. Bouda, after a slight pause, continued. "I don''t know if my birthright is true or false. I have the least amount of concern about this matter. But yes, I used a summoning that differs from the other Rhiannon. The answer to your first question lies in the fact why I used that summoning, to begin with." Aldrich added in response. "I heard you did it to save your superior." "Superior superior" Bouda absentmindedly repeated the word two times, making Aldrich narrow his eyes. But, in the next moment, a ruthless expression surfaced on her face. "Yes it was to save my superior. General Eydis, the eldest daughter of King Alvis Hildingr - The Red Dragon. We got betrayed by the Colonel from our unit, resulting in an ambush by three Dukes." Aldrich added, based on the rumor. "The Dukes from Hallowed Phantoms" HAHAHA!!! But theugh that came out of Bouda was truly mocking. She harrumphed and scoffingly said. "Humph! They weren''t the Dukes from Hallowed Phantoms. Even if they had their signature Items, I know for a fact that they were the Dukes under the rule of King Hagen BergmanThe Imprable Shield." Chapter 225: GOD BINDING HAND Chapter 225: GOD BINDING HAND ''The Dukes were from the Kingdom of Swordless?!!'' Aldrich repeated Bouda''s absurd im in his mind more than once. The only issue was that he could feel no hint of doubt in Bouda''s tone. That didn''t mean that she was absolutely right about it, but Dreamers of her Rank were more careful about their words than themon crowd. For her to show such expression and emotion exined many things to Aldrich. "But why?" Aldrich asked. Bouda smirked and looked at Aldrich. "By now you must have found out that there is a deep animosity between the Kingdom of Divine Beast and the Kingdom of Swordless." Aldrich remembered the memories of the three Viscounts from House Firebird. His mind went to the sheer hate he had felt through those memories, and the little things Earl Drago had told him. He looked at the rain outside through the window, getting denser and denser, and slowly muttered. "Yes, the bloodshed that has continued since time immemorial. Bloodshed whose cause is forgotten. And bloodshed that doesn''t have an end." Bouda nodded and continued. "Yes. I couldn''t have put it better myself. I believe this was one of the factors. But even if it wasn''t, there is no doubt about the identities of those Dukes." Aldrich could ept this for now. Yet, he couldn''t help but ask. "If you are so sure of their identities, why didn''t you ask the Queen to help you out. Surely she can confront King Hagen regarding this, can''t she?" "This" Aldrich could see Bouda''s hesitation as if she had encountered the tallest hurdle. Even though it was clear she didn''t want to say anything about it, Bouda finally took a deep breath and carried on. " The Kings and Queen can''t directly fight among themselves in normal circumstances." "Why?" Aldrich snappingly asked. The hurdle that Bouda had just crossed seemed to have be beyond her capabilities. Aldrich could feel an immense struggle on her face. She turned her face away and muttered out. "I don''t know." Aldrich sensed Bouda was hiding something. A secret, deep enough for a Duchess to lie about it. But there wasn''t anything Aldrich could do if she didn''t want to share this secret with him. Aldrich was shameless, but he wasn''tpletely unreasonable. He had already asked the questions, and so he wouldn''t force her to add one more answer. Sigh! ''Some answers are best to find out by myself.'' Aldrich changed the topic and brought Bouda to the topic at hand. "So the task you mentioned is rted to this General Eydis?" Bouda faced Aldrich and nodded. "Yes. I don''t know how they got their hands on those, but the three Dukes had an Item from Hallowed Phantoms that can even make all the Dukes of the Kingdoms stand on their toes. If General Eydis wasn''t outnumbered and caught off-guard, she would have never fallen for this trickery." Aldrich felt curious about this Item''s nature. Surely an Item that could make Dukes fear it couldn''t be so simple. "What is so special about this Item?" Aldrich saw Bouda''s eyes dting as if he made her remember something very unpleasant and intimidating. There was even a trace of fear and extreme vignce on her face. Bouda took a deep breath as if it was time to let out the main issue for which she was here. "Tell me, Aldrich, do you know the structure of our Gxy?" How could Aldrich have not updated himself with this knowledge aftering to House Venomous Rose? It''s true that he had found out general knowledge among the people of the Gxy was beyond even the thinking capabilities of humans of Barren Earth. Like reading from pages of a book, Aldrich spoke out. "Yes, I know. The Milky Way Gxy is divided into four kingdoms, separated by four Separations. And at the center of the Gxy is HIM, THE OLDEST ONE. In all the Kingdoms, except the Kingdom of Life-Authority, it is believed that HE is the origin of all that is alive and dead. HE is the reason for all that is real and illusory. And HE is Darker" "ENOUGH!.." Aldrich noticed how Bouda was almost fuming, but deep within her heart, an emotion of facing a huge cmity seeped out. Aldrich was purposely riling her up by saying all these things to get her an idea about her views. Depending on them, he would need to be careful if she were to ever find out that he could be considered a Blessed of the Being called The Oldest One. Bouda, surprised by her reaction, coughed and exined. " Cough! I mean, that would be enough. Many believe that the Kingdoms and Separations culminated in the center of the Gxy. But from my research, I have found out that there is a region surrounding the center of the Gxy and before any hint of life could be seen. This region is older than the oldest tales and myths. In the Ancient Scroll of my House, its name could be read as" Aldrich waited with bated breath to finish. The silence in the room and the asional pitter-patter of the rain had vanished. Aldrich''s white eyes and Bouda''s blues were like two gems staring at each other. Bouda''s mouth parted and words as heavy as the Pir of Footprints came out. " Its name is PRISON OF GODS!" Aldrich''s heart thumped as he heard the word Prison. Sha''s memories rted to the Devil came running to him. In those memories, the Devil had gone to the same dark space where once Aldrich had been forced to go. But the Banished Golden Devil had vanished from there, leaving only an Archaic Altar with two pirs and two iron-like chains. Aldrich had lost his trust in the word God by now, but it seemed Bouda had yet to bring up this word one more time. Not caring at all for the heaviness of the name she had just uttered, Bouda leaned towards Aldrich and spoke out. "And the name of that Item is GOD BINDING HAND." Chapter 226: Destinys Plot Chapter 226: Destiny''s Plot ''God Binding Hand'' Aldrich repeated the name many times in his mind. The only difference between him and Bouda''s calling out the Item''s name was that he didn''t capitalize the letters. Aldrich wasn''t an ordinary man. He was a schr. It didn''t matter if it was a simple equation or a one-lined definition. Aldrich''s mind had always hit the crux of the wording without caring for the fancy words. He knew that the main thing to focus on among these words wasn''t the word God, or the word Binding. Aldrich''s entire attention was on the word Hand. And there was only one question in his mind. ''Whose Hand?'' Aldrich, like lighting a bulb, got to know in an instant if he were to figure this out, he would chance upon a path that had never trodden before. A hidden smile came upon his face, but he dared not let Bouda see it. Bouda, not putting any importance on the effect these words would have on Aldrich, presented her theory. "Can you also see the resemnce? Hmm! Maybe you can''t. It''s ok. Youck experience with this type of stuff. But the thing is, I couldn''t take my mind off this familiarity. The God Binding Hand has many parts. There are four spikes that, when ced in formation, open a portal under the target. I have seen with my own eyes a rotten giant-like handing out of that portal and grabbing Eydis. Ahem! I mean General Eydis." Aldrich took in all the long and short sentences and summarised them. "So you think that this God Binding Hand had sent General Eydis to this ce called Prison of Gods." " its GOD BINDING HAND! But, yes, all the facts and data points to it." Aldrich nodded in approval. "Fair enough!" Facts and Data were all Aldrich believed and cared for. And with it, he had got the answer to the second question he had asked from Bouda. "So our destination is this Prison of Gods. Where none had gone before, and there is no path, or even apass pointing at it?" Bouda''s face became red with shame. In thest six months, the relentless research and sleepless nights had changed her a lot. Time and circumstances had made her lose the innocence she carried about her. But among a plethora of serious moments, she returned to her previous self now and then. Turning away her face, skimming through bedroom furniture, she meekly spoke out. "I I know it sounds far-fetched" "Humph! Farfetched?! I am sorry, your highness, but you just sounded clueless. You want me to apany you on a journey whose destination you don''t even know how to reach. Tell me, how did it sound to you?" "You You can''t talk to me like that. I am a Duchess." Aldrich had Bouda figured from head to toe by now. Even though she just threw the word Duchess at Aldrich, her tonecked the pride behind this word. ''What a two-way Curse!'' Aldrich joggled his head, making Bouda take a deep breath to calm down her anger. "It''s not like I don''t have any clue whatsoever. Have you not heard about The Red Dragon''s presence in the Death Separation many times within thest six months?" Aldrich''s mind shook at hearing this. Yes, he had read and heard about it. But what did he have to do with a King roaming here and there? ording to Aldrich, maybe the Red Dragon had just got bored. Sometimes the weirdest questions had the simplest answers. But now, after hearing Bouda''s theory, it seemed usible to him that there might be more to the King''s presence than met the eye. "So you have heard. Yes, didn''t the House Venomous Rose members, your father, and Granduncle there during the King''sst visit?" Aldrich nodded his head. Trifon had indeed mentioned hearing the Dragon''s roar. Aldrich still remembered his exact words were something like this. ''Ancestor, I was pretending to be a Recordless. Tch! I almost pissed myself trying to stand back up without losing my clone.'' Bouda, gaining confidence, smiled and continued. "I thought there is a way through the Death Separation, leading to the Prison of Gods. That''s why the King kept going there back to back." "Wait a minute! When even a King couldn''t reach there, how am I supposed to help you?" Aldrich had a lot of confidence in himself. But even he didn''t believe that he could match the might of a Marquess, much less even a sneeze of King. Bouda, as if remembering something crucial, tapped her FIR and took out an incredibly archaic piece of paper. Aldrich could see her expression was like that of a teenager stealing magazines from a shop. ''She definitely stole it. Fuck!'' As Aldrich fancied Bouda silently going into the library and stealing the paper, she unfolded it and pointed at it. "Ahem! I found this in a corner of the library. If there is a ce beyond the Death Separation, then we must cross the Sea of White Death first." Even Aldrich knew something so widely known, so he immediately snapped. "But no one has ever crossed it and reached the shore beyond." Bouda paused, but soon pointed at the paper again. "Just look! It says that only those who are Blessed can sail through the ck waters of the sea. And the only people who stand a chance of crossing it, are those who are favored by Darkness." In her excited state, Bouda seemed to even forget that thenguage on paper waspletely archaic. And it couldn''t be read by people other than the members of the Royal family. But Aldrich was unique, so was his ss- Generalist. From what Bouda had said, it took only seconds for Aldrich to analyze thenguage. But in the end, he still wasn''t convinced. "Why don''t you just take it to King Alvis, then? I am sure he would be more than happy to help you find a Dreamer favored by Darkness." Bouda angrily snatched the paper out of Aldrich''s hand and snapped. "How can there be a Darkness favored when all Darklings have gone extinct? Only you are a bewildering case. It will take me forever to find another one. And, I think it''s my Destiny to go on this journey and rescue General Eydis." Sigh! Aldrich facepalmed himself and let out a sigh. "Are you sure it''s ''Destiny''? Because to me, it sounds more like a forced plot to bring us together." Chapter 227: Aldrichs Decision Chapter 227: Aldrich''s Decision "" "" Aldrich and Bouda stared at each other. When it seemed this staring wouldst the entire night, Bouda threw the piece of paper on Aldrich''s head. "You think you are that special, huh!" Aldrich didn''t mind this impulsive behavior. Same as he didn''t mind Drago''s pride and Trifon''s pretentious attitude. The only thing that he had found out that was absolute in this world were Curses. After spending millions of years in that Darkness, Aldrich had already confirmed that Time wasn''t absolute. Though he never tried toprehend it there. Only Curses were things that none could avoid. From Counts to Marquesses and now even a Duchess, all were cursed. Aldrich didn''t think the curses were actually shorings. This was a price for Dreamers'' evolution. And when one tries to get away with payment, unimaginable and horrified things could happen. Seeing Aldrich''s silence, the corner of Bouda''s eyes became wet. Aldrich knew that if she wanted, she could make him go with her. If even Marchioness Maya could do it, Aldrich didn''t need to guess that Duchess Bouda could too. But then, like Amalia or Maya, her only oue would be to get used by Aldrich. Aldrich knew the reason for her not to opt for such things was her intrinsic nature. "Just Just tell me, what more do you want?" Aldrich wasn''t a person who would get affected by seeing the tears of somebody. It didn''t matter if the person was a child, teen, young, or old. It also didn''t matter if it was a boy or girl. Much less needed to be said if the tears were even real or fake. The only thing in Aldrich''s mind was if he would be able toe back in time for the tournament or not. What were even the profits and losses of him going with Bouda? For a moment, Aldrich even thought to join Hallowed Phantoms and help Amalia deal with Bouda. He would then let Sha eat her and get her memories. A freaking Duchess'' memories would be the most useful for him to aplish his goals. But... Before deciding, Aldrich asked one more question. "How did you find me? You can decide to not answer it." Bouda heard Aldrich''s question but did not reply for long. Atst, she took a deep breath and gave out a deeply saddened smile. "Ancient Schrs are rare. But the Kingdom of Life-Authority still has most of them. The Supreme Oracle of the Royal Family told me that my Destiny lies among Roses. It was hard, but not hard enough for me to not figure it out, given the recent events that had taken ce here." ''Supreme Oracle?!'' Aldrich wondered if she was some ancient being too, waiting for someone toe and make her pregnant. Cough! Aldrich coughed and broke this absurd line of thinking. To Aldrich, the line ''Your Destiny lies among Roses'' had several meanings. From the corner of his eyes, he nced at the lost face of Bouda and thought to herself. ''Maybe she is meant to die here. Now that would be some destiny too, right? I will bury a part of her among roses,pleting the prophecy. Hmm!" Aldrich truly brooded over this for quite some time. But ultimately, let go of this thought. First, he would have to make countless changes to his already set n. It wasn''t much, but where the Kings and Queen were involved, any new variable could be disastrous for him. Second, Aldrich didn''t just like Amalia. Hallowed Phantoms sounded good for him to use, but meeting their King just after joining would be a bad idea. An organization whose goals were already chaotic, and revolved around chaos, couldn''t be used fully, anyway. Sigh! Aldrich sighed, making Bouda snap her head towards him. He gave her an expressionless look and spoke out. "Okay! You got yourself a deal. But I have two conditions." Bouda had already a big smile on her face and was handing her hand out to shake as Aldrich mentioned the deal. But the word condition made her hand hover in the air as it is. "What is it?" Bouda asked. "First, on this journey, I will be the captain. Meaning you will work for me, and not the other way around. You will do as I say, no questions asked. Do you agree?" "HOW DARE YOU?!" "Cut the crap! Do you agree or not?" Bouda''s enormous breasts heaved up and down as she gritted her teeth. But then Aldrich crouched and picked up the archaic paper, making her remember why she was here. Taking a deep breath, she replied. "Okay I agree. But I won''t do something funny." Haha! Aldrich let out augh and handed over the paper. "That would be good. Now for the second condition, you swore upon Mana you won''t let any harme upon me." Bouda''s face instantaneously became serious, and she answered. "Yes, I" But Aldrich lifted his hand, making her pause beforepleting her sentence. Aldrich''s hand reached to his back and held the Pir of Justice in his hand. A slight chuckle escaped his mouth as he neared her. "Haha! Would you mind paying upfront on this promise?" BOOOM!!! The entire area around Aldrich and Bouda burst apart in a thunderous explosion. Half part of the Manor got decimated in an instant. The drizzle outside had turned into a downpour, but even then, it couldn''t do anything to the ckish fire. Space rippled in the air, and Bouda materialized. One Step Shunpo!!! In her right hand, grabbed by the back of his neck, Aldrich was eyeing the womaning out of the main door of the Manor. Her appearance had changed little, but her red eyes had again be red slits. She was wearing a traditional long ck skirt, and on top, there was only a blouse. Her anklets and bangles chimed along with the buzzing raindrops around her. Aldrich brought his left hand up to his mouth. Cough! "Ahem! Duchess Bouda, may I present Marchioness Maya of Hallowed Phantoms." Bouda gave an incredibly ugly nce to Aldrich, and then her blue eyes met those red snakelike eyes. Maya''s face, though angelic, was like a manifestation of anger. A raging shout came out of her mouth, waking up anyone who was still shameless enough to sleep after the explosion. "BITCH! Where do you think you are taking my toy?" Chapter 228: First Condition Chapter 228: First Condition Shuuu! Maya took a step after her raging shout and appeared dozens of meters away from Bouda. As both the beauties hovered in front of each other, Maya nced at Aldrich. The ck Mist inside him stirred, and Aldrich realized she was checking if her control over him was still valid or not. Upon receiving a positive response, her anger visibly rxed, and she finally calmed down to look at Bouda. "Oh, ho! Look who we have here. So you are the woman of my love''s dreams." "" ".." Bouda expressionlessly looked at Aldrich, hearing the nonsensical words. Aldrich feigned ignorance and shook his shoulders as if he did not know what the woman of dreams even meant. "Let him go, then we will settle it between us." Maya pointed at Aldrich and suggested. "Have you gone insane? Why would I listen to a Phantom?" The members of the Hallowed Phantoms were addressed as Phantoms. Maya, not getting a favorable response, gave out an evil and sultry smile. "I have heard of you, Duchess Bouda Rhiannon. You are among the most discussed topics at the table. Do you know that?" "Humph! You call me Duchess and dare not show respect. I can feel you are still one step away from being a Duchess yourself. But don''t think for a moment that this step is small enough for you to challenge me." Bouda was right. The step between a Level 70 Marquess and a Level 71 Duke seemed a matter of only 1 level. But it was like a depthless valley, followed by an impassable wall. It was nigh impossible for Marchioness Maya to even breathe the same air as Duchess Bouda. But Maya''s smile seemed to have been stitched on her face, as it didn''t budge at all. "Hehe! Why embarrass yourself, Duchess Bouda? After yourst fiasco rted to the matter of using ancestral summoning, the Rhiannon Royal Family has sealed your Rank to Viscount. Sure you can unseal it to momentarily Rank up to your original Rank, but for how long? 1 second, 2 seconds. Humph!" Aldrich''s eyes went wide, hearing this absurd reason for her sealing. He turned his head and found the shocked expression on Bouda''s face. Gritting her teeth in anger, Bouda mumbled out. "How How do you know about my sealing?" Chann-Channnn!!! Maya slightly banged her ankles, making the anklets let out a sweet sound. The rain was heavy enough for it to drench both beauties'' dressing. And because of her thin garments, a hint of Maya''s nipples came out in the open from under her ck blouse. Maya, ying with her bangles, responded. "Duchess Bouda, we have eyes and ears everywhere. You underestimate the reach of Hallowed Phantoms." ''This can create trouble'' Aldrich had thought that the seal was self-inflicted. And thus, Bouda could release it anytime she wanted. But now, after hearing Maya and Bouda''s conversation, the situation was clearly not so. If Bouda could temporarily lift the seal of a few seconds at Duke Rank, then it meant that she could only do so for a few minutes at the Marquess Rank. A significant part of which she had already spent conversing with Aldrich in his bedroom. There was only one thing Bouda could do right now. And it seemed she knew it. "So what, even if I were to only maintain my Duke rank for a few seconds, it would be enough to take care of you." Maya also did not remain back from adding to Bouda''s threat. "Yes, you can surely injure me, or mortally wound me within that time. But then you won''t be able to hold on to my love. And it seems from all his dreams that you want something important out of him." Bouda pressed her brows as Maya again mentioned dreams. "What are these dreams" Bouda was about to ask when the dark surrounding around her lit up. It was like a sun hade up from her behind, lighting up the manor, the clouds, and the half-destroyed Manor. As Bouda turned around, still holding Aldrich by his neck, they saw a 10-year-old boy hovering in front of them. His eyes were yellow and golden like the sun, and from his entire body starry shine kepting out. This boy was Marquess Harold Sindri of House Star Dust. Bouda, seeing this incredible scene, shouted. "Marquess Harold, can''t you guess who I am? There is no hard strife between the Kingdom of Swordless and the Kingdom of Life-Authority. In the name of Queen Eluned Rhiannon, and King Hagen, I ask you to help me flush out this Hallowed Phantoms'' scum." Hahaha! A resounding burst ofughter reached Bouda and Aldrich, overshadowing the pouring rain. Maya had one hand on her belly and was hunched over as she keptughing. On Bouda''s side, Aldrich shook his head at her futile attempt. Bouda seemed to have realized that there was something wrong. She again eyed Harold, and finally noticed except having a gentle expression on his face towards Maya, he had reacted little. Bouda snapped her head at Maya and asked. "What did you do to him?" Maya put her finger on her chin and feigned a very thoughtful expression. Soon her eyes lit up, and she pointed at Aldrich. "Oh! The same thing I did to my love. Hehe! I have an idea. Why don''t we ask Aldrich with whom he wants to spend the rest of the night, ok? He might not have taste in long women anymore, now that I am standing in front of him." Bouda looked from Maya to Aldrich and then back at Maya, and confusingly asked. "What''s going on?" On the other side, Maya beckoned Aldrich as if he was the most loyal dog. "Aldrich, love. Come here." The ck Mist over Aldrich''s heart churned like never. The tentacles hade together and be one erged hand. Its fingers unfurled towards Aldrich''s heart, but as soon as it was about to touch it, it disintegrated. Countless Ancient Sayings in dozens of different Laws echoed at the same time within Aldrich''s body and an image of ck Veil covered his heart. Outside, Aldrich looked at Bouda, whose beautiful face had be ashen from a possibility. He gave out a creepy smile from ear to ear and muttered. "Remember the first condition" Bouda involuntarily nodded, and Aldrich shouted at the same time. " ATTACK!" Chapter 229: Red Giant Chapter 229: Red Giant Aldrich''s shout was like the sound of a bugle. Bouda, thoughpletely shocked and confused, let go of Aldrich''s neck and dashed towards Maya. But Bouda''s shock couldn''t even be muttered in the same breath of Maya''s stupefied expression. As she saw two bat-like wings materializing on Aldrich''s back before flying away from them, she let out a deafening cry. "BRING HIM TO ME!!!" * BOOM!!! The exploding sound of two fists colliding sent out shockwaves after shockwaves, destroying the rest of the Manor. But Aldrich didn''t turn to look at anything and just kept pping the wings in some random direction, away from the Evesting Tower. By now, Trifon''s clone had already advised Earl Drago to remain hidden, letting Aldrich not worry about him. Shuuuu! Aldrich was about to change his direction one more time when the familiar sound echoed around him. The space in front of him turned like a mini sun, and Harold came out of it. As the Marquess hovered in the air, he shook his head and said. "Disappointed I am truly disappointed. You have shown such potential Aldrich. I even took you as my personal student. But you betrayed me. Didn''t you for once think about our teacher-student rtionship? And my daughter my poor daughter. You broke her heart. Tch!" ".." Aldrich didn''t know what to say. Everything within Harold''s heart was distorted to an unimaginable degree. It seemed it had been too long since Maya''s control over him. Aldrich believed that even if Harold were toe out of Maya''s influence, it would leave asting effect on him. Ignoring Harold altogether, Aldrich raised both his hands out. But from an outsider''s perspective, it seemed as if he was raising the Pir to put up a fight. The sound of fighting had be so loud that Aldrich couldn''t hear a hint of rain, even though it was still doing a good job of drenching him. The dense clouds riled up and, for the first time, a bolt of lightning shed over Aldrich and Harold. Cr-rack! Harold''s face became ugly with pain and anger as he again shook his head and spoke out. "It''s futile, son. I admit you may be one of the best Dreamers at Viscount Rank. Your fighting style is that of a peak Dreamer, and you are intelligent enough to outsmart many. But even then you can''t move a muscle in front of an Earl. Let alone a Marquess like me." Cr-rr-rack!! Harold was absolutely right, and who knew his limits better than Aldrich? There was no way for him to outfight an Earl and Marquess. But he didn''t need to fight. The only thing that could make him worry was Harold''s use of One Step Shunpo. And Aldrich wasn''t so helpless against it, even though he couldn''t use the Skill Change to its full extent anymore. Aldrich hadn''t raised his hands to put up a fight, to begin with. An ethereal and heavy sound came out of his throat. It felt like most of the sound didn''t spread out but had gone to some unknown ce, crossing an infinite distance. "From the ashes of my Dreams ARISE!!!" The space rippled in between Aldrich and Harold. It was like a fissure had appeared there, and beyond this fissure was darkness, so heavy that it could crushs to smithereens. Under the squinting eyes of Marquess Harold, a ck armored knight walked out. He had a blue cloak on his back, and there was an insignia of a golden crown on it. On his waist were two swords, and his eyes were like two red dots, like the glowing out of a beast''s eyes in the dark of the night. This armored knight was Count El Cid, the Undefeated King. "Summon?!" From the way Aldrich''s Arise Skill worked, none could tell that the beings brought back to life were undead. It appeared more simr to the highlymon Summon Skill. Dreamers could summon Crawlers, beasts, and even mythical creatures depending on their rewards. There were even cases of Dreamers summoning spirits of ancient heroes after having a contract with them. So for Harold to misunderstand it as an ordinary Summon wasn''t foolish. The yellow-eyed boy scoffed, shaking the hell out of his wet ponytail. "Huh! And what good a Summon would do? Even hundreds like these can''t help you stand up to me." Aldrich put both his hands around El Cid''s neck, making the wings on his back vanish. He gave an honest smile to Harold and said. "Teacher, why would I need to fight you when I just need to outrun you for enough time?" "Hahaha! And how will you aplish that?" As Haroldughed and retorted with the question, El Cid''s hand went to the greatswords on his waist. The swords on his right gave out an icy burst of Mana, freezing the raindrops on the spot. From the left greatsword came out ava-like heat, evaporating the surrounding water. Cr-rr-rr-rack!!! Another bolt of lightning cracked behind Aldrich, darkening the already dark El Cid''s armor. And then, under the stupefied gaze of Marquess Harold, both Aldrich and El Cid vanished. Shuuu!!! Some miles away, El Cid reappeared with Aldrich clung to his back. But he didn''t stop there. Sheathing the two swords again, El Cid''s hands again tightened their grip on the greatswords. Shuuu!!! Shuuu!!! El Cid kept using the false One Step Shunpo, but Aldrich knew it wouldn''t take long for Harold toe out of his shock and catch up to them. As they reached some hundred miles away from Harold, Aldrich let go of El Cid, and the wings re-materialized behind his back. El Cid could already fly with the use of Skill, which didn''t even use much Mana. The only issue with his undead was that they came with a set amount of MP, HP, and SP. And it needed to be replenished, making it a boon as well as a bane for Aldrich. Aldrich looked far and squinted his eyes. He faced El Cid and nodded at him. "Keep him busy." "Yes, My Lord." * After only a few seconds, Harold appeared, fuming with bloody murder in his eyes. The first thing he witnessed aftering to this ce was the hovering fucking Summon. Harold clenched his fist, and the image of a Red Giant Star appeared around it. It was his Skill, RED GIANT EXPLOSIVE FIST. Harold dashed and hurled this starry fist towards El Cid''s chest and shouted. "Fuck off!" There was no defense against this fist. Even if El Cid was an Earl, he would have died under its might. But El Cid had no intention of surviving. Just as the fist was about to disintegrate El Cid, a cry came out of his mouth. "For My Lord, Mana EXPLODE!!!" El Cid''s entire body lit up like the twig of a blue candle. Harold''s eyes went wide as he realized what El Cid had done. "Self-Destruction?!" Yes, this was the self-destruction of a Count. Before Harold could do anything, his fist had already collided with bursting El Cid. BOOOMMM!!! Shake-shake!!! The world quaked like the images in a mirror as a nuclear explosion decimated everything in miles. The glob of fire and smoke took over the sound of countless thunders among the clouds, and a man came bursting out from the explosion''s center. His right hand had a few cuts and bruises, but aside from them, he waspletely fine. Harold hovered in the air and looked at his right arm. "Damn! What a fucker?! Now, where have you gone, Aldrich?" Harold, ignoring the explosion, scanned for the traces of Mana fluctuation. But soon a sound came to his ears. It was like a song, loud enough as if tens of thousands were singing it at the same time. Harold, stopped the Mana-scanning, and focused on the wordings for a moment. "Ra ru ra ra Thou art King of Kings, I worship Thee and Thy will .." Chapter 230: A movie and its characters Chapter 230: A movie and its characters The VR-252 was a red dot in infinite space. It had only one moon, and the sr system it was a part of had only one sun. Pretty normal, one might think. But today something weird was going on inside and outside the. The countless spaceships patrolling the Rosalia had almost vanished overnight. There was a huge battleship orbiting the. But the asional sparksing out of it told a story of it encountering a major problem. Aside from the single battleship, the most noticeable about the was the blurry covering of a blue shield. From afar, it was indistinguishable from Rosalia''s red atmosphere. But upon nearing it, one could feel the repulsioning out of it. It started as an itch, but if people were to barge into it, disintegration would be the least of their worries. This blue covering was the Grade 5 Mana Field. Through the Mana Field, in the space around the Manor and above the denseyer of clouds, one could see blue and ck shes. These shes were as frequent as the lightning that surrounded them. And their nature felt serene and toxic at the same time. At one nce, one could say that the intensity of blue shes was slightly higher than the ck ones. Some 200 to 300 miles south of these shes, opposite to the Evesting Tower, one could see a fiery balloon rising from time to time. From space, these balloons were of red and blue color and seemed quite concentrated. If measured through an instrument, one could find out they were at least five to ten miles away from each other. But the most bizarre and inexplicable scene was the distortion in Mana Field. It happened every single time after the disappearance of these balloons. And it was like a whirl had appeared on Mana field''s surface as if there was a drain under it. This whirl and the supposed loss of Mana were insignificant on the scale of the entire Mana Field. But for a single Dreamer, it was an iprehensibly huge amount. * BOOOM!!! This was the tenth time this sound had shaken the space surrounding it. Marquess Harold''s body got thrown out from the center of the explosion. But there were no simple cuts and bruises on him anymore. His loose shirt had vanished, and the ponytail on his head had gotten untied. A coating of blood had covered his ck-brown disheveled hair, and his entire body was like a disfigured pineapple. Thuu! Marquess Harold stood up and spit out clotted blood. Although he seemed in pretty awful shape, these were nothing but superficial wounds. But the damage was piling up, little at a time. And from the raging and helpless eyes of Harold, one could say that he, too, couldn''t find any solution to this problem. "What the fuck is this Summon?!" Harold muttered under his breath as he saw the vanishing explosion sucking away Mana out of the Mana Field surrounding the. He just couldn''tprehend what type of Summon could actively take Mana, outside of his Summoner, to revive itself. This section of Mana had even disturbed the Mana within the immediate surrounding, making it impossible for him to go for Aldrich. And even if he tried to get away, the Summon kept appearing in front of him like another Nuclear missile. The thing that baffled him the most was its use of One Step Shunpo. Though its range was low, it was as fast as the original. For thest few minutes, Harold had tried every means possible to search for Aldrich and get away from this bug. But even his tremendous Divine Sense had gotten no hint of Aldrich. Harold took himself to air, and like a hawk, eyed every direction. But soon the abysmal song rang up and reached his ears. "Ra ru ra ra Thou art King of Kings" Ahhhh!! Harold let out a deafening shout, and the space rippled as the Summon appeared in front of him. "You fucking insect!" Shuuu! Harold cursed and vanished in a random direction. But he couldn''t just go outside these hundred miles. Even though he didn''t know urately, he knew Aldrich was right here somewhere. As soon as Harold took a perfunctory nce at the surroundings, the Summon appeared in front of him. The only solution Harold had found was to use the time of its resurrection in searching for Aldrich and cut the roots once and for all. "But where is he?" Harold muttered, but as he saw the Summon dashing towards him like a flying grenade, he shook his head in absolute anger. Gritting his teeth, he spread out his arms and shouted. "Come! Have a taste of your father." Even before they could touch each other, the Summon lit up in a blue sh. Time seemed to have stopped eternally at that moment. And then this sound originated and reached the depths of the and space. BOOOOM!!! ... Cough! Cough!! "Ughhh" Harold came out of the explosion, and coughed, paining his dry throat. He looked at his hands and found many nails missing. Even the end of his hair had got burned. None could say that this ten-year-old boy, who looked impoverished and malnourished, was a Marquess. Harold, wasting no time, looked here and there. His Perception was working at its max output, searching even the bugs under the rocks miles away. But even then he couldn''t find Aldrich. Seeing that this round was over, Harold waited for the Summon to reappear. 30 seconds 1 minute 2 minutes, then turned to 3, but Harold couldn''t see any hint of the Summon. He looked up and didn''t sense any suction of Mana, either. If the Summon had disappeared, it only meant one thing. Aldrich must have canceled his Skill. "ALDRICHHHHH!!!" Harold let out such a cry that even the sound of the explosion seemed to fade awaypared to it. Finally, epting his inability to find Aldrich, Harold menacingly looked around before dashing towards the distant shes. * Directly under thest position of Harold, sitting leisurely over a rock, Aldrich eyed the yellow-eyed boy flying away. There was no hint of lethargy about him, and his breathing was calm. It felt like Aldrich had been watching a movie the entire time. The only thing out of ce was that this movie''s characters were a Marquess and a ticking Nuclear Bomb. A smile soon came upon his face as he spoke out, seemingly to himself. "Pretty interesting! Won''t you agree.... ... Marquess Nichs?" Chapter 231: Bested Trick? Chapter 231: Bested Trick? Unlike the distant thundering clouds in the Manor''s direction, everything was silent and hot around Aldrich. Moonlight had reimed this part of the and stars shined brilliantly. The only thorns in this angelic scenery were the glossy craters, asional shes of fire, and Aldrich''s unanswered question. Aldrich tapped the rocky surface he was sitting on with the staff in his hands. There was impatience on his face to get an answer. Aldrich stared at the distant shes and calcted for how long Bouda could hold on before using her Duke Rank and finishing things off. Suddenly, a sound came from his left. It was almost like the sound of someone walking in empty hallways, making their footsteps echo eerily. Tap! With this first tap, space unfolded like a sheet of paper. But it didn''t break. It was as if someone had folded the space and made a chamber out of it. Tap-Tap!! With another two steps, more and more space unfolded, and Aldrich realized the things of miles away seemed closer to him. Tap!!! This tapping sound came for thest time when the tall Marquess in his white uniform walked out of these foldings and unfoldings of space. Marquess Nichs was a lean man. Clean shaved, and military haircut made him almost seem ordinary. But the majestic feelinging out of him as a burst of Mana didn''tck at allpared to Harold. His voice was sharp, but because of his military career, it had gained some coarseness to it. "I have been ashamed of my shorings many times. But I have never been so ashamed and shocked at the same time. I should have realized you''re not an ordinary Dreamer... Sigh! How in the world Harold couldn''t find you when you were just under him the entire time? How did you find me? And why Why can''t I sense your presence?" What Aldrich had found out about Nichs told him only a few things. Nichs was a clean man. No excessive drinking, no smoking, and no barging into brothels after every victory or loss. After getting into the United Gctic Front, Marquess Nichs lost the opportunity to be the Head of the House. But there was one thing simr to both Aldrich and Nichs. Nichs, too, had just popped up in the House Lost Steps over 400 years ago. It had been a talk of the Sector when the Head of House Lost Steps dered a Count Ranked son all of a sudden. But Nichs showed such mastery over their gene-based Skill that none questioned his legitimacy. In theing years, Nichs attended two Gctic Wars as a member of House Lost Steps and earned a name for himself. But when everyone thought the Head would change the position of heir, Nichs joined UGF and gave up on his im. Aldrich stood up and gave out a smile as he heard Nichs'' praise and his question. For a moment, his eyes seemed to lose focus as he gazed at the Stats of his Record. [ Record of Aldrich Perception: 0 (-330) ] Aldrich had learned this profound trick through Sha''s memories. Once he brought his Divine Sense within him and made his Stat zero, none would be able to find him unless they looked directly at him. So when he found that Marquess Nichs had already noticed him, Aldrich too became curious how he managed to do that. "I will answer one of your questions, Marquess, if you let me know how you noticed me when even Marquess Harold couldn''t do it?" The scene could have easily turned bloody if Marquess Nichs hade here to take Aldrich''s life. But Aldrich couldn''t feel any maliceing out of Nichs yet. It would still take some time for the fight between Bouda and Maya to conclude. And Aldrich had to know how a mere Marquess made one of the Devil''s strongest tricks a joke. Both Aldrich and Nichs stared at each other. Nichs'' eyes were sharp, and there was a hidden ruthlessness in them. But soon a gentle expression came to his face as if he remembered something from very long ago. "Sigh! You know, I think we have much inmon, Aldrich. Few know about my origin, but I think if I should tell someone, then you are the perfect candidate." Aldrich squinted his eyes as Harold scanned his FIR and took out a cylindrical item. He couldn''t see any stat over it, but even then it didn''t take him much time to find out what exactly it was. This simple cylindrical item was a Thermal Monocr. Ordinary human hunters used it to scout prey in the jungle, based on their body heat. "UGF helped me ssify many things about my past. But I can''t let go of it. Many things even baffle the high Ranked Dreamers there. For example, a simple item from my home, a Barren Earth. I also have a Skill identical to it, and even after using it, I couldn''t find you. But when I used this item, there you were just sitting on the rock." "" Aldrich stared at the item and then gazed at Nichs'' Record. He had already found out about this Heat Vision Skill. But as these Skills were based on Dreamer''s Perception, he hadn''t thought that Marquess Nichs could use them to find him. Pfft! Hahahahaha! Aldrich wasughing, but it wasn''t augh, filled with mockery. It didn''t have any other meaning to it. It was just a in old and simpleugh. Not for one second he thought that Marquess was telling the truth. By now Aldrich already had a guess how Nichs managed to best a thing even Aldrich himself thought to be unparalleled. There was only one thing in this world that could do so. The only issue was that he had never thought there were more of those things out there. Even Nichs had a smile on his face, unaware of Aldrich''s thoughts. Without stopping Aldrich fromughing, he spoke out. "Dreamers rely too much on Skills. Now that I have answered your question, tell me how you noticed my presence? Harold is two levels higher than me, and even he can''t notice my gene-based Skill." Even though Aldrich wasughing, he didn''t forget the use of the word "gene" by Nichs. He calmed himself and took a deep breath. His eyes almost looked beyond Nichs and went to the ground behind him. There, the moonlight had created a blurry shadow. The weird thing was that this shadow seemed to ripple as Aldrich looked at it. The corner of Aldrich''s mouth lifted, and he answered. "Marquess, I didn''t notice you. I never lost you, to begin with." Chapter 232: Trapping a Marquess Chapter 232: Trapping a Marquess Nichs squinted his eyes as Aldrich''s iprehensible words reached him. At one nce, it felt as if Aldrich was mocking him. But Aldrich said nothing more about it, nor did he exin what he meant by those words. Instead of relieving Nichs of his doubtful expression, Aldrich called out to him. "Marquess Nichs, you were a Commander in UGF. I don''t know why you think I share the same past as you, but as of now, we share the same Kingdom. Marquess Harold had betrayed His Majesty, changing sides to the Hallowed Phantoms. Over there" Aldrich pointed at the blinding blue shing from hundreds of miles away and continued. " Duchess Bouda, or should I say, Lt. General Bouda Rhiannon, is fighting a Phantom of Marchioness Rank. Don''t you think you should be there assisting her, rather than focusing on a Viscount like me?" Aldrich''s question was like a sword lunging at the heart of the issue. There was no way to deny what he had said. If Marquess Nichs was on the, then as the Retd Commander of UGF, he should have assisted or attacked Harold upon finding out his betrayal. But despite figuring out these many things by himself, he stayed hidden to scout Aldrich. It didn''t need a smart brain to figure out that Nichs was here only for Aldrich. Nichs gave Aldrich a serious nce and then slowly answered. "You are right. But A soldier must stick with his objective. When I first realized the power hidden in that staff of yours, I wanted to snatch the Ancient Relic. But now, I have changed my mind. I have an opportunity for you. An opportunity, bigger than Harold could have ever given you." Aldrich silently stared at Nichs. The Retd Commander didn''t wait for Aldrich to ask what this opportunity was and exined. "I think you have a little idea about the Ancient Relics. My guess is you identally found it lying somewhere, and it took a liking to your struggling past. That''s the only reason I can think of for you to be able to use a hint of its capabilities" Nichs took a step towards Aldrich and slowly came forward. " Come with me. I will train you and help you be an excellent Dreamer. Many Dreamers be Count but can''t ovee the gap and die even when they can live for up to 500 years. I can help you bridge that gap. If we start today, then maybe you stand a chance of making it in the top hundred thousand Dreamers of theing tournament." Nichs came to a stop some dozen meters away from Aldrich. If he wanted, he could kill Aldrich in less than a fraction of a second. But it seemed he really wanted to take Aldrich alive with him. Nichs gave out this proposal seriously, but by the end, a gentle expression came upon his face and he added, "Don''t worry. Even if you can''t get the teachings of a Duke, you saw the scroll, right? The Supreme Commander himself had given it to me. I can pull some strings and ask a Duke to give you some personal pointers. How about it?" Not only Aldrich, but there were also many Dreamers, including a Duchess and Marchioness who had seen the Scroll. A King''s Divine Sense couldn''t be denied. It couldn''t be imitated, and it couldn''t be falsified. This wasn''t just an opportunity. For many, this was almost equivalent to bing a Blessed One. Only a fool would deny such an opportunity, given by a Marquess, nheless. Aldrich was at the top of these fools. "It''s tempting, Marquess. And I am honored that you would go to such lengths for me. But May I know what would be the price I would need to pay?" Nichs nodded in approval. "Good! A Dreamer from Barren Earth should have such prudence. I am not disappointed. You are right, when everything in this world has a price, how could this opportunitye free? The price is as you should have guessed" Nichs gazed at the staff in Aldrich''s hand and finished his sentence. " The Ancient Relic. But you must understand, I am not asking it for myself. It will go into the right hands, where it will be used to protect the Gxy''s innocent people and for theing Gctic War." Aldrich listened to the Marquess'' words attentively. He stepped down from the rock and leaned on it. Bringing the staff in front of his eyes, Aldrich gently traced its surface and the Bull engraving on it. It seemed like Aldrich was saying ast goodbye to it. Nichs'' entire face lit up, seeing this, but then Aldrich opened his mouth and his entire face crumpled in an ugly frown. "Is that it? Are you sure there isn''t anything else, My Lord?" "What are you blubbering about? Have you not listened to what I have just said?" Sigh! Aldrich let out a sigh and straightened his posture. "Marquess Nichs, I didn''t disappoint you. But you did I am afraid I will have to reject this proposal." "YOU" Nichs took a step and the entire ground quaked, the space rippled, and all the rocks around the two Dreamers cracked. But then the Marquess took a deep breath and took a step back and asked. "Why Why would you not ept such an opportunity?" Aldrich craned his neck up and gazed at the stars. Not bothering about Nichs'' losing control again, he spoke out. "My Lord, I tested you two times. But.. Both times you tried to y tricks on me. Huh! I rejected your offer because You are an insincere person." This was the reason for Aldrich''s rejection? No. Aldrich was just joking. There was no way he would have let a two-faced pig-like Nichs leave. Especially after the Retd Commander had got to know about what Aldrich thought to be his mightiest trick. Nichs'' face became red. But before he could act on this anger, Aldrich took a pure sky blue color fist-sized cube out of FIR. On the six faces of the cube, there were runic symbols, and in the middle of these faces were finger-sized holes. Blue Mana stream could be seening out of it and melting into the surroundings. Nichs'' red face almost became pale, and in an instant, he lost his anger. In sheer disbelief, he called out the name of this cube. "This Grade 5 Mana Field Generator! Why would you have this? A Bastard can never get his hands" Nichs'' disbelief wasn''t unjustified. The Mana Field Generator Cube was like the most guarded secret of the. Sometimes, other than the most loyal living Ancestor of the House, even the Head didn''t know of its correct location. Even if House Venomous Rose''s main branch had three members left, Earl Drago would have never handed it to Aldrich, a bastard. But how would Nichs'' have known that this was one thing Drago had given to Aldrich on the very first day of hising here? Aldrich didn''t care for Nichs'' blubber and sent a trace of his Mana into the Cube. The entire Mana Field surrounding the shook and suddenly copsed towards Aldrich''s position. In the next moment, it covered the fifty miles radius around Nichs and Aldrich. It was like a dome had appeared over them. This was the terror of Mana Fields. The smaller the area it upied, the mightier its defensive capabilities. Even if it was a Marquess, it would take him more than a few punches to break it apart. Aldrich put the Cube back in his FIR and unhurriedly said. "Now, My Lord, I have a proposal for you. Be my Recordless or die." Chapter 233: The Dream Necromancer Chapter 233: The Dream Necromancer Or die die die No, this wasn''t the word echoing in the surroundings. Aldrich hadn''t said it aloud. He had just whispered thest word. die die... It was Marquess Nichs who kept muttering the word. Less in shock, more in remembrance. It was as if this word ''die'' was his old friend, who hadn''te to meet him for decades. "Kids these days. Haha! Your use of Mana Field Generator has indeed shocked me. If you had a Marquess, who could rece you from the battlefield, then you could have got tons of contribution points for trapping a Marquess. Even though this Mana Field will onlyst less than ten seconds under the barrage of my attacks." Marquess Nichs, reigning over his momentary shock, praised Aldrich. But soon he sneered, and showing contempt, spoke out. "Die It''s a big word even for us Marquesses. I havee close to seeing its gentle and raging nature many times. Say, Aldrich, do you even have an idea what kind of thing the Gctic War is?" Aldrich didn''t answer. In this world, Aldrich had a strange rtion with the questions. He could intuitively tell if the question needed an answer or not. This was one of those rare questions that he wasn''t supposed to answer. The reason was simple. Even if the two-faced pig-like Marquess Nichs Askr was to die here, it couldn''t be denied that he had served the Gxy in the Gctic War many times. And even if Nichs might have done almost nothing substantial in it, it was irrelevant. Aldrich had yet to fight in the war, and thus, he also knew this. Only those who had fought had the right to answer this question. Marquess Nichs wasn''t a Kingdom toppling talent, like Bouda and Eydis, who had reached Duchess Rank within a century. He had crawled his way up, and if his Barren Earth background was true as imed, then it couldn''t be called just sheer luck. The only thing that could be called a blunder on his part was to cross paths with a Dreamer named Aldrich Guo - The Dream Necromancer. Unaware of this blunder yet, Marquess Nichs spoke after a brief silence. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to kill a Marquess? Why do you think among the multitudinous fights, spread throughout the Gxy, there is almost no story of Earls fighting together? Even if I were to ignore the insult of trying to make me a Recordless, your ignorance about a Marquess deserves capital punishment." Outside the Mana Field, everything seemed blurry to Aldrich. But even then, he could sense that the end was near. It was time to execute the n which he had been forming in his mind since the start of the ceremony. This n had started with Aldrich''s sending Sha to sabotage the Jump Drive of House Star Dust''s Battleship. It then changed toe face to face with Marquess Nichs and to find out his motive foring so far for Aldrich. Then he had to add even more to it to amodate Amalia and Tyra and make them tire each other out by fighting each other as Maya and Bouda. In just an evening, Aldrich''s n to take advantage of Harold, by nting a seed of Greed, had changed to epass the potentialing of Kings and Queen. Nothing could go wrong with this n. And nothing would go wrong with this n. Aldrich had already eliminated or ounted for those who could be called variables. What had remained for Aldrich to do now was to fish in these troubled waters. Aldrich had already decided to deal with Marquess Nichs when he saw the hint of Law on him. More so when he found out Nichs had not just bad but worse intentions for him. And to get his hands on the hint of Law, no matter how small a hint it was, Aldrich could take any risk. How could there be any risk bigger than the one he had already taken by letting the Devil corrupt him? Almost in a tone as if Marquess Nichs hadn''t spoken a single word since thest chapter, Aldrich repeated his proposal. "Be my Recordless or die. Think about it, Marquess. Being Recordless isn''t a bad thingpared to losing your current self. As my Recordless, I won''t make you fight any war against your will. I won''t make you do anything against your will. You will be freed from Random Allocations. And in return, I would only ask you to let me have the true Lost Steps Skill." Aldrich''s proposal wasn''t only sincere, it almost sounded like an ultimatum. These were the truest words he had uttered in front of Nichs so far. But It seemed Destiny had other ns for Nichs. It seemed Destiny wanted Nichs to be much more than a Recordless, too. Hahahaha! Nichs spread out his lean and long arms and let out a resounding burst ofughter. "And how exactly would you do that? Even though I am two levels shorter than Harold, unlike him, your Summon can''t remotely catch up to my speed. In no time, I will be out of this paper prison. You can''t hide from me either. I have this" Nichs brought the Thermal Monocr up and showed it to Aldrich before continuing. " Nothing less than a Level 65 Marquess can make me submit. Tell me, Viscount Aldrich, How exactly would you do such things? Listen and listen carefully. It isn''tte. Come with me, and I will forget your insolent behavior once." Silence The air had an incredibly sinister silence about it. Aldrich stared into Marquess Nichs'' eyes and finally shook his head. His hands extended outwards and a baleful voice came out of his mouth. "Remember Marquess! Remember, even after death, that you made me do this From the ashes of my Dreams ARISE!!!" Houuu!!! The wind howled, and the space between Aldrich and Nichs parted. But even before the undead coulde out of the shackles of that dense Darkness, a dreadfulugh riled up the fear of the Devil in Nichs'' heart. Heh Heh Haha HAHAHA!!! Chapter 234: An impatient Aldrich Chapter 234: An impatient Aldrich Evil All things had be and felt evil as thatugh came out. The ck greatcoat on Aldrich''s body was like iron dust getting pulled by an extremely strong ma. Countless crests and troughs formed on the greatcoat, with the middle one almost touching the dark space in front of Aldrich. As all the emotions within this space covered by Mana Field were about to burst out, two ck hands ripped the dark opening. Just into the Darkness, Aldrich saw a sh of purple and gold when a sudden boom rang out around him. Boom!!! In the next moment, Aldrich was in the air, grabbed by his neck. The entire hand, grabbing and squishing his throat, was like the maw of an alligator. One more push, one more tightening of muscle, and Aldrich''s head would snap with a crunch like cheerios. Aldrich didn''t react to this sudden attack. With his eyes nted downward, he observed the being. It was an entire pitch-ck being. But just like Aldrich''s greatcoat was attracted to it, so did this being''s body attracted towards Aldrich. Hundreds of eyeless, noseless, and gaped mouths of Creatures of Darkness howled seeing the Spawn of Darkness. Aldrich even felt like if he wished, he could snatch away this being''s authority over its own body. The pupils of the 7ft being were dark purple. The purple of evil''s extremity. But covering those pupils were two golden rings, emanating a feeling of pure Justice. But the nature of this Justice felt distorted and disoriented. Roar!!! The Bull engraving on the Pir of Footprints let out low growls of defiance and subservience simultaneously. And the two purple rings on Aldrich''s shoulders shed golden, too. A deep and blood-curdling struggle was going on between this being and Aldrich''s authority over the Pir of Footprint. The evil howling wind made this being''s long golden hair il like countless tentacles. Its mouth kept opening and closing, making Aldrich see the rows of shark-like teeth. And the two horns on his head were like the symbol of all that was evil in the world. This Being whom Aldrich had called upon was the Devil. This Being was also the Shadow Homunculus, intertwined in its body. And this Being was also Aldrich before dying by Mantis'' hands. As the Devil''s grip on Aldrich''s throat kept tightening, Aldrich''s white eyes also kept narrowing. Dozens of meters away from them, Marquess'' Nichs kept taking one step back as if in a state of shock. The Mana fluctuationsing out of the Devil were of Rank Viscount. But these fluctuations were unlike other Dreamers. The regr Dreamers'' Mana Fluctuations were like the waves over a calm ocean, with their intensity only changing with every level. And the Mana Fluctuationsing out of the Devil were like an ocean under a constant state of experiencing tsunamis. At their lowest, these fluctuations made Marquess Nichs feel like this horned being was of Common Rank. But at their highest bump, these fluctuations made his heart palpitate in terror, like the one he had never felt before, not even in the Gctic Wars. Heh Heh Hehe HAHAHAHA The Devil let out a crazedugh again, making the Marquess flinch and rooting him at one point. Aldrich had always known that calling upon the undead Devil would be the biggest element of his n. First, he didn''t know the full extent of the Devil''s capabilities, as he had only seen what he was capable of through Sha''s memories. Second, even though the Devil was constrained by the Dungeon, he had only shown a Rank of Viscount. Aldrich did not know if the Devil could face a Dreamer of Marquess Rank. But something in him was telling him that the secrets he knew about the Devil were nothing but the tip of the iceberg. The most worrisome factor was the event ying out now. Aldrich had already checked if the other undead Adrichs could defy him or not. That was also the reason he had called upon himself two times separately. But what would be the result when his own self was to be influenced by a True Devil? He could only guess. When it seemed the Devil would crush Aldrich''s throat, he put Aldrich down and snatched away the Pir of Footprints out of his hands. The Devil let out an evil grin and howling whispers came out of his mouth. "I/WE/YOU got a wonderful trick, heh! I will disappear if I kill ''Myself'', right? Is that what you are counting on?" Aldrich looked up and stared into the Devil''s eyes. The Devil was right. He indeed had counted on this for the Devil to not betray him. If there was any other choice, he would have never called upon this form of his. It was unpredictable; it was false; it was a risk higher and deadlier than anything in this universe. If there was one thing Aldrich felt apprehensive about, it was an Aldrich who had lost his patience. Aldrich''s white eyes went beyond the Devil and looked at Marquess Nichs, who was on the brink of letting himself loose as if seeing a crazed dog. "Suck away life Suck away blood Suck awayws Sacrifice anything and everything Call upon all the NAMES if you have to But bring me this person on the brink of death" Aldrich''s words were like an ultimatum, echoing in the surroundings and reaching the Devil''s ears. The Devil slowly turned to face Marquess Nichs. And as he put the Pir of Footprints over his shoulder, it elongated and widened more than the thickness of Aldrich''s waist. Aldrich gave the Marquess ast look and called out. "Let''s go, Sha." The Marquess'' shadow, which felt alive sometime ago, stiffened, and Aldrich''s shadow rippled in the next moment. Under the frozen gaze of Nichs, Aldrich''s entire body fell into his shadow as if there was a well under his feet. "You You can''t be a Devil" Nichs iprehensibly muttered and, waiting no more, used the Lost Steps Skill, disappearing into the folds of the space. The Devil tilted his head from one side to another and then let out his long tongue beforeughing like a maniac. "So that''s how it is! No wonder I/We want you this much. At least I am honest about it" Heh Heh HAHAHAHA " Law of Space Interesting!!!" Chapter 235: Darkness and Shadow World Chapter 235: Darkness and Shadow World Aldrich plummeted down into his shadow, and all sounds vanished around him. There was nothing to be seen remotely, except the white-haired girl in front of Aldrich. Her blue eyes twinkled like lone binary stars in the space''s depth. Her body hadscivious curves, and though her breasts weren''t big, they felt just right for her size. But something had changed. The ck leathery suit or skin on her body wasn''t as dull anymore. From her neck, countless runic symbols that seemed likeplex geometric shapes ran down towards her breasts. But they didn''t stop there. They kept going down and down, covering her chest entirely and then reaching her navel area. If seen with blurry eyes, the entire structure looked like randomly thrown equations and diagrams by a scientist on a piece of paper. And somehow, despite itsplexity, it felt simple and captivating at one nce. The way it kept giving out blue and green shes was like countless fireflies roaming around in the deep of the night. This was the RUMOK Aldrich had carved out and engraved on the Item, the Shadow Homunculus. As he marveled at his creation with his almost dead white eyes, he remembered the Rumok''s Stats. [ Item: Remote Link Type: Rumok Rank: Baron Description: The many part Item can control its parts remotely and function by itself Warning: The Item can only control four parts, including itself, at the same time ] It was incredibly simple to understand how this Rumok worked. But the scariest part about this Rumok wasn''t the number of Items it would let Sha and Aldrich control simultaneously. It was theck of mention of any distance. As Aldrich had found out after his various experiments, there was no limit of any distance that needed to be maintained between Sha and him. No matter where Sha would go, how close and far, she could maintain at least three Items on Aldrich. Yet, this was only a direct effect of this Rumok. Aldrich and Sha had found out there was also a hidden aspect of it. Sha was an Item with an intelligence rivaling the Dreamers. With the other Items being nothing but the separated parts of her, she could use them to sense everything that happened near Aldrich. Even if Sha were to be in a distant part of the Gxy, she could sense what Aldrich sensed, and she could perceive what even Aldrich couldn''t. And even though Aldrich couldn''t do the same with Sha, she could let him know the things on her side using the bond they shared in his mind. This was also the reason for Aldrich to make her hide in Nichs'' shadow before the end of the ceremony. He knew there was something wrong with the Marquess, and if his instincts were right, then he woulde back for him. Aldrich had no way to sense Nichs'' presence given the fact he was a Marquess and on top of it, he had a gene-based Skill tailor-made for him to hide. But Sha kept giving him live feedback about Nichs'' position, making him tune his n ordingly. As Aldrich was contemting his next move, Sha let out a shriek and lunged at him. "Whooo Daddy It''s so fun." Aldrich tried to move, but in the Shadow World, only Sha had such mobility. Sha took full advantage of Aldrich''s ipetence in mastering the Law of Shadow and put her hands around his neck like a piggyback. Her legs wrapped around Aldrich''s waist, and she shouted in Aldrich''s ears. "Daddyyy Sha Hungryyyyyy!!!" Aldrich squinted his eyes in annoyance and replied. "Tch! Calm down. Are you trying to burst my ears or" "Hungryyyyyyy" "" Sigh! Aldrich couldn''t help but let out a sigh. He didn''t know what it was, but the Law of Shadow just didn''te to him as naturally as the Law of Darkness and Devil hade. Aldrich hade here many times by now. Even though both Shadow World and that Darkness were simrly dark, their essence differed to a great extent. The Darkness Aldrich went to after his death was like dense ck water and fog mixed into each other. It was heavy, but it was also smooth. It flowed like a calm river, eternally in search of an ocean. And that ocean was the enormous Being behind the ck Veil. On the other hand, the Shadow World was like mud. A mud, so dense, the more one struggled toe out of it, the more they would get buried. It wasn''t smooth, nor was it calm. If Aldrich had to give it term, it would be more in tune with a chaotic nature. ''Turbulence at its core,'' Aldrich nodded to himself and thought. Both Darkness and the Shadow Worldcked Mana. But Aldrich was more concerned about a fact that he had found out after using it. In the Darkness, Time seemed irrelevant to him. He could never say with surety how much time he had spent there. To him, it always felt like hundreds of thousands of years or more, but for all he knew, it could very well be only one second. Even after mastering the Law of Darkness, he couldn''t figure out this property. The one thing he realized was that this irrelevance of Time wasn''t because of the Darkness. In the Shadow World, the irrelevant thing was the Distance. All shadows above in the real dimensions felt close and far at the same time. If Sha hadn''t marked all the shadows she entered and came out of, even she could lose her way in this dimension. Eternally doomed to roam in search of the right path. Aldrich lifted his right hand somehow and banged Sha''s head with his knuckles. "Get off me! Food ising soon." "Aah!" As soon as she heard the good news, Sha eximed out, and a stream of her drool fell on Aldrich''s shoulder. Not minding the wetness he felt on his greatcoat, Aldrich spoke out. "Let''s go. You have marked Harold''s shadow, right?" "Yes.. yes" Sha nodded and grabbed Aldrich by the back of his neck before dashing away in a nned direction. As he felt the surrounding heaviness, all Aldrich had on his mind was nothing but one question. ''If there is that Being in the depth of that Darkness, whaty in the depths of this Shadow World?'' Chapter 236: A smile that could shame Devil Chapter 236: A smile that could shame Devil Aldrich''s action hadn''t gonepletely unnoticed by the three high Ranked Dreamers near the Manor. Bouda had been having the upper hand in the fight. With her being a Sealed-Duchess, she should have defeated Maya by now. Despite Maya being a Marchioness just a step away from a Duke, Bouda had limited mastery in over one Law. Yet, in one on one, she was barely keeping Maya''s Skills in check. Shuuu! Shuuu! Both used One Step Shunpo and made a distance between themselves. At their levels, Skills and Items, though terrifying, were less important than things they had got outside of Record. Cr-rr-rack!!! A bolt of lightning shed by, making the two beauties'' figures visible in the night''s dead. Maya''s lower half had be that of a serpent, and she looked even more like a snake with her red slitted eyes. Her hairs had elongated beyond her waist, and a forked tongue kept slithering out of her mouth. In her right hand was a long ck sword, which kept emanating ck and green fog. In front of Maya, Bouda was covered in a blue aura so thick that it felt like armor on her body. Her eyes kept shing bluer than blue and there was a blue lotus in her hand. Maya looked at her and let out a smirk. "Hey, homewrecker bitch! Wanna take it up a notch!!!" Bouda''s chest heaved up and down as she tried to catch her breath. Evidently, her being a healer was showing its effect on this battle so close to her level. Bouda scoffed, hearing Maya''s offer, and spoke out. "Up a notch?!! You aren''t afraid of being noticed by other Dukes and even the King himself?" Throughout the Gxy, it was forbidden for the Marquesses to fight with each other, especially on a. Not because they could harm the citizens, but because they could change the topography. A change enough to make the uninhabitable. Fors half the size of Rosalia, there wasn''t even a chance of surviving. This fight that was going on between Bouda and Maya was like a toned-down version of the destruction they could cause at their full strength. Much like extremely watered-down milk. But there were serious consequences of fighting even at Earl Rank, much less needed to be said about Marquesses. When Marquess Nichs mentioned to Aldrich to give him an example of two Marquesses fighting each other if Aldrich can, he wasn''t kidding. A fight between Marquesses at their full strength would destroy space-fabric permanently. And it would have a serious effect on the entire Gxy. That''s why the Kingdoms had forbidden such shes outside the ces where the Earls and Marquesses could fight to their heart''s content. These ces had a specific name, feared and revered throughout the Gxy, and widely called as Dungeons. And this was the specific reason for which Aldrich had used the Mana Field Generator as a crucial part of his n. With the Mana Field surrounding the, it was difficult for Mana fluctuations to go outside ande inside. That''s why Maya had proposed to step things up and go beyond the boring Skills and Items. Even the One Step Shunpo was cool but overwhelmingly boring at their level. But Mana Fields weren''t foolproof. If a tiny trace of their Marquess level fight was to seep out, all Dukes and the King of the third Kingdom would get alerted. And unfortunately, they had the means toe here within moments without the use of any spaceship. The only issue with Bouda''s thought process was that she hadn''t taken Aldrich into ount. Aldrich wanted them to fight so hard to make them alert the Dukes and King. That''s why when the Mana Field surrounding the disappeared, it made the hearts of both beauties shiver. Aldrich had nned to dispose of a Marquess. How could he do that without using the full capabilities of the Mana Field Generator? A Marquess at hisst breath would go all out, like a drowning man trying to hold on to the water itself. How could he let those fluctuations alert others and make them discover his secrets? With the Mana Field suddenly trapping Marquess Nichs, Aldrich had killed two birds in one shot. He made the fight between Bouda and Maya as naked as it could get, as well as he had sessfully masked the Devil''s presence. Bouda and Maya craned their neck up and noticed that the Mana Field had vanished. Soon the Mana Field appeared hundreds of miles away, but more concentrated and dense enough for it to be seen as a solid dome. Even they would have trouble destroying a Grade 5 Mana Field in an instant unless they worked together. But before they could even think of heading over there, a bloody figure of Marquess Harold came into their vision. His clothes were in tatters and there were bruises and cuts all over his body. The ponytail which made him look like a rebellious boy had be nothing but overgrown disheveled hairs. When Harold was just a mile away from them, he disappeared and appeared beside Maya. Bouda narrowed her eyes, and let her Perception run wild in search of Aldrich, but couldn''t find him. Opposite her, Maya too had her red eyes widened in shock. For the sake of both of them, Maya couldn''t help but exim out. "Father, didn''t you go after Aldrich?!" Harold had a fuming expression on his face, but as he heard Maya''s words, his yellow eyes gained a gentleness so severe that he didn''t even look at her lower half. Sigh! Harold let out a sigh and answered. "I Huu! I don''t know how but I couldn''t find him. He He also has a weird Summon that keeps resurrecting. I couldn''t just st that part of the, could I?" Maya''s brows crumpled as she heard Harold''s reasoning. Bouda too hadn''t guessed that this would be the oue. She had promised Aldrich to follow the First Condition unconditionally. But even then, she hadn''t thought for a second that he could outsmart a Marquess, and a Head of an Ancient House to top that. Maya took a deep breath and shook her head. "Don''t worry, I will find my love out by myself. For now" She pointed at Bouda, and the corners of her mouth lifted as she said. " Oh Father! Won''t you help me kill this bitch who snatched your son-inw from us?" Harold turned to face Bouda, making her give out a tired smile, and his yellow eyes lit up like two golden pearls. "Of Course! She deserves nothing but death." Hehehe!!! Mayaughed out in a sultry way, and her snake tail iled against the pitter-patter of rain. Her one hand was on Harold''s head like he was nothing but a dog. The other had a sword, so menacing, that it couldn''t seem to wait to take a bite out of Bouda. She harrumphed and mockingly said. "Humph! Oh, who would save you now?! You don''t even have your Ancient Relic?" Under this heavy downpour, and the shes of lightning, Aldrich stood, leaning against a pir of the Manor. Watching the plot of his movie thicken, the evil smile on his face had widened so much that it could have made even the Devil feel shame. Chapter 237: GREED Chapter 237: GREED "Among all the seeds that corrupt the heart, the seed of Greed germinate the fastest." * Aldrich was a greedy schr. There was no better way to put this sentence. He knew it. The only thing that differed him from others was that he only used this nature of his for umting knowledge. If Aldrich hadn''t been greedy, he would have never pushed himself so hard to gain lucidity in dreams. The result would have been him being an exceptional Dreamer on Barren Earth and not an abomination like he was now. If Aldrich hadn''t been greedy, he would have never entered Bellerophon Dungeon to gain answers. The result would have been him working on a more usible way to dispose of the "doom"ing towards earth rather than going full st mode in space. If Aldrich hadn''t been greedy, the things that would happen at the end of this volume would never have happened. * Aldrich looked at the Mana Field Generator in his hand and saw the many cracks that had surfaced in thest few minutes. He slightly turned his head and noticed the blurry silhouette of the Mana Field''s dome, far in the distance. There was a slight vibration in the air, and only he could tell that this wasn''t the result of Maya and Harold''s shes with the Bouda. This vibration had a hint of Justice, Devil, Darkness, and other Laws mixed in it. The Mana Dome had sessfully hid the Devil''s presence, but it couldn''t prevent the Laws from seeping out. Aldrich knew it wasn''t like they were never present in the reality, to begin with. If his theory was right, then all Laws existed in this reality simultaneously. The only difference was that these Laws'' presence could fluctuate with space and time. And if someone were to rile up these Laws by their understanding, it could break the equilibrium, resulting in this strange vibration. Fortunately, except Aldrich, there was no one here who could perceive this upheaval in this equilibrium so minutely. Boom! Bang!! Cr-rack!!! Above him, Maya and Harold had pushed Bouda to her limits. The aura of Mana, which felt like armor, now seemed thin as paper. The blue lotus which looked as ordinary as its pink brethren had cracks all over it. Its petals had wilted, and its stem was broken. The Item''s Durability was about to run out. Ktch! Mayashed out with her sword, and as blood spurted out of Bouda''s arm, she let out an evilugh. "Hahaha! This is it! This is Chaos." Aldrich narrowed his eyes at these seemingly nonsensical words. But the excitement in Maya''s eyes couldn''t be falsified. Harold''s fists had two giant red star-like spheres covering them. The heating out of those spheres had already burned away most of the dense clouds thundering over them. Just when Bouda, hovering between Harold and Maya on either side, was about to say something, all things went silent. Wind that was fluttering Bouda''s skirt ceased. Rain that hadn''t stopped wetting Maya''s blouse vanished. Thunder that had got scared away by two Red Giants hushed. Clouds that were like a veil covering the moonlight faded away. And Laws that were like churning waters in a hurricane dispersed. What was left were... Emotions. The first to get affected were the ordinary people. Those who wanted to murder killed someone on the spot. Those who wanted to rape lunged at the next woman. And those who wanted to repent bashed their heads on the wall until they couldn''t anymore. Husbands who got fed up with their wives ran to brothels. Mothers who got fed up with their newborn cries choked them to death. And children who got fed up with their parents sliced their throats in their sleep. The next to get affected were Dreamers. A few who had given up on raids and had lost their will to live were the ones to die first. The Barons and Viscounts didn''t fare any better. It seemed the higher a Dreamer''s Rank, the higher was the effect of these emotions. So the worst was happening to the Dreamers near the Earl''s Manor. Love covered Bouda''s heart as tears fell from the corner of her eyes. Euphoria covered Maya''s heart as one of her hands grabbed her breast and the other went down. Remorse covered Harold''s heart as he dashed towards Maya with his fists raised high. And Greed covered Aldrich''s heart as he didn''t stop the Devil from saying it aloud. "ONE DEVIL''s THOUGHT - INFINITE EMOTIONS" These words were like the strings of guqin thrumming through the world''s soul. But before anyone could savor the vor of remembrance it brought with it, a ripping sound echoed throughout the Rosalia. This sound didn''t resemble the rupture of space, nor was it like ripping a piece of paper. The closest thing it resembled was that of tearing off a leaf. There was no distinctive cracking sound, but it felt as if life itself had been torn apart from something. But contrary to others, the first toe out of the influence of these emotions was also Aldrich. The greed of learning what Skill the Devil was using and how he was using it turned into a surging rage in his white eyes. And a voice filled with incredible wrath came out of his mouth. "HE DARES!!!" Before Aldrich could even think, an image of a ck and white tree appeared around the. It was so big that one of its leaves was enough to wrap over Rosalia more than once. As soon as it came into being, it was like a heavy rock got thrown into a small puddle. With the at its center, the space ripped outwards just on the brink of copse. Aldrich stared at this breathtaking view and, with his eyes wide, he muttered. "Dream Origin World Tree!!!" BANG! Suddenly, the Mana Dome burst apart like a bubble. Aldrich''s shadow rippled as a head along with one of its shoulders connected through the neck came barging out of it. Nichs'' head rolled and stopped at Aldrich''s feet, and the head soon followed by a staff, apass, and a scroll. Aldrich''s head slightly turned to look into his shadow. And as he saw two golden shes, an evilugh came out of the Shadow World. Heh Heh Haha HAHAHA!!! "See you on the other side...Chump!" Yes, the plot had thickened, and yes, the characters had be interesting. But Aldrich wasn''t the Director of this movie anymore. Chapter 238: An Ordinary Chapter Chapter 238: An Ordinary Chapter "When all emotions leave the thoughts, Wrath lingers behind longer than the most." * The image of the ck and White World Tree vanished as if it was an apparition. Not even the Dukes, Kings and Queen, felt its presence, it''sing, and it''s going. But the ripples it had left behind in space were real. Real enough to spread out of the sr system and disintegrate what maye in their path. Even the sun of this system couldn''t remain unaffected by it. Countless massive sr arcs burst out of the sun as soon as the ripples passed through it. But the most damage didn''t show itself on the surface. Its core got destabilized, and if continued so, it could result in a copse. On the, people and Dreamers alike came out of the clutches of their hidden emotions and realized what they were up to. It was like what just happened wasn''t them, but a hallucination. It was like a vision and illusion that had brought them immense satisfaction. But now the price they had paid for it seemed too exorbitant for it to be true. Over the Manor, hovering under the clear moonlight, the three high Ranked Dreamers also came out of their stupor. But among them, Harold was thest. His raised fists were just above Maya''s head, and though there was a struggle in his heart, it didn''t prevent him from bringing them down on her face. TWIN RED GIANT BINARY FISTS!!! BOOOOM!!! Maya''s nose caved in as the two scorching tiny suns exploded on her face and sent her flying towards the earth. Harold, dumbfounded at what he had done, didn''t know what to do other than lunge in Maya''s direction. With his heart almost crushed by his actions, there was only a single mutter at his lips, making him go mad by the seconds. "My daughter my daughter she isn''t she is my daughter!" Behind Harold, Bouda''s tears didn''t show any sign of stopping either. The trace of love that had seeped out of her made her remember a face she had got ustomed to burying in her heart. Scenes after scenes shed by her memory like a reel of pictures. Eydis, drinking the potion in her arms, Eydis, jumping off the mountain. And Eydis, standing, surrounded by the four spikes, and giving her a look. The love in her eyes first turned to sadness. A sadness, so intense, that it could even make the poets doubt if what they had written about was even love. The sadness then turned to guilt and self-disgust. A pang of guilt heavy enough for her blue hairs to shed ayer as if shedding skin, and turn gold. This gold wasn''t the golden hue as that of Harold''s eyes. This gold was majestic, august, and hallowed. This gold symbolized the authority passed down by an Emperor. When this self-loathing peaked her emotions and came out as the golden glow of her hair, what left was rage. Pure rage and an ambition to decimate everything that had a hand in Eydis'' disappearance. And when this rage reached her eyes, the blues also turned gold. An eruption was about to happen, and at this exact moment, Bouda found herself looking at Maya, who was grabbing Harold by his neck. "You" This sound was like the growls of thousands of beasts, and screeches of countless birds. A strange Law had somehowe upon her lips by itself. Maya''s eyes went wide, and she snapped her head up, throwing Harold''s motionless body away. And as she felt the inevitable arrival of the catastrophe, thenguage of snakes escaped her mouth. Hisssss! Hussss!! "YOU" Tink-Krr! Bouda let go of the blue lotus and outstretched her arms before mming the palms of her hand onto each other. Her hairs lifted in the air, and a rupture noise came out of her as if a seal had broken somewhere. With her golden eyes staring murder at Maya, Bouda erupted with all pent-up wrath in one go. "YOU are the reason she isn''t here YOU are the reason for her disappearance YOU are the reason for all this YOU shouldn''t exist SUMMON ANCESTRAL DIVINE SPIRIT: GOLDEN LUAN!!!" SCREACHHHHHHHH!!! * Many and many light-years away, there was an ordinary. Its inhabitants were ordinary. Its markets and towns were ordinary. And its rivers and mountains were ordinary too. Everything about this was ordinary to its molten core. And among these ordinary things, was an ordinary cksmith''s shop. Tang! Tang! Thwang! The strikes of the hammer were the most ordinary thing people of the vige had been hearing for countless generations. And they also knew that only one family had been making simple tools for the livelihood of many vigers. Inside the shop, a ripped and tanned man raised his hammer and again brought it down. Tang!!! His hairs were short, almost only half a finger length. His ck eyescked any charm, and his square jawcked any sign of gentleness. The only thing that could be called a little out of ce was his sword-like brows. Thwang!!! Another hammer strike and sweat poured out of his forehead onto the scolding metal over the anvil. As the sweat drops evaporated with a sizzling sound, a woman approached him. She had the clothes of an apprentice, but even then, her beauty and towering breasts couldn''t be hidden under the rugged clothing. "What is it?" The man, not looking up, asked and raised the hammer for another strike. "It was him. He said there was something weird and fishy going on, on Rodrigo''s side. We may have lost the shipment." The hammer stopped midair, and the man raised his head to give the woman a look. All vigers stopped at their ces as if they weren''t alive but statues. Those who were eating let the food choke their throats. And those who were fucking dared not pull it out. In an ordinary vige, the stopping of hammers strikes was the most unordinary. Gulp! The woman gulped a mouthful of saliva, and for the first time, a drop of sweat could be seen on her milky skin. Though the gaze of this ordinary man was also ordinary, none could ever call this man ordinary, even in their dreams. For he was the one who ruled this Kingdom, King Hagen BergmanThe Imprable Shield. Twang!!! This sudden strike brought the vige back to life. But for most of them, everything was already lost. This sudden strike also made the woman flinch, and the ordinary voice of King Hagen reached her ears. "Must WE do everything by ourself" The King was about to strike the hammer again as he spoke, but suddenly he snapped his head and looked in a direction. This sudden snap was enough for the woman''s knees to give out, and she almost fell. "Your Majesty what" She was about to ask, but then she too sensed something and looked in the same direction. "This What''s she doing here?" The woman narrowed her eyes and spoke out. King Hagen took his eyes away from the direction and gave the woman a look. "So the rumors are true. Could ''She'' have also survived?" "Your majesty even though... Sigh! Even though ''She'' was the most powerful Assassin in the Gctic Cluster, there is no way one could survive after" The silence around King Hagen was heavier than the ordinary hammer in his hand. As he heard the woman''s reasoning, he took a deep breath and nodded. "People think WE have gone soft. Is that the reason for them toe to my Kingdom and bring Chaos in it?" King Hagen put the hammer down and picked up a broken piece of metal. It was like a broken part of a sword, dull and edgeless. But it was enough for the woman''s eyes to be wide. Terror... Destruction... Massacre... Feelings exploded in her heart, and she eximed out. "Your Majesty! No, we are on excellent terms with the Kingdom of Life Authority. We can''t afford to make Queen Eluned mad. Not when we are so close to our goal of making you the Supreme Commander." King Hagen lifted the dull, broken metal in front of his eyes and harrumphed as if justifying his actions. "Eluned, that kid who couldn''t keep her snot to herself?! Humph! Has she forgotten who WE are? Has she forgotten what WE represent? It''s time for US to make them remember why this Kingdom''s name is SWORDLESS?" King Hagen held the ordinary metal piece between his two fingers and threw it out. " Go." Chapter 239: Dinner Time Chapter 239: Dinner Time A few moments earlier The Devil''sst words echoed in Aldrich''s ears. Even the Devil knew the moment he would deliver these things to Aldrich, his existence would be obliterated. There was little difference between the Devil Aldrich and the White-Haired Aldrich. At their core, they were the same. The only difference was that the Devil Aldrich didn''t waver from taking the steps which Aldrich thought to be inconsequential. Aldrich did not know what the Devil had done. The moment he used that Skill, which had made everything go silent, his connection with him got broken. It was like a glitch, not long enough for it to cause serious damage. But even its presence was enough for Aldrich''s rage to go haywire. Even though he did not know theary consequences yet, Aldrich could guess the bloodbath had resulted because of it. When he had said to the Devil to sacrifice anything and everything, he never meant things that didn''t belong to him. Even if Aldrich wasn''t a saint, he abhorred the meaningless loss of life. Everything done without an exceptional potential profit was fatuous to him. Aldrich noticed the image of the World Tree had already vanished as if presence was enough for the Devil to take care of the Marquess. At his feet, Marquess Nichs was at hisst breath. The Devil had served him with all the vors and side dishes as Aldrich had ordered him to do. BOOM!!! Suddenly, a booming sound rang out behind Aldrich. His Perception was still at zero, making him turn around to see what was going on. By the time he got to see it, the twin red suns had already sent Maya flying towards the earth. " This." Aldrich couldn''t believe that anything coulde over the ck Mist and let Harold regain his sanity for even a second. Even with his mastery of Laws, Aldrich could only keep it in check and save himself from being almost brain dead, like Harold. But among these moments of everything bing chaotic, Aldrich''s eyes lit up. He knew this wasn''t the moment to dwell on what had already happened. But this was the time he had been waiting for. It didn''t matter for the next few moments how things happened and why they happened. If he wouldn''t take action now, all his ns woulde to naught. Aldrich took a deep breath and looked at Bouda. Her hairs were gradually changing to golden, much more golden than anything he had seen so far, and even golden than the Devil''s hairs. Soon Bouda''s eyes turned gold, and a raging outcry came out of her mouth. "You" Bang! Grrr! Houuuu! Roar!!! "Arghh!!" "Daddyyy" Countless iprehensible voices raged Aldrich''s mind, making the blood seep out from his ears and nose. But before he could lose all rationality, the ck Veil hidden surfaced and filtered out all the chaotic mumblings going on within his head. His perception returned to its original value. And before Aldrich couldpare this "You" to the Law that hade out of Viscount Sugaar, a hiss took over the surroundings. Hisssss! Hussss!! It was as if countless snakes were hissing, cursing in theirnguage at everything. None could understand thisnguage. Even though Aldrich was a Generalist, understanding thenguage of beasts and learning it was also beyond his capabilities. It was not like he ever wanted to do it. For him, reading animals'' bodynguage was enough to know enough about them. But Parselto Ahem! Serpent Slither was a Passive Skill he had got during hisst raid. And ording to its description, it didn''t matter if Aldrich wanted to or not. He would hear and understand this strange and mysticalnguage, regardless. As Bouda shouted, ming Maya for Eydis'' disappearance, the hisses entered Aldrich''s mind and becameprehensible. "SUMMON ANCESTRAL DIVINE SPIRIT: VRITRA!!!" Aldrich''s heart thumped with anticipation as he heard the name VRITRA. Even though he had an idea about the identity of the snake from the prophecy, this was the first time all the pores in his body opened in desire for something. As the Rumok on Aldrich''s head shed and the Pir of Footprints came flying to him, he shouted. "Sha!!! Devour the head,pass, and the scroll" But before he could say more, Sha appeared behind him and, licking her lips, she said. "Already done Daddy" As the pair of "father and daughter" stood side by side, Bouda also let out a cry. "SUMMON ANCESTRAL DIVINE SPIRIT: GOLDEN LUAN!!!" It was night. Yes, this could be called nothing else. With the moon''s blurry image and the twinkling stars, none could say it was time for the sun toe up. But the Duchess had summoned her Ancestral Spirit. And a Spirit would never lose an opportunity to enter reality. Screachhhh!!! A cry of thousands of birds came from the east, and Aldrich saw a hint of sunrise. The sky became blue, yellow, orange, red. and when it seemed it would stop there, a blinding golden color reced everything. Aldrich saw a hint of an incredible golden bird on the horizon. Its wing-span had already covered the horizon, left and right, and everything which eyes could see. But contrary to the golden color in the sky, and theing golden wrath, the ground had be green and marshy. It was like an illusory sea hade up and had devoured everything around the Manor. The fields of roses, paths, and building structures all vanished. What was left was a snake, so big that none could see how many coils it must have taken for it to remain on the ground. Aldrich, though in awe, had returned to his usual calm state by now. His n had deviated in between, but now it was on track again. He knew the King and other Dukes would have noticed the spirits'' presence by now. And however small the window might have left for them toe here, for Aldrich, it was enough to do what he wanted since the beginning. Aldrich, like the caring father he was, put his hand over Sha''s head. As he stroked her head gently, Aldrich asked. "Sha, are you ready for the main course?" Sha looked at Aldrich, like a naughty child, and gave out an ear-to-ear grin. "Hehehe! Yes Daddy Dinner time. Sha want snaky slurp!!!" A trail of drool came out from the corner of Sha''s mouth, which Aldrich wiped away using his sleeves. He gestured at the Ancient Spirits and scoffed. "Heh! Only Snake?! Why not both of them?" "Daddy You forgot Sha don''t like chickens."
