ã€ŠMy Fate Systemã€‹


 Chapter 1: Back To Past

    Scarlet hair that reached down to her shoulders, blue eyes that made the sky look pale inparison, and two long ears made her look anything but human.

    ¡°Die for my race,¡± The Elven Princess said to Niki as she stabbed him for onest time. Brilliant colors left his body as his stats turned into crystals.

    He reached out and weakly touched the hand that held the sword. The world then started fading in front of him as his memories shed through his mind for onest time.

    The suffering has finally ended. He was finally released from the endless cycle of questioning and torture. What a twist of fate it was to be tormented by the person he fell in love with?

    It made sense, however. The only people that can truly hurt you are those you trust the most. However, he had believed he could finally be loved, that he had a ce in this messed up world.

    For an orphan to survive until the extermination of the human race, Niki was one of many. In a world where strength was crystalized, wars were bound to happen. No one, however, expected that interdimensional war wasing their way.

    ¡®If I had known, I would have trained more. I would have prepared. I wish¡­¡¯ Niki thought to himself as his thoughts began to cease. ¡®I can take¡­¡¯

    ***

    ¡°Revenge!¡± He grasped into empty air in front of him as he roared. The ssroom shook a little by his roar, and everyone there flinched and turned to face him.

    ¡°Niki Yaran!¡± The teacher yelled afterposing herself. ¡°Are you sleeping in ss again?¡± She coldly looked at him.

    ¡°What?¡± Niki looked around, confused. He took a step back and tripped over his chair¡¯s edge, making him fall into his seat in a daze.

    He looked at the faces of everyone around him. They held confusion, mockery, hostility, curiosity, and most importantly: familiarity, and he recognized most of them.

    ¡®What is going on?¡¯ Even the countless years of his service in the army didn¡¯t prepare him for this. ¡®Where am I?¡¯

    ¡°Hmph.¡± His homeroom teacher, Miss Jena, snapped the chalk in half. ¡°An hour in the mines, today.¡± She said before turning around and continuing with her lesson.

    Niki sat there, disoriented, as he waited to wake up from this dream. Yet, this desire of his made it even more difficult to believe this wasn¡¯t reality.

    ¡®Have I went back into the past?¡¯ Niki wondered. ¡®Miss Jena taught me at my first year in the academy. Does that mean I¡¯m seventeen again? What date is it?¡¯

    Niki opened his phone and saw the date. 2217, February 8th. It was a month after he entered the academy. His memories of his past life resurfaced as he remembered his hellish time at the academy.

    He was raised at an orphanage in the city of Rohan. He had no knowledge or rtives from the time before he was found at the orphanage¡¯s doors. His poverty and clothing made him an easy target for bullying at the academy.

    The main reason for the bullying, however, was that he got admitted through sheer luck. He did horribly on his physical tests, but somehow, probably due to a glitch in the system, he was epted.

    Niki thought this was heaven¡¯s mercy, but it was only another punishment. As he sat in his ss, listening to the lesson exining about energy channels of the lower body, Niki¡¯s emotions reflooded into him like a tsunami of the time before his death. He was held under the mercy of the Elven Princess.

    ¡®For a year, she kept trying to break me.¡¯ He gnashed his teeth against each other in fury. ¡®I was such a fool. Such an idiot.¡¯ His clenched fists begged to be smashed into the table. However, strength left him as he slumped in his seat.

    ¡®But now I¡¯m back.¡¯ Niki¡¯s eyes turned resolute. ¡®Now, I¡¯m different. I have time. In this life, I¡¯m going to take revenge on everyone who hurt me. Those demons in the skin of humans.¡¯

    A whistle rang in his ears as a sudden pain assaulted his head. An object has struck his head from behind, making it jerk downward. Niki paused and turned around.

    In thest seat of the ssroom beside the window sat a blond youth ring at him with a vicious smile. Niki¡¯s body trembled as the memories came rushing back, although he tried to keep them away.

    This person was the reason his life was hell at the academy. He was also the reason that Niki stayed at the F-rank until he graduated.

    Julian Mackay. The ss¡¯s strongest but also the craziest person. Even after he graduated, Niki failed to understand why this person liked to torment him.

    Suddenly, cold sweat covered Niki¡¯s body. Would he need to go through that hell again? Even though he had asked for more time, he didn¡¯t know if he can change anything.

    The bell rang, ending the ss, and the students left their seats. Niki was then again reminded of how lonely his high school years were. No friends, only enemies tormenting him.

    A hand wrapped itself around his neck, and his body stiffened. Niki turned and saw Julian¡¯s face behind him, looking at him coldly.

    ¡°Are you thinking about something foolish, Niki?¡± Julian whispered into his ear. ¡°You should know how it would end.¡±

    [Choose a response in 30 seconds.]

    [Dialogue: I know, I¡¯m sorry.]

    [Dialogue: Fuck off.]

    [Action: Stay silent.]

    [Action: Attack!]

    His eyes widened as he saw four panels appear in front of him. This has never happened before, and Niki knew it was something that changed after he went back into the past.

    However, what were these choices? Questions filled Niki¡¯s head, but there was a time limit. He gritted his teeth as the words left his mouth.

    ¡°Fuck off!¡±

    His words came out louder than he intended, and the whole ssroom heard them. Everyone turned to look at them with wary eyes as the hand around his neck tightened, making him suffocate.

    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll remember this.¡± Julian let go of his neck and went back to his chair.

    Niki took deep breaths to calm himself as he slumped on his desk. He saw nothing but the wooden board of his desk and the bright panel that began the change of his life.

    [Fate has changed by a slight margin.]

    [Fate Points earned: 1 point.]

    [Please ess The Fate System to use your points.]

    He burned these words into his eyes, trying to understand them until the recess was over and the next ss began. Niki didn¡¯t stay put and grabbed his bag before fleeing the ssroom.

    As he opened the door, he was greeted by a towering teacher that wasing. With a thick beard and a height of two meters, the teacher looked intimidating enough to resemble a bear.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± The teacher, who Niki tried to remember his name, red at him. ¡°We have field training now.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel well.¡± Niki tried. ¡°I think I need to go back and rest.¡±

    The teacher red at him and waved his arm, white light shooting out of it and covering Niki. As the light covered him, Niki felt his body be more refreshed than ever. All of his fatigue and hidden bruises disappeared instantly.

    ¡°Get your ass back inside, you¡¯ll need this training to survive in the real world.¡±

    The teacher pushed him inside, and Niki had to walk back to his desk while suffering the stabbing re of Julian.

    ¡°Today, we¡¯ll be going to the forest. It has F-rank monsters, but all of them haven¡¯t reached adulthood. This is your chance to get practical experience and if you¡¯re lucky, you¡¯ll get a few crystals.¡±

    The words rang in Niki¡¯s ears like a thunderstorm. Why would he waste this when he can use his experience in the army to kill monsters?

    ¡°Meet me in the field after putting on your training uniforms. We¡¯ll be taking the bus in twenty minutes. Dismiss.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s have fun, Niki,¡± Julian whispered as he passed by Niki¡¯s desk. His body began trembling despite all the things he went through. It took him five minutes to calm down.

    Niki understood why his body reacted in that way. It was trauma from his past. Julian made his life a living hell when he was at the academy, and he had never recovered from it.

    However, he was sent to the past now so he can solve it. At the moment, he needed to understand what The Fate System was. As he went to the lockers to change his clothes, he started trying to ess the system.

    ¡®How do I ess the system?¡¯ Niki asked inwardly, and a panel appeared again in front of him.

    [One-time tutorial has begun. Wee to The Fate System, an entity designed to change the user¡¯s fate and the world. To ess the main menu, please say Initiate telepathically.]