  1. a Vedic serpent, dragon or demon in Hinduism, the personification of drought and adversary of Indra
Chapter 240: Layers behind Layers, Guesses behind Guesses Chapter 240: Layers behind Layers, Guesses behind Guesses Devouring a spirit. An Ancestral Divine Spirit. This was indeed Aldrich''s aim, his n''s final destination. But the beginning of this n didn''t just pop up in his head out of the blue. The first thought that had originated regarding it was when Sha had transferred to him her memories just after his resurrection. In those memories, there was a massive image of a rose. It had rained down thorns on the corrupted Shadow Homunculus, making her finally sumb under them. That image belonged to the spirit which Aldrich wouldtere to know as Evesting Venomous Rose. In those memories, he could feel Sha''s powerful urge to devour that rose. He didn''t know what changes the Shadow Homunculus had gone through, nor the identity of the spirit that had appeared in the Dungeon. There seemed to be only one way he could know more about it, and that was to go to the VR-252. Meeting the Ancient Schr was just one of the many reasons. Sure enough, when Aldrich''s eyes reflected the image of the Evesting Tower, its uncanny simrity to the spirit''s image stood out to him. If it weren''t for it, Aldrich would have never agreed to climb the tower in that first ce. There were things he could only do when not under the watch of others. The next thing was even more crucial and was like pressing a switch to set off his n. Though this ncked a definite outline then, Aldrich''s goal had be clear. That "thing" was Sha''s constant nagging to let her eat the Ancient Oracle. This urge was the same as Sha''s corrupted form had let out in the memories for the spirit. Though Aldrich termed the things he said next to Rosalia as guesses, he had already confirmed her true identity as the''s spirit by then. This was a cruel fact about Aldrich almost none knew about. The reason for his guesses to be so urate was that his guesses hovered at the borderline of truth and calctions. And if there was any gap at this borderline, it also got covered after him bing a Generalist. And only another Generalist stood a chance of foiling his guesses. Then came the prophecy, which made his heart palpitate. He didn''t recognize the Golden Luan, as he had yet to read about it, but he had recognized the enormous snake. By then he had confirmed that Sha could eat spirits, and if these Ancestral Spirits were the same as the spirit in his Dungeon, then it meant only one thing. An opportunity. Since then, he waited. He waited for the time toe when the circumstances would make him know about theing of this opportunity. It didn''te the entire week he spent at the Manor. It didn''te to him at El Cid''s Dungeon. And it didn''te with these high-ranked Dreamers'' arrival for the ceremony. This opportunity came to him when there was a girl in his arms. The moment he made the connection between Bouda and Maya, he knew the time hade for his sleeping n to arise. Aldrich nevercked time to make preparations, because there was no true beginning to his ns. They were all in his mind, like in hibernation, waiting for him to wake them. Aldrich never needed to worry about the proceedings of his ns, either. All variables that could affect the n''s oue had already been ounted for. Aldrich never worried aboutcking in knowledge. Aldrich was a Polymath. But there was something that worried and troubled him. It was to reach a point and state where he won''t get to learn something new. * Hisss!!! Aldrich eyed the gigantic spirit that had almost covered a fourth of the. Vritra let out a hissing noise, and the gases on the ground churned along with it. Screhhhh!!! Above, the Golden Luan was like a sun, almost covering half the with its wingspan. Aldrich never thought he could make Sha devour the entirety of these spirits. He never believed Sha had even a tiny chance to do so, either. For him to take a slice out of these spirits, he needed help. And though he couldn''t ask for this help, he could indirectly force others to help him. That''s when the timely absence of Mana Field hade in. As the Golden Luan extended his ws towards the Vritra, Aldrich felt a disturbance in Mana all around him. Above the manor, both Bouda and Maya had almost gone unconscious and Harold was dashing here and there like a mad dog after losing his master. If any of these three were in a state to perceive this Mana disturbance, they would have immediately known what it was about. BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! Many booming sounds originated around the, and Aldrich knew his helpers hade. A devilish grin came over his face, and he looked at Sha. "Sha, are you ready?" Sha let out a childish smile and gave Aldrich a thumbs up. "Umu.." "Good! You know what you have to do. Then disperse." As Aldrich gave out amand, Sha plunged into his shadow. He held the Pir of Footprints in a tight grip and reached the top of the manor. He couldn''t see them, but he knew the Dukes were around the. They were also waiting for this fight to reach a point where they could get a piece of treasure for themselves. But Aldrich knew what they would soon get wasn''t a treasure, but a shock. He would make them remember their ce as side characters in this movie. As Aldrich reached the highest point of the Manor, the greenish toxic wind hit his face and lifted the ends of his greatcoat. The rain had ceased, but there was marshy wetness in the air. He looked at the incredible scene of a golden sky about to meet the brown-green toxic earth. The scene from the prophecy shed in his mind. He remembered it was the Vritra who seemed to overpower the Golden Luan, and not otherwise. But from the scene and facts in front of him, it was the Golden Luan who was the mightier among these two. For him to make the prophecye true, there was only one option. He had to make the Golden Luan weaker. Almost weaker than the Vritra, and then let the prophecy bring him fruits for his karma. Sigh! Aldrich closed his eyes, his grip tightening on the Pir of Footprints, and let out a sigh. "Bouda Sorry." His mind went to the memories of Sha during El Cid''s dungeon. A drop of water materialized in the darkness of his mind. This was the same drop of water that had even constrained the hair of a True Phoenix. This was the same drop of water that was named throughout the Gxy as a Blessing. And Aldrich knew the origins of this drop of water were among the Beings called The Great Old One. In this darkness, the drop of water came at him, annihting everything in its path. When it seemed there was no surviving this disaster, another piece of memory entered his mind. It was the Devil throwing the Pir of Footprints at the drop of water. Sha''s memories were also the Devil''s memories, and they were also Aldrich''s memories. Aldrich, standing at the top, raised the staff like it was a spear. The purple rings on his shoulder gave out a blinding sh, and its color almost matched the golden above him. Aldrich snapped his eyes open, and there was a golden ring around his white eyes. A deafening shout came out of his mouth, and he threw the staff in his hands towards the sky. "Ancient Relic Secret Technique . TATHAGATA WORLD ENDING FOOTPRINT!!!" Chapter 241: Void - A lost Chapter Chapter 241: Void - A lost Chapter How do the Dukes cover light-years'' worth of distance in a matter of minutes? When the spaceships use Jump Drive, where exactly are they jumping to? What could be darker than the emptiness of space, but still not dark enough for it to be called Darkness? When one says there is only nothing beyond the fabric of space, what does he mean by that? Aren''t the chaotic spatial winds a part of this region? And if they are, then how could one call it nothing, when it actually has something? "Ahh! It''s so confusing Ugh!!" The above line is the only thing mentioned as the answer to all these questions in the infamous book, MANA and RECORD: a philosophical theory. None knew where the original scrolls written by the author were, or even if they had survived. Who had them, hoarding the treasure of knowledge and destruction. But many schrs hade to a shared understanding that the author must have written more beyond this line. If that part got lost in the river of time or was drowned intentionally, who knew? The only thing left behind by the author was this line, in thest chapter of the book. This chapter, mentioning questions, and this line brimming with fatigue and exhaustion. A chapter named VOID. * In this region, called Void, spatial winds eternally howled and myriad colored thunder roared as if mad about something. Many spaceships, and asionally Dreamers, used it to shorten up the impassable distances. But today, in their ce, there was a piece of metal that had turned the entire ce upside down. Hurricanes of spatial winds, of the size of many sr systems, got annihted just by this metal being passed by them. Countless bolts of lightning broke and unseen clouds disintegrated. Wherever this piece of metal passed by or through, it left behind a scene of iparable destruction and massacre. A massacre of elements themselves. This piece of metal was just an ordinary iron. Even though there was no sign of rust on it, it didn''t look as if it could handle one strike of a hammer. But the same 12-inch long iron piece was coursing through this region like butter. If one were to calcte its probable destination, the result would be a red giant, Rosalia. And the time it would take to reach there would be just a few seconds. * The Dukes were stationed in the Kingdom but it was also customary for them to scout the edges of the Kingdom routinely. Some things could bring harm to the Kingdom and even to the Gxy which only they could perceive. Such was the case for the Dukes, who had appeared in the space surrounding Rosalia. The Ancestral Spirits were among the few things that RECORD couldn''t give as a part of Skill and Stats. Only the members of families to whom these spirits belonged could even qualify to get them. These spirits weren''t projections like the image of the Dream Origin World Tree, which didn''t make anyone know about its presence. They were at the boundary of reality, eternally searching for a method to descend in the actual space. Hence, the Dukes rushed when they sensed not one but two Ancestral Spirits which were on the bingo list of being annihted on the spot. It wasn''t even needed to be said that the Spirit Vritra was a telltale sign of the Hallowed Phantom, an organization on the hit list of all kingdoms and UGF. Whoever sighted it could attack the Dreamer and the Spirit if they had the power to do so. But, the entire Gxy frommon people to Royal Families abhorred the Spirit Golden Luan. Regardless of its majestic presence, purity, and life attributes, all felt disgusted at mentioning its name. Not because it had done anything to them, but because of the family to which it belonged. A family whose history had almost vanished from the Gxy, and whose contributions had been erased from the records of UGF A Family called the Gctic Traitors. These Spirits weren''t the actual body of the Mythical Beings to which they belonged, like the Ancient Oracle and the Rosalia. But one could still get many things out of them, things unknown to most Dreamers. That''s why the first thing the Dukes did aftering was to st these two Spirits, not caring for the destruction they could cause to the. Nothing was important than annihting a traitor and a terrorist together. All sacrifices would have a meaning or would be given a meaningter as seem fit. RUMBLEEEEEE!!! But the sudden shaking of the entire space around the took them off guard. It was like they were in a box and someone had just shaken the entire box vigorously. Before they could find out the reason for this shaking, everything went silent as the humongous spirits didn''t even exist there. The Golden Luan''s ws were about tond on Vritra''s head when.. this happened ROARRRRRRR!!! This roar came out from nothing and echoed in everything. None could see the tiny image of a ck bull charging at the Golden Luan, bellowing out of his lungs. But there wasn''t any hate or rage in the Bull''s glowing eyes. There was only reverence and utmost piety. Those who could see, they saw. And those who could feel, they felt. They saw the entire golden sky had turned brown, like an upside-down turned world. And there were depthless valleys and mountains which, if real, were mind-numbing. They felt a chant in their hearts, calming enough, that they couldn''t help but forgive themselves for the crimes they hadmitted a while ago. But the most outrageously shocked were the few Dukes. They were forced to see, and they were forced to feel, as the entire dark space above the got reced by a foot. A naked foot, with dirt on its bare skin. And when everyone thought this foot would end the world, itnded on the back of Golden Luan. Chapter 242: A point of light Chapter 242: A point of light Screee-eee-echhh!!! It was like the cry of a bird, seeing the de of the butcher. Except for the Golden Luan''s agonising screech, there was no other sound of contact between the gigantic foot and its back. The ws that were targeted at the face of the Ancestral Divine Spirit, Vritra, missed their target. The back of the Golden Luan caved, and a deafening crunch resounded throughout the surrounding space of the. CRUNCHH!! The Golden Luan craned its neck up, and its beak pointed towards heaven. And with incredible might, it pped its wings to resist this sudden pressure along with another cry. Screeeechh!!! Under it, the Vritra brought its head back thousands of miles into its coils, waiting for the chance to lunge at the Golden Luan. But the foot, which seemed like it would m the mythical creature''s spirit onto the, didn''t stay there for long. Tathagata World Ending Footprint wasn''t a kick. It was what it meant, a footprint. The back of the Golden Luan was another earth for this foot, and it never meant to stay at one ce for long. Just when everyone wasing out of their shock, the foot lifted its weight and disappeared with the same mystery with which it had appeared. But the deed had already been done. Aldrich extended his hand, and the Pir of Footprints came running to it. The golden rings around his white-pupils vanished, and the ck Bull engraving on the Ancient Relic dimmed. If this tattoo like Bull''s image was drawn from thick ck paint, it now looked like a watered-down paint,cking thickness. Sigh! Aldrich knew the moment this Bull''s image disappeared, the secret techniques would be unusable. And although an Ancient Relic was much more than its techniques, Aldrich won''t be able to use it to challenge Dreamers ranked higher than him. ''Any moment now'' Aldrich thought and looked up. The golden sky had lost its majestic feeling, and the Golden Luan struggled to p its wings. The way it kept thrashing its beak from one side to another told Aldrich the foot had seriously crippled the spirit''s spine. Hisssssssss!!! "Ugh!" Aldrich pressed his forehead with his left hand and let out a grunt. The hissing sound was like chaotic mumblings in his mind which even the skill Serpent-Slither couldn''t make sense of. And through his squinted eyes, Aldrich saw Vritra opening its mouth and the fangs, which seemed even taller than the Evesting Tower. A toxic fog came out of its mouth, and before the Golden Luan could regain its senses, like a spring, it lunged at its neck. Ktchh!!! Scree eee! It was as if someone had plunged knives into the meat. Vritra''s venomous fangs bit down on Golden Luan''s neck and before it could let out a painful screech, Vritra coiled itself around its entire body. ''This yes this is the scene. Something should happen now Something must happen now.'' Aldrich''s eyes were like that of a beast, more heinous than Vritra, and crueler than the Devil. The moment he made sure that this scene was the same as that of that prophecy, he knew something must happen at this moment. Otherwise, nothing would make sense. Neither the prophecy nor his nning. As the two spirits entangled, the Dukes finally seeing a chance, again bombarded them with many Skills. It was like many mini suns and moons were exploding in the space like a firework at a grand scale. But except for doing minor damage, these Skills couldn''t do much. None of them were extravagant enough to use Ancient Relics'' Secret Techniques for something they weren''t sure of getting their hands on. Only Aldrich was frugal enough to not think about these things. For him, the present mattered the most. If he could get his hands on a part of these spirits, even losing the Ancient Relic would have been worth it. ''What''s going on...'' Aldrich gritted his teeth, and his heart kept pumping blood more than it should have. As he saw the Golden Luan''s Divine Spirit bing less and less real, he knew the time was running out. Summoning an Ancestral Spirit differed from summoning Skills of RECORD. Unlike the Summon of RECORD, this summoning of Spirit couldn''t be cancelled. Whenever the Spirit thought its work was done, it could vanish as per its desire. Or if it thought its existence was in danger, like now. ''Come on'' Nothing. ''Damn it where is it'' Nothing. "WHERE ARE YOU KING!!!" Aldrich let out a shout, even though none knew better than him the meaning of saying; Be careful what you wish for. The golden hue of the sky was bing dark green as countless green veins like humongous rivers appeared on the Golden Luan''s neck. And just as Aldrich thought this Spirit, which had consumed one of his secret techniques, would disappear, the world bulged towards him. It wasn''t just him, every being on the, and even the Dukes saw the world bulging towards them. It was as if all the space was nothing but a piece of cloth, and someone was poking it with a finger from the other side. Just as it seemed the space couldn''t hold it anymore, it burst apart. BOOOM!!! Howling spatial winds and purple-ck colored thunder came raging out of the countless fissures. But the first to react wasn''t Aldrich, it was the Dukes. They were like the hyenas who had seen the Lioning for the prey. Within the first breath of this space rupture, all of them broke into the Void and ran off. Aldrich looked at this fissure''s size in front of which even the Divine Spirits were like ants. His heart thumped with anticipation, but what came out was just a point of light. It was like a satellite on Earth''s night sky, which children thought to be a moving star. This point of light was blurry andcked the might of an object which could have created the fissure it came out of. As Aldrich''s widened eyes stared at this ordinary point of light, going towards the spirits, he got to know the significance of the prophecy. If it weren''t for him making the Golden Luan weak and letting the Vritra lunge at it, this point of light''s target would have been only Bouda''s Divine Spirit. Hahahaha! Aldrich let out augh and shouted. "Sha let''s go." A ckish hand, with sharp nails, came out of his shadow and, grabbing his ankle, pulled him in. Chapter 243: IT Chapter 243: IT 4th Quadrant Forgotten Realm There was no Mana in this realm. This realm spanned the area of many and many light-years, but even then there were no stars. What it didn''t have any shortage of were rogues and their moons. But with no source of light, how could there be any life? Such were the schrs'' thoughts for countless years. Then some Dreamers marched into this region and stumbled onto a. Life should not have existed there. But to their surprise, they found it, and this life was thriving. How and why this was possible was kept confidential for many years. Until the Hallowed Phantoms made their Gctic debut. In the thick of this region, there was a. This had no life, and it was almost frozen. But it had two moons, and one of the moons was the base of the most wanted organisation in the Gxy. Locals of this moon had named this frozen Geo-J752. Within one moon, under the depths of its deep valleys,y the Pce. Inside the Kings'' chamber, King Nagendra had his eyes closed and his ears perked up, always in the state of hearing whispers. It didn''t matter if these whispers were consequential or inconsequential. All things that deserved to be whispered about were crucial secrets to the King. And the King knew, hidden among the mostmon people, there were some whispers which could even topple the power structures of the Gxy. Suddenly, the King''s eyes shot opened. His pupils were like two glossy ck volcanic rocks, and a bright red fire kept shing within them. A smile came upon his old face, but soon the pain in his left hand made him frown. He turned his head to look in a direction and mumbled to himself. "Haha! Emperor Swordless I told you that brat is impulsive." * 4th Quadrant Royal Pce, Queen''s Chamber There wasn''t much to do for Queen Eluned. She was the youngest among the Kings of other kingdoms, but still old enough to be called an Ancestor herself. Eluned was sprawled on the sofa and kept ying with the empty ss cylinder in her hand. From time to time she looked in a particr direction, and not finding anything out of ce, resumed her position. "Your majesty, something needs to be done. Boud" An old man was standing a few feet away from the Queen. It was the same old man who had brought Bouda to Queenst time, too. His face was still clean, but there was a hint of a frown and disgust on his face. He was about to say the name, but the sudden rise of Eluned''s brows made him stop. " I I mean Duchess Bouda has stolen an ancient scroll. ording to the rules" "Who am I?" The Queen nonchntly asked, taking the old man by surprise. "Huh?!" "I asked Who am I?" Eluned stood up and approached the old man. She was even taller than Bouda, and thus, as she towered over him, it almost looked like a goddess was looking down at a mere mortal. The Old man touched the insignia on his chest pocket as if it was giving him strength, and taking a deep breath, defiantly said. "You are Queen Eluned" "No" Eluned shook her head and casually spoke out as if giving a fact. "I AM the Rules." "" Gulp! The old man gulped as his throat became dry. He was about to say something when Eluned''s dark ck eyes gave out a blue sh. Crunch! Tink! The ss cylinder broke by her raging grip and she let out a cry which sent the old man flying out of the chamber, breaking every wall possible. BOOM! "HAGEN! YOU MOTHERF" * 3rd Quadrant Rosalia Aldrich, from the Shadow World, gazed at the stupendous sight of that point of light traversing the distance from the fissure to the two spirits. At one moment, it looked like it was slow. But in another moment, it felt this speed couldn''t be possible for anything to attain. Even the two Divine Spirits had got to know about its presence by now. Vritra let go of the Golden Luan''s neck and was about to uncoil itself. Golden Luan, heavily injured by the foot and then the venom, was also about to fade away. s, the point of light didn''t give them any chance. This point of light became a streak of light as it approached the spirits. It was like the path of a de, swung by an inexperienced swordsman. Lacking in strength, but straight. For a moment, Aldrich could have sworn that he glimpsed a silhouette of an unworldlyrge man holding a sword, and cutting down at the two creatures. As Aldrich etched this scene into his bones, he saw the point of light passing through the two spirits and fading into the distance. No sound and no boom. No exaggerated Ktch, Katcha, or Katchakk!!! It was ordinary. An ordinary piece of iron, thrown by an ordinary man, and resulting in an ordinary oue. Aldrich was dumbfounded at this scene. On the ground, Bouda and Maya coughed out a mouthful of blood, making theme out of their stupor. In the sky, he saw as the Golden Luan''s two wings separated themselves from its body and turned to countless golden birds before fading away. He also saw Vritra''s head getting cut off like butter and then the entire head also burst into countless snakes. These snakes weren''t in the image of Vritra. They were of different races, but all shared onemon thing. They all represented Vritra''s authority over snake-based mythical creatures in the Gxy. As Vritra hadn''t cancelled its summoning yet, these snakes rained down on the and around it like countless raindrops. This was the exact moment Aldrich had been waiting for. "If we can get our hands on even one of them" Slurp!! Aldrich mumbled, and beside him, Sha kept licking her thin lips as she looked at so many delicacies. Aldrich let his mind race, and brought the data about the snakes in his mind, as he kept looking at all of them. But Time and Fate didn''t seem to favour Aldrich anymore. RUMBLEEEE!!! The entire world quaked, and one more fissure appeared in space. But the size of this fissure could have made even the Dream Origin World Tree look tiny. As the fissure opened, like the parting of a veil, Aldrich''s mind seemed to have gained another consciousness that kept repeating these words to him. "Don''t look Don''t you dare look at IT." Chapter 244: Planetary Mutation Chapter 244:ary Mutation "Daddy..." Aldrich''s eyes were shut. So much that it looked like he was just shed by the most powerfulser in the world. Thump! Thump--Thump!! The rhythm of his heart stumbled and strayed off course. The ck Mist, surrounding his heart, roiled in fear as if it had encountered the most fearful thing in existence. And the blood flow in Aldrich''s veins kept speeding up and getting interrupted with a jerk. Even Sha''s constant shouts were of no use to him. Rustleeeee!!! Aldrich heard a rustling sound. It was like a vast region of dry, broken leaves had surrounded him and something was slithering over them. It wasn''t fast, but Aldrich from his heart wished it to pass by him the sooner, the better. But the thing was, it wasn''t just him who was experiencing this feeling. It was the entire world. The entire heard this sound, but most of them weren''t as fortunate as Aldrich. Their mind didn''t warn them of this appearance. Their consciousness didn''t split and didn''t warn them of the consequences. And they didn''t have someone like Sha, who could have pulled them in another dimension. Rustleeeee!!! Another rustling sound came out of the gargantuan fissure, and the same slithering sound echoed in Aldrich''s and the ears of all beings. Ahhhhh Wahhhhhhh... Nooooo... Roarrrrr... Shrieks, inexorable and heart-wrenching shrieks resounded throughout the. The skin of all humans and beasts alike fell off like it was glued over their muscles. Their bones lost their hardness and became soft, making them dangle as if they were filled with jelly. And when it seemed this mutation would make them lose their mind, their stomach bulged. Men, women, children, and animals were like little abominations made of red jelly. There was not an iota of skin on their body, and without skin, the bare muscles on their body were like bloody paste of meat. Arghhhhh... Inhumane blubber came out of their throats as their stomach kept bulging but didn''t show any hint of bursting out. Rustleeesshh!!! Another rustle came out of the fissure, but this rustle seemed dampened. It was as if whatever was slithering inside of it had left the drynd, entering a muddy ground. Aldrich gritted his teeth, and his eyes couldn''t squint anymore. There was a feeling in his heart, telling him that the moment he left the protection of this strange dimension, his fate would be much worse than death. This feeling turned to the most basic fundamental truth in his life, the same as the truth of knowing that two plus two were equal to four. As soon as the second rustle covered all beings, the bulging stomach burst out simultaneously throughout the. Bang... Bang... Bang! Countless small toothless and strange-slimy snakes flooded out of the mutated beings. The snakes wriggled and fed upon their kins, and the bodies they hade out of, leaving behind corpses full of pus and rotten flesh. Hisssss-Hushh-She-Sah! A voice, amand, and a saying came out of the fissure, making Aldrich let out a scream of agony. "Aahhhh!!!" Blood and snot came out of Aldrich''s nose, and his muscles squirmed under his skin. His head banged as if someone was hitting it with a hammer. Every strike was more powerful than thest. Except for letting out a painful grunt and cry, he couldn''t do anything. In the Shadow World, he could barely blink, much less lift his hands to hold his head. "Daddy... I..." Sha neared him, and her eyes were closed too. She didn''t depend on sight as much as Aldrich did, to begin with. But when it seemed Aldrich couldn''t hold any longer, even with the dimensional gap between him and that fissure, all hissing and rustling stopped. All mutated beings had be nothing but food of the tiny snakes. This hissing hadn''t affected the mythical snakes raining down on the and around it. Instead, there was a light of hope in their raging eyes. Their hissing was ever louder, and it sounded like the pitter-patter of the twisted rain. Huff! Huff!! Aldrich was out of breath, but even then he didn''t dare to open his eyes. He was about to peek out into the real world when a howling sound originated from within the fissure. Huuuuuu!!! It was like someone had just taken a deep breath, sucking lungful of air in one go. But if the creature behind the crack in space was as big as the crack itself, then how humongous its lungs must have been. Aldrich''s heart thumped as he too thought of the same thing, and couldn''t help but let out a shout. "Sha! Open your eyes and look outside." "Ah..." "Do it! We have little time." Sha reluctantly opened her eyes, but not before putting her hands on both sides of her head. Like a submarine''s periscope, her head came out of the Shadow World, and, looking away from the fissure, she shouted out. "Daddy... It''s my... food. That Bastard... eating my food." "Huh?! Pull me out." One hand of the Sha reached down and grabbed Aldrich by the back of his neck before pulling him out. From Sha being alright, Aldrich had made sure that the weird things going on outside had subsided. But even then, without figuring out more about it, he dared not let out his Perception. "Face me in the direction away from the fissure." Sha, like holding a rag doll, turned Aldrich''s head. Aldrich cracked his eyes open a little, but what he saw made his eyes snap open instantaneously. All mythical snakes that had transformed from Vritra''s head were getting sucked towards the fissure. It didn''t matter if that snake was a mile long or hundreds of miles long; it was as if this pull was sucking these creatures only. "This..." This pull was exactly like Aldrich''s pushing and pulling a concept. But its scale was bigger, much bigger than Aldrich had ever cared for his Rumok to be. And when it seemed this was the only thing that could make him astonished, Aldrich''s eyesnded on the two beauties some hundred meters away from him. Bouda''s entire body was bloody, and she kept coughing out blood after blood. There was an unseenyer that kept fluctuating around her as if isting herself from the things going on within the. But even more stupefying was the posture of Maya. Her state was bloodier than Bouda, and her injuries were also grievous than her. Even then, not caring about anything and facing the fissure, Maya was kneeling on the ground. And her beautiful and tired face was full of respect, reverence, and recognition. Chapter 245: Chaos Chapter 245: Chaos "On the thread of Destiny, there are countless nodes, each representing a coincidence more bizarre than the other." * It didn''t take Aldrich any fancy calctions to know what these expressions on Maya''s face meant. He had expected these presences as an oue of his n, but in his mind, the point of light that had decimated the two Divine Spirits was the limit. The Spirits summoned by a Marchioness and Duchess were enough to make a Duke salivate, but the Kings and Queen shouldn''t have given it much thought. ''Why?..'' Aldrich mumbled. He didn''t understand why the KING himself hade here. Aldrich couldn''tprehend that the leader of Hallowed Phantoms was just behind that crack in space, and not one other King had taken any action yet. ''Why?..'' Aldrich couldn''t make any sense of this illogical thing. Aldrich''s n hadn''t failed, and he knew it. Every step was as he had thought it to be and as he had ounted for it to be. He made the Golden Luan weaker for Vritra to overpower it, and the King''s attack annihted them, giving Aldrich this opportunity. But when the movie was about to finish, these sudden unnned after-credits bewildered Aldrich. Facts told him there should be other Kings here already, fighting off the Being behind him. Truth told him that there can''t be anything in this Gxy other than himself who could foil his ns. All things were jumbled up, like countless threads entangled in aplex structure. Everything was confusing. Everything was in a state of... "CHAOS!!! Oh No! What did I do?!" For the first time, Aldrich realized that what he thought to be the pinnacle of Laws, the Darkness, was nothing but a mere child. In front of this Chaos, which he didn''t even know when it materialized and took over the Laws around the, his calctions meant nothing. Aldrich''s teeth ttered, and he muttered. "No wonder... No wonder... So that''s how it is... So that''s why the Devil said that to me..." Aldrich remembered the Devil Aldrich''s words, telling him to meet him on the other side, and got to know the Devil must have already perceived these changes. "Daddy..." Sha called to him, and shook his neck, making hime out of this stupefying and rarest of the rare moments in Aldrich''s life. Aldrich gently closed his life and took a deep breath. In one breath, he let go of everything. He let go of trying to understand when things became chaotic, and he let go of trying to learn and understand this Chaos for now, too. This moment was the second time in Aldrich''s life when he had given up on something temporarily. The first was the time in his dream when he had to forgo the Question, What am I, and instead had chosen another question to answer. Time was different, the ce was different, but the stakes were the same and so was the man. Sigh! Aldrich snapped his eyes open, but they weren''t as clueless as before. The conviction with which he had begun his n returned with full strength. Aldrich stepped out into the real world. His skin was on the verge of peeling off, and his stomach almost bulged. But Aldrich was calm, calmer than Sha, who trusted Aldrich more than anything. A breath came out of his mouth, and along with this breath came out a sound. But this wasn''t a normal sound, this was thenguage of Law. Not one, not two, but only Aldrich knew how many Laws he understood, full or partial. A blurry image of a hole opened up in his forehead, and an illusory three-leafed Dark Sapling materialized behind him. Darkness, Devil, Death... Fire, Water, Earth, Metal... Electricity, Wind... Gravity... Attraction, Repulsion... ... "Hissss Hesss Sheh Sah Sehah!!!" SERPENT SLITHER!!! The words that hade out of Aldrich''s mouth weren''t normal. It was thenguage of snakes. By now he had already understood that there was a strange phenomenon about thisnguage, stranger than the fiction and truth. The moment he had almost gone insane from listening to the hissing sound, Aldrich got to know that only this sound could counter it. Who would have known that a Skill which Aldrich had casually chanced upon would bring these unexpected results to his present and future? If this wasn''t a coincidence, then what was? Snap!!! A snapping sound originated around Aldrich. Only he knew which Ancient Saying he had relied upon to break the constraint of mutation. The space around him fluctuated, the same as Bouda''s, and he became isted from the real world without leaving it. But this istion didn''te without any consequences. Serpent Slither was a Passive Skill. And ording to its description, it wouldn''t matter if Aldrich wanted to or not, it would exact a heavy price on his Perception. Veins, blue and purple, popped up all around his body, and Aldrich felt the same feeling which he used to feel after finishing a Rumok. His Divine Sense was getting consumed at a fast rate. He knew it wouldn''t be long before he would be as useless as Harold, who was still flying maniacally in the sky with snakes bursting out of his stomach. "Sha... don''t wait for me if you find it." Aldrich didn''t turn back to look at Sha and spoke out. Sha too seemed to sense the urgency in Aldrich''s voice and plunged in his shadow. Aldrich did nothing without a meaning behind it. There were countless snakes, getting sucked by the crack behind him. But even after knowing the time was running out, he didn''t want to let Sha devour just any mythical creature. He would get only one chance, and in this one chance, he had to make sure that he would get the better end of the deal. What Aldrich was looking for was a mythical snake of Dark Attribute. Aldrich had always wondered why the Devil made the Darklingse out and used them as a part of his body. But even in Sha''s memories, he couldn''t figure it out. The moment he brought the Devil Aldrich as undead, through the strange bond between them, he confirmed his theory. In El Cid''s Dungeon, it wasn''t like the Devil was otherworldly strong or something. The strength he had used didn''t juste out of the blue. That strength belonged to Aldrich, and Aldrich''s ss. The Darklings weren''t just pieces of jewelry for the Devil; they were the manifestation. A manifestation of Creatures of Darkness. And the Spawn of Darkness had the Authority to be almost invincible in the presence of Darkness. Chapter 246: TIME running out... Chapter 246: TIME running out... With the covering of these fluctuations of Laws, Aldrich dashed opposite to the space-crack behind him. He had already sent Sha to do the same, and from their bond, he could monitor the desired serpent based on her description. No matter how many inexplicable things must have happened, the cooldown of his ss-specific Skill was yet to be over. Within these five minutes, Aldrich had gone through many tumultuous emotions. He had made the prophecye true; the Dukes had arrived, a point of light had sliced its way through the two spirits. But by the end, theing of Chaos and the weird mutation going on the made the end of these five minutes feel like an eternity. Aldrich, not waiting to take out El Cid, dashed outwards with his eyes scanning every mythical serpent. As he passed by Maya, he happened to look over her head. The thing he saw made his eyes go wide again. When he had seen Maya''s stats the first time, his expression was almost the same, too. Even if he didn''t have a photographic memory, the time hadn''t passed so long for him to not remember those words and values. But what he was seeing over Maya''s head made little sense. [... Record of Maya ... Rank: Count (Fallen) ...] "This..." Aldrich''s time was already running out. Even then, he couldn''t help but contemte the meaning behind the word Fallen. Suddenly a theory materialized in his head, making him snap his head in Bouda''s direction. But... There was no sign of the golden-haired bloody beauty anymore. Aldrich''s face became incredibly grave at this point. Things were happening around him that were out of his knowledge. These events meant only one thing in Aldrich''s mind. Unknown Variables. There was no way Bouda could have moved away by herself with those injuries. Let alone using the One Step Shunpo. Aldrich could only think of one possibility. ''Someone else is here...'' Thump! Aldrich''s heart thumped, making him shout in his mind. ''Sha! BE CAREFUL... If you feel any being other than me, then don''te out of the Shadow World.'' "Umu..." Putting all things to the back of his mind, Aldrich kept running erratically in search of his target. Serpents after serpents kept getting sucked towards the crack over him. Hisssss!!! ''Reverse Rainbow Flying Serpent...'' Aldrich noticed an almost ten-mile-long rainbow-colored serpent with wings and the data on it came rushing to his mind. It was a mythical serpent, mostly famous for its attribute of light and wind. Many even called it the Lord of the Skies, but it wasn''t the one Aldrich was looking for. Suddenly the entire world blurred in front of Aldrich as he saw the rainbow-colored serpent getting pulled away from him. This blur was momentary, and it was almost instantaneous. Before Aldrich could lose his footing, all things returned to their initial state. "Ughh..." Aldrich squinted his eyes and let out a painful moan. As he rubbed his eyes, he knew that the weakness was taking over him and it wouldn''t be long before he wouldn''t even walk properly. Grrrr-hiss-houuu!!! This... was a weird sound. It was so weird that Aldrich couldn''t even distinguish it from the hissing sounds of countless serpents echoing throughout the. It was even weirder than the hissing sounding out of the fissure, trying to make him pregnant with millions of slimy snakes. But even if he hadn''t noticed the sound or its origins, he was destined toe in contact with it. Even though he hadn''t used his Change Skill yet, Aldrich was incredibly fast. Leaving behind blurs and after images, he was scouting all the serpents he could within this limited window of time. Just as he was about to change his direction, he saw an outline of another manor in front of him. This manor was huge, almost as big as the Earl''s manor, and as Aldrich approached it he realized half of this manor was decimated beyond measure. "What the..." Aldrich immediately put the brake to his speed. This manor wasn''t the same as the Earl''s manor, it WAS the Earl''s manor. It was the same Manor who had witnessed the fight of a Duchess and a Marchioness. Aldrich looked around and noticed he had reached the same position from where he had started. Aldrich was smart and intelligent beyondparison, but even he had his limits. He was also a drop in the ocean. So what if this drop had the ambition to engulf the entire ocean within it? Aldrich couldn''tprehend how he hade back here when he had already traversed miles worth of distance. It was as if... "... as if I was in a loop... SPACE?!!" For the first time, after the ordeal that had made him helpless, a smile came upon his face. But somehow, this ordeal had yet to be over. Aldrich was searching for a mythical serpent who could have influenced the surrounding space, making him return to the manor. Suddenly, he saw a person who shouldn''t even be around the manor, to begin with. Thump-...-Thump... Aldrich put the Pir of Footprint in his hands on the ground as his heart skipped a beat. In front of him, a few dozen meters away from Maya, Bouda was lying on the ground. Aldrich walked towards her, not caring for the task at hand, as if in a trance. But before he could take over two steps, a portal appeared above Bouda. Aldrich, with blurry eyes, saw a finger-length fairying out of the portal. And as the fairy hovered around Bouda, her figure disappeared as if being erased by an eraser. The portal disappeared and the fairy along with it. Thump-Thump... Aldrich''s heart regained its rhythm as he realized what it was that had made hime back to the manor. This was an unprecedented moment in Aldrich''s life when he wanted something even more than the Law of Space. Aldrich craned his neck up as he remembered hearing the sound which he had ignored and silently muttered. "TIME..." Chapter 247: Strand of Time Chapter 247: Strand of Time Time... Not one other thing could exin Bouda''s presence and then her disappearance. Not one other thing could exin him seeing the Reverse Rainbow Flying Serpenting towards the skies over the Manor. Two bat-like wings sprouted on his back, and changing his direction, Aldrich dashed towards the sky. He didn''t know from where that sound hade, and he also didn''t know from how far in the sky it hade. But he knew to find its origin, he had to reach it before it could make him go back in time again. From the absence of Sha in his shadow, Aldrich had realized that this reversing of Time only affected a limited region. Much like how he could only use his Divine Sense only in a specific area depending upon the value of his Perception. But this wasn''t the only thing he had noticed. The loss in Divine Sense because of Serpent Slither and space-fluctuations hadn''t returned to original values. It was like this reversing of time had affected only the physical things. Aldrich looked at the Skill Arise, and as he saw it hade out of the cooldown, he nodded, confirming his guess. Not caring for his SP and MP getting consumed by the Wings of Bat Lord, Aldrich let himself loose in the skies in search of anything that seemed out of ce. He even stopped his search for the mythical serpent with the Darkness attribute. The only thing that mattered to him now was the being who could manipte time. And the good thing was, Aldrich already had some ideas about the identity of this serpent''s spirit. After getting the prophecy, Aldrich had scoured the data avable to House Venomous Rose. And on Golden Birds and Mythical Serpents, he had gone even a step beyond. He had spent a significant amount of time researching the name and abilities of mythical serpents. Serpents whose existence the current and ancient Dreamers had confirmed in the past. And among those, some mythical creatures had the ability of Time maniption, too. Aldrich didn''t know which serpent was it exactly, but now he knew what he was looking for. Thump-Thump... As Aldrich passed by the Rainbow-colored serpent''s spirit, his heart thumped, realizing the moment of sound was upon him. If he were to fall for this time-reversal again, all his Divine Sense would be consumed and he would have to return to the Shadow World empty-handed. ''Where is it...'' Aldrich hovered mid-air, and looked around, above and below, but couldn''t see and sense anything. Gulp! ''Where...'' Aldrich''s mind was racing, calcting the probable locations based on the sound that he had foolishly ignored. Just when it seemed he would not find anything, the air vibrated around him. Grrrr... The familiar growling sound made Aldrich''s heart palpitate. He snapped his head diagonally upwards to his right and saw a hint of a massive wind-ball a few miles away. The entire ball was also getting sucked towards the fissure. He was familiar with the concept of wind, so he could tell in one nce that it wasn''t the wind, and it wasn''t the space, too. It was more in tune with the fluctuations happening around Aldrich, but its nature deviated from any Law he was familiar with. And through the process of elimination, he could only guess that it was Time. Not caring for the fancy hand gestures, Aldrich shouted. "El Cid... ARISE!!!" ... hiss... As the second part of that sound came to Aldrich, El Cid came out from the Darkness in front of him. The wings vanished, and Aldrich grabbed El Cid''s cloak. The ck-armored knight''s hands went for his greatswords, and as El Cid''s stomach ballooned up, both Aldrich and the undead Boss vanished. Shuuu! False One Step Shunpo!!! The pair appeared a few meters away from the transparent windyered ball, whose size was easily greater than many football fieldsbined. And though it looked transparent, Aldrich could feel there was ayer between him and whatever was beyond it. Bang! Countless slimy toothless snakes burst out of El Cid''s stomach. His legs were iling as if they had no bones, and through his helmet''s gap, one could have seen the mutation had also made his skin peel off his body. But not caring for his state, he grabbed Aldrich''s ankle as if already knowing his lord''s thought, and flung him towards the ball. ... houuu!!! And as thest part of the strange sound came out of the ball, Aldrich''s entire body plunged into it. "Ahhhhhh!!!!" Aldrich couldn''t help but let out a roar. It was like millions of knives were going in and out of him. He felt as if countless insects were biting him, and eating away his flesh. His organs were rotting and returning to their original state. And his hairs kept turning short and ck from their white color. Even though he had the will to bear this pain, this will of Aldrich was now concentrated on resisting the weakness because of losing his Divine Sense. Sometimes, letting these feelings run amok was the best of the options. Aldrich''s eyes gradually turned ck before returning to white, and the mask on his face kept losing its horn. When it seemed to Aldrich that many days, weeks, and months had passed going through this agonizing pain, a pop resounded around him. POP!!! Aldrich heard this pop, like the bursting of a bubble, and finally reached the other end of the transparent film of the ball. And as he controlled his broken breath, he looked upward and saw something that made him let out a huge smile. In front of Aldrich, there was a massive coiled serpent. Massive enough for Aldrich to feel like an ant. Its entire body was reddish-brown, and its pupil-less eyes were white. But from time to time, Aldrich could see many colored twinkling gases churning its eyes, like gctic nebe. Hisssssssss! The massive serpent let out a hiss, and as it moved its head towards him, Aldrich muttered its name out loud. "It''s you... FALAK''s BREATH - THE STRAND OF TIME!!!" Chapter 248: GALACTIC 100 LOST MYSTERIES Chapter 248: GALACTIC 100 LOST MYSTERIES FALAK The Giant Serpent... A Being so massive that, ording to the myths, it was even bigger than the entire universe. In the myths, it was stated that it lived in the seventh hell under the universe, and only the fear of GOD''s might prevent it from swallowing all the creation. But not most myths mentioned that its nature was rted to the Flow of TIME itself. In the Milky Way Gxy, among the Ancient Dreamers, countless scrolls were mentioning the name of this Being. Yet, not one Dreamer in the billions and billions of years had ever found the truth of its existence. With time, this inexplicability made its name one of the many hidden mysteries of the Universe. The Being Fk, and its existence, were at the 91st position on the scroll "GALACTIC 100 LOST MYSTERIES", along with many other Beings and things. When there was so much doubt about this serpent, and none had ever even seen a hint, one could have asked baffling but entirely reasonable questions. Why were the ancient Dreamers so adamant about it being a reality and not a made-up story to scare children? Why were they so sure that it existed for them to put its presence on The Scroll? Well, most of the ancient Dreamers were also schrs by nature. They had already thought that the future generation might be nave enough to ask these questions. And hence, they had put reasoning for this 91st and many other things like it. Their reasoning went something like this: "RECORD is a broken system. Though it is impartial, it doesn''t know how to differentiate between Facts and Imaginations, Thoughts and Dreams, and Reality and Myths. The Being Fk, and its Name, exist on all Barren Earths. Thus, by the twisted notions of RECORD, it must have a Dungeon of its own." The part that didn''t need to be written was that if there was such a Dungeon, then Fk must be the BOSS of it. It was up to theing Dreamers to find out about this Dungeon because none had done so until now. The search for the things mentioned in the Scroll was ever going. And it seemed it would be continued for eternities after eternities unless a destined one stumbled upon them. Much like the search of the lost 10th Item on the Scroll, whose name alone had terrorized the hearts of all Dukes and Kings alike since ancient times. THE NARAYANASTRA. But it wasn''t like after the era symbolized by Ancient Dreamers'' presence, theing Dreamers werepletely clueless. Among them were explorers and adventurers carrying the same will of curiosity as their predecessors had once carried. And during one such adventure, Dreamers found a Mythical Serpent outside the Dungeons. It could manipte Time, and its appearance matched as described to the Being mentioned in the Scroll. But evidently, in one look, anyone could tell that itcked the might which the name FALAK carried. After many discussions, spanning decades and centuries, Dreamers named this serpent in the name they much like to give it but couldn''t; FALAK''s BREATH. If FALAK was a person, then this mythical serpent was surely equivalent to one of its breaths. And if FALAK was the Flow of Time, then this breath was at least a strand of this flow. * Aldrich stared into those ster-dust-filled eyes, and he felt like he was seeing the birth and death of many stars. The Serpent slithered its head, and let out hissing sounds. But these hissing sounds didn''t harm Aldrich. The meaningless hiss which could have made anyone else lose their sanity becameprehensible in Aldrich''s mind. -WHAT AN INTERESTING PAST- Aldrich came out of his awe and raised his eyebrows, hearing this hissing noise bing words. He hadn''t thought that after using the Passive Skill Serpent Slither to cover himself with fluctuations of Laws, he could use it again. Much less using it facing no mortal threat. -I HAVE STOPPED TIME- ''So that''s why...'' Another hiss came out of the serpent, making Aldrich realize why he wasn''t getting weaker. It seemed to him there were two levels of this Time Maniption. One outside the "ball" where the Time could only affect physical things. The other was the space within it, where everything could be affected regardless of its nature. Aldrich had been through many setbacks in thest few minutes. Even then, he knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime type of opportunity. And it demanded a heavy price from him for him to gain something out of it; the price of calmness and patience. Aldrich took a deep breath and let go of the thoughts he was having. He was about to call Sha in this space, and irrespective of the cost, he had nned to let her devour this Mythical Serpent. But seeing the Fk''s breathmunicating to him by its volition, Aldrich too decided to use words instead of force. Aldrich was never a man of violence, anyway. (Ahem!) Aldrich, ignoring the pain coursing through his body, gripped the Pir of Footprints tightly. He gave the Mythical Serpent a bow and spoke out. -I, God of White and ck, have some questions- The mythical serpent slithered, coiling its head under its body, and let out a maddening hiss. It seemed to Aldrich that the serpent wasughing, and then words materialized in his head. -HAHA! GOD?! BUT THERE ARE KARMIC THREADS BETWEEN US- ''This...'' Aldrich gaped at these words, but the serpent didn''t give him any time to contemte over them and continued. -ASK AWAY! BUT ONLY THREE- -And, in return?- -YOU WILL KNOW- Aldrich became silent upon hearing this. Not knowing the price of these answers could be potentially dangerous. Especially when it involved a Being who knew things that Aldrich had yet toe in contact with. But time, though stopped, was limited. Outside, the suction continued, devouring every spirit, and if Aldrich were to let go of this chance, there might note such an opportunity. For a moment, Aldrich even thought that this was the real fruit for him toplete the prophecy. As this idea originated in his mind, Aldrich took a deep breath and asked the first question. -What are you?- Chapter 249: Three Questions Chapter 249: Three Questions "When the Oldest unveils the Scroll of Answers, damned are those who wouldn''t know what to ask." * In the Gxy, no one could im to be the first if Aldrich was second to know what to ask and when to ask. If a third of his mind was concentrated on the things of past, present, and future, then the rest of it was full of questions. It was like a jar full of chits. On each chit, there was a question and the moment this question got answered, another chit took its ce. Sometimes there was an overflow of chits, sometimes it kept getting emptied. Aldrich was never the one to shy away from any of the situations mentioned above. If he had only three questions to ask, Aldrich would ask first what he thought to be more personal and had the most possibility of being rejected. He had yet to know how these Spirits'' thoughts were and how they even functioned. But any rejection after an obvious show of generosity was bound to result in a psychological advantage for Aldrich. So what if the arrow would miss the target? Those who wouldn''t even fire it would never know, anyway. Aldrich fired the question and waited for the rejection or answer with bated breath. The Mythical Serpent kept slithering, never stopping, but its head was in only one ce. Its eyes, looking at the tiny being who imed himself to be a God. Fk''s breath let out its long forked tongue and along with it came out a hiss. -Very Well- The hiss, which previously felt like someone was shouting on a speaker to Aldrich, had be casual words in Aldrich''s ears. As he got a positive response, Aldrich felt incredibly d, but there was no hint of any smile on his face. The serpent gave Aldrich a nod and continued. -I will exin to you in the terms which you Dreamers understand the most. Based on your past, I can tell you havee far in psychology. In that, you have mastered Denialism and Collective Subconsciousness to ordinary humane limits- It was true indeed. One was a topic Aldrich faced in his early childhood. If there was one thing he knew like the back of his hand, it was Denialism. Aldrich never cared for rtions other than his parents, but Boomie was an exception. An exception beyond science. It didn''t matter to Aldrich if Boomie had be a patient to him, Aldrich considered him a "Friend". Even if mastering Denialism wasn''t a priority to him, Aldrich nevercked the interest to put it aside when his only friend needed him the most. And there was no need for him to exin these things to a maniptive bitch like the Crawler Viscount Anjana? The other topic was something Aldrich had always been curious about. Whatever thing that existed in the material world andcked an exnation excited Aldrich. The same excitement most others of his age got fantasizing sex or smoking a joint. Two of these inexplicable things had be Aldrich''s lifelong ns. Lucidity and Collective Subconsciousness. Not going into much detail, it is crucial to mention how Collective Sub-consciousness had always been a part of Aldrich''s thoughts. He had always wondered how one tiny thought, one tiny action, could bring unknown changes to others around him. When Mr. Ben hade home, painting the same woman Aldrich had sold the item to; the thought that had popped into Aldrich''s mind was also Collective Subconsciousness. Aldrich nodded at the serpent''s words. The white eyes of the mythical creature shed, and it proceeded with the answer. -Consider an ind that represents the entire serpent-like creatures'' Collective Subconsciousness. There is nothing but trees on this ind, and every tree represents the Collective Subconsciousness of a serpent race. I am the manifestation of an entire tree from this ind- ''This...'' Aldrich''s brows furrowed as he heard those words. He understood all that the Fk''s Breath had said. It was the manifestation of the Collective Subconsciousness of all real "Fk''s Breath" creatures that existed in the Gxy. But then, wouldn''t the Mythical Serpent Vritra be a tree on this ind, too? How was it possible for one tree to have authority over other trees on the same ind? Questions after questions were eating Aldrich. But he had only two questions remaining. Sigh! Aldrich let out a sigh and knew what question he must ask, otherwise taking this risk wouldn''t be worth it. -My second question is, what is the rtionship between you and Vritra- Hisssssss!!! This hiss didn''t have any meaning. It was more like an angry grunt or the serpent''s way of scoffing at something. The colossal serpent in front of Aldrich closed its eyes for a moment and hissed out. -God or not, you are a schr, human. You must have heard of Parasitic nts in nature- A thought struck in Aldrich''s mind, but the serpent''s eyes snapped open and continued. -Vritra is indeed, as you have guessed by now, another tree on this ind. But HE can parasitize another tree. And the only reason for it to not infest the entire ind is that there are over one such parasitic tree on this ind- ''So this is how it is... Even if Vritra has authority over many serpents, it doesn''t control all. There are more mythical serpents like Vritra who control a part of the entire serpent race.'' Aldrich''s mind was like aputer, structuring and analyzing all the world-shaking information he was getting out of Fk''s Breath. In the back of his mind, he was apprehensive about the price he would need to pay for these answers. But to him, these answers were worthy of any price paid twice. The reddish-brown serpent came forward and almost leaned over Aldrich. It was like an entire ten-story building was about to fall over him. Its forked tongue came out, vibrating the space around Aldrich, and made hime out of his stupor. The serpent hissed and again rows of words formed in Aldrich''s mind. -Some things are better left unknown. The consequences of not realizing this will devastate you, human. Now ask your third question. I can''t maintain this state any longer- ''So this is it...'' Aldrich thought to himself. What was to be his third and final question? Aldrich had many questions in his mind that this serpent could answer. But at the top, there was a question that had recently surfaced. What was the thing behind the gargantuan crack in space that was sucking all the spirits? Aldrich knew it was rted to the King or even King himself from the way Maya was kneeling, but what was that rustling sound? Why the need for such a big fissure? Aldrich opened his mouth, but this question didn''te out. The serpent''s warning couldn''t help but keep repeating itself in his mind. Aldrich gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. A smile came upon his face and he asked. -My third question is... What is the rtion between DARKNESS and TIME?- -HAHA! Good Question, human. It...- The serpent was about to reveal the mystery which had stroked Aldrich''s heartstrings many times. Suddenly, two hands came out of Aldrich''s blurry shadow and grabbed his ankles. Sha''s shout echoed in his mind at the same time. "DADDY... DADDY... I found... it... COME!!!" Aldrich''s eyes became red and blue in anger, and he let out a cry. "Sha?! NO!!! WAIT!" But... Sha was an obedient child. She was told that the most important thing was finding the serpent with the Darkness Attribute and eating it. Even the eyes of Fk''s Breath widened as it saw Aldrich getting pulled down into his own shadow, still shouting bloody murder. "SHAAAA!!!" Chapter 250: The Rise of Shadow Homunculus (1) Chapter 250: The Rise of Shadow Homunculus (1) "AUNT!!!" The finger-length fairy materialized in the Queen''s chamber and dropped Bouda on the floor. The moment her feetnded, the bloody figure of Bouda lunged at the towering Queen Eluned standing a few feet away from him. Eluned''s eyes had gone red from the sheer raging Manaing out of them. But her wrath wasn''t pointed at Bouda. As Bouda ran towards her, shouting maniacally, she stumbled and fell at Eluned''s feet. The Queen''s feet were bare, but they were so clean that not any footwear could enhance the beauty they had about them. "Humph!" Queen Eluned harrumphed, and with her breasts heaving up and down, she jerked her finger at Bouda. A green wave of Mana, like an immense waterfall, covered Bouda, healing all her wounds and fatal injuries. s, even Queen Eluned and Bouda knew these injuries were nothingpared to the word Fallen in Bouda''s Record. Bouda, with her face down, again shouted. "Aunt! You must save him. Save him..." Eluned raised her brows and scoffed. "Heh! Do you think I got you out of there without a price?! Do you have any idea who IT was there? Do you think you could even leave that ce if IT didn''t want you to?" "This..." Bouda snapped her head towards Eluned, hearing these questions. Her face had be an incarnation of horror. A sudden terrifying thought came rushing to her, and a rough voice came out her throat as he stood up, holding Eluned''s hand as if in a trance. "After so long... Aunt, after so long, I saw a hint to get her back..." Bouda''s eyes looked into those of Eluned''s and brokenly continued. "... If you can only save one life, then let me go back there and bring him here alive." * Sha ran through Shadow World like a child after an ice cream truck. Her hand was grabbing Aldrich''s ankle, and as he couldn''t move, his entire body iled around like an exaggerated cartoon figure. The shoutsing out of his mouth werepletely ignored by drooling Sha. Aldrich could feel there was only one thing in her mind. "Daddy... food... will... get away." "SHA! LET ME..." This was the limit to which he could shout in the Shadow World, anymore, and it would feel like something had permanently glued his teeth. Aldrich was truly angry this time, less because of Sha''s behavior, and more from her timing. He was just about to learn something which had perplexed him for a long time. And though Aldrich would never mind finding this answer out by himself, he wasn''t on Barren Earth anymore. Any and every mystery could be another irresistible and indefensible weapon in his hands. When the time woulde, it wouldn''t matter how he had got his hands on that mystery, to begin with. Aldrich''s white eyes fumed in sheer fury when Sha stopped and peeked her head out. Soon she pulled out Aldrich and let him fall at the top of the steep rock. Before doing anything, Aldrich took a big step towards Sha and spoke out through gritted teeth. "Sha... Exin yourself." Sha''s eyes were wide, looking in a certain direction, but it seemed she had too sensed the anger in Aldrich''s voice. Sha pouted, and giving Aldrich an innocent look, she replied. "Ah?! Exin... what... Daddy?" From the way she kept looking down, avoiding eye contact with Aldrich, it was clear that Sha knew she had something wrong again. Aldrich lifted the Pir of Footprints, making Sha flinch, and just as it seemed Aldrich was about to smash her head, he gently tapped it on her forehead. "I lost an enormous opportunity, bigger than this task." It seemed this gentle tap and Aldrich''s calm words were enough to make Sha cry. Her blue eyes became teary, and her nose became watery. Sha massaged her forehead and pointed at Aldrich before shouting out. "YOU... Daddy... you... never tell... Sha... anything. How... Sha know... by... herself... Sniff!" Sigh! Aldrich sighed, seeing this tantrum, and with this sigh, he let go of all the pent-up anger. The point was, he needed to make Sha understand her fault. If every time she kept letting her hunger get the better of herself, then it would harm her and eventually Aldrich''s ns, too. Aldrich shook his head and took a nce at his surroundings. Whoosh! Swashhh!!! All around him was ayer of a turbulent sea. Waves, hundreds of meters high, were crashing on the rocky ind Aldrich and Sha was standing on. There was nothing in sight farthest into the dark horizon. In the sky, there was still a blurry hint of the moon, and serpents getting pulled were few and far between. The ind they were standing on was like a congestion of many massive rocks, forming a hill. Suddenly, when Aldrich was still taking in all the terrain and its potential use for the uing fight, everything went blurry in his eyes. His footing slipped, but before he could fall, Sha lunged at him and held him up. "DADDY..." "Tch!" Aldrich somehow stood up, and he could feel the strength leaving his legs and his entire body as if someone were sucking it away. His Divine Sense was only a few minutes away from running dry, and after that, it would be a blessing if could even open his eyes. "How much longer..." Aldrich asked, almost leaning on the tiny frame of Sha. Her eyes had be dry from the sudden shock and the traces of extreme worry couldn''t be hidden any longer. Sha slowly brought Aldrich near to a rock and made him lean on it. She looked towards the east and pointed in that direction. "Daddy... there... 15 seconds." 15 seconds weren''t much, but it was enough for Aldrich to do little things. He sent a trace of Mana into the FIR and took out many HP, MP, and SP potions. Gulp! Aldrich poured all of them down like water in his throat, and as he felt some vigoring back to him, he saw a fluctuating silhouette in the distance. Even before the full image of this serpent could be seen by him, Aldrich felt a wave hitting his face, lifting the corners of his lips in an evil grin. This wave wasn''t wet, and it wasn''t the foaming water of the surrounding sea. This wave... was the wave of Darkness. Chapter 251: The Rise of Shadow Homunculus (2) Chapter 251: The Rise of Shadow Homunculus (2) Hisss!!! A hiss resounded throughout the humid night sky over the sea, darkening all dark blue waves crashing over the rocks. The breath of sea entered Aldrich''s nose, making him remember countless poetic verses. His urge to write something kept increasing by seconds, same as his urge to draw that point of light that he had buried deep within his heart some time ago. s, this wasn''t the time to act on those urges. This was the time to help Sha devour the Collective Sub-consciousness of an entire serpent race. Huuuuu! Aldrich opened his mouth and sucked a deep breath into his lungs. BOOM!!! A boom rang out in his mind, shaking every organ, every vein, and all blood in his body. For research, Aldrich had tried all kinds of drugs on animals, humans, and himself, too. The first thing he had felt that came close to those feelings was the process of evolution. But even then, those ecstatic moments couldn''t bepared to what Aldrich was feeling. Aldrich felt as if someone was injecting his body with adrenaline. Injections after injections, pumping him to the full and beyond. Crackk! Aldrich made a fist and all the rocks on the ind cracked. The burst of Manaing out of him pushed Sha away. His hairs iled upwards, disregarding the erratic howling winds over the sea. And as it seemed this would make him burst, Aldrich saw the silhouette taking a form hundreds of meters away from him. It was a serpent, and unlike its brethren, it wasn''t overly long, only a few dozens of meters. But this wasn''t the thing that had caught Aldrich''s attention. It was the serpent''s body. It was dark, almost dark enough for it to not reflect any light. The only thing Aldrich couldpare its body to was like a child had drawn a line on white paper with a ck crayon, rough along the edges and coarse. Its eyes were ck, its forked tongue was ck, and ck was the straight horn over its head. The tip of this horn was like the point of origin, sending out waves after waves of Darkness, making Aldrich''s entire body throb with pleasure. This was the serpent Aldrich was looking for. The serpent who could use the Domain of Darkness. This serpent was... DARK HORNED BASILISK The Bringer of Darkness. Aldrich remembered its name and felt himself getting stronger. The weakness that he had just felt moments ago receded like a toxic ex-wife after iming alimony. Aldrich extended his hand out, and the Pir of Footprints in his head elongated, widened, and shed goldenly. And his eyes couldn''t help but fall on the changing stats hovering in front of him. [... Presence of Darkness confirmed... Activating Title - Spawn of Darkness... Record of Aldrich Attributes --> Strength: 165 (+55) Defence: 163 (+54) Agility: 165 (+55) Vitality: 150 (+50) Perception: 460 (-200 +330) Correspondence: 187 (+62) ...] For a moment... For an incredibly brief moment... A fraction of a second... And for less than a short dying breath... All things became inconsequential to Aldrich. He felt like a lone bird, flying through the expanse, feeling every strand of wind. If he wanted, he could change this wind, and if he wanted he could break apart this space. Aldrich had already lost 200 points worth of Perception because of the Laws'' fluctuations happening around him. But the Spawn of Darkness had the authority to double his Perception in the presence of Darkness. And only Aldrich had Perception high enough for it tond beyond the 400 even after losing more than half of its max value. 400... Aldrich had once experienced the power of this figure before. No control, just raw power. In one breath, he had annihted a Viscount Ranked Crawler. Aldrich felt the tiniest perception of water drops, dust, worms, and the Devil''s tattoo controlled by the Dark Sapling in his forehead''s depth. In a buried voice, words came out of his mouth, which he hadn''t said in a long time. "CHANGE! TARGET LOCK!!" [... Agility: 274 (+55 +46 +63) ...] Just as Aldrich felt his legs thrum with excitement, Sha plunged in his shadow as if following an unspoken order. Swoosshh!!! One moment Aldrich was standing over the ind, and in the next moment, he appeared under the belly of the serpent. It wasn''t the One Step Shunpo, but his Agility was iprehensible in such a short distance. The serpent had sensed Aldrich, but the pull from the crack in space on it was strong. Strong enough for it to not care about any surviving insects flying here and there. Aldrich pointed the Pir of Footprints towards the Serpent''s dark, scale-less belly, and spoke out. "... Expand!" BOOM!!! This ce wasn''t the Great Hall of the Manor. Here no one was a Marquess, no one was a Duchess. Here, Aldrich could let himself loose with no concern in his mind. At this moment, this ce was just another Dungeon for Aldrich. The Pir of Footprints hit the Basilisk''s belly, and even the fissure''s pull wasn''t strong enough to prevent the serpent from going up towards the sky. Hissssss!!! A mad hissing sound reverberated, but to only Aldrich, this hiss made any sense. -INSECT! YOU DARE!!!- But neither the Pir nor Aldrich cared for this hiss. The spirit wriggled, churned, trying to get itself off the strange staff''s effect of taking it to the sky, but it was to no effect. Another hiss came out of its mouth, and it looked down at Aldrich''s figure bing smaller and smaller. -Insane human, this is your doom... DARKNESS DOMAIN ETERNAL MAZE OF HORRORS!!! - The serpent opened its mouth wide, showing the rows of dark dagger-like teeth. And just as the hiss vanished, a pir of dark me came out of its mouth. It was like an incredibly wide column of water, but its color was entirely dark, like hasty lines drawn by children. This dark pir struck Aldrich straight and engulfed him. The Pir of Footprints shortened, making the serpent let out a condescendingugh. -Hahaha! Fool tried...- But before the serpent could finish its sentence, two figures appeared above and under its mouth. At the tip of its horn stood Aldrich majestically, holding the staff like a spear in his hands. And under its mouth hovered Sha, with a dark heavy sword. "Ancient Relic..." "Stone Splitter..." The pair of father and daughter chanted and brought down the seasoning on their dinner. TATHAGATA BULL RUSH!!! MEGATON CRUSHER!!! Chapter 252: The Rise of Shadow Homunculus (3) Chapter 252: The Rise of Shadow Homunculus (3) BOOOM!!! ... Shake-Shake!!! Sha never had a Rank, even though she technically was an Item. From Common to Viscount, she had devoured many Items, regardless of their nature. But the most destructive and unimaginable thing that she had devoured was a Katana. A Katana called Broken Faith, a King Ranked Item. Just three words and it would have instilled such fear into the bones of a listener, that all life would seem meaningless. Dukes would sacrifice their dearest kin, and Kings would carry out a massacre to get their hands on such an Item. For even among them, King Ranked Items weren''tmodities but blessings. Sha, on the other hand, was a simple child. She didn''t care if the Katana was Ranked Common or even if it had Ranked Emperor, she would have devoured it, nheless. To her, it was just food, given by none other than the one and only person she thought to be closest to her. Her father, Aldrich Guo. To her, everything about Aldrich was paramount. Of course, while doing such tasks, if she could get to eat delicious "food" then she would never shy away. SHAKEEEE!!! The world didn''t cease to shake like a piece of dry bough amid a merciless storm for quite some time. And when it did, a mangled figure of dozens of meters long dark serpent got thrown out. The horn on its head had broken and dangled like a pendulum with a string of flesh sticking at its end. It''s dark eyes felt lost in the darkness of night, and none could tell if they were open or close. The most gruesome was its jaws. The lower jaw was gone. It just wasn''t there anymore. It was nowhere. Only a half part of a forked tongue was dangling out of its bloody throat, and there were two massive holes in its upper jaw. The holes looked as if a massive bull had punctured its skull from outside, not once, but many times, repeatedly. But... This Dark Horned Basilisk wasn''t an actual body, it was a Divine Spirit, a manifestation of the Collective Subconsciousness of an entire race. It didn''t matter if it had been disintegrated to pieces. As long as all Basilisks of the same race weren''t annihted at the same time, it wouldn''t entirely die. Aldrich''s n was never to kill it, to begin with. He appeared on the rocky ind, held by Sha over her arms. His gaze was like a hawk nted on the Spirit''s body. Instead of falling into the sea, the crack again pulled it, making it go towards outer space. The Darkness Domain had vanished, and the weakness that had run away returned, bringing along its wrath. Aldrich''s entire body shook, and he could barely stand on his feet with Sha''s and the Bo staff''s help. Cough!!! A buried cough escaped out from his throat, and along with it sprinkled out drops of blood. "Daddy... Sha..." Aldrich shook his head, hearing Sha''s worried voice. Now remained the most cumbersome task, which wasn''t a part of his n. This pull wasn''t what Aldrich had ounted for. This pull was a variable that Aldrich would have to improvise for. And this pull was great enough to not let Sha devour the spirit in peace. "No, it''s beyond you..." Aldrich walked away from Sha and towered at the topmost rock of the ind as he saw his "prize" getting away from him. Houuu!!! The figure of the spirit passed over Aldrich''s head like a missile, and though weak, a shout of conviction came out of his mouth. "... Sha, Haha! Are you ready?!" Sha''s eyes didn''t move away from Aldrich''s straight back and his long white hair. Her fists were bleeding from her nails digging in her palms. And a gritting sound kepting out from her mouth as her teeth rubbed against each other. Two drops of soundless tears streamed out from the corner of her eyes. And as she plunged into Aldrich''s long shadow, she replied. "Always..." A smile came upon Aldrich''s face. The mask on his face was like a Devil incarnate, but under it was the same man. Aldrich Guo, the oddest creature living among themon people of a town called Leavenworth. A son, a friend, a schr, and now a... Sigh! Aldrich looked at his Stats, almost all of his Perception had run out. The moment it became zero, he would have to make a run for his life from the impending mutation. This was the moment where all his ns and all his struggle would culminate to. Things had been bing rough and out of his hands after Chaos'' arrival. But if Sha could devour this Spirit, then all the lost lives would have a meaning to him. All beings that had died, or had suffered worse, won''t be in vain. Aldrich brought his hands together and touched his palms as if praying to someone. As he closed his eyes, Sha''s memories of the Devil, towering on the Pir, came running to him. Although there was a difference between that Devil, wreathing in anger, and this Aldrich, the essence of the urgency was the same. Cough! Cough!! Two more coughs, two more showers of blood, but the smile on Aldrich was getting bigger and bigger. And just as the Basilisk was about to go out of his reach, words came out of his mouth as if stating the basicw of nature. "All things in the Universe cower before my might... ... ABSOLUTE PULL!!!" Banggg!!! The serpent''s body jerked as if a loaded truck had applied an emergency brake. The Pulls were so great that its body stretched out in a straight line, and its pitch ck muscles got ripped apart. And the sight of its long body, hovering in a motionless state in the sky, felt like an enormous painting. "Aaahhhhhhhh!!!" Aldrich let out a shout, and the veins on his face bulged up. The Rumok on his right hand kept shing from blue to green and then again. And then again. Rumok was like pressing a switch. The Almighty Push and Absolute Pull were also instantaneous. To fight off the Pull from the gargantuan fissure, Aldrich had to keep using the Absolute Pull, time after time. The moment he would stop activating it, the serpent body would go out of his range, and his Perception would also run out for him to go after it. And this activation depended upon Aldrich''s speed of thinking. This sounded simple. Only Aldrich knew how many times, in a single second, he had activated the Rumok for it to make the serpent hover at a single position. This was a task almost no Dreamer in this Gxy could do. For it required one to fulfill many conditions. A mind trained for millions of millions of years. A Will, so strong, that it wouldn''t break down from concentration on a single thing for long enough. And a ss called Generalist. Blood came running out of Aldrich''s nose and ears, and through his eyes, Aldrich saw a blurry figure of Sha appearing over Basilisk''s body. Sha was a tiny child. Her face was an imitation, her hairs were an imitation, and her pearly eyes were an imitation. But the sense of urgency Aldrich felt, which wasing out of her through their shared bond, wasn''t. Sha''s entire body turned into a blob of shadowy mass, and from this came out a mouth so big that it even shamed the serpent at which it was pointed. "Arghgghhh... COUGH!!!" Blood came showering out of Aldrich''s mouth, and almost everything became ck to him. He could never sleep, he could never lose consciousness, but he could die. Just as his hands separated and fell on his sides, Sha appeared behind him. A broken voice came out of her mouth as she held Aldrich in her arms. "Daddy... we... did... it. Sha... ate... ate... Sniff!" ''Haha! Was it delicious?'' Aldrich asked as he saw his Perception was on itsst leg from dying awaypletely. This wasn''t a loss of HP or SP, there was no potion to refill it. Aldrich could hardly lift his lips, much less speak out the words. The question that he had asked was just a share of feelings from him to Sha. Though stiff, Sha let out a smile and nodded her head. "Umu..." ''Take out Swordfish. Let''s get out of this ce for now.'' A dark spaceship appeared near the pair just as Aldrich asked for it. Sha lifted Aldrich and dragged him inside the spaceship. Aldrich took out a spare Baron Mana Core and threw it in the hollow opening of the panel. [... Mana fuel epted State the coordinates for the space jump... ...] Aldrich put the coordinates of the El Cid Dungeon which he had got from Undead Gary, the Viscount he had killed, outside the dungeon. Sha put Aldrich on the pilot''s seat. As Aldrich saw the notification of coordinates getting confirmed, the entire spaceship lifted and hovered in the sky. The familiar countdown appeared in front of his half-opened eyes, and finally, Aldrich took a breath of relief. [ 4... 3 2 1 0 ] ZzzzzzooooooM!!! The bill of the swordfish poked the space, making spatial winds and thunder seep out of it. And leaving behind the mutated world, it entered the Void like a ray of light. But... Unknown to Aldrich and Sha, just as the Swordfish broke into space, a hiss came out of the crack in the space outside the. Apparently, this loss of one spirit got detected sooner than Aldrich had thought it to be. It was all dark within the fissure, and aside from the asional rustling sound, it was silent as the emptiness of space surrounding it. To the horror and terror of all beings that had already been mutated, a giant snake-like pupil appeared behind the fissure. This pupil was a slit made of ck glossy rock, within which fire raged out likeva streams. And it nted its gaze on the hole that was getting closed behind the disappearing spaceship. The pupil soon disappeared, and when it seemed like that was it, a chaotic form came slithering out of the fissure. It was like a serpent, but there was no actual body to it. There was no actual color, no actual form. It was just a mass of chaotic information, almost transparent. But the feeling of doom it carried with it was as real as it could be. Within a fraction of a second, this chaotic serpent reached the hole before it could vanish, and entered it. Huff! Huff! Inside the spaceship, Aldrich was taking a deep breath of air from time to time. Sha was sitting beside him, her blue eyes nted on Aldrich''s tired face. Aldrich looked down at her and spoke out in his mind. ''It''s ok now. Send me the memories of Marquess Nichs and whatever you can get out of the serpent''s spirit.'' Aldrich had been dying this transfer of memories for a long time. This memory transfer not only took time but also made both Aldrich and Sha vulnerable. He could not take a chance like that. Even Sha, after devouring the serpent, had yet to digest its memories. Sha nodded and was about to first deal with Marquess'' memories when she jumped to her feet like a cat. Aldrich nkly looked at Sha. He could feel nothing because of the loss of Divine Sense. But even then, what could havee after the Swordfish which had used the Skill Light-Year Blink? Aldrich didn''t have to wait for long to find out the answer. Tak-tak-tak-kat-kat!!! Sha''s teeth ttered, Aldrich''s heart skipped a beat. For the first time, Aldrich was seeing terror written on her face. Sha slowly turned her head and looked into Aldrich''s baffled eyes. Time seemed to slow down as her right hand reached towards Aldrich''s left hand. Aldrich didn''t know why, but he also somehow managed to unfurl his fingers and grabbed Sha''s wrist. BOOOM!!! The entire spaceship fell apart, and Aldrich hovered in the Void. Thunder roared all around him, and spatial winds howled in the distance. Aldrich tightened his left hand''s grip on Sha''s wrist, and his eyes fell on the chaotic serpent in front of him. This serpent was like an infinite rope, whose other end couldn''t be seen anymore. Aldrich''s entire body shook as he felt the same Chaos out of it, which had made him almost mutate outside the Earl''s manor. Its entire body was like an amalgam of chaotic information, which was about to lunge at him and Sha, devouring both of them in one go. ''This...'' Aldrich wasn''t as clueless about it after seeing it. He immediately realized why this abomination hade behind them. He looked at Sha, who was also looking at him, and he realized he had miscalcted. Yes, Aldrich had miscalcted, or it would be right to say that he hadn''t calcted far enough. He knew that after losing a part, the owner of the spirit mighte after him. And so he had made a n to fight any being of the level of Divine Spirit Vritra. But when no one came, even after Sha had devoured the Basilisk, Aldrich didn''t wait for anyone, either. He had never thought that the Being behind the crack would realize the Basilisk''s absence, and send this chaotic serpent to get it back. Aldrich would have definitely known this if he had heard the answer to his third question. Then, he wouldn''t have tried to make Sha devour this Dark attribute serpent. Just as the chaotic serpent was about to devour both of them, Aldrich shouted in his mind. ''SHA! SHADOW WORLD!!'' Crackkk! A bolt of lightning passed by them, and Sha plunged in Aldrich''s shadow, taking him with her. There was no other opening in the real world anymore. But Sha didn''t care. With Aldrich''s hand still grabbing her wrist, she randomly dashed in a direction as fast as she could. And kept going faster and faster. Hisss!!! Thump! This sudden hiss made Aldrich''s heart thump, pumping blood, which had settled down after resting in the spaceship. In the Shadow World, he was even more useless. Aldrich couldn''t even turn his head back, but from the way Sha was gritting her teeth, he could tell IT was just behind them. IT was slithering towards them, and with every breath, IT wasing close. ''Sha... Sha, listen. The Scroll, throw the scroll at it.'' Aldrich sent out his thoughts, making Sha lose her momentum. This was the trump card Aldrich had nned for anyone that hade after him to im the spirit. s, he had never thought it would be another KING himself. A ck scroll appeared in Sha''s hand. And without waiting for Aldrich''smand, she threw it at the head of the chaotic serpent, only a few meters away from them. As the scroll unfurled, a majestic golden shine came out of it, making Aldrich squint his eyes. Every cell in his body wanted him to kneel and submit to this golden shine. The Pir of Footprints in his right hand thrummed with excitement, leaving his grip, and Justice prevailed in the Shadow World. Hissssssssss!!! The chaotic serpent hissed out and collided with the scroll head-on. BOOOOM!!! The scroll exploded out in countless blobs of shadowy mass, along with the head of the serpent. Aldrich, in awe, saw as the entire body of the snake disintegrated, covered in a golden shine. "Wooohooo... Daddy... the best." Sha let out a victory shout, raising her other hand, and a smile too came upon Aldrich''s face. Life was like this, sadness and grief for a moment, and then joy and happiness for another. But this cycle was unceasing, and it must go on. The smile on Aldrich''s face was genuine, but it vanished as soon as it had appeared. In the distance, as thest traces of the previous chaotic serpent disappeared, three more creatures came into the Shadow World. Both Aldrich and Sha became quiet and even forgot to run. Sha silently turned around, and with Aldrich''s head still pointed in the serpents'' direction, she dashed away. s, this time, there were no more of those scrolls. Although Sha had devoured it, once destroyed, it would take her time to bring it back into the world. And this time entirely depended on the level of Item she had devoured. Hiss! Hiss!! Hisss!!! Ignoring Aldrich, these serpents passed by him and coiled around Sha, like ropes. Bang! Sha''s entire figure jolted as if she had struck face-ward into a wall. The serpents pulled her back towards the opening Sha had created toe into the Shadow World. And along with her, Aldrich got pulled, too. "Daddy... Daddy Don''t let go..." Tears and snot came rolling out of Sha''s eyes and nose. Even Aldrich didn''t notice how she had spoken three words in a row. In his mind, there was only one thought. ''I should leave her. It isn''t the time for me to face a King. I can use more Exp to make another Shadow Homunculus.'' But despite these thoughts, the grip he had on Sha''s wrist kept tightening. "Daddy... Daddy... Please don''t!!" Sha kept shouting out. Her other hand became a Bazooka and fired many rounds at the snake, but there was no effect. Her hand became a dark Katana, but though its sharpness cleaved into those chaotic serpents'' skins, it couldn''t sh them apart. ''It''s just an Item. I am a Schr, Psychologist, and a Researcher.'' Aldrich thought, but his teeth had already ripped off his gums. His eyes were bleeding from the pull he was exerting on Sha, and his head was throbbing from the angering out of his pores. It was a struggle. It was a struggle between a Polymath, and... a father. Hisssss!!! "Daddy... don''t let... go. Sniff! Daddy... I won''t eat much... Just... just a little." Haha... Aldrich let out augh... not in his mind, not out of his mouth, but in his heart. Sigh! ''Yes, I...'' "Daddy..." ''Yes, I won''t let go of a member of my family. I will never.'' In the dark Shadow World, the father and daughter looked at each other. The three chaotic serpents were like metallic chains, pulling them, jerking them. But among these jerks was a smile on their faces. Buried under the tears, Sha looked into Aldrich''s white eyes and nodded. "Umu..." Things had suddenly changed in the perspective of all those who were watching this scene and reading about it. Sha wasn''t just an Item anymore, and Aldrich wasn''t just Sha''s owner. Those who would threaten a person Aldrich cared for would vanish. Those who would harm a person Aldrich cared for would disappear. And those who would touch Sha would cease to exist. ''DEVIL... ARISE!!!'' Houuuu!!! A sinister wind howled in the Shadow World, and a dark opening appeared beside Aldrich. Deep inside this opening, two golden points of light shed, and augh came out, shaking Aldrich to his core. "Heh Heh HAHAHA! You have gone soft. Now, pay the price for these useless emotions." Aldrich fumingly gazed as the words echoed about him. The opening vanished just as mysteriously as it appeared, leaving behind the hint of that cruelugh. "Daddy... Sha..." Sha was almost getting crushed by the snakes, and as she saw this scene, she looked at Aldrich. Her broken words rang out, but Aldrichughed and let go of his anger. ''Don''t worry, Sha. Daddy is still awesome... ... RECORD, I, the GOD OF WHITE AND BLACK, on the authority of my status as a Legend, request to sacrifice all my Skills, Levels, and Ranks, for lifting the seal on Broken Faith.'' A hole opened up on Aldrich''s forehead, and the blurry image of Dark Sapling appeared behind him. Except for his ss-specific Skills, all Skills vanished one by one. Target Lock, All Proficient, World Scorching Dual Devastation, none remained. Such was the case with his Passive Skills, too. But as the turn of Shared Vision came, a red notification appeared in front of him. [ERROR] [ERROR] [... The