    ¡®Initiate.¡¯ Niki was stunned before he gave themand. He started changing his clothes as soon as he got into the locker room. The other students were joking around, and they all ignored Niki.

    [The Fate System]

    A panel appeared in front of him with these words. Besides it, Niki saw three other buttons.

    [Stats.]

    [Characters.]

    [Probability.]

 Chapter 2: Manipulating Probability

    His hand trembled, and he clicked the first option. Another list appeared beside the earlier three containing all of his stats.

    Stats were everything in this world. Every human strived to raise his stats to evolve into the next rank, to get their new skills. However, it usually costs a bit of money to see your stats.

    [Vitality: 5]

    [Strength: 6]

    [Agility: 7]

    [Intelligence: 7]

    [Mana: 0]

    He sighed when he saw that he was back to square one. His stats haven¡¯t changed by a lot since his admission. His agility was raised by one after one month, probably due to all the chores Julian made him do.

    His vitality was always below average because of how poorly he was nourished in his earlier years. Vitality usually represents resilience and regeneration. Strength and Agility were self-exnatory, and intelligence was about perception and memory retention.

    As for mana, it was the quality that separated mages from warriors.

    The fact that he was so weak bummed him. Countless years of training and farming crystals, and he was back at square one.

    He closed the Stats tab and clicked on Characters. There was a single input, and it had the picture of the person he had just told to fuck off.

    [Name: Julian Mackay.]

    [Fate Meter: -36]

    [Rtionship: Hostile.]

    He was confused by the number shown on the panel. As he asked the system, the tutorial resumed.

    [Interaction with characters is essential to change your fate. Their Fate Meter shows their effect on the world and the user and whether it will be positive or negative. The higher the number, the more fate points could be obtained from the person.]

    Niki took a deep breath as he tried to calm his mind. There was a slight possibility that he knew what this system was, but he wasn¡¯t sure.

    He clicked on thest option, and the panel confirmed what he had hypothesized. The Princess of the Elves kept asking him about the method to change ¡®fate.¡¯

    [The chosen event: None.]

    [Probability: -]

    [Fate Points invested: 0.]

    [New Probability: -]

    [Fate Points: 1.]

    [Note: Each fate point increases the base percentage of probability by 100%.]

    Niki could see another bottom at the bottom that had [Manipte Probability] and was glowing. He was now sure that this was what the princess wanted, the ability to manipte fate.

    ¡®Choose event: The world ending now.¡¯ Niki wanted to test something, and the words in the panel changed.

    [The chosen event: The World Ending.]

    [Probability: 0.0000¡­.000001%]

    [Fate Points invested: 1.]

    [New Probability: 0.0000¡­.000002%]

    [Fate Points: 0.]

    [Manipte Probability]

    The zeros were so many that they filled the panel. The world ending at this moment was near impossible. Even if Niki wanted to use his points now, he wouldn¡¯t change anything. The only thing happening would be the 1 after those zeros bing 2.

    Niki took out a coin from his pocket and held it in his hand. He then changed the event again and saw the changes. If he flipped it, he would either get heads or tails.

    [The chosen event: Getting tails.]

    [Probability: 50%]

    [Fate Points invested: 1.]

    [New Probability: 100%]

    [Fate Points: 0.]

    [Manipte Probability]

    Niki closed the menu with a crazed grin on his face. He gripped the coin tightly as his whole body shook.

    ¡®With this power, I can rule the world. Then, I¡¯ll take revenge on those that tormented me in the past. Every. Single. One.¡¯

    The killing intent filled his mind as he remembered every person that wronged him in his past life. One of them was Julian, and he was sure to take revenge.

    While he was standing in front of his locker, someone bumped into him from behind in a rough manner. With how thin Niki waspared to them, he was mmed into the metallic door of his locker.

    ¡°Oh, sorry I didn¡¯t see you there. Be careful where you stand.¡±

    The academy of Rohan was renowned throughout the world. Thus, getting into it wasn¡¯t easy. Sons and daughters of influential families trained for years to get a spot at the academy.

    Each of these people was a superhuman that transcendedmon sense. Yet, in their midst, to the dismay of every student, a mistake existed. This mistake was Niki Yaran, a befitting name for someone who got in through sheer luck.

    For this reason, in his past life and most likely the present one, people in the academy hated him. Otherwise, they treated him as if he didn¡¯t exist.

    The three entered, nced at Niki with disgust, and went to

    ¡°Woah, be careful there, Niki.¡± Luke patted him on his shoulder. He was half a foot taller than Niki. ¡°You don¡¯t want to get hurt.¡± He said with a smile. Niki turned around to see who this person was. Rows of panels appeared in front of him.

    [New Character: Luke Oslin.]

    [Fate Meter: -23]

    [Rtionship: Dislike.]

    [Choose response in ten seconds.]

    [Dialogue: Apologize.]

    [Dialogue: Thank you, I¡¯ll be careful.]

    [Action: Stay silent.]

    [Action: Strike him.]

    ¡°Apologize.¡± Niki had the mind to stay silent since he knew Luke would beat him up. However, he didn¡¯t want to be the same as before. ring at the tall youth in front of him, Niki was at least half a foot shorter.

    Luke¡¯s expression was of shock before rage passed on his face for a second. Without saying anything, he grabbed Niki by the throat and mmed him into the locker¡¯s wall.

    This forced the breath out of his lung as Niki wheezed. Luke brought his face close as he said with a vicious expression.

    ¡°Dare to say that again, punk.¡±

    ¡°Leave him be or suffer Mr. Heartwrath punishment.¡± A voice interrupted Luke from the end of the locker room. When Niki nced at the person, he found a person he didn¡¯t recognize. It was a youth with short-cut hair and a serious face.

    ¡°A teacher¡¯s pet as always, Marcus.¡± Luke retracted his hand, and Niki slumped. As he gathered his breath, Luke walked out, and a panel appeared in front of him.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Marcus offered Niki a hand to help him stand up. Niki looked at him with confusion because he didn¡¯t remember this person or this encounter before.

    ¡®Luke is ackey of Julian, so did he attack me because I told Julian to fuck off?¡¯ Niki grabbed Marcus¡¯s hand and stood up.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. You¡¯re the one who stood up for yourself. Strength is a variable, but a backbone is hard to get.¡± Marcus¡¯s fist touched Niki¡¯s shoulder in encouragement before he walked away.

    [New Character Entry: Marcus.]

    [Fate Meter: +16.]

    [Rtionship: Acknowledgement.]

    Niki noticed that thest name wasn¡¯t written this time. Luke and Julian were people he knew the names of, so it was recorded. The system recorded the other information.

    He went out of the lockers and headed toward the field. There, he saw Mr. Heartwrath, who he was reminded of his name. After all, it was such a long time ago, and they didn¡¯t have significant interaction.

    ¡°Before we go to the buses, I¡¯ll have you make teams of three people. You¡¯ll be working together to hunt today, even if the monsters are too easy for you.¡±

    ¡°What if someone doesn¡¯t want to team up?¡± Luke raised his hand. ¡°Or if no one wants to team up with them.¡± He nced at Niki. Julian had a smile on his side.

    ¡°If anyone wants to train individually, then they can do so. However, I need to remind you that death isn¡¯t umon in this academy. Do you remember the papers we made you sign?¡± Mr. Heartwrath grinned. ¡°If it¡¯s someone no one wants to team with, I¡¯ll be training them myself. That will be all.¡±

    Niki remembered this event now. He was left without anyone to team up with. In the end, Luke and Julian teamed up with him. It wasn¡¯t even training, but torture.

    They pushed him to fight monsters alone and told the teacher it was his own decision to get stronger. In the end, he couldn¡¯t leave the bed for two days.

    ¡°Niki, let¡¯s team together. I don¡¯t think you have anyone else who wishes to team up with you.¡± Julian came over with a wide smile.

    The other students knew what was happening, but they ignored the situation. Everyone pretended to be busy or left with their teams. There were a few who looked with a helpless expression at him but didn¡¯t do anything.

    It was then that Niki saw someonee from behind Julian, walking in his direction. From the look on his face, Niki can already tell what was about to happen.

    ¡°Niki, what are you waiting for? Our team is ready.¡± Marcus said and then greeted Julian as if he didn¡¯t see him there.

    ¡°Niki has already agreed to be a part of our team,¡± Luke said with a frown. ¡°Walk away, pet.¡±

    ¡°Sir!¡± Niki raised his hand and shouted. ¡°Can I train alone today?¡± He couldn¡¯t allow Marcus to fight these two in his ce. This was his battle, and it was no one else¡¯s business.

    Mr. Heartwrath looked at him for a moment with confusion. He studied Niki with his thin frame, baggy eyes, and unkempt ck hair as if he was trying to decide whether he was sane.

    ¡°You told me that I need this training, so I trust your words. I¡¯ll be careful and make sure to survive until the end.¡±

    ¡°You know every team needs to submit proof of killing one monster, right?¡±

    ¡°Yessir.¡± Niki breathed in and out. ¡°If I couldn¡¯t make it, I¡¯ll just take the supplementary ss.¡± Mr. Heartwrath went silent before nodding.

    ¡°I guess you¡¯ll be killing yourself today, Nikko,¡± Julian said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be entertained.¡±

    He then walked away with Luke as they joined Julian¡¯s otherckey to form a team. Marcus looked at Niki with doubt and confusion.

    ¡°There¡¯s a very thin line between bravery and foolishness,¡± Marcus advised.

    ¡°An even thinner line between death and strength,¡± Niki answered. ¡°We be stronger by challenging ourselves. Thank you for trying to help me, but please let me solve my problems.¡±

    Niki left Marcus, who was shaking his head, and headed toward the bus alone.

 Chapter 3: Fate Points

    Their bus arrived after thirty minutes of traveling across the city. On the way, Niki checked his system again just in case he missed anything.

    ¡®Where is the artifact that defies fate?¡¯

    The Elven princess asked him for the millionth time. As she did, mana ripped through his disfigured body. And just like the times before, he said that he didn¡¯t know.

    Now, it was here. Yet, how? Did he have it all along or was it something he gained through death? As the bus cut across the cities of Rohan with its high and ancient buildings, dating back to a thousand years of culture, Niki wondered what would happen from now on.

    One thing he knew for sure was that the ability to manipte probability means everything in this world. His countless years of living through this world made him realize how much chance had a role in strength.

    When monsters or humans are killed, there was a chance of their strength crystalizing as long as it¡¯s above ten points in stats. Strength, Agility, Intelligence, Mana, and Vitality were the five stats that humans had. Green, blue, purple, white, and red were the colors of the crystals giving those stats respectively.

    The crystals of each rank gave 1-3 points. Rank F Crystals could only be used by the F-rankers. Rank E could be used by the E rank. So on until S-rank.

    Meaning, there was a chance involved in a monster or a human dropping the crystals. There was a chance in how much you can absorb from those crystals.

    ¡°Get off, now!¡± Mr. Heartwrath roared and it took only thirty seconds for everyone to be out. They were standing on the periphery of the forest that was sieged by high reinforced walls.

    ¡°This is the Rohan Academy Forest,¡± Mr. Heartwrath exined. ¡°As long as you stay in the outeryer, there will only be pre-adulthood F-rank monsters. There is a chance that these monsters will drop crystals, but it¡¯s very low.¡±

    ¡°How do we split the crystal if it drops?¡± A girl with dreadlocks asked.

    ¡°The same rules as the Hunters Union, whoever deals the finishing blow takes the crystal.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s unfair for supporters.¡± The girl grumbled.

    ¡°Fairness has nothing to do with this. You risk your life; you get better rewards. If you don¡¯t like it, how about you hunt on your own like our little friend here?¡± Mr. Heartwrath pointed at Niki with his thumb.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a death wish,¡± The girlughed and the rest of them snickered. Niki was unbothered and looked around.

    If he remembers correctly, there should be a weapons supply. As he expected, Mr. Heartwrath pulled a giant box from the trunk of the bus.

    The box was two meters by one meter and had a height of one meter. It was all ck and had a metallic exterior. Without saying anything, Mr. Heartwrath turned the handle and pulled. The box, like a drawer, opened to reveal a set of weapons of varying types.

    ¡°Choose your weapons wisely. I know you haven¡¯t received martial training yet, but it¡¯s better than going empty-handed.¡±

    Julian and Luke were the first to step forward followed by Marcus and his friend, a girl that was only second in strength to Julian. They grabbed their weapons and waited by the entrance of the forest for the teacher to open the gate.

    Niki stepped forward and picked up two weapons instead of one. His actions made the ss¡¯s attention turn toward him as they pointed fingers and muttered among themselves.

    ¡°Sir, may I take two weapons?¡± Niki asked the teacher who looked at him with approval and nodded.

    With that said, Niki strapped the gun to his right side and the dagger to his left. Their weight brought himfort and nostalgia. These were his weapons in the army.

    Niki was always someonecking strength, so he picked up the dagger for close-range and the gun for long-range. As he started walking toward the gate as well, Julian made sure to throw in ament.

    ¡°Make sure nothing happens to you, those weapons are expensive.¡±

    It was a clear threat but Niki ignored it. Until now, Julian didn¡¯t have the time to do anything to him. In this training, however, things were going to be different.

    That was why Niki nned on getting stronger before Julian can do anything. As they waited for the rest to choose their weapons, he asked his system.

    ¡®How do I obtain fate points?¡¯

    [There is only one way to obtain Fate Points: To steal fate. Fate can be stolen by interacting with characters of high fate, changing the future, and killing creatures with high Fate Meter.]

    ¡®Do I mean I need to ruin other people¡¯s futures to change mine?¡¯ Niki asked again to be sure.

    [Yes. You are rewarded with Fate Points depending on your impact on the world.]

    ¡®Fine by me,¡¯ Niki strapped three magazines to his belt. ¡®Does that mean I get Fate Points from monsters too?¡¯

    [As long as they have a high Fate Meter.]

    That means to obtain the ability to manipte probability, he would need to hinder others, kill them, or kill monsters. The earlier encounters, where he got two fate points, proved that.

    Fate is something that cannot be changed, but this time it was different. He knows the future and he¡¯s going to change it using the artifact to defy fate.

    ¡°Ready?¡± Mr. Heartwrath asked with his hand on the gate. ¡°You have three hours to kill a single monster. Make it worth it.¡± He pushed the gate open and the students flocked out in waves.

    There were thirty students in his ss, so it became quite chaotic when all of them ran through a single gate. Niki waited for all of them to go out before he made his exit.

    ¡°Are you sure about choosing a gun?¡± Mr. Heartwrath asked as Niki was walking out. ¡°Monsters are different from normal animals or humans. Bullets are almost ineffective unless you strike their weak points.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Niki felt slightly grateful for the guidance. ¡°But I think I have a better shot using it than my arms.¡±

    He understood Mr. Heartwrath¡¯s logic. Unless someone had an enhancement skill, guns were a bad choice against monsters. It required great marksmanship to strike a monster in a ce a bullet can prate.

    That¡¯s why cold weapons, coupled with skills and stats, shone in thetest age of modernity. Even so, Niki loved guns because they were what kept him alive during the war.

    As he entered the forest, he saw no students nearby. The thick trees that were dark grey were known as Fogger Trees, trees that created a fog around them.