Will of the OLDEST ONE has negated your sacrifice... ...] ''No... NOOOO!'' Aldrich felt... he didn''t know himself what he felt then. Sha gave him a gentle smile. As she saw her legs going out of the opening, she bit down on her lips. "Daddy..." ''Sha SHA! DON''T LET GO!!!'' "Daddy... hehe! Daddy... Take care..." ''SHAAA!'' "Daddy... Sha I I love you..." Sha''s hand in Aldrich''s grip twisted, and as Aldrich saw her getting ripped away from his grip, leaving behind nothingness, a scream came out of his mouth. "SHAAAAAAAA!!!!" * Rise... Rise... Rise... Who would be the one to tell Aldrich? Who would tell him that none in this universe could rise without falling first... -------- END OF VOLUME 2: THE RISE OF SHADOW HOMUNCULUS Chapter 253: Four Seasons (2) Chapter 253: Four Seasons (2) Autumn A season whose namecks the weight its brethren carry with them. It''s subtle, and its entire existence can be summed up in the words, temporary and transition. But then why those who had survived a hundred winters, long for autumn, more than they yearn for summer. Tak-Tak... Tak... Riding the Qilin, Ling Huang kept going forward on the slithering path beside the river. The hooves of Qilin, who was named Lin, seemed out of rhythm. The air had gone cold, and the water felt chilled even from afar. Ling took a conical paddy hat out of his torn old bag. As he wore it, to thwart the asional cold gusts of wind, he looked back and imagined seeing a field where a little girl was ying with her father. Hee-Grrr!!! Lin''s grunt made him look forward again. It was just moments ago, but Ling was already missing the warm summer he had left behind. The yfulness of the spring had vanished, and the energetic summer had run away with the disappearing sun. "The town ising..." Ling Huang muttered. His hand went to the cyan parasol on his waist, and as he traced its lining, he spat out. "I hate that town." Heeeee... The Qilin let out a noise, agreeing with its master. As the reddish sky on the horizon almost turned gray, Ling saw the first tree on the path. In the freezing air, the lone maple tree was like a guard, weing the travelers. Its hunched boughs were like an old man, and the shade of yellow and orange on its leaves was like his humble smile. Ling remembered that this lone tree symbolized one more thing too. He turned his head left and saw the river parting away from the unpaved path. His eyes squinted, remembering for how long it had apanied him on his way to the town. It almost felt like an eternity. "But now the river must part..." A stabbing pain shed through Ling''s heart, hearing his own words. But it was not all gray and dull in the distance. Ling peeled his gaze off the river and saw the yellow gleaming lights where the path almost seemed to disappear. Those lights were like the countless fireflies, flickering with joy, and dancing theirst dance. Tak-Tak-Takk... As the pair approached the arched door of the small town, the Qilin''s footsteps hurried instead of slowing down. No guards were preventing them from entering. The path which had brought Ling and the Qilin to the town, parted the town in two parts, and it would also lead them out of it. The entire path was lined with shops and restaurants on both sides. And the hustle and bustle was too loud for the sounding off the Qilin''s hooves to be forgotten. The light of countlessmps was in their prime, but even then, it didn''t seem they wouldst the entire night. Ling held the front of his conical hat and nted it forward, almost hiding his face. But how to hide a creature who looked exactly like a donkey? The people of the town weren''t rich, but they were colorful, both in their thoughts and creativity. Men were wearing short tunics, and women had longer versions of the same. The colors were so many that it felt as if the entire autumn had left nature and hade to the town, hiding from the outside cold. Buzzz... Just as Ling and his Qilin entered the thick of the market, running from town''s entry to its end, the crowd buzzed up with murmurs. -Isn''t that ''Him''... -Hey, listen! Isn''t that Li... -No! Shhh! We don''t take his name here... -Ah! He is that odd one right?! He returned... Ling''s lips were pressed. His thoughts were stale, and the Qilin''s footsteps were hurrying, every passing second. "Just a little longer..." Ling bbered under his breath. "Lin... hurry..." Just as they covered half of this suffocating distance, a bowl came flying out of a restaurant and hit Ling right on his head. Bang! Crunch... The bowl broke apart on the impact, and its content washed down from his head, seeping through his hat. A stream of hot soup reached Ling''s lips, and he felt the sweetness of freshly made snake soup. But this wasn''t the end. Many such bowls came flying out of all the restaurants he passed by, hitting him all over. Phut! Thud! Thup!!! -GET OUT!!! -HE DARE COME AGAIN!! -GO AWAY!!! Shouts after shouts came out from the owners and passers-by alike, scorching Ling more than the boiling broth of soup. Heee-Grrr! Qilin let out another grunt, making Ling snap his head up. Just a few hundred meters away, he saw the door outside the town. The twomps on it were about to die, and beyond that high door, there outlined steep and thorny mountains. A wave of relief washed away Ling''s mixed feelings of rage and regret. Slowly but surely, Ling and Lin neared the door. A more dreadful pathy ahead, but this time, neither Ling nor Lin wanted to look back. Just as they were about to step outside this town, a sweet sound came from behind them. This sound was like the broken strings of a zither, vibrating in the remembrance of its previous glory, mncholic but profound. "Leaving? Without saying goodbye..." Thump! Ling''s heart skipped a beat. His teeth rubbed against each other to bury the pain which was about to spurt out of his chest. Sigh! With a sigh, Ling stepped off the Qilin and turned back. A few feet away from him, there stood snow. Yes, he could call her nothing but snow. White beyond any whiteness. She wasn''t tall, and her age had yet to reach a point for her to be called a woman. Her hairs were white, signaling the approaching winter, and her eyes were blue, telling the story of summer''s skies. She was wearing a white tunic stitched together with a white long skirt. "You didn''t have toe..." Ling spoke out, his face still buried under the hat. The white garbed beauty took a few steps towards him and lifted his hat. Her eyes stared up into Ling''s ck pupils and she giggled. "Hehe! And yet here I am..." " Yes. And yet here you are..." Ling nodded, a hint of a smileing onto his face. But then a gust of chilly wind came from behind, riling up their long hairs. This coldness seeped into his bones, making him remember the time. The night was approaching, and he must go on. Ling''s hand reached to the girl''s head, and as he patted her silky white hairs, he mumbled out. "I... I must go now." The Qilin reached up to him, and though reluctantly, Ling snatched his hand away. The pair stepped out of the high door with the hooves of Qilin, leaving a heavy impression on the road, heavier than they should have. Ling could feel a warm gaze nted on his back. The white garbed girl ran up to the door but stopped at its edge as if she was bound to this town and couldn''t leave. A shout came out of her mouth, rocking Ling in his ce. "Ling!! Will... you return?" Two streams of tears escaped from the corners of Ling''s eyes. He didn''t look back, but the icy wind brought his words back to the town, like a never-ending echo. "Always" Tak-Tak... Tak-Tak As the path kept leading Ling towards the high mountains, he looked up and stared at the empty sky. "Ah! Autumn hase, where are the crows... Ah! Autumn hase, where are the summer lores... Ah! Autumn hase, where are the jackdaws about... My heart yearns for rain, but where are the autumn clouds..." ... Such... were the adventures of Ling Huang in his Autumn. Chapter 254: 3 News Chapter 254: 3 News A point of light was flickering into the immeasurable space, letting out a burst of lights from time to time. And just a few meters away from it, another point of light was heading towards it, with a steadfast conviction. The intensity of lighting off this second point of light was almost the same, but it''s flickers seemed more sinister. These points of light were the two gxies named Milky Way and Andromeda. The Milky Way Gxy was as silent as it had been since its formation. Stars were forming and dying, letting outbursts of a supernova. Yet from an outsider''s perspective, all was mute. And why wouldn''t it be? Any sounding in and going out was getting filtered by the transparent film covering the entire gxy. But even after this film''s presence, things and a few strange beings kept seeping in and out of the Gxy. The Dukes, patrolling the edges of four separations and the gxy, were always in search of these abominations. Contrary to the choking silence outside the film covering the gxy, there was an uproar within it. The reason for this uproar was three-way. The first news that had taken every Dreamer at and above Viscount Rank by surprise was rted to a tournament. A tournament that would be held on a gctic scale. It won''t matter if one was a member of ancient Houses, normal families, or a runt of society. All would be eligible to test their might in this tournament. The exact details and timings of this massive tournament had yet to be conveyed to the Dreamers. The only thing that could be said with certainty was that none above Count Rank would take part in this. But the most outrageous were the rewards of this tournament. Even if one was to disregard the responsibility that would be given to the selected winners, an official rank within UGF would be worth the trouble. Not all had a House behind them, providing them potions and Items, necessary to survive every Random-Allocation. And in return, handling newbies from Barren Earth seemed nothing. Especially when most of them would be turned into Recordless. But many had bigger dreams, and even mightier ambitions. The Ancient Houses knew what it meant to be noticed by a Duke. All nobles had met or seen a Duke once in their lifetime, or at least the lucky ones who hadn''t died on their very first raid. They knew a tournament of this scale wouldn''t happen in a single turn. And it mightst more than a few weeks, spanning many elimination rounds. It didn''t take for these Houses to start strict training of their family''s talents. If only one of the many could reach the final round, it would be like bringing their House in the eyes of the King Ranked Beings. A priceless feat! The second piece of news didn''te as a surprise to Houses closer to the Royal Families. But it shook the Gxy, nheless. The Dukes of the third Kingdom had confirmed that Queen Eluned was harboring a spawn of the Gctic Traitors, iming the child as the daughter of her elder sister. The rumors of her "niece", and now dishonorably discharged Bouda, using the Divine Spirit Golden Luan, had been found true. The waves upon waves of rage that had gone through themon people and Dreamers alike was deafening. All the three Kingdoms had asked for an ount for this heinous crime from the Kingdom of Life-Authority. And it didn''te out as a shock when all Kingdoms sent dignitaries to pressure Queen Eluned to hand over Bouda to them. All weren''t quite in favor of the Queen within the Rhiannon Royal Family, too. Even though there wasn''t another Duke who was close to bing a King or Queen. The talks of usurping the current Queen were prevalent enough for them to reach themon people of the Kingdom. There were even more rumors. A rumor stupefying enough to shock the nobles. It was spread from mouth to mouth, whispering in ears, that the ancestors of the Royal House were considering Bouda''s public execution. An execution that would finally make them wash away their hands from their troubling past. The third news wasn''t as widespread as the previous two. But those who had heard it found it the most baffling of the three. Exactly one week ago, a House of the Kingdom of Swordless got ambushed by the Hallowed Phantoms. Now, the Phantoms kept causing these troubles throughout the gxy. But what stood out in this event were the persons involved. To start with, there was the Head of the House, who had ranked up to be an Earl. Then there was the Marquess called the 10th Sword of The Imprable Shield, Harold Sindri. But that wasn''t all, as there was a third Marquess. And even though he wasn''t as strong as Marquess Harold, he was a Retd Commander of UGF and had an Ancient House behind him. The official statement that hade out was that both the Marquess had sacrificed their lives. And with them, they had taken down everyst wretched phantom they could. The shower of medals on thete Marquesses could have drowned any high-ranked Dreamer in shame. Up to this, it wasn''t as mind-blowing. It wasn''t the news but the facts hovering at its edge that had made all hearts pound with curiosity, fear, and... terror. When the teams of lone Dreamers went to the, called VR-252, hoping to scavenge, they ryed what they saw from one to the other. And it didn''t take long for this horrifying story to reach all the dirtynes of the Kingdom. The, also called Rosalia, was gone. Yes, it just wasn''t there. Like a ghost, it had disappeared from its known coordinates. When these scavengers let the UGF and Kingdom know of this, force after force of Dreamers came to scour the entire sector. But they couldn''t find any hint of its movement or any fluctuation of Mana. Even in a Gxy, where Bloodshed had been ravaging lives of all beings since time immemorial, the vanishing of a of this size wasn''t amon sight. Chapter 255: Emptiness Chapter 255: Emptiness Dark Everything was dark around Aldrich. It wasn''t the Darkness Aldrich had a mastery of, but the word "dark" suited more to this Shadow World. In the vast space, Aldrich hovered motionless in the same state as Sha had left him a week ago. Unknown currents kept sweeping him away to distant regions of this dimension. It wasn''t the wind, but more like a river under a river, with its own flow and direction. There was no way for him to resist it, and he didn''t want to, either. Aldrich''s eyes were wide open, but even if they had been closed, it wouldn''t have changed anything. Except for the sense of passing time, Aldrich couldn''t feel any presence around him. Even his pupils hadn''t moved from one corner of his eyes to another. They were nted dead on his Record, and the stats it contained. [ Record of Aldrich Time Left: 4 months Status: Cursed Level: 1 (0/100 ExPs to next level) HP: 2063/2063 SP: 2200/2200 MP: 3935/3935 Rank: Common (Fallen) ss: Generalist, Blessed Schr, Spawn of Darkness, Dream Necromancer Title: Enemy of the Crawler, Divine Rumok Engraver Attributes --> Strength: 110 Defence: 109 Agility: 110 Vitality: 100 Perception: 330 Correspondence: 125 Unassigned Attribute Points: 0 Active Skills --> 1. Metacreativity: Lvl Max - upgraded (Baron) 2. Arise: Lvl 1 (Viscount) Skill Points: 17 Passive Skills --> 1. Shared Vision Equipped Items --> 1. Sugaar''s Disco Ball ] All his Active Skills, including the mighty Banish, had vanished. All his Passive Skills, including the crucial Intimidation, had vanished. But even after getting the Error, and failing in sacrificing it, the RECORD didn''t refuse to take away what Aldrich had already promised to give to it. Bypassing Shared Vision, his levels vanished one by one, and along with them went his Ranks. Even after using Metacreativity, Aldrich had never once lost his Rank. Ranks weren''t as easily essible as the levels. A massive amount of time and ExPs were needed to invest in them, much less needed to be said about the risk of Dungeons. Even though his Attributes showcased the same values, Aldrich didn''t know what might be wrong with them, nor did he care. The entire week, Aldrich''s eyes hadn''t moved away from the missing equipped Item from his Record. The Shadow Homunculus had vanished from his stats. To say it was a baffling case would be an understatement. The mask that Sha had devoured was still on his face. Aldrich could feel with a thought he could ess all the Items that had been devoured by Sha, too. But if he could or couldn''t... what of it? It didn''t matter anymore. One week wasn''t long, not nearly long enough for Aldrich to lose his sanity within this Shadow World. Yet, he wanted to go out. Every second passed here meant Sha was getting away and away from him. The possibility of even losing the mask was there, but Aldrich wanted to go out. And the reason for this incredible urge kept echoing in his ears. "... Daddyyy..." Thump! Crack!!! This wasn''t the first time this sound had reached Aldrich''s ears. This also wasn''t the first time his heart had almost pounded out of his chest, and nor was it the first time his teeth got cracked in sheer rage. Aldrich had been in this world for the entire week, making him regret his inability to master the Law of Shadow sooner. This sound wasn''t like a shout. It was as if he was hovering within a thick forest, and buried in the surrounding trees was Sha, calling for him from time to time. So close... and yet so far. Despite the bubbling rage and destruction, Aldrich was calm. Calm enough to analyze what had gone wrong in his calctions, and when. From the very first time he had appeared outside of the Dungeon, Aldrich kept scanning all the things he had done so far. All persons he had met, and all actions he had taken. Every time, his thoughts kept bringing him to the time when the Devil had brought down the illusion of the Dream Origin World Tree around the. From what Aldrich knew, the Devil didn''t need to do so. Even with the help of NAMES, it could take care of Marquess Nichs. Aldrich''s heart had already been taken over by the momentary Greed when the Devil used that strange world-epassing Skill at that time. And when Aldrich came out from the clutches of Greed, he didn''t think of the reason behind the Devil''s actions but only the consequences. But for the entirest week, Aldrich had thought of this reason more than millions of millions of times. Ultimately resting on one conclusion. That Skill had done nothing but bring Chaos on the and its beings. That was the beginning of it all. That was the reason for everything. And that was the precursor that had made Aldrich''s n deviate from its intended path. One Devil''s Thought Infinite Emotions did nothing but make the conditions ideal for a King to descend. But... why? Most of the Dreamers in ce of Aldrich would have worried about "how". Aldrich, however, knew that under that ck mass of Darkling and evil thoughts was another Aldrich. It wouldn''t have been an arduous task for the Devil Aldrich to hide his intentions from the current Aldrich if he wanted to. Aldrich was concerned about this "why". Why would the Devil let this happen to him? Why would he call Chaos on the? And why would he let Aldrich''s n go awry? Aldrich knew himself, and he also knew he wouldn''t do anything without a profit. But even after contemting this for a week, he couldn''t find any profit for the Devil Aldrich to do so. The Aldrich of now... couldn''t find an answer to these questions. "... Daddyy..." "..." Aldrich kept staring at the vanished Item in his Record, ignoring the big numbers that hovered therecking substance. The tips of his fingers on the left hand kept throbbing. His palm had gone cold, and the muscles in his left hand had rxed. All things had a reason for their current state. But the schr of today couldn''t find the reason for this emptiness in his heart. Chapter 256: An odd Separation Chapter 256: An odd Separation The Milky Way Gxy was divided almost equally between the four kingdoms. But even among them, the Kingdom of Life-Authority had an upper hand in terms of territory. Despite that, the other kingdoms had never made an advance in the fourth quarter. The reason was simple. This extra territory was useless. Useless because it didn''t have any Mana. This useless territory was known throughout the gxy as the Forgotten Realm. And the Dreamers, frommon to nobles, wanted nothing but to let it remain forgotten for millenniums toe. Even if one were to ignore this stretch ofnd, all the Kingdoms had their own secret regions, almost inessible to the Dreamers of weak hearts. Only those whocked morals, or had enough strength to roam alone and didn''t worry about betrayal, could venture into these regions. But talking about those regions would be the matter of some other time. The point was, all Kingdoms though different, shared many things inmon. They had a different culture, but a shared history. They had different Gods, but a shared fear. And they had a unique power, but the same origin, MANA. The Noble Houses of the Kingdom of Divine Beast were masters of transformations Skills based on mythical creatures. These creatures could be their summons, they could be the Divine Spirits unique to their Houses, or they could be blood-based, the most feared of them all. The thing that needed to be noted in this strange and distinct way was the presence of the BEAST SEPARATION between the first and fourth kingdoms. This thing didn''t stand out at one nce, but it became more apparent when one read about the data on all kingdoms together. Why go further, when one just needed to take a single step forward to look at the second Kingdom? The Nobles of the second Kingdom, the Kingdom of Eternal Servant, were odd. Odd in how, unlike the Dreamers of the first Kingdom, who relished in their savageness, the second quadrant''s prime power relied on prayers. It also didn''te out strange, after knowing the above, that these Dreamers preferred to call themselves priests. Frommon to the high-ranked Dreamers, all considered themselves equal under the all-seeing eyes of the Oldest One, the one and only true GOD. But again, the thing to be noticed among these facts wasn''t the state of Dreamers, but the separation between the second and first quadrant. The CELESTIAL SEPARATION. A pattern seemed toe out when one looked at how these separations had influenced the culture and thinking of the first and second quadrant. And if one were to follow this pattern, one could guess the state of the third Kingdom, the Kingdom of Swordless. Between the second and third quadrant of the gxy was the separation where everything was chaotic. The number of Dungeons within this separation was so huge that none could tell if they were for the Dreamers or just for the sake of filling up the space. The count of Dungeon breaks in this separation surpassed almost all othersbined. This separation was none other than the DEATH SEPARATION. Based on the previous two cases, the Dreamers of the Kingdom following this separation must be masters ofbat. They must have a deadlybination of Skills and Items, working in synergy. In sheer lethality alone, they must surpass the Dreamers of all other kingdoms. And this was indeed as guessed. The Dreamers of the Kingdom of Swordless were considered to have the most fatalbination of Skills and Items. And the number of Gene-based Skills within every generation of Ancient Houses almost tripled the average of other kingdoms. Shocking! Right?! But IF there was a pattern, so astounding, then what was wrong with the fourth Kingdom? The Kingdom of Life-Authority didn''t have any overly powerful Dreamers. They weren''t masters of using beastly transformations, nor could they get blessings from strange GODS. What they relied on to survive was Mana. The nobles of the fourth Kingdom were almost schrly. They gave much importance to knowledge and its applications, rather than brute strength. But the Dungeons and RECORD weren''t merciful. One needed an ample amount of Skills to survive every other Random-Allocation. And this power came to them in the face of summons. The schrly Dreamers mastered summoning rare Mana-based creatures, varying from the oddest abominations to the exquisite fairies. All their Skills were in tune with their summons, and all their Items were just to assist the summons, too. It didn''te as a surprise when the Dreamers who couldn''t achieve greatness in the rest of the kingdoms came flocking into thep of the Kingdom of Life-Authority. To most of the Dreamers who didn''t have any House behind them, it didn''t matter how power came to them. It all boiled down to the result. But it made the count of Dreamers within the fourth Quadrant shoot up like the highest peak of a mountain. And along with it manifested the cruelestpetitive spirit of the Gxy. With all this information avable, anybody who had a hint of the brain could guess that the fourth andst separation should have been in tune with the abilities of Dreamers of the fourth kingdom. It should be rich in spirits, Mana-based creatures, and different attributed Crawlers. But here the pattern failed, and it failed badly enough to even make one doubt their intelligence. For even though there was a harmony between the name and nature of this fourth separation, it had nothing to do with the Kingdom of Life-Authority. The name of this separation between the third and fourth Kingdom was WINTER. Like a lone leaf torn out of a four-leaf clover, it stood out like a thorn in the gut of this pattern. One could have even given this bizarre name a meaning if other names of the seasons could match somehow to the rest of the three Separations. But they didn''t. Not one of the BEAST, CELESTIAL, and DEATH were remotely close to either of the SPRING, SUMMER, AND AUTUMN!!! Chapter 257: A move well-played Chapter 257: A move well-yed Shadow World One month had passed since the events of Rosalia. In one month, Aldrich realized many things that he had overlooked because of his unusual state. Although the single word still echoed in his ears and mind, like an ending agonizing call, Aldrich hade to terms with it. No matter how much Aldrich had cared for Sha, no matter how much he wanted to go after her, nothing could actually make him a normal human. Aldrich hadplete control of his impulsiveness, and he also knew when to let go of this control. The only point was, aside from his family and Boomie, Aldrich had never found a cause justifiable enough for him to lose this control. The first thing that Aldrich analyzed was the word Fallen. There was a Fallen status marked in front of his Common Rank. The same word was marked in front of Maya''s Rank, and if his theories were right, Aldrich believed that even Bouda''s Rank must have fallen, too. The horrifying thing was that Aldrich was sure if he wasn''t young enough, he might have died the moment his Rank changed from Viscount to Common. Even though death had a different meaning to him, there was always a hint of doubt in his mind. An apprehension towards that Being behind the Veil. If it was possible, Aldrich never wanted to go there. But there were things he could only do in that almost timeless ce. Like understanding and contemting Laws and schemes. And now he had got another reason to not go there. Aldrich couldn''t afford to die casually with Sha being out there, in an unknown ce, and into the chaotic hands. ''Broken Faith'' Hmmmmmm!!! The space vibrated around Aldrich. A vein from his mask left itself and reached to the palm of his right hand. But as it bloomed, there were no signs of Dark Katana. This wasn''t the first time Aldrich had called for this weapon of mass destruction. Aldrich had called out to almost all Items Sha had devoured, but only Broken Faith didn''t show up. Thest time he had seen the sword, it was in Sha''s hand, shing into the skins of those Chaotic Serpents. Even for the creatures made of Laws, the Katana had proved that there was no match for its sharpness. ''Tch!'' Aldrich scoffed, getting the same result. He had already sacrificed his precious Skills, Levels, and Ranks to RECORD. And even though the Will of the Oldest One had negated the sacrifice of Shared Vision, the RECORD had devoured everything. Even in those desperate moments, Aldrich''s mind was calctive enough for him to sacrifice everything to RECORD. Not to the Being behind the ck Veil, like thest time. Aldrich was worried that "HE" might not ept this sacrifice, which included Shared Vision. But Aldrich never thought that "HE" could also prevent Aldrich from sacrificing Shared Vision to someone else. This gap in calction had cost him everything. Aldrich knew the Sword must have gone through changes, even if it hadn''t got its original Rank back. The only thing Aldrich could say with certainty was that RECORD, like all these strange Beings, believed in a principle of equivalent exchange. If RECORD had epted his sacrifice, the Rank of Broken Faith must have increased, but by how much, he didn''t know. ''It''s time Someone should havee by now'' Aldrich thought, staring dead at his Record. The third thing was like a safe n Aldrich had prepared for himself and Sha. A backup n which was instantaneous enough for it to not get impeded by anything. This backup n included the Duchess who needed Aldrich more than he needed her. When Aldrich had left Bouda, there were manyyers for him to run away by himself. He could have assisted Bouda better than anybody if he wanted to. But though Aldrich didn''t know that his ns would go awry in the future, Aldrich always nned many moves. One such n was to deal with a situation where he might be caught by Marquess Nichs if thete Retd Commander had some trump card up his sleeve. Aldrich knew that there was a Queen behind this Duchess, and their rtionship was closer than everyone thought it to be. Aldrich was smart enough to realize this from her presence on the Rosalia. Every action of his in front of Bouda would be described to Queen Eluned, eventually. But a Dreamer, favored by Darkness, wasn''t enough to catch a Queen''s attention. That''s why Aldrich had nned a game to y with Marquess Harold. That''s why he had let Marquess Harold go alive, even though he had meant to deal with him. He knew Bouda would be shocked to know that a mere Viscount could outsmart a Marquess, a Head of an Ancient House. And Aldrich wanted nothing but to make Bouda pass this shock to the Queen. A Viscount who had an Ancient Relic, who had the favor of Darkness, and who had the means to outrun a Marquess, was a box of secrets unto himself. To top that, her niece wanted Aldrich more than anything. If the Queen won''t help him after hearing all that, then who would. So Aldrich was waiting. He was waiting for someone toe and take him away from this choking atmosphere, which he hated so much now. Though the emptiness was eating him, and the feeling of doing nothing made him grit his teeth in anger, he waited. Thrummmm!!! Suddenly, the entire world surrounding Aldrich shook. A portal seemed to open, unseen to Aldrich, a few dozen meters away from him. It was as if someone had dug a hole in the space of Shadow World. It was entirely ck, and a tunnel could be seen within it, leading to unknown locations. Meow!!! The sudden catlike meow echoed, making the corner of Aldrich''s lips lift just slightly. A creature came out of the portal, resembling a ck cat. The only thing odd about this creature was its tail, which was like the tail of some extinct Sauropod dinosaur. The ck cat tilted its head and stared at Aldrich with its back eyes. Meow!!! With another meow, its long tail coiled around Aldrich and pulled him into the portal. And just as the portal was about to close, the Pir of Footprints came rushing and plunged into the portal, following Aldrich. Chapter 258: Fallen Chapter 258: Fallen "Burdened by their existence, pained by their emotions, and longing for their thoughts; Worse than the Cursed are those called Fallens." * Bang! Aldrich got thrown out of the tunnel-like a shadowy portal. As his head banged on an unknown object, ast glimpse of the creature came to him. The cat had its head peeking out of the tunnel, and it''s dark shadowy eyes were staring at Aldrich. Meo?! Another meow came out of the creature, and with it, the portal vanished into thin air. Thud-Thud-Bang!! Aldrich rolled down on the floor, and the Bo staff fell beside him, bringing down with it. Aldrich was about to lift himself from his sprawled position. But just as he tried to move his muscles, waves of excruciating pain washed over him, drowning him in the depths of a sea of pain and agony. "ARGHHHHH!!!" Aldrich couldn''t help but let out a scream, rocking everything around him, shaking all fibers and dust particles. For a moment, Aldrich felt as if he had returned to Rosalia, without the covering of the fluctuations of Laws, and many thorny abominations were trying to burst out of his skin. All over his body was an itch like someone was sticking needles out of him from inside. His hands reached to his head, but this action was like thest straw. "Ugh!!!" Aldrich wriggled like a headless snake, but his mind was already racing, trying to find any reason for this pain. Atst, Aldrich again returned to his motionless state that he had been in the Shadow World. Huff! Huff!! Aldrich''s breathing was rough, but his body seemed petrified. His chest didn''t heave up and down, his nostrils didn''t re, and his mouth was closed. This control was unprecedented, but not to a being like Aldrich. Slowly, but steadily, Aldrich moved his eyelids. The pain that was contained within him waited as he had waited for someone to take him out of the Shadow World. The pain waited for Aldrich to take a wrong step, and then it would again engulf him like the maw of an enormous beast. But he didn''t give the pain any chance. After a full hour, Aldrich opened his eyes. A full hour just to open his eyes?! To others, it was just a wasted time, but who in this gxy could bear the pain which would have killed anyone ranked lower than a Count? With his white eyes bing red by seconds, Aldrich stared at a white ceiling. In one nce, he could tell that he was in a small room from the ceiling''s dimensions. But other than that, he couldn''t find anything. He dared not tilt his head, and he dared not use his Perception. Within one hour, Aldrich had found out the possible reason for this pain. If he was right, then it wasn''t some aftereffect from staying within the Shadow World for too long. It also wasn''t a side-effect of getting contaminated by any mutation after fighting off the Chaotic Serpents. It was his own Attributes that were doing this to him. ''I am fucked'' Yes, what Aldrich thought was indeed true. If there was any truth in his calctions, then he was truly fucked. What Aldrich hade up with was simple. ording to him, every Dreamer started with basic Stats, and this was a fact. But almost none thought about why it was so. Especially if one was to consider all the Attributes. If stats were a mirrored projection of Dreamers'' lives, analyzed by the RECORD in their dreams, then how to exin Perception and Correspondence? An athlete would have higher Agility, Strength, and Defense than a person spending all-time at home, doing nothing. Then why did even their Perception and Correspondence differ? Aldrich had found many written hypotheses, telling him that Perception was based on Intelligence. But as intelligent as he was, Aldrich didn''t believe it was the only factor. The only thing he could say for sure was that those initial stats were more like a safe lock for the Dreamers rather than assisting them. Otherwise, why RECORD would have brought the Dreamers out of that "Dream" at Level 1 and not zero. Aldrich had asked this question many times to himself. And found only one exnation. It was to let their bodies adjust to the changes these Stats would bring upon them. Aldrich''s current state was like an overdosed junkie. His own Stats were trying to rip him into pieces. His Agility was shredding his muscles, Strength was crushing his bones, and Defense was giving him phantom pains. But the worst among them was Vitality, which was like a life-saving elixir turned into a fatal venom. Aldrich hadn''t found out how his Perception and Correspondence would affect him. But he wasn''t eager to find it, especially when his own Stats were trying to make his existence disappear from this world. And IF he was right, then dying won''t solve it, too. He would return to the same body, having the same Stat, and having a Fallen Rank. ''Sigh! What to do'' Aldrich asked himself, but then suddenly a voice reached him, from the distant shores, and crossing countless worlds. ... " Daddy" Thump! Thumpp!! Thumppp!!! "HAHAHA" Crackkkk! Aldrich let out augh and jumped to his feet. All bones in his body cracked, his muscles ruptured, and the pain reached a level which he hadn''t experienced even in the presence of the Banished Golden Devil, a Great Old One. But theugh didn''t go away, the same way as the damped voice of Sha, which had just echoed in his ears. Aldrich put a hand on his stomach and keptughing like a maniac. " Hahahaha" Thoughts didn''t know when to stop, wounds didn''t know when to heal, and the heart didn''t know when to let go. Only theugh kepting out of his mouth, like a never-ending waterfall. "Hahaha" Aldrich''s hands fell to his sides as he straightened his back. Cr-rr-ackkk!!! The corner of his lips arched up, ignoring the torn muscles and peeling skin. Broken words NO! Simple truth came out of his mouth as he remembered those blue eyes. "What to do?! Humph! This pain is nothing" Chapter 259: Mass Illusion Chapter 259: Mass Illusion Like a motionless statue, Aldrich stood in one ce, letting the pain coursing through him sink in. The words he had just spoken were yet to die away, and the damped voice he had heard was yet to return to the embrace of this world. The only thing that was different about Aldrich after standing up was the constant sounding out of his body. Rippp! Pop!! Chirrrkkkk!!! Hidden under the cover of his Devil''s Aura Greatcoat, his body didn''t show the changes it was going through. The mask hid his face, leaving the hint of bloody eyes to seep out from the eyeholes. Only the part above his wrists was in contact with the open-air, giving a chance to let others see his current state. s, there was no one there to see that mind-numbing scene. After a few seconds, Aldrich nodded to himself and turned his head from left to right to look around. It was a small room, as he had already guessed. There was one bed, one table, and one chair. Well, the chair was already shredded to pieces by the Pir of Footprints, which was lying under the table. There was a simple cupboard and wardrobe opposite the bed, but it was empty. There was a simple door too, which wastched from inside. Yet, none of this was surprising enough to Aldrich, not more than the things ced over the table. There were two pairs of white jackets and pants ced neatly there. There wasn''t any hint of creases on any of them, and in one look they looked like a uniform rather than casual clothes. Under the table there were two pairs of white shoes, just waiting for Aldrich to wear them. Whoop-Whooooop!!! Over the clothes, there was a ck ball hovering in the air. From time to time, it kept letting out rhythmic sounds as ifst traces of water were getting drained out of a bathtub. Aldrich was quite familiar with these types of ck balls, and it would be better to say almost all Dreamers were familiar with these ck balls. These pitch-ck balls, as Aldrich had found out, were tiny wormholes. And they popped up in front of every Dreamer within a Dungeon as rewards. ''Hmm'' Aldrich let out a grunt, guessing what could this be, and took a step towards the table. Rippp!! Cr-ra-ckkk!! Cruchhhh!!! The skin on Aldrich''s hands peeled off, his fingers bent at an uneven angle, and one of his knees crushed under his own weight. But in the next moments, all injuries were healed because of his tremendous Vitality. Yes, for a Common Ranked Dreamer, it was indeed tremendous. This Vitality was high enough for any other Dreamer, fallen from Viscount to Common, to beg for death. This healing power, along with this unbearable pain, was the most toxic thing in this world for Aldrich right now. But Aldrich didn''t stop. Step Step after step, he kept losing his muscles. He kept getting his bones crushed, and with his tendons dangling out like some butchered meat, he kept getting healed. Aldrich extended his hand, his eyes almost dead, and touched the ck ball. Contrary to his expectations, there was no notification from RECORD. The ck ball disintegrated and a cuff-link appeared in its ce. The cuff-link looked glossy gray from the angle Aldrich was looking at it. As the ck ball around it disappeared, the cuff-link fell on the white clothes under it. But this time, Aldrich could see the Stats hovering over the cuff-link, telling Aldrich its function. [ Item: Djedi Cuff-link Imitation Type: essory Rank: ??? Durability: 500/500 Minimum Usage Condition: Perception 100, Correspondence 100 Description: An imitation of the cuff-link made by one of the greatest magicians surpassing the boundaries of time Item-specific Skill: Mass Illusion Item-specific Skill consumption: NA Item-specific Skill''s Detail: Dreamer can ovep any false image over himself, and his Items without losing their intended functions Warning: The Mass Illusion will disappear once the cuff-links are destroyed Warning: While remaining in close contact with another Higher Ranked Dreamer for long, the Mass Illusion Skill will fail ...] This wasn''t the first time Aldrich had encountered an Item without a Rank. The first Items Aldrich had used were also simr to this cuff-link. Unlike others, Aldrich didn''t get any starter Item from RECORD. And buying Items from Dreamers, which they had got from the Dungeons, wouldn''t have worked because of theck of Proficiency Skills. At that time, Aldrich had gone with the most basic thing he could do. That was to use his money like water and pour it into buying Items made by other Dreamers. The Mana Grenades he had amassed for his first raid also didn''t have any rank. They were just a product of someone''s Skill. It was like using a crude version of Aldrich''s Metacreativity. These Skills used by others needed many raw materials, blueprints based on the original material, and had many limitations. Such as this cuff-link which had such a big discrepancy between its Durability and Minimum Usage Condition. If Aldrich wanted, he could have made a much better Item than this. But with all his ExPs gone, he doubted if he could even make an Item of this quality anymore. Aldrich stared at the shiny Item and thought. ''What does "She" want from me'' At one nce, Aldrich could tell that the purpose of this Item wasn''t to enhance him in some way. It was just a way for the giver to tell him that Aldrich would need to blend him into the world outside this room. And that included hiding his Mask, his Ancient Relic, and his appearance. Cr-rack! Aldrich reached out to the cuff-link, but before his fingers could touch the Item, his forearm broke in half in between. Aldrich stared at his forearm, as the cracked bones started to heal as soon as they broke. There wasn''t any painful grunt, nor was there any furrowing of brows. If there was any stabbing pain, it was buried deep within him, like a volcano hidden under the depths of an ocean. And there woulde the time for its eruption, bringing with it a devastating fury. Chapter 260: A new world Chapter 260: A new world Ripp!!! Aldrich picked up the cuff-link and scanned it using his Divine Sense for anything that could make him doubt the intentions behind it. Even though the unsaid instructions were clear, there was no way Aldrich was going to put something on him which hade from unknown origins. Especially when there were pretty good chances of that origin being a Queen. Aldrich nodded to himself and put the Item back on the table. The Rumok on his right hand shed, making the white uniform hover in the air. As the two pairs of clothes fell outstretched on the floor, Aldrich stared at them closely. The clothes werepletely white, except for a symbol on the jackets'' chest pockets. It was a simple ck triangle, with a ck dot in it. Aldrich didn''t recognize the insignia. Even with his knowledge, there were countless things he wasn''t aware of and had yet toe in contact with. But he could confirm that these clothes were indeed a formal dress of some organization. Cr-rack!!! Aldrich crouched down and traced the material of the clothes. ''Hmm?!'' Although, clearly these clothes weren''t Items, as given by theck of any Stats over them. Aldrich could feel Mana embedded in every fiber. After giving it a thought, Aldrich could onlye up with one exnation. Either these clothes'' raw material was the hide of Crawlers or beasts, or they were part of something big. And that something was tracking these clothes by the presence of Mana within them. Aldrich''s mind leaned towards thetter exnation more than thetter. ''... or maybe abination of both?!'' Crack! As Aldrich''s ring fingers broke, he stood up and looked at the greatcoat he was wearing. These weren''t real clothes, to begin with. The ck greatcoat over him was the solidified Devil''s Aura. This aura had little defensive properties. Its only use was to let Aldrich seep out Devil''s intent, making anyone below his Rank shit his pants. ''Now that I think about it I never used armor'' Houu!!! As Aldrich thought, the surrounding space rippled. A sinister wind came out of nowhere and howled around him. The greatcoat, which was lifeless just a moment ago, wriggled as if countless worms were slithering within it. Rip-ppp!!! Just as the muscles in Aldrich''s chest ruptured, an evil grin surfaced on his face. Bang! The greatcoat exploded in thick ck gas, and a hint of Aldrich''s innards could be seen from the gaps it left behind. But the gas didn''t stay away from Aldrich. It fell back on his skin, hiding the gruesome scene taking ce under it. In ce of the greatcoat, a ck covering materialized on Aldrich. It was like a skin-tight swimming suit that swimmers wore to reduce drag. It almost looked as if Aldrich''s skin itself had be rubbery ck. ''Hmm this will do.'' Aldrich looked at his right hand and nodded to himself. There were three things that Aldrich wanted to aplish through this uncanny suit. Foremost, it was to hide his Rumok. Even though Aldrich hadn''t found anyone who could understand it, he also knew that people around the Queen would be an expert in Mana-rted things. There were enough secrets he had let out already, and if this were toe out as well, then Aldrich would feel himself nothing but naked. ''Now unless someone who has a mastery of the Law of Devil tries to find it, none will know what happens under this ckyer'' Aldrich again said to himself in his mind. It was better for him not to speak unnecessarily. His tes were already full of other things. Crack The other thing was to dampen this sounding out of his body. Even though Aldrich could ovep the injuries and broken bones with false images using cuff-links, the sound wouldn''t go away. What would happen to his disguise with him letting out a weird clicking noise almost every two seconds? Aldrich looked down at his broken corbone protruding out of his body. But the tight ck suit didn''t let it go away and held it in its ce. This was the third reason for him to change his loose greatcoat. Aldrich hadn''t wanted his bones to dangle outside his body while walking around, painting everything in blood red. There was an untold fourth reason, too. This ck rubbery skin reminded Aldrich of somebody. A being important enough for him to give this strength to bear this