    It was difficult to see beyond ten meters so it further proved that Niki¡¯s choice with a gun was a bad one. However, that¡¯s why he always carried a dagger.

    This was the normal get-up for a ranger, a rare ss because it was looked down upon for itscking strength and non-specificity. There was even a saying that devalued rangers.

    ¡°If you have none, you¡¯re a ranger. A jack of trades, a master of none.¡±

    It meant that rangers were those that had no unique qualities of their own. No strength or mana to do any damage. Their agility was below those of assassins and their vitality was nonexistent.

    For this life, Niki didn¡¯t know if he¡¯s going to stick with this ss. However, it was all he knew at the moment so he¡¯s going to make the most of it.

    As he was traversing the forest, he heard a high-pitched howl. With his dagger in hand, held in his left hand horizontally in front of him, Niki held his gun with his right hand and ced the two arms in a plus sign.

 Chapter 4: First Revenge

    Niki heard a screech before something jumped on him from behind the fog. It was a crazed rabbit, the lowest of the F-rank monsters.

    It seems to be wounded and it came hurling at Niki with its fangs ready to rip through his skin.

    BANG!

    The gun¡¯s recoil was stronger than he could remember, making his shot only graze the rabbit that kept hurling his way. With his dagger, Niki shed the dagger at the rabbit that suffered a superficial wound before running away.

    Niki sighed as he watched the rabbit run away into the fog, leaving a trail of blood. He thought about following after, but he heard hurried footsteps and shouting.

    It came from the direction the rabbit ran from, so it must have been wounded by another group of students. Niki found a big tree and hid behind it with reassuringly in hand. As he waited, the fog parted as three figures came following after the rabbit.

    ¡®Julian, Luke, and Erza.¡¯ The two people who had tried to team up with him earlier were now with their friend, another person who bullied him in his past life and a little in the present one.

    Erza was a beautiful girl who had a crush on Julian. However, Julian didn¡¯t think much of her because of hercking background and talent.

    That made Erza do anything to make Julian ept her. Including, but not only, bullying Niki and spreading rumors about him during his second year.

    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Luke asked. ¡°It was a gunshot. It must be that wimp. He was the only person to choose a gun.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Julian asked. ¡°Are you scared of him? Judging by the blood here, he must have tried to shoot him but missed. I guess he¡¯s running after the wounded rabbit now. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The three followed the trail of blood that the rabbit left behind. Niki weighed his options for a moment before following after them.

    From what he remembered, none of the students got a skill before the end of the first semester of the academy, except for Julian. However, his skill was an offensive one so it didn¡¯t¡¯ have perception capabilities. This made it safe to follow after them without being found.

    The fog parted as he dived into it. He could hear their footsteps getting farther so he wasn¡¯t worried about losing them. He could also hear their shouting.

    Being a ranger, Niki learned a set of techniques to reduce the sound of his footsteps. He was also adept at avoiding stepping on things that would give him away.

    This body was still weaker and less dexterous than his past self, but it was enough against these F-rankers. Suddenly, they stopped.

    ¡°The trail splits here!¡± Luke shouted. ¡°There are two now, did the rabbit meet another one and they had a fight?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s that bastard. He must have caught up to the rabbit and the monster injured him, hahaha.¡± Julianughed. Niki was astonished at how much he hated him, but why? ¡°Luke, follow this trail. We¡¯ll follow the other one. If you find that wimp, you know what to do.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Luke¡¯s reply came and the sounds of their sprinting grew farther away.

    Niki rushed to the scene and found the blood of two monsters. As he checked the scene, he found a strand of fur lying on the ground.

    It didn¡¯t belong to the rabbit, but a different monster. As he examined it, he was able to figure out what monster it was. It was a burrowing fox. A monster that lived in colonies underground and liked to build holes to hide in.

    It fed on human¡¯s and monster¡¯s meat alike. With their high number, it was a dangerous F-rank monster to encounter. Since the rabbit seems to have encountered only one, the colony must be close.

    ¡®Didn¡¯t Mr. Heartwrath say the area was only for pre-adolescence?¡¯ Niki frowned. ¡®It means the foxes shouldn¡¯t have reproduced yet.¡¯

    He stood up and followed after Luke¡¯s footsteps, who were a single pair instead of two. As he dived farther into the fog, he started to hear someone shouting.

    ¡°You damn monster!¡±

    Niki hid behind a tree and saw Luke fighting against a burrowing fox. It was small but agile. After being injured by Luke, the monster turned tails and ran away.

    Luke stood there huffing as he bled from his arm. He ripped his clothes and tied them around the wound as he looked around.

    ¡°Damn it, it wasn¡¯t the wimp. It was a different monster like I said. I need to go back.¡±

    ¡®Now is my chance.¡¯ Niki grinned as he tightened his hand around the pistol. He looked at the trail of blood the monster left behind and concluded it must have headed toward its home.

    With that in mind, Niki ran back into the fog and changed his position. He stood on the top of a hill and looked at the approximate location of Luke. He stood on top of the trail of blood that the fox left.

    ¡°Hey, Luke!¡± Niki shouted into the fog. He raised his gun and aimed at the general direction of Luke.

    ¡°What? Who is it?¡± He actually didn¡¯t recognize Niki¡¯s voice. Maybe it was because Niki always talked quietly or simply because Luke was scared.

    Without saying anything else, Niki readjusted his aim toward the source of the voice and fired. This was an essential skill in the army that he had gone through hell to learn.

    It also brought unpleasant memory because the person who killed him trained him to master it. The bullet left a trail in the fog and the sound of flesh being pierced rang in Niki¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Ah!!!¡± Luke¡¯s scream came right after and Niki ran from the hill. He descended downward but his body couldn¡¯t handle the slop so he began rolling down. His descent stopped when he mmed into a tree¡¯s trunk.

    ¡°You fucking bastard, I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Luke¡¯s roar came from behind and Niki, despite his pain, and crawled behind the bushes.

    He could hear the sound of Luke climbing the hill so he frantically looked for the trail of blood. Luckily, he found it to be a distance away. It ended in a grove of trees and bushes, making a grin appear on Niki¡¯s face.

    He stood up and circled around the grove to stand beside a tree, leaning on it. He saw a movement from behind the trees and aimed his gun again. With a loud bang, the bullet traveled tond beside Luke.

    ¡°You motherfucker, I got you now!¡± Luke rushed his way in a crazed manner. When Niki finally goes to see him, he realized the bullet he shot earlier has simply grazed Luke¡¯s leg. It seems hiscking intelligence stat made his perception unlike what it was before.

    ¡®I got lucky, hehe.¡¯ Nikiughed inwardly as he saw Luke cut across the grove. He counted the steps and without realizing it, Luke fell into the hole between the bushes.

    ¡°Ah! Ugh!¡± His screams resounded throughout the grove and Niki walked toward the hole to look down on it. It was a giant hole with tunnels around it. The foxes have built this hole as a trap forrge animals.

    He saw Luke groaning at the bottom of the hole, lying on his back. He looked at Niki with rage once he spotted him.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°Enough with the cursing, Luke. It¡¯s time for a lesson.¡± Niki aimed his gun at Luke. ¡°Do you know of something called energy channels? Well, of course, you do. We took that lesson today. Do you know what¡¯s the point where they intersect in the body called?¡±

    ¡°What the fuck are you¡­¡±

    ¡°Dantian, the energy center of mana. When this point is damaged, you¡¯ll find it hard to use mana. You¡¯ll also lose strength. However, with how small it is, it¡¯s hard to strike it. Furthermore, you¡¯ll need a certain amount of strength to destroy it for strong people.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you, you crazy bastard. I¡¯ll hunt you down until thest breath you take.¡±

    ¡°With enough training, however, you can aim for it.¡± Niki adjusted his aim. ¡°Like this.¡± He pulled the trigger and Luke howled with pain.

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°You can no longer gather or use energy or mana.¡± Niki jumped into the hole and rolled over the ground to alleviate his fall. ¡°You won¡¯t die from this bullet with your stats, but I¡¯ll make sure you do.¡±

    ¡°No, please¡­ don¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t do anything to deserve this¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, but you will.¡± Niki grabbed the dagger in reverse. ¡°This is for all the nights I didn¡¯t sleep because of the wounds you inflicted.¡± He stabbed toward the bullet¡¯s hole and twisted.

    Luke¡¯s scream grew louder until his voice turned hoars. Niki, however, didn¡¯t care and extracted the bullet. It was a messy job, but he got it out and pocketed it.

    ¡°This is for the time you broke my leg so I didn¡¯t participate in the exam and failed.¡± Niki stabbed again. ¡°This is for the girl you assaulted in the army because she was friends with me.¡± He stabbed again. ¡°This is for stealing the crystals I chanced upon to make sure I never grew stronger.¡± He stabbed again.

    As Niki saw that Luke was about to die, he opened his system and chose a new event. The probability of Luke dropping crystals was 10%, so he used two points and it turned to 30%. And then, he died.

    [Fate has been stolen. A total of 23 Fate Points has been generated. Character Luke Oslin has been deleted from the system.]

    After it ended, Niki was huffing with tears in his eyes. He has finally taken revenge on some of the people that wronged him. Yet, he killed a person for the first time in this life.

    It felt liberating. He knew the future, so he knew all the harm he had undone by killing such a human. Niki looked at the sky that was growing darker.

    He heard something buzz and looked down to see two crystals floating above Luke¡¯s body. One of them was green while the other was blue. Strength and agility. Niki grabbed it and pocketed it as well.

    The weather didn¡¯t change in this lifetime too, Niki smiled. Rain began to fall as crawling voices came from the tunnels. Niki pushed the corpse toward the tunnels and the foxes jumped on it to devour it.

    With this, the evidence will be lost. These foxes will eat his flesh for days until nothing is left. With the sky raining, the blood trail left behind by the foxes will be washed away.

    Niki climbed out of the hole using thest of his strength and started heading toward the stream. As he did, he calcted how much fate can he change with his new points.

 Chapter 5: Trust Myself

    There were traces of blood on him, but he washed them off using the stream¡¯s water. With the heavy rain, the stream was angry. It took him some effort to clean his clothes and wear them again without losing them.

    He sought shelter under a giant tree, shielding him from the rain. Niki sat down after hanging his clothes to dry. With such weather, he doubted they would.

    After taking off his shirt for the first time today, Niki found something around his neck. It took him a moment to remember that it was his only connection to his origins, a small ck pouch with a crystal inside.

    Stats crystals were colorful, Skills crystals were transparent with a rune inscribed on them. As for this one, it was grey. It had a crack running across its surface like a cobweb. No rune, no color. The only thing that linked him to his past was a useless one.

    Niki sighed and tucked the small pouch back into his undergarments. He then looked at the two shining crystals beside him. Strength and Agility, exactly what he needed.

    [The chosen event: obtaining 3 points from the strength crystal.]

    [Probability: 5%]

    [Fate Points invested: 4.]

    [New Probability: 25%]

    [Fate Points: 19.]

    [Manipte Probability]

    Niki pondered over the situation. He can increase the chances of himself obtaining more stats points from a single crystal, but that came at the expense of fate points.

    If he didn¡¯t obtain the three points, then he would have wasted four fate points. It was a gamble. On the other hand, the probability of getting two stats points from the crystal was 25%. He can obtain two points if he invested 3 points.

    It was then, as he sat down there in the rain, that a question came to mind. What would happen to the other oues¡¯ probabilities? It was obvious that the probability of an event happening is dependent on several factors, and changing these factors can change the probability of other events urring.

    ¡°It¡¯s an experiment.¡± Niki sighed and pressed Manipte Probability. He then crushed the crystals as green light seeped into his body, reinforcing it.

    [3 Strength Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    Niki grinned. His 1/4 chance gave him three stats points instead of one. However, he had reduced his Fate Points supply by a fifth as well.

    However, it was a well-worth-it investment. After all, he finally got his Strength to 9. That wouldn¡¯t happen unless he lifted weights for a month.

    For the second crystal, he tried a different approach. He rephrased the chosen event into something that would make him invest fewer points.

    ¡®Choose an event: obtaining 3 or 2 points from the agility crystal.¡¯

    [No more than one oue can be chosen.]

    Niki was stunned when he read this message. He sighed and closed it. He had the mind to use 3 points to quadrable both events probabilities, but it seems he couldn¡¯t cheat the system.

    The choice now lies between choosing 2-points or 3-points to invest in. If he chose to invest 2 Fate Points in the oue of getting 2-stats points, then he would get a chance of 75%. Using some division and multiplication, Niki figured that left 1.6% of the remaining 25% for 3-stats point.

    It was a difficult decision to make, as investing those two points in the 3-points oue would result in a 15% for 3-stats, almost 22% for two points, and 62% for one point.

    ¡®Ugh, I should¡¯ve studied more math.¡¯ Niki felt a headache. Even still, it was two options. No, it was three. ¡®I can invest in a single oue with as many fate points as I can to make it a hundred, or a fifty at least.¡¯

    However, he didn¡¯t like that option. It was a waste of points as probability meant that he would have a higher chance of getting it for less investment.

    Was this what gamblers felt like? Niki wondered. However, he wasn¡¯t gambling, he was calcting. In the end, he chose to spend three points on a 2-points oue.

    [2 Agility Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    Niki sighed. He had raised the probability to a 100% in the end because he couldn¡¯t risk wasting a crystal. Even still, he wasn¡¯t regretful as his agility was now 9, the same as his strength.

    He felt his body feel stronger, more agile, as the rain started showing signs of stopping. He wore his clothes and took the bullet out of his pocket to look at it.

    This would be the memento of his first kill in this world. He was sure that there were a lot more toe, but he wasn¡¯t afraid to tread that path. He had seen the nature of humans and how he would end up if he was merciful.

    In his past life, Luke has been one of the reasons that hindered him at every juncture. He couldn¡¯t even remember how many times he suffered the pain of the wounds Luke inflicted. In this lifetime, that won¡¯t happen again because Luke was dead. It was the same for everything else.

    It was either him or the world.

    ***

    Hunting a rabbit was easy once Niki put his heart into it. By the end of the three hours, he was heading toward the gates with a rabbit foot in hand.

    This time, Niki didn¡¯t use any fate points so that it would drop. Instead, he decided to use his new ability more efficiently.

    Making money.

    His first idea, of course, was to gamble. It was a viable option if he was eighteen, which he was not at the moment. This would mean he would either need to fake his age or get someone to gamble for him.

    ¡®Who do I have?¡¯ Nikiughed to himself as he thought on his way back. ¡®An orphan, an outcast, if I had someone that I can trust my past life wouldn¡¯t have been that bad.¡¯

    He remembers that he knew the caretakers at the orphanage, but he only knew their strictness with the children. To control over fifty kids, they needed an attitude that didn¡¯t scream ¡®you can trust me.¡¯

    Niki began to see the walls that isted the forest. Soon enough, he was standing in front of the gate among twenty students. Mr. Heartwrath was already standing there waiting for the rest of them toe back.

    A few minutes before the three hours were over, Julian and Erza came back with a disheveled and tired appearance. Their clothes were wet from the rain and their trousers were filled with mud.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Mr. Heartwrath asked with a frown.