pain. The same strength with which he had sacrificed himself outside Earth for his parents, with no concern for the consequences. The Rumok on Aldrich''s hand again shed, but except for a buried blue-green hue, no light came out of the Devil''s aura clothing. One of the white jackets and pants got pulled towards him, along with the white socks. Just as Aldrich put them on, the surrounding Mana rippled, making Aldrich''s hand go towards the Pir of Footprints. - Hello Hello Mic check, Mic check. Yeah, it''s working. All candidates, listen up! The exam will start shortly. Please leave behind your luggage and all other unequipped Items in your rooms, and gather in the Instruction Hall. Make sure you are wearing the uniform given to you. Otherwise, let''s just say, something bad will happen- There wasn''t any tone to this announcement. It felt like an AI, but Aldrich was almost sure it was a female behind that Mana-run microphone. ''Am I being jumpy?!'' Sigh! Letting out a sigh, Aldrich put the cuff-link on his left sleeve. As he felt his connection with it, he activated the Mass Illusion Skill. First, the Devil''s Oldest Change on his face disappeared. Then his white eyes became ck, and his waist-long white hairs shortened to his shoulders. The Pir of Footprints in his right hand became a fancy gray and ck walking cane, giving it a stony feel. But Aldrich didn''t change his face entirely, just enough for anyone to notpare him to the white-haired assassin. With all things done, Aldrich closed his eyes. Scenes after scenes from thest month kept shing through his mind. And the same echoing call kepting back to him, like a song on repeat. Taking a deep breath, Aldrich snapped his eyes open and walked towards the door. Crack! The bone of his lower leg broke, but the use of "cane" didn''t let him falter. As he opened the door, there was just one thought in his mind. ''I must visit a few pitiful Bosses soon'' Chapter 261: Repetition Chapter 261: Repetition This This This This This This -Writing two same words back to back can bore a writer. Reading over three of them can make a reader lose interest. The human mind is not tuned to handle the exhaustion hidden behind the concept of Repetition- Schrs, regardless of their origins, found out about these facts in mundane daily activities. Daily sweeping, eating the same dull porridge, reading unchanging texts, and watching the same stars bored many to their deaths. But in these repetitive tasks, schrs saw a Way to train their minds. With time, these daily chores became a form of meditation. The same things that bored others became a powerful tool in the hands of practitioners. Weak hands that swept the floor became the hands of destruction and creation. The tasteless porridge that didn''t bring vor to the tongue challenged one to see from different perspectives. Unchanging texts paved the way for further research, and some saw the path of Destiny among the twinkling stars. After many years, and theing and passing of many Saints, it became clear that repetition could bring unimaginable changes. But to see these changes, one''s mind needed to be strong enough to not let oneself lose midway. If it was a repetition of sex, one must not have a desire for the climax. If it was a repetition of food, one must not have desires for vors. And If it was a repetition of life, one must not have the desire for immortality. But even after billions of years of chiseling and pruning, one thing baffled Schrs. There was this one thing, the repetition of which had no end. And almost none could hold themselves from giving up on its path. This thing was Pain. Pain was universal, eternal, and relentless. Pain wasn''t a food whose vor felt dull with time. It wasn''t the book that was bound to gather dust if left untouched. Pain didn''t care for one''s feelings. Even if it was repetitive, every pang of pain felt the same as thest. No painsted throughout life, and one lifetime wasn''t enough to know its Way. Then how to meditate over it, and how to train one''s mind to get used to this pain? This question remained unanswered for eons. Then came a family, carvers by profession, who found that it wasn''t the repetition of minor hits that brought the best result on a carving. It was abination of heavy hits and soft hits, in a rhythm, almost as if these two types of hits were alive, in tandem. What rhythm? What heavy and soft? And what does a carver know about pain? How does the hit of a hammer apply to the pain of the body and mind? The outstanding schrs of those times couldn''t understand these simple but confusing statements. And so this family and their findings got buried under the same texts schrs had been trying to meditate upon. But the family didn''t forget. They didn''t forget their profession, this profession''s repetition, and the words of their ancestors. Many generations passed, and when the time came for them to get entirely forgotten by the world, one man came out of this family. HE was also a carver by profession. HE was also a humble man. And HE had found out the Way of those Heavy and Soft hits. The unseen and unfounded scrolls say that there was a Pain in HIS eyes, there was Pain in HIS mind, and there was Pain in HIS heart. HIS eyes weren''t brimming with life, and they were dull and almost emotionless. And when the time came for death, HIS bones were found out to be golden. There was no weapon in the Gxy which could scratch those bones, no Skill that could make a dent on them. Those golden bones became the most guarded secret of that family, who were carvers by profession. And the method they had found became one of the first Gene-based Skills that they passed down from generation to generation. A Gene-based Skill that was almost unknown to all beings within the Milky Way Gxy. A Gene-based Skill called SHINTAI - THE GOD BODY!!! * Cr-rack!!! Aldrich walked out of the small room. Only he knew which bone of his body had just got broken. Only he knew which muscle got ruptured, and which organ got crushed. The cuff-link on his left sleeve kept giving out tiny Mana fluctuations, but they didn''t go out and revolved around him, masking him from the eyes of others. But despite the cuff-link, his eyes were dull, and his mouth was tight shut. The way he leaned over his cane could make one feel as if he had some ailment. And the damped clicking sounding out of him felt like the ttering of his teeth. Aldrich found himself in a corridor, filled with many young and old people walking hastily to his left. They had the same clothes as him, and most of them had at least one small creature on them. Some were tiny bluebirds, some creatures were rat-like, and some looked like two-headed dogs. Aldrich was gazing at this scene when a roaring sound rang out in his ears. "Oi, you. Yes, the one with the cane. Tch! Didn''t you hear the announcement?!" Aldrich slowly looked to his right and found a young maning towards him withrge strides. His hair was brown, and his eyes were ck. There was no hint of any hair on his face other than his long eyshes and thick brows. ''A Baron?!'' Aldrich felt a ferocity on his face, and from the Mana fluctuations, he could easily tell his Rank. The Baron Ranked Dreamer approached him, making all others lose their momentum to watch what was going on. Aldrich noticed that though this man had white clothes, the same as his, the triangle insignia over his left chest pocket had two dots within them. On the right side, there was an insignia of a three-headed lion, adorned with a red scarf, in a majestic, roaring posture. "What are you gawking at, candidate? You are supposed to" The young man was about to reprimand Aldrich when his gazended on Aldrich''s chest. Aside from the triangle insignia, there was no other thing on Aldrich''s white jacket. Augh came out of the young man, full of mockery. "Hahaha! No wonder One more scum hase to test his luck." Chapter 262: Advice Chapter 262: Advice Hahaha The brown-haired man''sugh and words were like a virus, making almost the entire audience let out an infectiousugh. Aldrich noticed, though many were genuinely letting out a scoffingugh, some Dreamers didn''tugh at all, too. And like him, they also didn''t have any insignia other than the triangle with a dot. With their heads down, almost hiding from the squinted eyes of theughing ones, they kept moving on. Aldrich said nothing. He leaned over his cane and turned to leave. "" All theughs died suddenly. The Baron narrowed his eyes, and like an apparition, he appeared in front of Aldrich again. -Whoa!! -That speed!!! -Amazing The crowd buzzed up with murmurs filled with awe, making a smile surface on the Baron''s face. Aldrich lifted his face and looked into the eyes of this man, who, for unknown reasons, just didn''t want him to bear this pain in peace. "Generally, I don''t talk to your kind. But you are giving me a foul vibe. What''s wrong with your eyes? Are you on MTD?!" Aldrich''s eyes were dull ck as if there was mud in his eyes. They were glossy, and his eyelids were half-closed. Even though he had used cuff-link, some truths couldn''t be masked over by any false images. At its core, the Item was just an imitation, to begin with. Aldrich didn''t know what this MTD was. But from the way all faces, almost simultaneously, got taken over by emotion of disgust, he could tell it was some taboo drug of some type. Even before someone could ask him any exnation, curses came flying at him from the mouths of other Dreamers. -Fucking Hell! -Man! A scum and now this -Tch-Tch! Throw him away This was pretty unreasonable. But the one who had said this was a Baron. And he had two dots in his triangle. Aldrich didn''t know the significance of these dots, but even if he knew, what could have changed for him? Nothing. Not getting an answer out of Aldrich, the Baron harrumphed. "Humph! Do you think there is no way to check? Fool!" The brown-haired Baron lifted his hand and reached towards Aldrich''s right eye. For the first time, aftering out of his room, Aldrich''s lips parted. It wasn''t much, just enough for a hint of air toe out of his mouth. But this parting of lips was enough to make the Baron shiver from head to toes. Terror Unimaginable terror... Gulp! The Baron''s hand stopped just an inch away from Aldrich''s eyes, and the tips of finger vibrated like dry leaves in a storm. Simultaneously, Aldrich''s lips stopped, making the young man opposite him take a big gulp. There was a sinister silence between Aldrich and the Baron. None could tell why, but all sounds seemed to have run away as if being scared by something. Something evil, and something devilish. Just as it seemed this silence would engulf them and their soul, a high-pitched shout came out from Aldrich''s behind. "BENJAMIN REES!!! What''s going on here?" The silence broke, and along with it broke the petrified posture of the Baron and others. Baron Benjamin Rees'' hand dropped, and he reluctantly took his eyes off Aldrich''s whitish-purple face. Towards Aldrich''s back, the crowd parted, and a tall beauty walked towards the two of them. She had long ck hair and dark brown eyes. Her lips were cherry red, and her breasts were almost ripping out of the white jacket. Like Benjamin, she too had two dots with the triangle insignia, but Aldrich could feel that she was at least two levels higher than the man. Over her right chest pocket, there was an insignia of an eagle''s image on a round golden shield. "Nellie" Benjamin muttered out, but not before the newly arrived Baron snapped at him. "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" "Ah Sorry! I meant Ms. Nellie, I think this candidate has taken MTD." Tad-Tap! Nellie furrowed her brows and put her arms over her breasts in a crossing fashion. As she came from Aldrich''s behind to look at him, her high heels rang out melodiously. Most of the Dreamers had already lost their soul to this beauty, and their faces became pink and red. Aldrich''s eyes adjusted, and he looked at Nellie. There wasn''t any disgust on his face, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t feel the buried ego in her heart. One word and Aldrich could make her take that ego and pride out on her face. But there was no profit in it. "MTD?! Humph! And when did you be an expert in the field of Mana Apothecary?" "I" "Look at him. His eyes are dull, but they aren''t dted. His lips aren''t dry, and the tips of his ears aren''t blue. These are the foremost symptoms Sigh!" As Nellie kept mentioning one thing after another, all hunched over from here to there and noticed it was indeed as she was saying. Such was the fickleness of hearts. Those whose hearts didn''t know when to take a stand were bound to lose their will on the thorny path to sess. Aldrich shook his head inwardly at this sight. Benjamin''s face became red with shame, but even then, the disgust on his face didn''t go away. Nellie took her eyes off Aldrich and called out. "Benj, I sent you to oversee if all hade out of their rooms, not to make a clown show. ALL OF YOU! Proceed to the Instruction Hall" With this furious shout, all almost ran away like rabbits hearing an eagle''s cry. Benjamin gritted his teeth, and left too, but not before giving Aldrich an ugly look. Nellie was about to go back, but then she stopped, and again looked at Aldrich. She pointed her finger at the insignia on her right breast and said in a prideful tone. " Can you see this? Stay away from anyone who has over one insignia. Few are fortunate enough to receive my advice anyway" Cr-click-rack!!! " Hmm? What is that noise? Are your teeth ttering?!" Aldrich nodded and meekly replied. " I am cold." Nellie jerked her head at hearing this and harrumphed as she went away. "Humph! Whatever Just keep your head down and you will survive." Chapter 263: Ordinary Cane Chapter 263: Ordinary Cane Aldrich slowly but steadily followed the hustling crowd. At every turn, he saw either signposts or a Dreamer above Common Rank, guiding all candidates towards the Instruction Hall. From the way all kept going out of the building, he realized that this Instruction Hall wasn''t truly a Hall. He also noticed that not all the candidates were newbies. There were many Rare Ranked Dreamers, and even though he couldn''t see, Aldrich could sense a few Barons among these candidates, too. Not all the candidates had creatures with them. Among those who didn''t have them, Aldrich had distinguished two groups. One who had their back straight, and the other who had a worrisome look on their faces. ''Hmm, it seems the first group also has those creatures but they have yet to take them out'' Aldrich thought, putting the second group in the category who didn''t have such creatures altogether. There were many things for which Aldrich couldn''t guess anything. Like the triangle insignia, significance of dots, presence of creatures, among many. It was a disadvantage any survivalist faced when thrown into a random environment. Aldrich knew things would be revealed soon, but he wanted them to reveal sooner thanter. The stakes he had put by being here were high, higher than his life and death. -OK! Form a line. All candidates are required to cancel their Summoning and put their Items, if any, in their Inventory- Aldrich adjusted his eyes and saw a woman of average height standing at the end of the corridor. Her red hair was tied in a beautiful fluffy bun, and her ck eyes were full of vigor. Unlike a few two dotted Dreamers standing around her, she didn''t have dots within her triangle''s insignia. Aldrich saw three pupil-less eyes outside the triangle on its three edges. For the first time, Aldrich found something that he had seen before. And probably most of the Dreamers of the Gxy, outside the Barren Earths, must have seen this insignia once or twice in their lives. This insignia belonged to the most venerated organization of the fourth kingdom. An organization that had been standing almost shoulder to shoulder with the Royal Family in terms of respect and honor. This organization''s name was N.I.K.E. With this, Aldrich at least confirmed that he was in the Kingdom of Life-Authority. He also confirmed his theory that there was a woman behind the announcement that had taken ce in that small room. Aldrich cared little about thisdy''s Rank, but seeing that she was just on the verge of Ranking up, he could guess she was the overseer of this event. Aldrich followed the line, and one step at a time, he moved towards the arched door at the end of the corridor. Whenever a Dreamer passed through it, a wave of Mana passed through him/her, like a scan. Aldrich also saw the overseeingdy eying the watch in her left hand. Just as this "scan" gotpleted, a holographic image of the candidate appeared over the watch. Besides thedy, Nellie was standing with some kind of rectangr metallic device in her hands. Just as this holographic image appeared, a card came out of this device. Thedy nodded, seeing the card, and handed the card to the Dreamer. ''This'' In one moment, Aldrich had found out many things from these actions. ''So this is the purpose of these Mana rich clothes'' Indeed, it was as Aldrich hade up with. The closest word to describe this process was Mapping. First, the arched door was scanning the Dreamers and amplifying the result using the white uniform. Then the holographic image was mapped with the stored information in the rectangr device, generating an ID card. Aldrich wasn''t worried about this slight nuisance. He didn''t know why, but he knew who had sent him here. It would be the joke of the century if he was to get apprehended without even knowing the purpose of all this. It didn''t take long for Aldrich''s turn toe up. But within his mind, it may as well havee after decades. Every small step he took brought fresh torture, transcending thest pain which had yet to fade away. Aldrich stood just a step away from the arched door and observed the sophisticated design. Even without knowing the instruments, Aldrich could make a primary list of principles on which this kind of scanning device worked. If given a chance to let his Perception run amok, Aldrich could even find things that even the maker hadn''t thought of implementing within it. But even though he wanted to spread out his Divine Sense, he couldn''t do it here. First, all over the ce, signposts were telling the Dreamers not to use Perception within this ce. It was much like the time of the ceremony. Nobody liked that tingling feeling of some freak eying their inner garments, especially when it came to the matter of girls. Second, and even graver, was the reason rted to his Stats. Aldrich had learned how to bring all his Divine Sense within him, from Sha''s memories of the Devil doing so. But he couldn''t control it. And even if he could, with his half-dead state, Aldrich didn''t know what would happen to him if he was to use the full extent of his Divine Sense. "You! Are you deaf?!" A shout brought Aldrich to his senses, and he found Nellie almost towering over him. Without answering, Aldrich slightly shook his head in response. Nellie harrumphed and continued. "Humph! Then put this cane in Inventory." Aldrich was about to speak when thedy took a step towards him. She crouched and touched the cane before narrowing her eyes at Aldrich. She returned to her position and called out. "Leave it." "But teacher" The teacher gave a harsh look to Nellie, cutting her off. But then her eyes became gentle, and she pointed out. "Always look closely at things before acting on your thoughts, Nel. This cane isn''t an Item. It''s just an ordinary cane." Nellie gave Aldrich a baffled look, finding no sense in having an ordinary thing on a Dreamer. Aldrich nodded at the teacher and walked under the door. Soon a waterfall of Mana fell on him, going through his every pore and sending the feedback. As he saw his holographic image getting formed on the watch, and a carding out of the device in Nellie''s hands, Aldrich thought. ''Hmm! Let''s see what they will be calling me for theing future'' Chapter 264: Childish Chapter 264: Childish ''Ah'' Aldrich let out a relieving grunt in his mind as he took a seat. As expected, there wasn''t a hint of a problem regarding his ID. After Nellie handed it over to him, Aldrich was directed to a bus-like spaceship almost the size of two airnes attached end to end. There were two columns of seats running to the end of this spaceship, and each column had two seats in a row. Aldrich took little time to pick a seat by random, leaving behind a few front rows. He was like an old man on hisst breath. None could tell if he were to close his eyes, then he would ever open them again. The moment Aldrich let his butt touch the seat, he became a statue. Completely motionless, with his eyes closed, and his heartbeat slowing down as if he was in hibernation. The ck Mist over his heart had gone stale, like a moldy piece of bread, after Maya''s Rank had fallen. Though he didn''t need to keep reciting Ancient Sayings anymore, he didn''t know how to get rid of this ck Mist. Not unless he got to know which Law it was based on. The buzz of the crowd kept ringing in his ears as the other Dreamers kepting in, taking their seats here and there. If it wasn''t for his unusual state, Aldrich had already approached someone to have an idea of his surroundings, even if he had to do some maniptions. Though Aldrich was odd, and he didn''t like to talk unnecessarily, it wasn''t as if he didn''t like to talk. Even on earth, after closing the shop, Aldrich always used to roam around in the streets, searching for some foreigner to talk with. The locals didn''t approach him, anyway, leaving him no choice. There were little things outside the close circle of family and Boomie, which was humane about him, and this was one of those things. A hint of a small and elusive smile had juste on his tired lips when a shout rang out in his ears. "Scum! Get up!!" ''Tch!'' Aldrich scoffed in his mind, and cracked his eyes open slightly. A ck-haired and ck -eyed Dreamer stood over him, ring with in disgust. Behind him, there was a brte whose head was down so low that Aldrich could hardly see her nose. He noticed there was an insignia of a purple dragonfly on the man''s right chest pocket, but the girl didn''t have any. There were many seats all around Aldrich that had yet to be upied. At one nce, Aldrich could tell this man must be one of the Dreamers who was standing around him and Baron Benjamin. For this man toe up to him meant he was purposely creating trouble for Aldrich. Aldrich cared little about these weak-hearted beings, but he also didn''t want to make a scene. He decided to give this man a chance and lifted his right hand to point at his right chest. Although Aldrich didn''t have any other insignia, one could see an ID card there. And on this ID card words were shing out like trails ofets. -Name: Tudor -House: NA -Attempt: 1st Simple things, but enough to tell almost all about Aldrich. Theck of a family name was alone sufficient to change the course of many Dreamers'' future. Much less needed to be said about the House name being not applicable, too. Aldrich could also see the name Bolut Rup, written on the ID card attached under the dragonfly''s insignia of the man opposite to him. And unlike his, Bolut''s House name wasn''t vacant. Blood Dragonfly was shing there in bold letters. As Aldrich somehow pointed at his ID card, Bolut let out in a feat ofughter. HAHAHA!! Thisugh made the girl behind him shiver, but not Aldrich. He had heard more sinisterughs, which could make anybody lose their sanity. He shook his head inwardly, seeing the chance he had given getting wasted away. Bolut put an arm around the girl and called out. "Hey guys, did you see?! This scum wants me to say his name." A silentugh passed by all the candidates belonging to the Houses while the one who didn''t belong to any House just looked away. No one wanted to get caught up in a mess involving a noble Dreamer. Bolut knew this, too. He scoffed and spoke with a smirk on his face. "Very well. Let me amuse myself then. Mr. Tudor, with no family name, leave" By the time Bolutpleted his sentence, his eyes had squinted, gaining a threatening look. Aldrich stared into those eyes for a moment, before nodding and picking up the cane. He looked behind and saw an empty seat. Aldrich had just taken a step when Bolut again spoke out in a loud voice. "Mr. Tudor, leave behind your cane. My baby doll has taken a liking to it, right?" Hahaha!!! ''Such childish things'' Aldrich thought as he heard the nobles breaking out in another round ofughter. The girl, almost getting choked by the grip of Bolut''s arm around her, nodded her head in response to his question. But Aldrich could easily feel the emotions going through all the surrounding beings. He could see the hidden cowardice in Bolut''s heart, and the shivering fear in the girl''s. Aldrich stared at Bolut and contemted if he should just throw the cane at him when suddenly a shadow came over him. This shadow also covered Bolut and the girl under it. "Hmm?!" Bolut let out a grunt and turned around, but a white wall hade up in front of him. Aldrich, standing a little away from Bolut, could see that this wasn''t a white wall but a man''s waist. He and Bolut, almost simultaneously, looked up. Unlike Bolut, whose eyes didn''t move up from the empty right part of this man''s chest, Aldrich saw the menacing look on his dark face. The man had brown grizzly hair and brown eyes. His shoulders were wide enough to cover the entire gap between the two columns of seats. And all over his face were scars and wounds, heinous enough to make the girl let out a gasp. Bolut, nowpletely furious at this, cried out. "YOU DARE SCUM" But before he couldplete his sentence, the over-sized palm of the man lunged at Bolut''s face like a serpent. Yo-glup-llup-you Ignoring the iprehensible mumbling voice, Aldrich saw the man lifting Bolut, and then bringing him down on the ship''s floor like a hammer. BOOM!!! Chapter 265: Boid Chapter 265: Boid It wasn''t the power behind the mming, but the sound which had made almost all Dreamers stand up. Dreamers had already heightened senses the moment they came out of their Initiation Dream. Without even looking, anyone could tell that a bone had got broken as the oue of this impact. Rage Unlimited Rage All around Aldrich felt this emotion taking over the hearts of Dreamers from noble Houses. It didn''t matter if they were from an Ancient House or not, nobles were inherently higher in status than other Dreamers. Especially when it came to the matter of the same or the immediate Rank. Bolut was a newly Rare Ranked Dreamer, and the man, now slowly resuming his towering position, had yet to even Rank up. But just as Aldrich felt as if all the rage would burst, it died down as if an insect getting crushed rashly underfoot. Aldrich couldn''t find any reason for this death of emotion. Bolut was still struggling to stand up, and the floor under him was covered in blood-red spots. Dreamers were stilling into the passengerpartment, but Aldrich didn''t sense any presence of Baron Ranked Dreamers. ''Then it must be'' Aldrich could guess only one reason by the process of elimination. This silence was caused by the giant man or something about him that others had overlooked before. Aldrich found the man looking directly at him, and though his deep brown eyes were ruthless, Aldrich felt pity in his heart and nothing else. Arghh!!! As Bolut let out a grunting noise, Aldrich''s gaze went to the ID card of this man, whose face was full of scars. Aldrich wanted to raise his eyebrows, but he abstained from doing any unnecessary motion of his muscles. The reason for this phantom raising of eyebrows was the name of this man. Unlike Aldrich''s given name. Tudor, whichcked a family name, the man in front of him had one. And soon an almost cheering buzz took over all themon Dreamers, while the nobles gritted their teeth and sat back down. -It''s them -Yes, the Boid family -Only one of them can The man took a step over Bolut and towered over Aldrich, almost looking down as if he was looking at an ant. Aldrich didn''t lift his head overly high to look into the man''s eyes. He could feel no emotion that could harm himing out of this giant dark-skinned man. The vast hand, like the open mouth of a python, again lunged, making all the buzzing stop at its ce. But when it seemed this hand would grab Aldrich''s face the same way it had grabbed Bolut, it stopped. Aldrich looked at the hand, at his eye level, in an open gesture, asking for a handshake. "Meuric Boid." Aldrich nodded, hearing the man introducing himself, and feebly replied. "Tudor" Meuric took away his hand, seeing Aldrich unwillingness to shake his hand. He gestured to the previously empty seats, and as he eyed all the other nobles, he spoke out. "You don''t have to go anywhere, Tudor. Let us sit here, and see whoes next." ''Very well'' Aldrich thought as he sensed quite amusing emotions bubbling up in Meuric''s heart. He let out a slight smile and returned to his seat towards the window side. THUP!!! The surrounding seats shook as Meuric nted his almost square but butt beside Aldrich. Bolut had somehow sat up in a kneeling position and was now letting out painful grunts. A trace of blood kept seeping out from his mouth, and from the way his nose was bent, it was clear that Meuric had broken it. But all this could be called superficial wounds. Even the innate Vitality of a Rare Ranked Dreamer was enough to heal these injuries, leaving almost no scars. And let''s not forget the plethora of potions generally avable to rich Dreamers of a noble background. Bolut struggled to stand up, but none of the other nobles came to help him. As he held his nose, the first thing he did was to raise his hand with his palm up. Even a fool could tell that Bolut was going to use a Skill at that moment. But just as the surrounding Mana riled up, a shout came from behind. "What do you think you are doing?!!" This slow shout was like another hammer hitting on Bolut''s face. His head jolted, and if it weren''t for the brte holding him up by his arms, he would have again fallen on the floor. Aldrich saw Benjamin Reesing up with slow strides into thepartment. And following him were other Dreamers, also having two dots within their triangles. Their levels were obviously lower than Benjamin''s, and none of them were above Rare Rank. ''So the two dots aren''t rted to Rank'' Aldrich muttered in his head. Bolut must havee out of his stupor and realizing the outrageous actions he was about tomit, his face became horrified. Like a thief caught red-handed, it didn''t take long for Bolut to point his fingers at Meuric and Aldrich. "My Lord, it''s them. They attacked me, and all can testify that it was them who had started the fight." "Oh! Is it true?" Benjamin heard Bolut''s usation, and as he looked at Aldrich and the giant man, he asked. But surprisingly none spoke out. Even the nobles'' brows were pressed as if they were trying to hold back a massive fart. Bolut''s mouth gaped at this sight, getting taken aback by this choking silence. Benjamin gave Aldrich an ugly look, and just when he was about to say something, his gazended on Meuric''s ID card. "Boid?!!" Even Bolut felt a bolt of lightning passing through him as he heard this name, making his head snap towards Meuric. But unlike Bolut''s overwhelmed expression, Benjamin''s momentary shock soon turned to a scoff. A smirk came on his face and he called out. "So what? You barbarians can''t run amok here" Before Benjamin couldplete his words, a melodious but harsh voice cut him off. "Nor can the runts of House Mothias." Aldrich saw Benjamin looking back as if there was a spring in his neck. The level 30 Baron overseer was staring daggers at all the Dreamers. There was no hint of empathy in her heart for the nobles, nor any pity formoners. "Teacher" "Get back to your seat. I will deal with youter. And you, too." Thedy reprimanded Benjamin and then narrowed her eyes at Bolut, making him shiver at the spot. Bolut held the Brte hand, and hastily walked towards the empty seats, but not before giving Aldrich and Meuric a murderous re. Sigh! Thedy,monly addressed as a teacher, let out a sigh. As Nellie came out from her behind and took a seat, the teacher looked at all the seated Dreamers one by one. Her gaze stopped momentarily on Meuric but not for long. Just when it seemed that she had gone mute, amanding voice came out of her mouth. "Congrattions on getting a rmendation toe here. Your presence alone means that you lot are outstanding among your family''s current generation. But" The teacher gave Bolut a look and continued. " But that doesn''t mean shit." Chapter 266: Last "peaceful" moments Chapter 266: Last "peaceful" moments Gulp! All around, a dry and hoarse gulping sound kepting out. The teacher had just spoken when the entire spaceship lifted, as silently as the silence among the Dreamers. There were almost no vibrations, and the entire experience can be summed up as floating into the air. The teacher let her mouth shut for a few moments, and as the bus-like spaceship reached the heights of the sky, she continued. "I am Siwan Cecil, an outerary teacher from the Nation of Innovation, Knowledge, and Eternity. The same organization for which you all are here. This is reserved for selecting PS, or Peripheral Students. There are many suchs, and there are many like me within each of them. That means for the next three days I will oversee all your actions and tasks." ''Peripheral Students?!'' Aldrich repeated these two words quite a few times in his mind. He could find no other meaning than the literal meaning implied by the words. It was just a fancy way of saying that this Baron Siwan was an outer teacher from N.I.K.E. and this was a selection process for outer students. ''The fuck?! What was the Queen thinking by sending me here? Tch!'' The annoyance shown by Aldrich was reasonable. A being like Aldrich could surpass boundaries if given ess to all N.I.K.E. scrolls. From what Aldrich had read, Queen Eluned reigned supreme over this organization even though she was a member of the Royal House. ''Did something happen while I was in the Shadow World?'' Aldrich could find no exnation for this senseless decision. His presence here had indeed brought him out of the reach of high Ranked Dreamers, but it would cause a huge waste of time. Aldrich asked many questions to himself, trying to make any sense out of it. But it seemed even he had underestimated the gravity of the chain of events that had taken ce after the things that had happened on Rosalia. Baron Siwan, uncaring of Aldrich''s baffled looks, kept speaking out. "This is of the size of a general Barren Earth''s moon. Except for the 10-kilometer radius around the candidates'' dormitory, which we have just left behind, it is nothing but wilderness. The is full of mythical beasts handpicked by N.I.K.E. and many indigenous beasts, too." At the mention of mythical beasts, Aldrich felt a wave of anticipation washing over many Dreamers'' hearts. Most of these Dreamers weren''t nobles, and there was an ted expression on their faces. But Aldrich could feel no such emotion in Meuric''s heart. There were many drops of sweats on Meuric''s forehead, and Aldrich couldn''t help but let out a smile seeing them. Aldrich could do many tasks simultaneously. As he noticed these changes, Siwan''s words kepting to his ears. "To clear the preliminary round of this selection, each Dreamer is required to do two things. First, one must attain the Summon Skill by making a contract with any beast as per one''s likeness. Heh! If you can, that is. Those who already have a summon, consider your tasks half done." ''So that''s why those who didn''t have any summoned creatures were making long faces Hmm'' Aldrich remembered the scene not from long ago and contemted. He didn''t forget that he was among this ss of Dreamers, too, who didn''t have any Summon Skill. Except for his two ss-specific Skills and Shared Vision, all Skills had vanished as the result of Sacrifice. "Second, there are many Artificial Mana cores spread throughout the Wilderness. The great minds of N.I.K.E. had imbued those Mana cores with the pure attributes using pure Mana-based creatures. Yes, that means, if you have a mythical beast having water-based Skills, it would be easy to find those water-based Mana cores. And" Before Baron Siwan could let out another word, one of the Common Ranked Dreamers raised her hand. As the Dreamer got Siwan''s permission, she spoke out. "But Mm Teacher, isn''t it easier to just use our Perception to find those Mana Cores?" -Yes -That''s right As the girl asked, a few others also buzzed up with an agreement. Hehehe! Baron Siwan let out a giggle, hearing these reasonable words. She took her eyes off the girl and spoke out. "Well I was saving it forst. But now that you have asked, let me tell you she is right. It is indeed easier to use Perception to find the Mana cores. So you can''t use it. No Dreamer is allowed to use Perception oncending on the ground. And if you were to use it" Tap-Tap!!! Baron Siwan brought her left hand up and tapped the watch she had twice. " then I will know, resulting in immediate disqualification." ''This'' Aldrich stared nkly at Baron Siwan''s watch. He could barely use any Perception, to begin with, and now she took away that little advantage he had. ''This gonna be troublesome.'' Some things had no roundabout way. Aldrich also knew some things didn''t have shortcuts. He took a deep breath and saw Baron Siwan''s face bing grave, losing her yful smile. "Now we have Dreamers spanning Common and Rare Ranks. To make the selection fair, we have put both Common and Rare Ranked Cores. The exact instructions will be in the scroll, which will be given to youter. At the end of the three days, one must reach the exact location marked on the maps. And we will select the three Dreamers having the most Mana cores for the next round. Is that simple enough?" The atmosphere within the passengerpartment was soothing. But a chill ran over many hearts as they sensed Siwan''s tone bing heavier and heavier. As Nellie stood up and threw many FIRs, whichnded right in everyone''sps, Baron Siwan finished her speech. "Remember you will be on your own down there. You can trust no one other than your summoned creature. All things are valid outside the premise of this spaceship. And if you were to die here, I promise you, other than your mother, no one will miss you. Consider these thest peaceful moments of your lives. So" Baron Siwan almost gazed into the soul of Dreamers and asked. " Are you ready?" Chapter 267: Red Checkpoint Chapter 267: Red Checkpoint Huuu!!! Shuuu!!! The howling wind mmed on Aldrich''s face, making it difficult for him to see the vast panoramic view of the world beneath him. His arms were half outstretched, and at the height of over 12000 ft, the world seemed bigger than it actually was. There was no backpack on him, showing theck of any parachute. And the sun''s piercing light felt like needles without goggles. But Aldrich was no ordinary man, nor were the others. They were Dreamers. And even though a drop from this height could kill them ten times over, it wouldn''t happen unless they contacted the ground. Just a few minutes ago, Baron Siwan had made them jump out of the spaceship, one by one. They were already made to go through the instruction scroll within their individual FIR once. Aldrich wasn''t unfamiliar with FIR. He already had one, and of even better quality, hidden under the false images created by the cuff link. ording to the instructions, they would be dropped randomly around the checkpoint. The drop zone would vary between 300 to 500 km away from the checkpoint, and no one would know each other''s positions because of them being jumping separately. It was a well-thought-out procedure, and it wasn''t like the N.I.K.E. was conducting such a selection for the first time. Aldrich kept losing height, and the silhouette of the spaceship kept getting away from him. The next candidate won''te before hisnding, which would be known by Baron Siwan through the watch on her hand. The instruction scroll said that Siwan would have the exact location of all candidates, but Aldrich highly doubted this point. ''330 Hmm, It isn''t a big or a small number.'' Aldrich thought as he came out of the thin, blurry clouds. The total number of candidates, Common and Rare Ranked together, was 330. And out of these 330 Dreamers, only three would get selected. Even though it was clear that the Dreamer having the most Mana cores would be the winner, Aldrich could see the cruelty hidden behind the facts. 