    ¡°I- we searched for him; he wasn¡¯t anywhere. We tried to¡­¡± Erza¡¯s answer came in heaves. ¡°Mr. Heartwrath, please help us.¡±

    ¡°Calm down and tell me what happened.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Luke.¡± Julian had his signature cold expression. ¡°He¡¯s not anywhere, we¡¯ve looked for him.¡±

    ¡°And why is he not with you? You¡¯re a team.¡± Mr. Heartwrath had a terrifying frown.

    ¡°We split up to look for the monster, we had no choice.¡± Julian was equallyposed. ¡°Instead of this, we should find him.¡±

    ¡°Stay here, all of you.¡± Mr. Heartwrath demanded. ¡°I¡¯m going to search for him, in the meantime, call the academy.¡± With that, Mr. Heartwrath disappeared like a ghost.

    Julian and Erza started cleaning themselves. When they were finished, Julian started looking around until he spotted Niki. Withrge strides, he rushed over to him.

    ¡°Where is he?!¡± He grabbed Niki by the cor. ¡°We¡¯ve heard gunshots. You must have been near, so tell me where he is!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, let go of me!¡± Niki demanded. ¡°I have no idea where he is! I never saw him!¡±

    ¡°You lying bastard¡­¡± Julian grabbed Niki by the through and began to strangle him. ¡°Tell me where he is!¡±

    Niki felt light-headed as his neck felt like it was being crushed. As he reached out to his dagger, a hand grabbed Julian¡¯s wrist and twisted it upward.

    As if strength left his body, Julian¡¯s hand opened and Niki fell to the ground, coughing. He looked at Julian and the neer in confusion.

    It was a girl that has been apanying Marcus. She was the second strongest after Julian, making her motives for helping him unclearly. With her ck hair swaying in the wind and icy blue eyes, she red at Julian.

    ¡°Mr. Heartwrath said we should stay here quietly, don¡¯t cause trouble. Do you believe he can do something to Luke? If Luke was in trouble, this student can¡¯t help even if he was there. He only has a gun, be rational.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business,¡± Julian pped her hand away. He red at Niki with fury before turning walking back toward Erza.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± The girl asked as Marcus came over to stand beside them. ¡°Do you need some water?¡±

    ¡°No, thank you.¡± Niki shook his head and stood up. ¡°I also didn¡¯t ask for help.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an ungrateful attitude.¡± Marcus frowned and berated. ¡°If someone helps you, you should thank them.¡±

    ¡°Again, you decided to interfere.¡± Niki red back. ¡°I appreciate the help, but I never asked for it. I could¡¯ve handled it.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you would have,¡± The girl nodded and started walking away. Marcus, however, kept ring at Niki.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make everyone your enemy, Niki Yaran. Your pride will bring the death of you.¡± Marcus followed after the girl as well.

    ¡®Hah, pride?¡¯ Nikiughed inwardly as he stared at Julian. ¡®You expect me to trust you just because you jumped in? Why is it that you never helped me in my past life? The only person I can trust is myself.¡¯

 Chapter 6: Stealing Fate

    Mr. Heartwrath was back with a grim face after fifteen minutes of waiting. However, he simply shook his head and said the rain washed away any trail. They would need to bring a tracker from the academy if they wanted to find him.

    For every rank, a person can only learn one skill. One superpower that would differentiate him from the others. Given such circumstances, most people tended to specialize. They didn¡¯t waste away their Skills slots for a what-if.

    This was the reason that the party¡¯s system was so widespread throughout the kingdoms. The Rosia Kingdom, which Niki lived his whole life, had a diverse ss system. These sses were the manifestation of the trial and error of the previous generations.

    They would test which skillsplimented each other to achieve a certain specialty, an advantage that a person can use to win a fight and record different skills under different sses.

    With the need for a tracker, a specialty in picking up clues, and someone with a high intelligence stat, there was nothing the ss can do but to go home.

    Niki noticed that Mr. Heartwrath¡¯s mood was foul, as it was obvious why. However, he didn¡¯t have a lot of worries about being found out.

    At most, they would realize that he was killed, even though that was unlikely. With a colony of foxes to attack him and the fact that he fell into a hole, it was understandable why he died.

    The rain turned the soil muddy, making it a real chance that the body has sunk underneath. This will further dy the investigation and by the time they find the body, there will be no traces left that would like back to Niki.

    ¡®Now, I need to get a lot of money.¡¯ Niki pondered as the bus cut across the city. ¡®If I want to find that ind, I¡¯ll need to buy or rent a ship and a crew. This would need a lot of money.¡¯

    With the knowledge that he had of the future, Niki had more than one n on how to grow stronger. One of them would be to invest in guilds that would rise ten years from now. Another one was to dig up Legendary Skills and hidden flying inds.

    For both options, Niki needed money and resources. He also needed to get stronger and gain more fate points, so his agenda was fully booked.

    ¡®Should I leave the academy?¡¯ Niki considered. ¡®No, it would be a waste. After all, there¡¯s a person that would riseter on to be a Lord.¡¯ A grin broke on his face. ¡®If I can make them submit, then¡­¡¯

    There were other benefits to the academy, one of them is the ess to information. He had been epted in one of the most prestigious academies in the kingdom, one that is considered to be only second to the Royal Academy.

    It would be a waste to miss out on the martial arts lessons and the dungeon training. Even though he¡¯ll be more restricted this way, this also provided him with an identity other than an orphan.

    He needed to be acknowledged by the system for him to beat it. He wasn¡¯t talking about his Fate System, but society.

    The bus stopped at the academy¡¯s ground where medical staff was prepared. Even though there were no injuries thanks to Mr. Heartwrath¡¯s ability to cure aliments, the staff ran some tests on them to ensure none of them has been poisoned or cursed.

    They were asked to wait in their dorms for the rest of the day without anyone leaving the academy, for safety reasons. Niki suddenly remembered his roommates, who weren¡¯t so kind to him.

    Just like the others in his past life, his roommates hated him. It was very easy to hate someone who you felt has devalued your hard work through luck. After all, that¡¯s how Niki got into the academy.

    He went back to his lockers to wear his uniform again and grab his bag, which mainly had textbooks. As he was walking back, he bumped into Julian and Erza who were talking to a teacher.

    ¡°Excuse me, sir.¡± Julian left the teacher and came his way. ¡°Hey, Niki. Let¡¯s talk!¡±

    ¡°No thanks! I¡¯m tired.¡± With this, Niki fled to his room. He opened the door using his card and mmed it behind him. He started gathering his breath when he saw his roommates were already there.

    ¡°Be quieter,¡± His roommate, Lan, adjusted his sses as he reprimanded. ¡°Unlike you, we have studying to do.¡± With that, he went back to his book.

    Niki frowned as he looked at his roommates, who ignored his existence other than talking down on him. He grabbed his bag and went to his bed to empty it.

    ¡°Have you seen the look on his face?¡± His roommate, Ro Za, said to his Lan. ¡°You should beat him up, he¡¯d think twice before being upset.¡± He was referring to Niki.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Lan kept reading his book. ¡°If I waste my time on trash, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be one too.¡±

    Niki had to clench his fist lest he explodes. Every year, their roommates changed. It was a policy to increase connections among students and encourage teamwork.

    In his third andst year at the academy, he was bullied by these three after they grouped up with Julian who got a Grand Skill using his father¡¯s connections.

    A Grand Skill, which was the second-highest rank for skills. Getting one meant that every guild will be fighting over you for the next few years. If you befriend someone in a powerful guild, that means connections.

    In the end, Julian managed to secure a position in the best guild in the kingdom. From there, his position rose until he became a captain in the guild.

    Once the war began, they were drafted to defend against the invasion. As luck would have it, or simply Julian¡¯s twisted mentality and unexinable grudge, Niki was assigned under Julian¡¯smand.

    [Choose in ten seconds.]

    [Dialogue: I¡¯ll be quieter.]

    [Dialogue: There¡¯s no trash here but you.]

    [Action: Stay silent.]

    [Action: Give guidance to Lan.]

    Niki was about to insult him when he got a weird sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. This has happened before in his past life, and he insulted his Lan at that time. They ended up fighting and things only went bad from that time on.

    It was the day of their training after Julian and Luke had toyed with him, leaving him too bruised to walk normally. At that time, Niki tripped on the table and caused a disturbance. This led Lan to berate him as well.

    With that frustration building up, Niki insulted Lan under his breath. Lan was a person with a higher perception than average, so he heard it.

    ¡°You should thank me that I¡¯ve disturbed you, Lan.¡± Niki threw his bag on the table, but he was still being ignored. ¡°Otherwise, you¡¯ll waste your first year of the academy studying that useless crap.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lan finally turned to him with a frown. ¡°Have you gone mad?¡±

    ¡°No, you have.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Lan stood up from his seat in anger.

    ¡°The book you¡¯re studying is a footwork technique, specialized to give you instantaneous bursts of speed.¡± Niki pointed at the book. ¡°A fine technique, but there¡¯s something that not many people know. It¡¯s a fatal ignorance.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re thering,¡± Lan scowled. ¡°This is a basic technique that many people practice. Don¡¯t bluff your way just to look smart.¡±

    ¡°Disgusting.¡± His other roommates, who were a usually silent man, spat. His name was Nara, a foreigner that looked nothing like the locals.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Niki shrugged. ¡°I would lie about something that can be easily tested, I¡¯m very dumb.¡± He climbed his bed and started taking out his textbooks. ¡°Ignore me, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d love to live as a cripple for the rest of your life.¡±

    His words were followed by silence as the four students did their own thing. Niki took out his textbooks, arranging them. Ro Za was busy making a special meal for himself. Nera was writing a letter on his desk.

    As for Lan, he stood in the middle of the room ring at Niki. It seems Niki¡¯s words have struck fear in his heart. After all, being cripple meant losing half of his future.

    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s wrong with it,¡± Lan said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°I don¡¯t follow yourmands.¡± Niki opened one of his textbooks. ¡°That¡¯s a way to ask for something.¡±

    ¡°How about you tell me now instead of making me break your arm?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the school would love it. A student disappears and another with a broken arm.¡± Niki shrugged. ¡°As for you, you¡¯ll live on doubting my words.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± Lan sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll owe you a crystal in return. However, that¡¯s only if what you said was right.¡±

    ¡°Fair deal.¡± Niki nodded and stood up. He walked toward Lan, who was taller than him and circled him. ¡°How are your legs¡¯ muscles?¡±

    ¡°Sore, but that¡¯s normal for this technique. If you¡¯re talking about that, then¡­¡±

    ¡°For how long have you been training using this technique?¡±

    ¡°A month, since we first got here.¡± Lan closed his mouth. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you find it odd that you¡¯re still experiencing sore muscles until now?¡± Niki lowed his body revealed Lan¡¯s leg.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lan freaked out and took a step back.

    ¡°The vessels in your legs are erged, they can¡¯t keep up with the strain of the technique. The technique is fine only if you have the vitality stats to make up for the strains. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be simply straining yourself.¡±

    Lan was quiet before rushing toward the cupboard¡¯s mirror to see it for himself. He turned around and looked at the reflection of his calves. The veins were swollen and the skin was red.

    [5 Fate Points have been generated.]

    ¡®System, but I didn¡¯t steal any fate from him this time.¡¯ Niki was confused.

    [You have stolen his fate, but your actions stole the fate of someone else. Lan will avoid wasting a year from his life and that means he¡¯ll take opportunities that he couldn¡¯t take otherwise.]

 Chapter 7: Bloodline Crystal

    As Niki read the panel in front of him, he realized that fate can be stolen directly and indirectly. The direct way for that is by changing people¡¯s future, by either hindering them or killing them.

    The indirect way is by helping them, thus stealing it from others. The more that Niki refused to go with the flow, the more fate he generates. It seems as if the system was telling him to cause an impact on the world.

    ¡®Have I be a vile person now?¡¯ Niki wondered to himself. It was as if the system wanted him to be a viin, but that¡¯s not important. What amazed him was that he didn¡¯t care.

    If anyone went through what he went through before his death, they¡¯ll lose their moralpass as well. He, no matter what, didn¡¯t want to be used or trampled on again.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for that crystal,¡± Niki told Lan before grabbing a notebook and shoving it into his bag. ¡°If you¡¯re thinking about going back on your word, then that¡¯s fine by me. I¡¯ll just spread rumors about your character in the academy. It¡¯ll be good publicity for your father¡¯s next campaign.¡±

    Without saying anything else, Niki took his bag and headed toward the library. Even though his body was begging to rest, he couldn¡¯t just yet.

    The memories were still fresh in his mind, so he needed to write them down. When he got to the empty library, he took out several books that recorded legends and myths.

    Soon, some of these legends that are now considered folklore will be as real as anything else. Skills, artifacts, and anything that has made the Lords who they are.

    Niki ns on stealing whatever he can get. He opened the first book about the greatest emperor to have lived in their world, Nadalian. He had died a thousand years ago and left behind and seven artifacts. Niki knew the general location of the two. This was only the beginning.

    Time flew by as his notebook became more and more detailed. Scrabbles, locations, dates, names, and anything that can be used were filled on that notebook.

    Thest three pages had a list of things he would aim to get. The first was simple, a ticket to the Lost Garden. Every semester, the academy had nine slots to enter the Lost Garden, meaning three per year.

    The Lost Garden was a ce that the first founder of the Rosia kingdom created. It was a ce that was like a heaven to anyone below the D-rank. Niki didn¡¯t only aim for the benefits he would get in terms of stats, but the hidden treasure in the Lost Garden.

    However, it was a dream to think he would get the slot with his current stats. In his first semester, Julian was among those that got in. That meant he would have to fight against him if he wanted that slot, which meant death.

    This time, however, he knew the future and could manipte it.

    It waste at night when Niki was done with nning. The library was empty of people except for him. He was reading a book about the history of kings. He was trying to remember who would die soon, and he had a single picture in front of him.

    By habit, he was ying with the small pouch around his neck. Feeling the outline of the crystal, which was useless until he lost it three years before he died. He had to wear a pendant after that just to satisfy his habit.

    ¡®The current King of Rosia Kingdom, George Ver Rosia.¡¯ Niki read the biography. ¡®Ruled for eight years now, not for long.¡¯ He recorded that information.

    After going through all of it, Niki started rereading the notebook. After reading it once, he reread it. After reading it twice, he did it again. When it was daybreak, he was repeating it zealously like a mantra.

    He was afraid he would forget this information and didn¡¯t want to keep a physical copy of them. After reading it almost ten times, Niki was ready to dispose of it.

    He left the library and took a matchbox from the cafeteria. He headed to the roof of the dorm as everyone was either asleep or training. The roof was empty.

    Niki sat on the ground with the notebook in hand. With this, the information will only be in his head. He lit several matches to burn the notebook.

    As it turned to ashes to be carried by the wind, Niki watched it slowly. The sun peeked from beyond the horizon as the notebook turned to ashes.

    ¡®Now, it¡¯s time to get stronger and get rich.¡¯

    Niki dusted off his jeans and stood up. He undid his ne and looked silently at the pouch. This was the one item that was with him most of his life, even though he had no idea what it was.

    Niki turned the pouch upside for the crystal to fall in his hand. In a world where crystals were strength, this thing was truly useless.

    [Crystal has been detected.]

    A panel appeared in front of him, making Niki¡¯s pupils constrict. The words didn¡¯t change for a few moments. When they did, they revealed a piece of shocking information.