3000 1200 400 200 Aldrich was like a meteorite, about to result in a damped thump before losing his life. But just as he reached a height of 200 ft above the ground, a blue cube appeared in his hands. This was a general cube given to all Dreamers in their FIR. It didn''t have any mystical Runic symbols, as it seemed more of a machine and less magical. The only thing that made it stand out was the insignia of N.I.K.E. and a rod having two draconian wings. ''Here we go'' Aldrich had many ways tond on the ground without wasting such a sophisticated piece of technology to studyter. But he had to make sure that Baron Siwan wasn''t monitoring her in real-time. Based on his rank, and the fact that he hadn''t taken out a summoned creature after jumping out, he must use this cube called Anti-Gravity Draconian Wings. A fresh smell of wet ground entered his nostrils, and wasting no further moment, Aldrich crushed the blue cube in his hands. Crunchsss!!! It was like crushing a box made of y, but instead of getting stuck to Aldrich''s hands, the cube got broken into sand-like particles. These particles, like an apparition, appeared on Aldrich''s back. And in the next moment, humongous dragon-like blue wings materialized there. Without Aldrich''s will, the wings pped, creating winds more powerful than a jet engine. p! ppp!!! Whooooo!!! Despite the sudden loss of momentum, Aldrich didn''t feel any jerk. It was as if the creators had already considered all things, and they had already ounted for all situations. As Aldrich''s shoes touched the ground, a smile came upon Aldrich''s face. Only things at this level could interest him. If all schrs within N.I.K.E. were so meticulous about their inventions, then he could take advantage of these facts. The huge wings on Aldrich''s backs, sensing hisnding, disintegrated in the same blue sand particles. But they didn''t stay for long in that state. The moment they fell on the slightly muddy ground, these particles vaporized. Aldrich wanted to take a sample, but he had an even better idea. ''There are many who will not use their cubes. The flying-type creatures sure are helpful in these cases haha'' Aldrich took a deep breath of air and looked around, inspecting his surroundings. Despite the sunset being an hour away, it was almost dusk within the jungle. All around Aldrich there were towering trees, making only a portion of sunlight fall through them. The air was humid, and the noise of countless birds and diurnal beasts was permeating through it like an unseen river. Aldrich didn''t move from his spot, not even one step. He just stood there like a statue. After an hour of listening to the jungle music, and as it was getting darker, Aldrich took a scroll out of the Rare level FIR given to all Dreamers. Aldrich unfurled the scroll, and instead of words, a 3-D map materialised like a hologram over it. On the hologram, two points were shing, one red and the other blue. Blue showed Aldrich''s current position, and the red was for the checkpoint. At the corner of the hologram, the shortest distance between these two points was shing in blue, too. "Hmm 460 km'' Aside from these things, and a detailed outline of the terrain in green, there wasn''t anything on this hologram. There was no way to tell the location of Mana cores, and no information on the possible presence of the magical beasts. The general info was that there were ten thousand Common and three thousand Rare Mana Cores spread in a 300 km radius around the checkpoint. But Aldrich knew that both the tasks of getting a magical beast and gathering Mana cores were irrelevant. The unknown and unsaid task that Dreamers needed to do, to survive, and to win this cruel selection, was something entirely else. Aldrich thought as he red at the red color of the checkpoint, which showcased danger as far as the colors go, wasn''t random. ''Normally, the first to reach there will be the ultimate winner'' Aldrich was thinking this when a scream rang out, making Aldrich snap his head up. AHHHHHH!!! Chapter 268: Mud and Rain Chapter 268: Mud and Rain Dub-Dubb-Dub-Dubbb The ground under Aldrich''s feet quaked, and a stampede-like noise reached his ears. It was as if hundreds of wild beasts were charging towards him from afar in a single line. Aldrich looked to his right, from where the scream hade, and squinted his eyes. It was extremely crucial for him to stay in his position, and not move for an entire day. The instruction scroll said that if the overseers won''t detect any change in a Dreamer''s position for an entire day, they woulde to help the Dreamer. Aldrich had always been ying with mind tricks like these since his childhood. These statements did nothing but give false security to Dreamers, giving them a push to keep moving with no worry. But if there was any truth to it, he had to find out. And what could be a better way to just not move for the said period of twenty-four hours. It wasn''t an arduous task for him, even if some lethal beast were to approach him. There were things Aldrich could only do if there wasn''t anyone watching over him. DUB-DUBBB Ahhhhhhh!!! The shaking of the ground had intensified to an unimaginable degree, and the scream had be shriller. The sun had almost gone, and a hint of stars could be seen from the gap between the leaves. Aldrich''s grip on his "cane" became tighter by a small amount as he saw two red beams of light shing within the thick of the jungle. The trees were getting crushed, and the rocks were getting smashed. Whoever was running away from the beast with the red eyes was also about to leave his mortal shell. BANG!!! A bang rang out, and a broken trunk of a tree flew by some hundred meters away from Aldrich. Following this tree came out a gigantic man, running for his life. He had brown grizzly hair, and his face was covered in scars. Aldrich knew this man as he had already shared a seat with him. This man was none other than Meuric Boid. But Unlike the ruthlessness Meuric had shown within the spaceship, there wasn''t a hint of bravery on his face now. Tears were streaming out from the corners of his eyes, and his mouth was wide open like an alligator, letting out shriek after shrieks. "FATHER!!! BIG BROTHER!!! BIG SISSSSS AHHHH!!!" The way his arms were moving about haphazardly, it didn''t feel like he was a grown man who must have faced danger many times by now. Meuric didn''t notice Aldrich, who was still standing like a statue and was looking at him without blinking. As Meuric reached the clearance, caused by the broken piece of a tree in front of Aldrich, he finally looked at Aldrich by sheer coincidence. Aldrich saw Meuric''s crying face bing paler and paler as the two kept staring at each other. "" "" Suddenly, Meuric''s lost, and clueless eyes became grave. The ruthlessness and ferocity he had while mming Bolut''s head returned. All hints of tears vanished from his face, and as a roaring sound came out of the jungle, Meuric turned around and stood tall to face the beast. Raorrr-Grrrrr!!! ''This IDIOT'' Aldrich almost face-palmed, seeing this baffling change in Meuric''s action. But before he could say anything, the roaring beast came out in the open. Unlike what Aldrich had felt, it was just one beast who had shaken the ground. The almost 5-meter tall ck beast had the head of a boar. But its body was of a bull''s, with ripped muscles popping out of the seemingly bulletproof hide. Over its nose, there were two pointy horns, like that of a rhino. And its eyes werepletely red, having no sense of its surroundings. At a nce, Aldrich could tell that this beast was in heat. But most of his concentration was on Meuric, whose legs were shaking, trying to keep himself standing on the ground. Unlike the feelings let out by his body, his face was like a painting, showing nothing but dauntlessness and cruelty. Meuric made a fist, seeing the beasting closer and closer, and let out a shout. "I AM BOID I AM FEARLESS" As Aldrich saw this scene, he couldn''t help but shake his head. Aldrich had already found out these hidden emotions in Meuric''s heart in the spaceship. The pity, which Meuric had in his heart while looking at Aldrich after the violent action, was for himself and not for Aldrich. The subsequent emotions of getting his actual feelings to be found out by someone had made him sweat even though it wasn''t hot. But he couldn''t hide those emotions from Aldrich, nor could he hide the fact that this seemingly huge warrior was just a 15-year-old boy. Aldrich noticed, though Meuric''s legs were shaking, his posture was perfect. Aldrich wasn''t a master of fighting arts, but from what he had learned, he could find out these things like an AI running simtions. The terror of ss Generalist always loomed over the world and its beings like Death itself. Just as the beast was about to pierce Meuric, through and through, a shout came out of his mouth. "THUNDER BOA FIRST FIST" Aldrich was like a scientist, staring at a guinea pig behind the ss. With Meuric''s roar, he noticed the Mana around his right arm changed and a blurry image of a tiny snake formed out of it. But this snake was made of thunder which kept coiling around Meuric''s arm, letting out sparks after sparks. Meuric''s hand was like that of a snake and a lightning bolt, contorted into a single form. And as his voice got buried under the pounding hooves of the beast, he punched it right at the end of its horns. " THUNDER FANG STRIKE!!!" Tudud-Cr-ackkk!!! BOOM!!! Meuric''s tall figure was like a pebble thrown over ake. It skipped thrice on the ground before finally getting mmed into a tree with a thick trunk. Bang! Cough!!! A shower of blood came out of Meuric''s mouth. His right fist had be bloody and his fingers were bent backward. Aldrich saw the beast mming its head on the ground, making thest traces of the lightning vanish from his face. Grrrr-ROArrrrr!!! The beast howled, grunted, and sent out mud flying here and there. Its red eyes were still looking at Meuric''s body, sliding down to the bottom of the tree. In this heat, the beast should have already attacked Aldrich if he had sensed him. But none could perceive Aldrich''s location without directly looking at him. Though there was a restriction on the use of Perception, Aldrich could still make its value zero. "Don''t" Aldrich was analyzing Meuric''s strike when a word rang out. He looked towards his left, and found Meuric, leaning against the trunk. His eyes were wide open, and he was looking at Aldrich, ignoring the charging beast. Meuric''s lips parted, but no sound came out. But Aldrich could still read his lips, and what he heard made him raise his eyebrows. " Don''t tell anyone" ''Such conviction'' Aldrich could tell that Meuric was asking of him. The 15-year-old boy was more concerned if Aldrich would gossip about him crying, being chased by a beast. Even at the door of death, the emotion in Meuric''s heart was of pity. A pity for himself. * Meuric closed his eyes, and the sound of hooves kepting closer and closer. The world kept gettingpressed over him as if someone was pressing his head from all around. He could feel the hot airing out of the beast''s nose, and the presence of Mana on its horns. But just as it came the time of death, all sound vanished around him. Pop! This sound wasn''t of his head getting smashed into pieces, but it indeed was something like that. Meuric couldn''t help but furrow his brows as he felt something squishy and wet falling all over him. With sheer willpower, the young boy cracked his eyes open. The sky had gone dark, but there was a red tinge to it. In front of him, there was no sign of any beast, but only mud. A mud which wasn''t brown or ck, but red. Red mud Tip-Tapp!!! Two drops fell on his nose and forehead, and he finally realized it was raining. It was also a rain of blood... Meuric looked up at the cloudless sky and muttered. " Am I in Hell?!" Chapter 269: Resonance Chapter 269: Resonance Aldrich gazed at the young boy, who was even doubting if he was alive or dead. He could feel the abnormal emotions in Meuric''s heart. Emotions that were questioning his existence and the red world around him. Aldrich knew these emotions were temporary and they would soon run away the moment the pain would kick in Meuric''s senses. All shocks were instantaneous, and by nature, temporary. Aldrich wasn''t some saint, nor he was a messiah. There were only two things for him, either let Meuric die, or let him survive. There was no profit for him in both these options. Meuric''s death won''t lead him to some striking wealth of information, and him being alive won''t result in startling discoveries. The reason for saving this 15-year-old boy was so simple that those who didn''t know Aldrich would never have believed him if told. Aldrich saved Meuric because he saw in him an interesting patient. That was all. Aldrich found Meuric''s ability to let his fears get overpowered with a single thought quite fascinating. What kind of past could have resulted in such a distorted mind? What kind of belief and faith could have brought such changes? And what would happen if a master of mind were to give him a little push? It sounded bothersome, especially when Aldrich had things to do and aplish that revolved around the Names that couldn''t be spoken. But for a being like Aldrich, it was just a matter of a few moments. All patients were worthy of a look in Aldrich''s eyes. The field of science was ever-growing, with no boundaries. That''s why schrs, doctors, and researchers like Aldrich always practiced a subject throughout their lives. The thrill of chancing upon something never seen before, no matter how inconsequential, had always reigned supreme in the schrs'' minds. The blood and tiny flesh particles didn''t take long to fall on the ground. All around Aldrich, the wilderness was in shambles. Trees were broken, and nts, taller than him, had been trodden upon. The blood rain had stopped, but the ground wasn''tpletely muddy anymore. Debris, thrown by the charging beast, had covered the immediate surroundings of Aldrich with a thickyer. The fight that had made a Level 10 Dreamer cost him his life, had turned to nothing but means to make a breathable clearing. And though it also meant that the chances of spotting Aldrich had increased, he wasn''t overly worried about it. The presence of a magical beast in heat meant that there was a herd of early Rare Ranked Magical Beasts nearby. Which also meant the chances of a group of Higher Ranked Beasts were low. And this conclusion was enough for him. Aldrich saw Meuricing out of his stupor. The pain from his broken hand was kicking in, and with every next moment, his brows kept furrowing and his lips kept parting. ''This is bad'' From the earlier scenes, Aldrich could guess that a scream was imminent out of the boy''s mouth. And though Aldrich had dealt with the beast without making a loud noise, this scream could bring unnecessary attention. The only way to not let these things happen was to tell Meuric to not let out any scream. But Aldrich didn''t want to speak, let alone let out a shout. All the movements he had been doing so far aftering out of that room were almost indispensable and unavoidable. Aldrich had been thinking over this for quite some time at the back of his mind. Although he couldn''t speak without getting his tongue ripped open, or the bones of his jaw getting broken, he had other methods. The ability to speak relied on the concept of sound, which further relied on the vibrations of a medium. This sound was nothing but pressure waves transmitted through the air to someone''s ears. But Aldrich, or any other scientist, knew much more of its destructive capabilities. If one could control the frequency of this sound, and make it resonate with the eyeballs, one could distort them. This didn''t stop at eyes, it applied to all parts of the body. The key wasn''t the frequency but to cause resonance. Cause resonance with lungs and they would burst open. Cause resonance with an entire head, and it would pop up like a watermelon. And if one were to cause resonance with an entire body, one could cause a rain of blood around him. This was the exact thing Aldrich had used to deal with the beast a few moments before. One could even say that Aldrich had used the Beast as an experiment to test his theory out. But how to find out this resonating frequency? The biology of the beast was entirely different from that of a human. And even if one was to find it out, how to control these pressure waves without the use of any Skill? Skills didn''t pop out of the blue from nowhere. One needed to get them through Dungeons. Only a selected Skills were exceptions, but even they couldn''t match up the level of Skills and their efficiency given by RECORD. Probably only Aldrich had the means to do so, not because he had some hidden device, but because of Rumok. Aldrich could push or pull any concept he had an understanding of using Rumok. The only problem was how to find the resonating frequency without cutting the beast open on a table. The answer was simple. Hit and Trial Within a few seconds, Aldrich had used his Rumok more than a thousand times to find out the frequency that resonated with the beast. But even these mind-boggling activations of Rumok were nothingpared to the countless Absolute Pulls he had used a month ago. Aldrich had named this Rumok driven Skill - HELL RESONANCE!!! Ahem! Yes, Aldrich had named this Skill on the words uttered by Meuric in his trance-like state. But despite its name, he could use this Skill for many things and in many cases, like this. The Rumok on Aldrich''s right hand shed blue, but no light seeped out because of the ck Devil-aura''s tight covering on his arm. Aldrich delicately controlled the sound pressure waves around Meuric''s head and called out. "Don''t scream kid." Chapter 270: Meurics promise Chapter 270: Meuric''s promise "Who Who" Aldrich had been contemting Meuric''s scars since the first time he saw him. He didn''t wonder about their authenticity, but their origin. As Aldrich used the horrifying Skill, HELL RESONANCE, to just say simple words, Meuric hooted like an owl. Meuric''s face was bloody, his size was enormous, but that didn''t save him from getting the fear of the unknown. The words that had almost echoed in his mind seemed to havee out of nowhere. There was no one around him, and in this search of making some sense out of these words, the young boy forgot to scream he was holding for long. Aldrich saw the intended effect taking ce, and he again spoke out using his Rumok. "To your right" Meuric snapped his head and finally saw Aldrich standing in the same ce, and with the same posture as before. But soon his eyes again became teary, and the teen bawled his eyes out. "Mr. Tudor Sniff! Sniffff!!! Mr. Tudor, you died, too?!! I am sorryyy. Sniff! I am so sorry" Meuric kept rubbing his eyes with his left hand, and tears and snot came out of his eyes and nose. Aldrich was about to say something, but the overgrown boy didn''t seem to stop yet. " Sniff! Father said to be fearless, big brother said to m heads of the nobles, and big sis said to not speak like my usual self Sniff! And now Now, I am dead. Sniff! Oh, mother! She will miss me. Sniff! And I caused Mr. Tudor''s death, along with mine. Mr. Tudor is so humble even after dying. Sniff!!!" Sigh! Aldrich let out a sigh, seeing Meuric''s non stop bbering. It seemed Aldrich had caught a chatty one this time. Not caring for anything, and not even the pain, Meuric kept muttering about his family, and the girl that he liked, but he couldn''t confess to. Aldrich shook his head inwardly and again used Rumok to speak out. "OK, that''s enough. Look around, kid. You are not dead." "Huh?!!!" Meuric let out an astonished grunt and scanned his environment. Aldrich saw him looking around, and then finally his eyesnded on his broken fingers. But the young boy didn''t let out any scream. Aldrich nodded his head as he realized that his warning was still in Meuric''s head, despite the outburst of emotions. "I am not dead I am not Hahaha!!! Father will be so proud of me. I finally killed a Rare Ranked Beast in one punch. Haha!!! But how are you speaking, Mr. Tudor? Oh! You must have used some sound-based Skill. Hmm, Hmm. And why are you standing there? Oh, you can''t move because of some reason. Hmm, Hmm" Aldrich almost narrowed his eyes, as Meuric, who looked like a simple brute, kept bringing out theories after theories. Although they weren''t the entire truth, for Meuric to evene close to the reasoning behind Aldrich''s actions was a feat on its own. ''It seems Siwan was right. All those who hade here on rmendation are cream of the crop. Then'' Aldrich kept formting ns after ns to amodate this high IQ of others. He slightly nodded at Meuric, epting that he had used a sound-based Skill and the reason for his stalled movement. He took out a Rare Ranked HP potion out of his Count level FIR and threw it at Meuric when he wasn''t looking at him. Potions didn''t have rank, per se. But they were divided based on the effects they could bring in Dreamers. A Rare HP Potion could heal non-fatal injuries of almost all kinds on a Common Ranked Dreamer. And its effect dropped with the rise of every level in Rare Rank. The good point about them was they were artificial and could be mass-produced. The potions as a reward in Dungeons were highly rare. When they appeared, it would be like a one in a million chance for the Dreamer. One could get an idea of their effectiveness from the only potion Aldrich had got so far from a raid, the Hurt-Burn Venom. For Ranks below Viscount, this Potion could decide life and death. And not all were fortunate enough, like Aldrich, to not have any fear of dying. If a Dreamer was to get this potion, and the news was to spread around, it could easily result in a bloodbath. As the HP potionnded on Meuric''sp, the teen stared at it for a full minute. Little by little, his eyes widened, and his mouth opened up in shock. "A RARE HP POTION OH, MOTHER MANA!!!" Meuric lifted the vial, containing deep red liquid, and looked at it from different angles. "Wow It isn''t bad There are impurities, but for a Common Dreamer it''s more than enough" Aldrich didn''t stop Meuric from jabbering out words after words. It didn''t take Aldrich long to find out from Meuric''s unrestrained sentences that this young boy had some skills in the subject of Potioneering. Meuric, unaware of Aldrich''s half-closed devilish eyes, didn''t stop until he was out of breath. But instead of pouring this potion into his belly, he looked at Aldrich with a puzzled gaze. "Even my family can''t afford more than a few of these. Mr. Tudor, I didn''t know you were so rich. But then why are you so weak? Tch! Tch! Don''t worry, Mr. Tudor, I will protect you. You can count on me. I promise! And we Boids never back out from our promises. You" Gulp! Gulp! Cough!!! Meuric didn''t even stop talking before emptying the potion in his mouth, making him let out a dry cough. Cr-crack!!! The young boy gritted his teeth, and one by one brought his broken fingers in their original shape. The potion took care of the rest. In less than two minutes, his right hand became as it was before. Invigorated by the potion, Meuric jumped to his feet. But there was still a lethargy in his actions. Aldrich wanted to just give a hint of his resourcefulness to Meuric. That''s why he didn''t give him the SP potion along with the HP one. Aldrich saw Meuric approaching him step by step. With every step, his face kept bing ruthless, and by the time he towered over Aldrich, the young boy had lost all the hints of tears. He again extended his hand out for a handshake and called out. "I am Meuric Boid. A 26-year-old Potion Crafter, and the Gxy''s future Potion God." Chapter 271: Shameless Aldrich Chapter 271: Shameless Aldrich "Haha Aren''t you only 15-year-old?" There was a slight smile on Aldrich''s face. The sound reached Meuric''s ears, and his face became pale again. Aldrich had yet to shake this overgrown boy''s hand, but as he used Rumok to pass those words, Meuric''s hand dropped, as if lifeless. Meuric staggered back, and his lips quivered, seeing Aldrich''s innocent smile, which looked like an evil grin. The young boy couldn''t possibly find any reason for Aldrich to know about his actual age. Even if he had let out his genuine emotions, this wasn''t a fact one could derive from his tears and bbering. "What Mr. Tudor, Haha! Haha ha" A wryugh escaped out of Meuric''s mouth, but words couldn''t seem toe out. Thisugh did nothing but die a slow death, making Meuric go silent at its end. Aldrich felt quite amused at it. The more he would let this teen feel his mysteriousness, little by little, the better he could control him. And this mysteriousness did not need to be groundbreaking, either. As said, not too much, but just enough. "Calm yourself, young man. I have a Skill that can tell the rough age of Dreamers" Aldrich wasn''t old physically. But the way he was leaning over his cane, and the sight of his pale white skin, portrayed him as a middle-aged man with some cardiac ailment. Meuric''s mouth gaped as he heard those words. The 15-year-old must have seen too much for him to turn out like that, but even he had been baffled by Aldrich''s small actions. As the scarred-face boy saw no way out, and finally not finding no reason to hide behind a false mask, a sheepish smile came over his face. Meuric scratched the back of his head and let out a heartyugh. "HAHA! Mr. Tudor, you sure have some weird Skills. How can you have no family name? It''s so bewildering? Ahem! I am not trying to pry into your past, Mr. Tudor. I am just trying to say" Aldrich noticed that as Meuric lost his ruthlessness, returning to his original self, he regained his astute reasoning. And along with it came back his habit of chattering non-stop. Aldrich didn''t stop Meuric, as it was beneficial for him to let the boy talk as much as he wanted. s, Aldrich seemed to have underestimated Meuric''s thick skin. The boy said nothing substantial but kept mentioning useless details rted to his daily activities. The sky had gonepletely dark, and there was no moon in the sky. Even though the ground had been cleared by the beast''s rampaging movement, Aldrich could hardly see beyond the clearing with naked eyes. As Meuric gave rest to his mouth, to take a breath of fresh air, Aldrich spoke out, using Rumok. "How did youe here? Weren''t you among the first half of the candidates to jump out?" Baron Siwan had made candidates jump out alphabetically. That''s why, though both Aldrich and Meuric were sitting side by side, Aldrich was among thest remaining candidates. The windows of the spaceship had been covered before the jump. From the map Aldrich had formed in his mind, he could tell that Meuric should havended over 200 km away from him. And even if Meuric could somehow run non-stop, there was no way for him to survive magical beasts above the boar-like beast which had almost killed him. Meuric''s relieved face became ugly hearing Aldrich''s question. The emotion of shame bubbled in his heart. But Aldrich could feel a hint of pride and tion mixed within this shame. Meuric looked here and there, but after finding only darkness, his eyes couldn''t help but halt at Aldrich''s tiny figure. "That Cough! Mr. Tudor, I was trying out a potion that could grow artificial wings like that cube. But the thing is, I have made it in such a way that I could p those wings. And you won''t believe it worked, Mr. Tudor. Haha!" "So what happened?" Meuric seemed to have forgotten what he was talking about as he let out a pridefulugh. But Aldrich''s interjection must have made him remember something painful for him to grow a deep frown on his forehead. Meuric took a finger-length vial, shimmering because of a few drops of green liquid, out of his Inventory and brought it down to Aldrich''s eye level. "This was the Twin Sonic Wings Potion I had made. It had taken so many materials and time to make it. And, hehe, I had so much fun. Mother said it was one of the best potions in my arsenal.." Sigh! Aldrich let out a sigh inwardly and called out. "Come to the point." "Huh?! Ah, yes the Mana wings materialized on my back as intended, but" The corners of Meuric''s eyes became wet, and as he massaged the vial, he muttered out. " But I couldn''t control them at all. I had no way to cancel the effects, too. The wings just kept pping by themselves and took me in random directions. When they disappeared, I fell on the top of those beasts" ''This'' Aldrich was gobsmacked, hearing this outrageous story. Not because of the events involved, but from the utter nonsense decisions. At a nce, Aldrich could tell that Meuric hadn''t tested out that potion before. To dare to use it here, on a where every deviation of 1 km could decide life and death, was beyondprehension. But Aldrich wasn''t some random kid, listening to the tales of Sindbad the Sailor. Aldrich had already trained his mind to go beyond facts hidden behind the facts. Aldrich stared at the deeply troubled look on Meuric''s face and spoke out, nailing his mysteriousness into Meuric''s heart even deeper. "So your family doesn''t know about your ss" Meuric''s face was like a lightning bolt had struck him just then. The vial in his hand slipped out and fell on the leafy ground. Meuric gazed at Aldrich as if he was reading some iprehensible text which he couldn''t make any sense of. Enshrouded by the surrounding heaviness, Meuric finally mumbled out. "Mr. Tudor you Are you a spy?!!" Chapter 272: The Price (3) Chapter 272: The Price (3) Nothing else could exin how Aldrich hade up with the oue. Nothing else could exin how he reached from failure of some potion to a secret known to very selected few in Meuric''s family. Nothing else but Aldrich''s identity as a spy. And Aldrich had no mood to exin the truth behind his statement, either. He looked at Meuric without blinking, making Meuric''s throat drier and drier. There was no smile on Aldrich''s face, but in the darkness, it seemed as if he was grinning. Words rang out in Meuric''s ears just as this evil grin felt to make him lose his mind. "No, I am not a spy. Heh! Can''t you see my condition?!" Aldrich scoffed, but despite him mentioning his almost crippled condition, Meuric''s muscles didn''t lose the tightness. Aldrich nodded, seeing these expressions and the condition of Meuric''s body. He had sessfully nted a seed of submission in Meuric''s heart. And no matter what would happen after this moment, this seed would keep sucking out nutrients from Meuric''s subconsciousness. Gulp! A heavy gulping sound came out as Meuric wet his throat. Aldrich noticed, contrary to the norm, the wilderness had be eerily quiet. Aside from some small clicking sounds, he couldn''t hear anything. ''Hmm'' Aldrich put this silence to the back of his mind and looked at Meuric. "Why are you standing here? Don''t you want to win?" Aldrich delicately controlled the sound pressure waves to give some hallucinating effect to his words. Meuric''s heart had already be defenseless, giving Aldrich the best time to get some answers which had been puzzling him since the start. Meuric''s eyes dted, and the towering young boy seemed like a drunk man about to fall in the embrace of a long sleep. Not realizing what he was saying, Meuric blurted out as if he was talking to air. "Haha! I want to, and I will win. But Boids don''t forget their given words. I have promised that I will guard you, so I will. Besides, you are weak, Mr. Tudor. Only my punch has the power to st a beast like that to pieces. Also, my father always used to say" "" Aldrich stared at the stupefying scene of Meuric keep bbering even when he was under auditory hallucinations. But the surrounding silence had made him apprehensive about it. Keeping it short, Aldrich cut Meuric''s words off and again asked. "Why didn''t you use your Summon to fight the beast?" Aldrich had been thinking about it for quite some time. From Meuric''s family name, and the Skill named Thunder Boa First Fist, Aldrich could guess that there was a link between this family and the creature known as Thunder Boa. But even at that perilous time, Meuric hadn''t used his Summon Skill. There must be a hidden fact behind it, and Aldrich wanted nothing but to know that as soon as he could. Meuric licked his lips, hearing the question thrown at him. And though Aldrich could tell he was still on the boundary ofplete hallucination and reality, he could feel the self-pity return in his heart. "That Mr. Tudor, I I can''t make it follow my instructions." ''Hmm?!'' Aldrich had encountered none of such cases so far, where artificial Summon formed between a Dreamer and a creature based on some contract. He was just familiar with only one type of Summoning, which he had got as a reward in the Dungeon on his home. ''Liath Macha'' Aldrich remembered the name of his summon. On any other Dreamer, this creature could have been the most devastative summon, but Aldrich had rarely used it. Not because he couldn''t, but because Aldrich had always found him involved in fights where the Rare Ranked Beast could hardly assist him. Aldric did not know, with his Summon Skill being gone, what could have happened to the creature. But just as he was contemting it, another piece of memory came back to him from tens of thousands of years ago. He remembered getting a notification where the beast, Liath Macha, had demanded Aldrich prove his worthiness. ''Was that a type of contract?!!'' As this question formed in Aldrich''s mind, he also thought of a possibility of what would have happened if he had failed to prove his worthiness. Aldrich looked at Meuric and gently controlled the sound waves. "So you couldn''t prove your worthiness" Just as Aldrich mentioned worthiness, he felt a dam of self-pity getting burst open in Meuric''s heart. This sudden outburst of emotion also made Meurice out of his hallucinated state, but Aldrich didn''t prevent it from happening. Falseness within Truth and Dreams within Reality were among the dirtiest weapons in Aldrich''s arsenal. Thup!!! Meuric fell and his knees got buried in the slightly muddy ground. Even after being in that position, his head had reached Aldrich''s chest. Silent tears kept streaming out of Meuric, and he almost cried out. "No No, I couldn''t What is wrong with me? What" ''Hmm It seems this proving of worthiness isn''t as easy as I had thought it to be'' Aldrich emphasized this point to himself, but it seemed even then he had underestimated this "proof of worthiness". One must not forget that even Aldrich, the abomination he was, had taken three full days to prove himself to Liath Macha. Although it included the fact that he didn''t know how to ride a horse, with ss Generalist, it hadn''t taken him long to do so. Aldrich brought himself out of his stupor and gazed at Meuric, who seemed to have lost all will to even stand up. Suddenly, a devilish dark light shed in his eyes. All around him, a sinister wind howled, and for the first time, Aldrich slightly parted his lips to let out a whisper. "I can help you" Meuric snapped his head up with a jerk and stared blindly into Aldrich''s eyes. He didn''t know that these same parting of lips had instilled terror in Baron Benjamin''s heart in the afternoon. Aldrich could do many things alone, but the ce was foreign, and so were people. He had decided to be extra cautious until he finally regained his lost Ranks and Levels. ''If only Sha'' This thought passed by Aldrich''s mind, but he didn''t stop mimicking the Skill Devil''s Whisper. "I can help you be worthy and much more But you must pay a price." Meuric muttered, sped in the clutches of the Law of Devil. "An Anything" If Aldrich could, the corners of his lips must have reached to his ears in a heinous grin by now. Words, sweet like honey but rotten from within, came out of his mouth. "Haha Very well! So be it." Crack-CLICK-Rackkkk!!! Chapter 273: PAIN Chapter 273: PAIN AHHHHHHHH!!! Aldrich''s emotionless eyes stared at Meuric, who was letting out blood-curdling screams. Meuric''s heavy muscles ruptured with a shower of blood. Many of his bones got broken, and blood came seeping out of his eyes and ears. None could say that this scarred face boy was even a person at that point. It was as if Aldrich was a butcher, skinning a badly mingled wild game in front of him. There was a time Aldrich had tried to Banish Pain out of the transferred form of Boomie, the Blood Devil. At that time, he had thought that it was the Pain that had caused Boomie''s senseless rampage. But after having an initial mastery of the Law of Devil, through Sha''s memories of the True Devil Aldrich, he hade to know the Emotion called Pain. It was deeper than just a reflex of the brain, and its roots were deeper than what he had thought. As he had found out, there were two parts of this emotion, real and ethereal. Aldrich had felt physical pain many times, especially after bing a Dreamer. His encounter with the Banished Golden Devil, the Being behind the ck Veil, and Aldrich killing himself, all contributed to it. But the ethereal part had remained elusive to him before parting from his parents. Aldrich had always remained estranged from those emotions. Although he had almost mastered the psychology of a human mind, he hadn''t dived into an emotional state himself. It was like Aldrich knew what hunger and thirst were, and how they worked, but without feeling them himself, how could he have known the exact state? At a tender age of 13, to pass this conundrum, Aldrich had made himself starve and had gone without drinking water for days. Only when he felt like he would die in the next hour did he satiate his hunger and thirst. This was Aldrich''s way of enjoying his summer camp unknown to anyone. But Pain was different. There was no forcing it, and there was no mastering it. Aldrich got to know this the hard way after he failed to banish Pain. But then, when he gazed at the lone figures of his parents in the mirror before leaving the earth, he got a hint of what Pain was. Yet, it wasn''t enough The ability of Aldrich to calm himself instantaneously in any situation became a bane rather than a boon in this case. The concept of Pain needed to be experienced, not like a jerk, but like the push of an ever-flowing river. And this opportunity came when Sha got snatched away from him. If Aldrich hadn''t recognized her as a member of his family, he wouldn''t have ever known the true Pain. But After knowing it, Aldrich had rather felt letting it remain elusive to him forever. If this was the price of Pain, then he would rather not pay it. s, that time had already gone, and it won''t return, at least not that easily. Even though he didn''t want it, the concept of Pain had be clear to Aldrich. And all concepts that he understood were Aldrich''s bitch. The Rumok on Aldrich''s right hand kept shing, and little by little, Aldrich took out a hint of his pain and transferred it to Meuric. Although his face was like a manifestation of a calm Devil, Aldrich''s mind was entirely focused on the task. He had to make sure to not infuse pain to a point where Meuric will go into a sudden shock and die in the next moment. And for it to work every time, a breaking point must be found first. If Sha were here, Aldrich could transfer all of it to her. He had already discovered that she couldn''t feel pain. But if she was here, he wouldn''t have needed to do it, anyway. Ahhhhh. AHHHH... Ughhh!!! Aldrich saw Meuric wriggling under theshes of the agonizing pain. From what he had understood, he could transfer this pain to only those who could feel the entirety of it. Which meant a being who could feel physical and ethereal parts of Pain. It immediately discarded non-living things as an option. And those who didn''t have high intelligence could never have the will to bear the ethereal part, no matter how strong their body was. For this, Aldrich had decided to experiment on Dreamers first. And when he felt those emotions at the door of death in Meuric''s words, filled with conviction, he found the right target. ''It''s better than forcing someone to be my Recordless'' Aldrich thought. At first, he indeed had nned to make Bolut his Recordless. But he doubted that, with Bolut''s personality, he could oust even one round. With this equivalent exchange of imparting knowledge to Meuric, at least he could negate any Karma. Aldrich had been wary of this equivalent exchange since he had got the Broken Faith. When even someone like HIM followed it, Aldrich would have been the biggest fool to not act on it, too. As he saw Meuric''s eyes almost rolling to the back of his head, and the shudders in his body vanishing, he cut off the transfer. ''Hmm Only 1 percent'' Yes, this resulted from only 1 percent of the pain any single action of Aldrich''s caused him. But it was enough to make Aldrich raise his eyebrows. Meuric was only a Common Ranked Dreamer, and this amount of pain was enough to make him lose consciousness by now. Huff! Huff! Meuric was like a deer who had just escaped from the grip of a lion''s jaw on his throat. His entire body was bloody, and his limbs looked as if they were made of jelly. With half-dead eyes, he stared at Aldrich and moved his lips. No sound came out, but Aldrich knew what he was asking. "Is this price enough?" Aldrich took out a Baron Ranked HP potion and dropped it into Meuric''s mouth. As the potion took its effect, healing even Meuric''s crushed bones, Aldrichughed out using Rumok. "Haha! It was just a test. A lifetime of reward demands a lifetime of price, Meuric Boid. And you" A hint of an evil smile returned to Aldrich''s face as his words entered Meuric''s mind. " You have barely passed it." Chapter 274: Third Contact Chapter 274: Third Contact Anyone''s soul should have shaken in fear hearing Aldrich''s words. There was more?! There was even more Pain?!! A lifetime of it?!!! But not Meuric. He didn''t look away from Aldrich''s devilish face and stared at him like a child looking at an unreachable jar of candies ced atop the kitchen''s cab. Aldrich nodded, seeing this, and got to know that his theory that it wasn''t Meuric''s first time feeling pain to death was true. As Meuric''s wounds healed, he somehow stood up. His fatigue was so much that the Common Ranked Dreamer struggled to even find his footing. But even then, Aldrich didn''t give him any SP potion. It wasn''t the first time for Aldrich to manipte minds; he knew what to do and when to do it. From the way Meuric had been gritting his teeth, it was clear that the 15-year-old boy didn''t have any strength to ask anything. But none could run away from their innate nature. Ultimately, his loquacious personality won over his tiredness, and Meuric mumbled out. "Mr. Tudor Huff! Was that also one of your Skills?" "Yes But I can''t use it often." "No No wonder" Meuric''s face was filled with awe. The way he looked at Aldrich was like a pet looked at its master, asking him to pet its head. Aldrich felt quite amused at this scene. But he had to work on Meuric''s endurance, for now, otherwise, the kid would never improve. "I am hungry" Before Aldrich couldplete his words, a sound came out of Meuric''s stomach. Gud-duudud-gud His scarred cheeks gained a pink color enough to not even be masked by his rtively darker skin. Aldrich, halting for a moment, continued. " and it seems you are, too. As I can''t move, you need to bring dinner for both of us." Meuric straightened his back as he heard the first task after passing his "test". Even though he was weak enough to fall on the next step, Meuric turned around and looked at the deep dark covering the thick of the jungle. "But But what if some beastes here when I am gone? Only my punch has the power" Meuric brought his hand up and looked at his shaking hand as he spoke out in a concerned manner. It seems the doubt about him killing the magical beast had just kicked in. He was about to walk away when Aldrich called out to him. "Wait! Equip this Item. Consider it as a reward for passing the test." Aldrich took the Item Sugaar''s Disco Ball out of his Inventory, and unequipping it, he threw it towards Meuric. Unlike the Metacreativity based Items, which would have vanished on unequipping, Sugaar''s Disco Ball was a reward from RECORD. Meuric almost stumbled as he caught the ball. And the moment he saw its Rank, his eyes almost popped out. Aldrich could tell that it wasn''t like the young Dreamer had never seen a Rare Ranked Item, but the opportunity of having this Item at Common Rank was rare. "Rare Rare Ranked Item! Mr. Tudor No, master, thank you." ''Master? Haha!'' Aldrichughed inwardly but said nothing. He knew Meuric must have guessed by now that this Mr. Tudor wasn''t some no-family-Common Ranked Dreamer. And that was enough for Aldrich. Meuric yed around with the first sized Disco Ball, which was like an oversized marble for him, and went toward the wilderness. Sigh! As Aldrich saw the blood-covered Meuric disappearing, he let out a sigh in his mind. Once again, he was alone in this wilderness. And he had many things to do. One of these things was to get the Summon Skill by forming a contract with a magical beast. Otherwise, even if he got all the Mana cores, they would be pointless. Aldrich didn''t want just any beast to be his Summon. He didn''t care about forming a contract. Aldrich only cared about the quality, as all the rest could be taken care ofter. But where Rare Ranked beasts were dangerous, and Baron Ranked were overlords, Aldrich doubted he would find anyone to his liking. He didn''t want much out of a beast. Either it should be mysterious enough to catch Aldrich''s eye or it should have a high enough Rank. Yet, not one of these criteria seemed to get fulfilled on this. But Aldrich''s thoughts hadn''t moved away from him, not yet. He knew there was a beast that was mysterious enough to even baffle him. This beast''s exact Rank he couldn''t tell, as only Crawlers had Stats over them. The reason he could tell that Boar-Bull-like beast was of Rare Rank was because of the Mana fluctuations. But from this beast, Aldrich couldn''t feel those, too. And the crucial point was that Aldrich didn''t need to move for him to get this beast. Because He already had it. Aldrich sent a trace of his Mana into the FIR and took a ss cylinder out of it. There wasn''t much light where he was, but even then, one could see a thick liquid in it. And in this thick liquid, there was a small beast, letting out bubbles after bubbles. The beast had a kitten-like figure, six closed eyes, bat-like wings, and two snake-headed tails. This beast was Shu. ''He must have healedpletely by now'' Aldrich had put him in a healing fluid after arriving at Rosalia. He didn''t know what this beast was, nor what its abilities were. But he knew this beast had downed two drops of Volcanic-Blood Amplifier Potion and even then it hadn''t jumped out with vigor in the next moment. "Time hase for you to pay the price of those drops." Aldrich used the Rumok to produce sound within the fluid, and the beast''s eyes snapped open in fear in the next moment. Aldrich let out a smirk and opened the ss container. The moment blue but almost transparent fluid streamed out, Shu jumped out and ran away, without even letting out any grunt. Its two tails almost coiled around himself to prevent Aldrich from grabbing them, as if he knew Aldrich''s state. "Haha! Where are you running to? You and your soul belong to me" Aldrich let out augh full of scorn and parted his lips. " From the ashes of my Dreams ARISE!!!" Chapter 275: Secret of Perception Chapter 275: Secret of Perception Aldrich couldn''t take any risk. He already could not use his Perception, and even if he could, he couldn''t sense Shu with his Divine Sense. Only Sha could do it using her "feel". But it wasn''t like Aldrich was clueless about what was happening behind all this. Before going into the El Cid''s Dungeon, it was indeed as said by the Crawler, Viscount Basajaun, that Aldrich didn''t know how to use Perception. When the female Crawler appeared out of nowhere behind him from within the earth, he couldn''t tell what was going on. At that time, he could only put it at the back of his mind to contemteter. It wasn''t until he saw the Devil Aldrich sucking all his Divine Sense within him in Sha''s memories that he formed a theory behind the secrets of Perception. And when he saw the memory of Devil Aldrich using that devastating Almighty Push, he got to confirm that theory. Even then, Aldrich''s thoughts were fast enough to outrun the transfer of memories from Sha. ''All things in the Universe have Perception'' Aldrich had thought then and concluded, '' But it isn''t a fixed value.'' What Aldrich hade up with was simple. If he was right, then Perception of anything, other than the Dreamers, fluctuated between two limits with a rhythm. A rock on the river bed had its own fluctuations, and the entire river had its own, too. And the Baron Ranked Crawler female had done the same. The earth within the Dungeon had its own Perception fluctuation, between a minimum and maximum limit. She could, too, bring down her Perception''s value, like the Devil Aldrich. But that wasn''t the only thing she could do. She could tune her Perception to match the rhythm of fluctuationsing out of that part of the earth. And that''s why Aldrich couldn''t tell her apart when he had scanned his surroundings. Aldrich got to know that if he could control his Perception to do the same, he would be truly invisible. Match the rhythm of fog, and be fog. Match the rhythm of the mountain and be a mountain. Then, even if one were to directly look at him, none could find him. But Aldrich couldn''t do so. All he managed to do was to copy the Devil Aldrich in making his Perception value zero. And he couldn''t find anything rting to this rhythm in the Devil''s mind, when he had brought him out as an undead, either. It seemed to him that the Devil Aldrich hadn''t transformed enough for this knowledge to descend in his mind from the Great Old One''s Will. And it was the same case with this strange beast Aldrich had contacted. Aldrich didn''t know how, as he hadn''t heard of any magical beast doing so, but this beast could control his Perception and make it zero, too. If Shu were to run out of the clearing, it was easy to say that Aldrich might very well not find him forever. And Aldrich wanted nothing but to find out all the secrets he had missed by Sha''s refusal to devour the beast. Shu would pay the price, even if the beast wanted to or not. " ARISE!!!" For the first time, the dead darkness around Aldrich felt alive. All his Skills had vanished, along with his Ranks, but the sses were still there, and so were his ss-specific Skills. An opening appeared in front of Aldrich. It was less like a space-crack, and more as if a pitch dark veil had parted there. El Cid walked out of that opening in all his majestic appearance. The blue cloak behind him fluttered without wind, and the red reing out of his helmet was sharp enough to infuse dread in one''s soul. But Aldrich could tell at one nce that his beloved undead wasn''t as strong as he seemed to be. When Viscount Aldrich had called El Cid out, there wasn''t much difference between him and the undead''s Stats and levels. Even though El Cid couldn''t use his full capabilities, he could use most of them in that state, as the Rank "Count" couldn''t actually be termed as a High Rank. But now Aldrich wasn''t a Viscount, he had fallen to just a Common Dreamer. As per the Skill ARISE, the undead El Cid''s rank had also fallen to just Common. This "fallen" wasn''t the same as Aldrich''s Fallen, as El Cid''s Stats had dropped, too. "My Lord" Before El Cid could kneel, Aldrich cut off his words and used Rumok to shout out. "Later, immobilize him first." Aldrich didn''t need to say much, as his undeads could already feel much through the connection he had with them. El Cid, like a beast, snapped his head towards Shu, who was just about to go out of the clearing. His hands went to the hilts of the two greatswords at his waist, and in the next moment, he unsheathed the des. Shuuuu! False One Step Shunpo!!! This was the exact reason for which Aldrich had called out to El Cid. Even though El Cid wasn''t a Count anymore, the False One Step Shunpo depended upon the two greatswords'' attributes, and not his MP or SP. The only negative effect was that the distance El Cid could cover using it had drastically reduced. El Cid appeared in front of Shu''s tiny figure like a phantom. With two pairs of horrifying eyes nted on him, it wasn''t like he could disappear into thin air. Aldrich doubted that the beast could make his Perception value fluctuate in a rhythm matching his surroundings. Making the Perception zero was easier than maintaining it between two different limits. Grrrr!!! Hissss!!! Shu bared its tiny but sharp teeth at El Cid and changed his direction. Even after turning around, his two snake-headed tails kept letting out hisses at the ck armored Undefeated King. El Cid didn''t run after Shu. His hands again went towards the two greatswords, and he disappeared. Shuuu! Shuuu!! Shuuu!!! Shu kept running here and there, but every time El Cid kept appearing in front of him. After a few minutes, the beast seemed out of breath. Old injuries had just healed, and it would take more time for him to return to his full strength. As Aldrich saw Shu losing his previous ferocity and slowing down, he silently nodded in his mind. El Cid, getting an unspokenmand, unsheathed one of the greatswords. Its de was icy blue, all around El Cid a chilly air appeared, freezing body and soul alike. This greatsword was COLADA, the GREAT FROST STEEL!!! Around the cross-shaped greatsword, air froze in blurry icicles, and chilled breath started toe out of Shu''s mouth along with his heavy pants. El Cid held the Cda in both hands and pointed it downwards. And when it seemed Shu had finally taken a chilly breath of relief, El Cid buried the blue icy greatsword into the earth. "COLADA - Great Frost Shift!!!" Just as the sword went half into the earth, a mirror-likeyer of ice spread out with the sword at its center. In just a blink of an eye, this perfect ice covered the 1oo ft radius around El Cid, including Aldrich and Shu. But unlike Shu, whose paws kept slipping over the ice, which looked dark as the surroundings, Aldrich had no ice under his feet. Unseen to anyone, the Rumok on his hand had just given out a blue sh. Slow whimpering noise kepting out of Shu, but he couldn''t get a hold of his footing. But this wasn''t the end of this Item-specific Skill. Four tiny hands, made of ice, protruded out of the icy mirror and grabbed Shu''s legs. GRRRRR!!! Shu let out a mad growl, but the ice-hands didn''t care, and in the next moment, they pulled him down. The mirror rippled as if it wasn''t solid but liquid, and someone had just thrown a pebble in ake. Aldrich gazed at this scene, and his mind went to the Ice-Dimension used by the Dreamers of House Divine Enclosure. During the Territory Bestowment Ceremony, Viscount Vivi Ingegard and Viscount Enok both had used it. But the Great Frost Shift hadn''t formed another dimension like them. Aldrich could see Shu''s blurry image rippling along with the waves in the icy mirror. Just as thest wave died, an icicle appeared in front of Aldrich in the shape of an altar. At the top of this altar, Shu''s four legs were bound tightly by tiny ice hands, and they seemed frozen to their bones. For the first time, Aldrich''s false ck eyes matched the six yellow eyes. Shu''s eyes were defiant, and Aldrich could feel the same emotion in Shu''s heart. Its two bat-like wings kept pping, trying to break the clutches of those ice-hands, but it was all in vain. Grrr-roarrrrrr-hissss!!! The voiceing out of Shu''s mouth didn''t seem as if he was just a kitten-like creature. His tails hurled around as the snake bared their fangs towards Aldrich and El Cid. Aldrich saw all this, and the corner of his lips lifted by just a small amount. But this was enough for Shu to lose all the motions. Shu''s mouth, baring the tiny teeth at Aldrich, closed, and along with it stopped the hissesing out of the snakes at the end of its tail. The only things left were a deep shiver, running from Shu''s head to the tip of its tails, and ttering of his teeth. Just when it seemed Shu would freeze to death, under the might of that chill, Aldrich''s words rang in Shu''s head. " Would you like to know Pain?" Chapter 276: An unusual Contract Chapter 276: An unusual Contract Pain Pain Even though Aldrich had used Rumok to talk, there was an ethereal heaviness in it. A crushing and coarse sound as if someone was rubbing stones and sand together in a hand. It was unpleasant, and more than anything, it was unbearable. What kind of pain woulde out after a sound like that? By looking at Shu''s face, one could say that he didn''t want to know. He had be a statue, which kept shaking because of an earthquake and was just about to disintegrate into pieces. Magical Beasts had always an uncanny ability to perceive danger, especially fatal dangers. Now call it a sixth sense or some hidden Skill, it didn''t matter. The point was, Shu must have felt it, that feeling of impending doom. His six eyes were wide open, and his tails had coiled between his hind legs. He must have known that the being in front of him was not as soft-hearted as that of that blue-eyed girl. And if he didn''t get what he wanted, some distorted and self-defined Pain would be given to him by this white-haired man. The small beast couldn''t handle even one sentence of Aldrich and sumbed to the fear caused by the potential future. His two bat-like wings finally moved and wrapped around its body, as if he was holding himself in submission. And the towering neck, in sheer defiance, dropped until Aldrich couldn''t even see its eyes. As soon as this happened, the ice holding Shu down vanished. The ice mirror surrounding Aldrich and covering the entire clearing disappeared, too. Aldrich eyed Shu, who was shivering less from the cold and more in fear and heard El Cid calling out to him. "My Lord" Aldrich adjusted his gaze and looked at his most loyal undead. The Undefeated King had never let Aldrich''s expectations down so far. And though this being was just an undead, Aldrich hade to know Pain. A thing which never truly died, like history. It lingered in corners, surviving for eternity. " Daddy" Crack-Clickkkk-Crackk!!! Cough!!! Aldrich coughed out a shower of blood from using the Skill Arise. And though the cuff-link''s Mass Illusion had masked the blood drops, it couldn''t mask the weird noise that hade out of him. "MY LORD!!!" -"No need"- El Cid was about to lunge at Aldrich when the surrounding space vibrated in El Cid''s head. Only Aldrich knew there was no escape from it, and none could help him. Even if someone were to ease the physical part of this Pain, what to do about the ethereal part? It was thetter that hurt the most, not the former. For the first time, a gentle tone came out of Aldrich as he looked at El Cid. -"El Cid would you like to meet her?"- El Cid''s entire body trembled as he heard that. Only Aldrich and he knew whom they were talking about. The red beams of lighting out of his helmet dimmed and intensified. It was clear that the undead El Cid was going through a storm of emotions then. Aldrich didn''t entirely know how his Skill Arise worked. All he knew was that whoever was dead could be called out by him into reality given that he had enough data on that dead being. It didn''t matter if that being was a Dreamer, Crawler, or a Magical Beast. But he also knew that right now, if one were to enter El Cid''s Dungeon anywhere on the Gxy, they would encounter another image of El Cid. Countless El Cids existed simultaneously in the Gxy, sharing the same emotions, but only one of them was out of the Dungeons. The undead El Cid didn''t take long toe out of his stupor. Aldrich''s undead weren''t zombies or mindless idiots, they were almost the same image of their previous selves. The only thing that differed was the inexhaustible sense of loyalty towards Aldrich, which only someone like the Devil Aldrich could find a way around. El Cid kneeled again, but Aldrich could feel a hint of deeper emotion bubbling in the undead''s heart. A reverential tone came out of El Cid, and it was full of expectation. " Yes, my Lord." -"Very well."- These two words were enough. There was no need to exin how and when Aldrich would make it happen. But if he had said it, almost none could stop him from doing so. Suddenly, a bright sh came out from afar, lighting up everything around Aldrich. It was as if the sun hade up for a second. But it soon disappeared as strangely as it had disappeared. As Aldrich calcted the point of origin of this sh, hemanded El Cid. -"Don''t let him die."- El Cid nodded and stood up, hearing these words. He took a step towards the darkness, and his hands went to the two greatswords at his waist. The ferocity was the same, but the Prince of Valencia''s back seemed straighter than before. Shuuuu! Aldrich saw El Cid disappearing and brought his attention to the cowering beast under him. By now Aldrich had confirmed that the magical beasts didn''t have any Stats unlike the Crawlers in Dungeons. These magical beasts had Mana, the quality and attribute of which differed with their race, and this Mana kept increasing with age. It almost felt to Aldrich that Magical Beasts grew stronger and leveled up without the need of RECORD. They didn''t need to hoard Skill Points, Rank up, or go on raids into the Dungeons. Their entire way of life, and even their existence, could be summed up in one word '' Cultivation?!'' Aldrich didn''t know what he was dealing with until he got to do extensive research or got to read all the data on them. But for now, he was fascinated by this mysterious beast. Especially after seeing the notification that had been shing in front of him for some time. [ A Magical Beast has agreed to form a contract with you Terms of Contract: 1. Contractor may decline a Summon if so wished 2. Contractee (You) will need to provide the Contractor with necessities 3. Contractor may end the contract anytime (except in a fight) 4. Contractor will need to give notice to Contractee (at least the length of one Random-Allocation) before terminating the contract 5. Upon the death of the Contractor, his future generation will not be subjected to this contract Rewards: 1. Skill Summon (Rank isn''t applicable) 2. Contractor will not have the right to refusemands from the Contractee once summoned 3. Contractor will perish on the spot at the first sign of betrayal 4. If asked, the Contractor will have to sacrifice himself on the battlefield Do you agree with the terms? ] "" Aldrich gazed at this contract and then he looked at the beast, who had yet to look up. ''Hmm why is the contract a little different from the standard one?!'' There was not one but many things that puzzled Aldrich about this contract. First, and foremost, itcked the point of any proof of worthiness. It was innate to all the contracts between a magical beast and Dreamer that the Dreamer must prove his worthiness. Otherwise, there was no need for self-pity in Meuric''s heart. It could be said that almost all this game of contract revolved around that point. Then there was the fifth point within the terms of the contract that had caught Aldrich''s attention. He had never heard of such a condition stating the magical beast''s future generation exclusively within the contract. This statement was irrelevant and stood out like a thorn to Aldrich. He was having a hunch that this was less of a condition and more of a warning. And Aldrich''s hunches rarelycked any substance. But there was no immediate or at least open threat about this point, nor Aldrich could think of one. He knew that this contract had nothing to do with the magical beast, as it was the RECORD who had made the changes with it. Even if he didn''t like how the RECORD behaved sometimes, Aldrich didn''t have to worry about it being impartial at least. All this could be put to the back of his mind, but Aldrich couldn''t take his eyes off the fourth Reward mentioned in the contract. ''If asked, Shu will have to sacrifice himself If asked'' Aldrich repeated the first two words many times in his mind. He wasn''t a normal Dreamer, to begin with. Aldrich was a schr and master of maniptions. At one nce, he could tell that this "If asked" was RECORD''s way of putting clues in Aldrich''s subconsciousness. ''It is more like RECORD wants me to let Shu sacrifice himself'' Aldrich narrowed his eyes as this theory formed in his mind. It wasn''t the first time that he had found a loophole in RECORD''s unseen actions. He had already found one before when he had realized that RECORD didn''t want the Bosses of the Dungeons to die. And he had confirmed that theory of his through El Cid in the answer of WILL. Aldrich wanted to have authority over Shu. Even though he wouldn''t get to know about his ability, as the magical beastscked Stats even after getting contracted, he wanted to know its origins. He wanted to know why Shu was so special, and why Shu could make his Perception zero. And more than anything else, he wanted to know why Sha was so attached to this beast? Sigh! Aldrich thought thousands of times before letting out a sigh and saying out loud. "Yes." Ripp!!! Just as the corner of his lips ripped open, something happened that made Aldrich''s eyes almost pop out. Words materialized over Shu out of nowhere, and their color wasn''t the usual bluish-green but muddy yellow. [ Record of "Abomination No. 9"
  1. From now on (-") and ("-) will be used to show that Aldrich is talking through Rumok using Hell Resonance
Chapter 277: Shu Chapter 277: Shu Aldrich was gobsmacked. How could this be possible? He could ept the abnormality of contract. These abnormalities had been happening around him since the beginning of Dream Initiation. It wasn''t a big deal to him. Up to that point, he could put those abnormalities by naming them unknown variables. But the event taking ce in front of him was unprecedented. Never had he read of a magical beast having a Record. And never had he read of the yellow color of notifications. The only yellow he had seen remotely rted to the RECORD was the muddy yellow pir of light around the Bosses'' statues. With all that was happening around him, even Aldrich had never tried to look behind the color of these pirs. He only knew that whenever Dreamers entered a Random-Dungeon, this yellow pir of light turned red. Otherwise, it turned green. Pretty clear and not something to look over many times. But after looking at yellow words materializing over Shu''s head, Aldrich doubted that was the only purpose of those light pirs. ''Have I Have I overlooked something?!'' Aldrich clenched his fist in anger and regret. He had thought the only time he had overlooked something was when he had lost Sha. But it seemed it wasn''t his first time. Even with the mind of a schr, and with ss Generalist, Aldrich demanded too much from himself. None could know everything in the gxy. A fact that he woulde to know soon enough. Aldrich didn''t take his eyes off the filthy yellow words that kept appearing one after the other. [ Record of "Abomination No. 9" Description: Abomination No. 9 can replicate the DNA of all magical beasts in the universe. Once given the blood of a magical beast, it can turn itself into the original creature''s embryonic image. It can also turn back to its previous forms, but only momentarily. It is cursed to achieve no form of maturity. If before reaching the mature stage, Abomination No. 9 doesn''t transform itself into a new form, it will perish. Current Form: Humbaba "The Terror" ] ''This No wonder I couldn''t recognize it'' Aldrich''s breathing would have already gone rough if he wasn''t apprehensive of the Pain it would cause him. Even if he were to dismiss the strange format of the beast''s Record, the words written in front of the description were enough to give him a shock. He had never heard of any beast named Abominations followed by some number, let alone the ability which could cause a gxy-wide bloodbath. The sheer reason for modern schrs to confirm many ancient magical beasts'' presence was the discovery of their frozen blood. And if he could make Shu devour that blood, then There was a brilliant spark in Aldrich''s eyes. It wasn''t devilish, and it wasn''t greed. It was a look from thinking of the prospects and having a guarantee of sess. Even if Shu could never reach maturity, Aldrich knew maturity signified not only abilities but also an increase in the life span. If he could procure rare and ancient DNA, then Shu would never perish. Aldrich had always known that there were secrets about Shu. But even he had never thought that this small beast was the closest to the word Immortal he would find first in the material world. And then there was the mention of the current form, Humbaba "the Terror". It was the sole reason that even after going through text after text, Aldrich couldn''t recognize the beast. Humbaba was a monstrous beast of immemorial age in Ancient Mesopotamian religion. This beast was raised by God himself and was the guardian of the forest where the Gods lived. It was literally the terror for all human beings in the world. But despite its obvious presence in the Barren Earth''s history, none had seen this creature before, much like the serpent Fk. There was no one true reference to its appearance, and all figures differed too much from each other. As Aldrich''s mind chewed on this fresh data, he formed a theory behind Shu''s presence. ''Hmm He must have devoured a drop of Humbaba''s blood from somewhere. But got attacked during transformation into the embryonic stage. No wonder he was on the brink of death when I found him.'' Grrrr!!! A grunt came out of Shu, bringing Aldrich out of his thoughts. But this gruntcked any ferociousness of before. Aldrich looked at the beast and found him sitting on his hind legs and licking its paws. It didn''t look like this was the same beast who was just about to die under Aldrich''s hands. Shu''s six yellow eyes stared at Aldrich. There was no subservience in those eyes but nor was there any defiance. It was as if Shu was asking "So, what next?". The corners of Aldrich''s lips twitched seeing this nonchnt attitude. But Aldrich didn''t care how Shu behaved or what kind of Abomination he was. Aldrich only cared for his abilities. Aldrich had already formed many ns rted to the next potential magical beast whose DNA he would let Shu replicate. For now, he knew nothing of Shu''s current form. Without knowing what this kitten-like Humbaba could do, "the Terror" was nothing but a pile of empty words to him. Unlike the sharing of thoughts with his undeads and Sha, Aldrich knew Dreamers couldn''t talk with the magical beasts. But the magical beasts weren''t mindless idiots. They had intelligence, and it was another thing that this intelligence was tuned to their respective environment. Aldrich nced at Shu and spoke out. -"What are the abilities of your current form?"- Shu tilted his head from left to right as Aldrich''s words rang in his small ears. He pped his bat-like wings and, in the next moment,nded on Aldrich''s right shoulder. The two snake-headed tails of the grey-furred beast went towards either side of Aldrich''s neck, but Aldrich didn''t stop it. The contract had rified that Shu could do nothing to betray Aldrich or Aldrich''s will. ''Is this some way ofmunication unique to Humbaba''s race?'' Hisss!!! As Aldrich was just thinking of this question, the two snakes opened their mouths wide and lunged at Aldrich''s neck from left and right. Ripp!!! Crack-click-Crack!!! Aldrich''s skin got torn apart, his spine fractured, but he didn''t have the sense to let out any painfulugh even if he wanted to. Scenes after scenes kept shing through his mind like a video reel. Some were blurry, and some were entirely nk. By the time this video stopped, Shu had already jumped off Aldrich''s shoulder and had gone to sleep. Aldrich''s dazed eyes returned to reality, and the first thing that came to him was Pain. Unbearable and terrifying intensities of Pain. But no grunt came out of his mouth, and no blood came out of his body. All things got masked under the Mass Illusion cast by the Cuff-links. Aldrich gazed at the sleeping beast and muttered inwardly. ''A Terror indeed'' Aldrich didn''t know if it was because of Shu''s newborn state or something else, but he could make out only two abilities through the shared information. The first was the GAZE OF TERRORS. Shu could instill the terror of death in any being he looked at. There was no avoiding this skill, and there was no counter to it. The fate of all those under the influence of Gaze of Terrors was death and only death. But this seemingly powerful skill had a major w. If one had a strong will to not fear death or had an understanding of the Law of Death, then this skill was nothing but an empty threat. It could be said that Shu was just unlucky that he ran into two beings who neither feared death nor theycked an understanding of the Law of Death. These two beings were Aldrich and the undead El Cid. Even though Aldrich didn''t have a full mastery of the Law of Death, he had a preliminary insight. And that was enough to make Shu understand he was already knee-deep in water in front of Aldrich. The second was the LISTENER OF FEAR. After seeing the use of this second ability, Aldrich got to know the reason behind the exclusive mention of the second point in the terms of the contract. ''Contractee will need to provide the Contractor with necessities So these were the necessities.'' Aldrich thought to himself as he remembered the effect of this skill. Unlike other magical beasts, Shu needed more than just contemporary meat and bones to fill his appetite. Through the use of Listener of Fear, Shu could feed on the concept of fear itself. And every such feeding on fear brought unimaginable benefits to Shu, which no material food couldpare. Aldrich noticed how these two abilities seemed toplement each other. It was as if those two were deliberately attuned to allow the newborn Humbaba to speed up his growth. But This ability also had a grave w. A w that was even bigger than the first one. Non-living things couldn''t feel fear, and less intelligent beings couldn''t let out fear enough to satiate Shu''s hunger. This meant that Aldrich would need to provide Shu''s food, ording to the contract. And none in the gxy knew how to shit their pants in fear better than the humans. '' So I will have to hunt many Dreamers?! Haha!'' As Aldrich let out augh in his mind, concluding his theory, a hint of a smile came upon his face. Suddenly, a rustling sound originated to Aldrich''s left, and he saw Meuric''s towering figure approaching him. But that wasn''t all. On his shoulders, there was a burnt magical beast of the same race, which had almost killed him if it weren''t for Aldrich''s intrusion. Even before he coulde near, Meuric let out a shout. "Haha!!! Master, you wouldn''t believe it. I killed this beast in one punch, too. But somehow I burnt it, even though I can''t use fire based Skill. Is this also a reward? Haha! I even produced ice here and there" Sigh! Chapter 278: A massive news Chapter 278: A massive news The night on this shouldn''t have been so silent. This was selected not because of its size but because of the sheer number of low-ranked beasts it had. No matter where one was to go, and no matter where one was to run, these beasts would have never let one take a breath of relief. Day and night, all kinds of beasts were there on this to keep one awake. All had their hearts in their hands, and their breaths in their mouth, hoping they would reach the checkpoint within the time limit. But unlike the tense atmosphere of the, there was a 50-60 meter clearing which wasn''t so quiet. The loud snores of a giant man and the growls of a tiny beast were intermingled with a buried hissing sound. Aldrich motionlessly gazed at the sprawled figure of Meuric with a bump in his stomach. The young boy hadn''t even managed to stay awake for a moment after gulping down around 100 kg of meat by himself. If it weren''t for Aldrich asking him to bring dinner, Meuric would have lost consciousness just after drinking the HP potion. The rest of the meat got cleaned up by Shu, who was snoring over Meuric''s chest. One of the two snake-headed tails always had its eyes open throughout the night. Aldrich wondered how much "fear" would be equivalent to the food Shu had eaten in just a single seating. But even more baffling to Aldrich was the time. It was almost dark around him, yet this darkness wasn''t from theck of day. The day had alreadye and gone. In the thick wilderness, Aldrich''s surroundings hadn''t lighted until the sun reached almost to the top. Then, after only a few hours, even before sunset, all around him had be dark. Aldrich could ept Meuric''s oversleep because of his body adjusting to the pain and food. But he couldn''t guess what''s wrong with Shu, too. ''Is this innate to Abomination No. 9, or is it because of his current form? Hmm'' Shuuu! Aldrich was just contemting when the familiar sound echoed around him. El Cid walked into the clearing and passed by the two sleeping beauties. One tail let out hisses at El Cid, but he didn''t care any of it. As he approached Aldrich, El Cid kneeled and spoke out. "My Lord, it''s done." Aldrich nodded in his mind, listening to this. After experimenting with ARISE for so long, Aldrich had found out many wondrous things about it. This Viscount Ranked ss-specific Skill had too many things that at one nce looked disheartening. First, Aldrich needed to have a deep understanding of the target to use him/her as an undead. Second, if the resurrected being had a rank higher than Count or over two Ranks higher than Aldrich''s, then the undead''s Rank would drop. It could be said that this was the single most weak point about ARISE. But hidden behind the obvious banes, were boons so huge that only a being like Aldrich could take their advantage to their fullest. ARISE was just a Viscount Ranked Skill, but it could be upgraded unlike most of the Skills. The only reason for Aldrich to not upgrade it to Level 2 already was that he didn''t know if he would get Skill Points after bing a Fallen. If he won''t then he would need to save as many Skill Points as he could to Rank up in the future. The second and even horrifying advantage of ARISE was that all undead came with a set amount of Stats. And unless Aldrich were to cancel the Skill, or the undead were to die, they wouldn''t disappear. That meant, if Aldrich could keep supplying an undead with MP, SP, and HP potions, it would almost be immortal. A fact he had already confirmed on the, Rosalia. Aldrich took an SP potion out of his FIR and threw it at El Cid. The undead didn''t seem out of breath, but Aldrich knew only loyalty and reverence were keeping El Cid from not falling on the ground. -"How many?"- Aldrich asked as El Cid gulped down the potion. A hint of yellowish vapor rose around him, and the undead let out a refreshing breath. "Using no perception I could only find 30, My Lord." ''30'' Aldrich repeated the number in his mind. This wasn''t the number of magical beasts or even some Mana cores. This was the number of Dreamers, which were on the same path that Aldrich would take to the checkpoint. As soon as Meuric had gone to sleep, Aldrich had sent El Cid on a round trip from his location to the checkpoint and back. It was less to see who he would be meeting, and more to find out how many of them had survived. The more the Dreamers, the more they would have the Mana cores. -"Keep an eye out for anything that seems out of the ordinary. It isn''t likely, but the N.I.K.E. may have hidden monitoring systems scattered throughout the wilderness"- "Yes, my lord." With thismand, El Cid stood up and walked out of the clearing. Even with this Rank limited to the boundary of Common and Rare, there was no magical beast who could catch up to El Cid''s False One Step Shunpo. Aldrich noted the time and kept hearing the clutter-ttering out from the jungle. But after waiting for a moment, when no sign of any spaceship appeared, Aldrich slightly smirked. For the first time afternding on the ground, Aldrich moved his legs and took a step. Slowly, almost as if a turtle was exaggerating its ability to dawdle, Aldrich approached Meuric and Shu. He could see a hint of burnt-out woods beside them in the face of ash. But Meuric had already neatly stored away most of the bones and even the skin. It wasmon knowledge that all things on a magical beast''s body brought high prices. There were many uses of these bones, skin, and meat. Especially for a potion crafter like Meuric. -"Wake up"- Aldrich poked Meuric''s scarred cheeks. But before he could wake up, Shu lunged off Meuric''s chest as if someone hade to im his life. Grrrrrr!!! Hissss!!! Shu let out mad grunts and hisses, but soon the memories of yesterday kicked in, and he looked at Aldrich. Aldrich had already let Meuric know of Shu''s presence. He needed a usible exnation for getting his hands on a magical beast. And with Meuric in hispany, he could let him be a witness that Aldrich had indeed got Shu from this. For the same reason, he hadn''t canceled his summoning. It was better to let Shu remain outside and get seen by other Dreamers. Shu''s six yellow eyes were dead set on Aldrich. It seemed in the next moment he would lunge at Aldrich''s neck and won''t stop until Aldrich bleeds to death. But despite this obvious turmoil in Shu''s heart, Aldrich could sense an ethereal wall blocking Shu from acting on those emotions. "Mmmm. Uwahhhhh." The eye contact between Aldrich and Shu got broken by a loud yawn. Meuric sat up and scratched the back of his head as he saw Aldrich and Shu standing on either side. " Are we all dead?!" ''This idiot.'' -"No one is dead. And why do you think we will remain together even after death? Tch! Get up, we will move out soon"- Aldrich''s words sted into Meuric''s mind, making him jump to his feet in the next moment. All traces of the sleep vanished from his eyes, and when he couldn''t see any sun, his jaw dropped. "No way I slept through an entire day?! I missed five meals" As Meuric iprehensibly muttered, Shu kept looking from Aldrich to Meuric. Finally, he jerked his head, as if scoffing at Aldrich, and flew to Meuric''s wide shoulder. The corner of Aldrich''s lips twitched, seeing this uncanny way of showing defiance. Meuric, not caring for Shu''s presence on him, took out a vial having brown colored potion in it. Aldrich narrowed his eyes as he figured out the purpose of this potion by the hint of smelling out of the vial. It seemed even a stopper couldn''t prevent the gas bubbling out of the potion. Meuric turned to face Aldrich and brought the potion to Aldrich''s eye level. "Master, you slept while standing. You ate energy pills when I was hunting dinner, which I killed with only one punch. But don''t tell me you would take a shit while standing, too. Ahem! This is a Shit Vaporizing Potion I have made. It will vaporize all the shit within your body and then it wille out as a fart. That''s it" "" "" Aldrich and Shu stared at the brown Potion. Suddenly, Shu let out a burst of grunting noise. Grr-Grrrrr!!! It almost seemed he wasughing at Aldrich. Aldrich shook his head inwardly and replied. -"Maybe some other time"- "?!" Meuric tilted his left from right to left, finding no reason in Aldrich''s refusal. But the young boy wasted little time on senseless thinking. He popped open the stopper and gulped down the entire potion. Aldrich didn''t mind drinking the potion. In his opinion, it was an absolutely smart option for Common Ranked Dreamers in an unknown ce filled with magical beasts. But there were better alternatives and he was also apprehensive about the Potion''s efficacy, given how Meuric''sst potion had turned out. Suddenly, a growling noise came out of Meuric''s stomach, making the giant boy clench his teeth in pain. Gud-Gud!! Aldrich was about to use Rumok when a st came out from Meuric''s ass. FRAPPPPP!!! "Ah! This one was okayish, I guess?! One time, when Big Brother was around me, I had let out such a massive one Oh! Haha! It was the biggest news in the family for days and no news in the Gxy can bepared to it" Sigh! Aldrich let out a sigh, but then Meuric said something, which made him blurt out in surprise. "Yes, no news Hmm, maybe only the news of Queen Eluned''s dethroning is above that" "WHAT?!" Chapter 279: Keywords Chapter 279: Keywords What?! The Queen is getting dethroned?!! But that is impossible?!!! Such questions kept repeating themselves in Aldrich''s mind. The one "What" he had shouted from the shock he had received made him remember why he hadn''t spoken out loud so far. A terrifying bolt of lightning coursed through his entire body, but this lightning was the pain caused by the sudden motion of Aldrich''s muscles. Even after he became motionless to bear the pain, and almost seemed petrified, Aldrich didn''t stop thinking of those questions. To someone else, it would have made no sense why Aldrich had asked nothing rted to the Queen from Meuric. Instead of letting Meuric go to fetch dinner, Aldrich should have asked about the matters rted to Queen first. But in these trains of thoughts, one must not forget that it wasn''t Barren Earth anymore, and Queen wasn''t a symbolic word and title. Consider if a person from pre-Dream Initiation Barren Earth was to ask something like this. - So The sun rose from the east today. But would it rise from the east tomorrow, too? Aldrich''s asking or even thinking that there was something wrong with Queen Eluned was equivalent to this question. It was absurd, idiotic, and thoughtless. If the beings of their Rank refused something, who could stand up to them? No one. If the beings of their Rank desired something, who could deprive them of it? No one. If the beings of their Rank left their thrones, who could take their ce? No one. In the entire gxy, who was above them? No one. And in the entire gxy, who was below them? EVERYONE!!! This idea of someone making Queen Eluned leave her throne was so ridiculous that even Aldrich doubted its veracity and gave it a double-take. But he could also feel the emotions in Meuric''s heart. He could feel the weight of this news was pounding at Meuric''s feelings from within, but it wasn''t false. And if even a mere Common Ranked Dreamer knew of this news, then it was most likely true. Meuric gave little thought to Aldrich''s petrified state and blurted out. "Huh? Master, you didn''t know?!!! But how could this be? Even unborn babies in their mothers'' wombs know of this news. Tch! Tch! I knew it, I knew it. Master, were you meditating in some cave while standing for thest month or so? Is that how you can go without eating and shitting for days? Is" Meuric just kept bbering out and out. He was like a children''s toy which operated on a rotating key, but his key just never seemed to run out of rotations. No matter how ridiculous it sounded, Aldrich didn''t take more than a few moments to ept it. He took a deep breath and his mind raced, doing calctions after calctions for the cause behind this news. But even after going through all the data he had, he couldn''t find anything that could exin such drastic action. Aldrich knew for this news toe out in public; it meant that things were already out of Queen Eluned''s hands. He also knew that there wasn''t any being, at least not openly, in the entire Kingdom of Life-Authority who could make her give up her authority. And it all came down to one theory that made sense to Aldrich. ''Other Kings are involved Fuck!'' Aldrich looked at Meuric, who had taken a turn to involve the magnificent quality of the chicken-like beasts reared on his home. -"Just tell me all the details you know"- Aldrich didn''t know if Meuric would have the crucial facts with him. He had yet to ask him about the strangeness of the Boid family. Aldrich had found out that Meuric was innately sensitive to anything that involved the name Boid or his immediate family. And these heavy topics needed time to be discussed, at least not unless he didn''t want Meuric to share his Pain. Meuric was already looking at Aldrich in sheer awe. As he heard the words rang in his ears, the towering boy leaned towards Aldrich a little and spoke out. "Master, you must have heard the rumors rted to Duchess Bouda, right?" Aldrich''s eyes almost narrowed as Meuric whispered, mentioning the rumors. Aldrich already knew of these rumors, ording to which, Bouda wasn''t a pure-blood Rhiannon but an illegitimate child. It was based on another rumor that she had used an Ancestral Divine Spirit Summoning, which shouldn''t exist anymore. But that was it. Aldrich didn''t know what family the rumors were talking about, nor did he care. It wasn''t like he wasn''t curious, but he already had a set path in front of him. And the things he needed to do were humongous and disastrous enough for him to go off course and verify this rumor. And thus, he didn''t even put this rumor as one of the things on his priority list. ''Is this something rted to that?!'' Aldrich was just guessing when Meuric continued without waiting for an answer. "The Dukes of the Kingdom of Swordless have confirmed that Duchess Bouda can summon the Golden Luan Divine Spirit. And she has done so not once but twice." -"So what of it?"- As soon as Aldrich asked why this Summon was such a big deal, Meuric almost stumbled back. For the first time, the boy who hadn''t gone quiet even while facing death lost his voice. His mouth kept parting and closing as he looked at Aldrich with a stupefied gaze. From the scrolls avable to him on Rosalia, Aldrich could only find that this Summon belonged to a family which had already vanished. But even if it had, so what of it? Aldrich''s thoughts rarely changed when it came to such things. A family that had vanished for decades. What does it have to do with Lt. General Bouda, even if she was an illegitimate child of someone from this family? Such were Aldrich''s thoughts. But not "all" were aloof about these social taboos, like Aldrich. And here this "all" epassed almost all beings of the Gxy outside Barren Earths. Aldrich''s discarding this verification of rumor was so shocking to Meuric that the young boy had almost sumbed to it. But soon his innate personality took control over him and made him deny the sheer reality of the words uttered by Aldrich. p! p!! Meuric pped his hands, roared out with augh, and the look of disbelief again turned to pure awe. "Haha!!! Master, Oh, Master! I thought you were serious. Haha! But even you can make a joke, and that, too, on this kind of topic. Yes, you are worthy of being my Master. Who else can make a joke of something rted to the Gctic Traitors? Haha!" ''Gctic Traitors?! Is this the name of the family'' Aldrich felt out of his element, hearing things that he should have known by now, given that he was already knee-deep in the hidden undercurrents. But '' But betterte than never'' -"Haha! Yes, yes. I also make jokes now and then. Keep going and tell me all in one go"- Grrr-Grrrr!!! A grunting noise again came out from Shu, hearing Aldrich''s shameless words. Shu was still on Meuric''s shoulders, and Aldrich hadn''t prevented Shu from listening, either. But Meuric was enjoying Aldrich''s ability to make jokes he had just found out and ignored these acrostic Shu''s growls. Meuric became quiet and the seriousness of the topic returned to them. But there was a hint of a smile on Meuric''s innocent face that just couldn''t go away. He again leaned down and whispered. "I know little. Father didn''t tell me Ahem! I know the Royal Ancestors are nning to publicly execute Duchess Bouda in two months. And they are also dethroning Queen Eluned because of it. I I don''t know the specifics. Oh, Big Brother told me it was something rted to N.I.K.E. Hmm, I don''t remember. But" Public Execution Dethrone N.I.K.E Kings Royal Ancestors Aldrich had stopped listening to Meuric just as the young boy had drifted off the topic. Aldrich''s mind had already turned the keywords mentioned by Meuric to numbers. Within a moment, Aldrichbined them, distorted them, crushed and remade them thousands of times. No wonder he took only a few moments toe up with a usible exnation that could exin most things to him. ''The Gctic Traitors Everything is about this vanished family. Let''s see, the other kingdoms must have asked for an answer from the Fourth Kingdom. Gctic with this word involved, they must have even asked to hand over Bouda, too. But that would be equivalent to submitting to those requests. So the Royal Family is instead publicly executing her to maintain loyalty towards the Royals. And the 2 months It must be Queen Eluned''s doing. She must have found a loophole to extend the time of execution. And then there is N.I.K.E. '' Aldrich looked around and then his gazended at the triangle insignia over his left chest pocket. The corner of his lips slightly lifted in a smirk as he thought. '' So that''s why I am here. Haha!'' Chapter 280: Hope (2) Chapter 280: Hope (2) Boom! Bang!! Badooom!!! Thunderous sound of fleshy explosions rang out hidden under theyer of 100-meter tall trees. Meuric used the trunk of the tree and jumped up to a thorny bough. Just as his feet touched the slim branch, a ck figure lunged at him from another tree. It almost looked like a baboon, but it had four hands and two long legs. Its fur was gray and on its back was a red patch. But despite its dark red eyes, the weirdest thing about this baboon was the protruded skin over that red patch. It was as if there was a tiny volcano on the Baboon''s back. And fiery, bubbling heat wasing out of the tiny opening at the top of that protruded skin. This was a Common Ranked Fire-Back Baboon. As the Baboon was about to contact Meuric, the red patch on its back gave a brilliant sh. The protruded skin became red hot, and in the next moment, its four fists ballooned up. It looked like they were four red fiery balls of irons, and all were aimed at Meuric''s head. But just as it seemed there was no avoiding those raging fists, Meuric''s punch, wrapped in lightning, appeared in front of the beast''s face. There was no trajectory to this punch and no hint of its presence. Even Meuric''s posture didn''t seem appropriate to let out this punch, especially considering his towering figure. But this punch had indeed appeared as if it was a snake who was hiding, waiting for its prey. Thunder Boa Second Fist THUNDER FORMLESS STRIKE!!! BOOM!!! The Fire-Back Baboon''s head exploded, and before its lifeless body could reach the ground, Meuric had already vanished. Thump! The body struck the ground with a loud thump, and the slope on the ground made it roll down a few feet away from the point of contact. But it couldn''t go far as there was a heap of simr headless baboons ced over one other. At one nce, one could tell that their number must have easily reached dozens. And behind this bloody heap of bodies stood Aldrich, watching this entire scene with his almost dead eyes. Since the moment he had figured out what Queen Eluned wanted by sending him here, Aldrich had been forming a preliminary n. The biggest thing he was worried about was him not knowing what he needed to do. Now that he had, Aldrich could let himself loose without holding back. For what the Queen wanted was equally mind-boggling and humongous. '' She wants me to save Bouda, but she also wants to portray me as apletely independent party. None can know that I will be taking Bouda''s side, and whatever I do must be big enough to catch the Royal Ancestors'' eyes.'' Aldrich made it sound simple, but this was a task none could think of doing even if one was given a hundred lifetimes. First, he would have to start from the very bottom and climb his way up to the ranks of distinguished N.I.K.E. Dreamers. Otherwise, even if he would have a method, his voice won''t have the power to catch the required attention. Second, he would have to find a way to save Bouda. A way which none could reject or discard. A method that could make all ims and usations against Bouda invalid, even if they were true. All that within two months, and without Queen Eluned''s direct help. It was true that if the Queen were to help him, he could bypass all these cumbersome tasks and work on the second thing from the get-go. But then his existence couldn''t be hidden from others, either. What would the people, who were against the Queen''s faction, do if they were to find out that a Dreamer was trying to help Bouda? What would they do if that Dreamer was trying to reinstate the Queen''s faith in themon people? And what would they do if that Dreamer was indirectly against the wishes of two, or possibly three, Kings? Aldrich''s grip on the cane tightened as he thought of the consequences if the Queen had pulled him directly to her location. He almost feared nothing, but even he knew he wasn''t invincible. And unlike before, Aldrich had found out there were many things that could make his ns go awry if he was not careful enough. '' It''s good. Without getting Sha back, I can''t afford to get myself captured by another Duke or King.'' There was no way around it. Aldrich knew he must do these things. He must be prudent enough to reach the unreachable heights and yet not get questioned about his ultimate intentions. Otherwise, what the Queen would do to him, Aldrich didn''t want to even think of. '' Anyway, I have already given Bouda my words, and she has also paid in advance. This excuse is good enough for now.'' Even though Aldrich didn''t want to let himself get involved in anything unrted to his search of Sha, he had to finish this mission first. But buried in his heart, there was one more reason for him to just not take out Swordfish and run away. Aldrich knew IT was the King himself who had somehow snatched Sha away from him. IT was the King who had somehow masked Sha''s presence for her voice to not reach in his mind. And the only Being who could help him rted to this must also be a King. Aldrich didn''t want to have it, but in his heart there was Hope. It hadn''t juste out of the blue; it had been bubbling up in the depths of his heart since the time he was hovering in the Shadow World. Hope gave Aldrich enough excuse as a thread for him to cling on. Hope made Aldrich think that once he would save Bouda, the Queen might just help him out. And it was also Hope that made him not just threaten the Queen herself. There was a chance the Queen just might sumb to his threat, given the love she had for her niece, but this Hope didn''t let him do it. Thump!!! Another headless body rolled down and stopped a few inches away from his feet. A gust of wind hit Aldrich''s face as Meuric appeared beside the pile of bodies. He was out of breath, and here and there were marks of scorched skin. But they were not fatal, and not painful enough to wipe the big smile off his face. The corners of Meuric''s lips reached to his ears as he showed a Common Ranked FIR to Aldrich. -"How many?"- "Haha! Master, 50. 50 Poison attributed Common Mana Cores. Tch! And I thought even Shu is weak like you. Ahem! I mean, he is just a Common Ranked Magical Beast. Once he drinks the potion which I will make for him, he will be stronger than even these baboons. Then he won''t have to hide any longer. I will also" Meuric kept bbering as Aldrich looked at Shu, who was sprawled over a low branch and was gazing directly at them. It was Aldrich who had made Shu not intrude in the fight. Otherwise, given Shu''s nature, he would have already annihted all the Baboons in a single nce. Aldrich wanted to figure out Meuric''s fighting style in depth. And thus, for thest few hours, he was making him fight packs after packs of beasts in the guise of collecting Mana Cores. By now, they had collected 140 Common Mana Cores, regardless of their attributes, in 3 hours. But Aldrich knew this wasn''t nearly enough. Now that his observation had beenpleted, Aldrich could take a further step in his n of making these Low Ranked Dreamers cry tears of blood. Meuric didn''t notice the hint of an evil smile on Aldrich''s smile. He put the FIR on his left hand''s ring finger. There were three more such FIRs on his fingers. A sheepish smile came over Meuric''s face as he looked at those FIRs and he spoke out. "Master, even if I can carry you on my shoulder for days... No, for weeks Mmm No, I can carry you for one and a half months before dying. I have made a potion which can digest grass" -"Point?"- "Huh?! Oh, yes. Even if I can carry you, we will not make it to the checkpoint. We have already lost a day''s worth of time doing nothing but standing, sleeping, and eating." Aldrich was amused, seeing that whenever it came to these things, Meuric''s reasoning abilities returned like a lost traveler. But Aldrich said nothing in reply. Suddenly Shu sat up and red at the moonless sky over them. Through the trees, not much could be seen, but it was enough for an abomination like Shu to sense what wasing. Meuric, on the other hand, sensed nothing until a cry reached his ears. Screeechhh! Rustleeee!!! Before Meuric could even look up, a loud rustling of leaves echoed around them. Branches broke and rained down, and heavy gusts of wind sent the headless bodies flying. Aldrich saw Meuric stumbling back as a 15 ft long vulture-type beastnded behind Aldrich''s back. There was no color on its body, other than ck, but the skin over its head was transparent. One could see its brain through that transparent skin giving out bright white-green shes. -"This ride will do"- As Aldrich''s sarcastic words rang out, Meuric let out a shout of disbelief. "This This is impossible A Rare Light Devouring Vulture?!!!" The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!