    [Bloodline Awakening Crystal (Fragmented).]

    [Requirements to use: Bloodline. 25 points in all stats. The sess rate of awakening: 2%]

    Niki let go of a breath that sounded like a gasp. His thoughts turned slower and slower like a snail. He couldn¡¯t wrap his head around this even with his years of experience.

    ¡®What is this?¡¯ Niki had so many questions, but only one ce to find the answers for them. ¡®System, can I use this?¡¯

    [Stats are insufficient.]

    ¡®What about the bloodline?¡¯ Niki asked with a frown. He had an ill forbidding about this matter.

    [Detecting¡­]

    [Bloodline has been found.]

    These words brought thunderps to Niki¡¯s mind. He was shaken to the core. The fact that he wasn¡¯t purely a human astounded him, as he never thought of himself as anything else.

    ¡®System, what am I?¡¯

    [Generating new information¡­]

    [Name: Niki Yaran. Age: 17. Species: Half-human. Bloodline: Half-awakened.]

    Niki needed to process this, so he sat down on the floor. He clenched his fist around the crystal as if this action would hide what had just been revealed.

    ¡®I¡¯m not a human¡­¡¯

    Niki furrowed his brows deeply. It wasn¡¯t that he loved being a human, he didn¡¯t feel anything about it. He was who he was. He was what he felt. However, the fact that he didn¡¯t know what he was troubled him.

    ¡®System, what do you mean half-awakened? I¡¯m still the same. Nothing is weird about me.¡¯

    This time, he didn¡¯t receive an answer. No matter what he asked, the system didn¡¯t reveal anything. Niki snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the loud mor the students made.

    Niki grabbed his crystal and returned it to the pouch. This time, however, it felt heavy around his neck.

    ***

    ¡°Have you seen anything abnormal during your training?¡± The man in the ck suit asked him. Niki sighed and answered.

    ¡°No, nothing. If you count a few crazed rabbits as abnormal, then yes.¡± Niki answered again.

    ¡°Tell me about your training session, spare no details. How many bullets you¡¯ve used, what monsters did you encounter, and how did you manage to hunt a rabbit on your own.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve used twelve bullets. I¡¯ve returned the magazine, you can check. I encountered two crazed rabbits. One of them was injured, but I ran away from it because it was too close. As for the other, it was down a hill and I kept firing at it.¡±

    ¡°Twelve bullets for a single rabbit?¡± The man frowned. ¡°Why did you need so many?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an amateur. Only two bullets managed to strike the rabbit. I used my dagger to finish it off.¡±

    ¡°Would we find the traces of the bullets you¡¯ve fired?¡±

    ¡°Sure, but I don¡¯t remember where it was. I was in a fog and all I saw was a shadow. A few bullets went into the stream, so you might need some divers.¡±

    The man sighed and said it¡¯s not necessary. He then dismissed Niki and allowed him to leave. As he did, he saw Julian waiting, in turn, to be questioned. When their eyes met, Julian mouthed a single sentence.

    ¡°I will kill you.¡±

 Chapter 8: Ash and Stolen Goods

    Rohan City was one of the eight major cities in the Rosia kingdom, making it a hub for adventurers and hunters. Thends that surrounded the city¡¯s walls hid many dangers, including monsters and dungeons alike.

    As Niki left the academy the next day, he headed straight toward the Hunters Union. There was no rule that students can¡¯t be adventurers, only that it was rather rare.

    The Rohan Academy provided techniques, guidance, and opportunities for those who graduated from the military academy. However, it wasn¡¯t a ce that Niki would limit himself to.

    He knew of many exploitable facts about the surroundingnd. One of them is something he aimed for today, A Goblins Graveyard.

    It wasn¡¯t something precious, only something that Julian chanced upon in their second year of the academy. When goblins die out of sickness or old age, their rtives bury their remains in a hidden ce in the goblin¡¯s vige.

    These remains weren¡¯t anything special, but they were the resources that the goblins use once they reach adulthood. Some of them are crystals.

    However, not all goblin viges had that because, with such proximity to humans, they were bound to be exterminated and looted before they die of sickness or old age.

    Niki knew of such a ce. That¡¯s why once the investigation was over, he grabbed a few clothes and his life savings and left the academy.

    The current issue was that he didn¡¯t have enough money for weapons of his own. Without money, he couldn¡¯t buy weapons. Without weapons, he couldn¡¯t be an adventurer. Without bing an adventurer, he wouldn¡¯t be able to hunt. Not being able to hunt meant that he¡¯ll never reach the E-rank, granting him privileges simr to those of adulthood.

    He aimed to gamble as soon as possible to make a lot of money for his ship. If he wanted a proper first skill that would make his other ns easier, he needed to find that ind.

    As Niki wandered through the brick-lined streets, with vendors on each side and shops busy making a living, he thought about illegally forging a new ID card.

    When he graduated in his past life, he worked for a local guild in Rohan city. At that time, he had met the boss of the underworld in Rohan City, Hyde Crow. He learned that every casino, brothel, and bar were the properties of this man.

    He was a very dangerous person. Niki had the confidence after he had returned to the past, but he wanted to avoid him at all costs for now. He still remembers how this man humiliated him when he was trying to stop him once.

    One step at a time.

    Before he knew it, he was already standing in front of a very familiar ce. Not the Hunters Union, but a fence hid beside the market of the city.

    It was a bakery shop called Rare Goods, which was kind of true. Stolen goods were rare goods. Niki took a deep breath and entered the store.

    ¡°Wee! What can I get you?¡± The man behind the ss weed him with a bright smile.

    ¡°Raisin cookies.¡± Even though Niki said that the man¡¯s bright smile was the same.

    ¡°Sorry sir, we¡¯ve run out of them today.¡±

    ¡°Can you check the back for me?¡± Niki said as he took out a Rosian Silver Coin and ced it on the table. ¡°I¡¯ll be grateful.¡±

    The man nced at the coin and Niki with suspicion, as if trying to determine his age. Niki¡¯s appearance was of a weakly, sick, ck-haired teenager with no redeeming qualities other than the dark circles under his eyes.

    ¡°You can check the back,¡± The man snatched the coin and nced at the door on his left. ¡°Make sure you have your money.¡±

    With that, Niki was allowed inside. He found himself in a dark hallway with a lit window in the end. Niki walked slowly toward the window and knocked on the ss.

    The window slid open as a man, the fence, revealed himself. He had thick eyebrows with two prominent frontal teeth that made him look shady.

    ¡°Are you lost, kid?¡± The fence nced at him. ¡°We don¡¯t sell your momma¡¯s milk. Get out of here.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here to buy some weapons.¡±

    ¡°I said, get out.¡±

    ¡°Stolen weapons,¡± Niki repeated. ¡°I know what you do, what I didn¡¯t know was that you have an age limit for your customers.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± The fence took something out of his teeth using his finger. He balled the food leftovers into a ball and flicked it at Niki¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But young ones usually have less money, unless your daddy was someone big. Judging from your clothes, you¡¯re just a poor kid trying to do something stupid.¡±

    ¡°Not as stupid as stealing from Hyde.¡± Niki cleaned his shoulder with disgust. ¡°I admire your bravery, buying something that is that man¡¯s belonging, do you know no fear?¡±

    The man stared at him without saying anything. With one swift motion, the man had a revolver pointed at Niki¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°The dead don¡¯t speak,¡± The fence grinned. ¡°You were foolish to threaten me, kiddo. Now, you¡¯ll lose your life.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t kill me,¡± Niki was unafraid. ¡°If you did, my friend will make sure that Hyde knows that you have his merchandise.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing.¡± The fence pulled the revolver¡¯s hammer, a distinct click echoed through the hallway. ¡°How about I kill you before looking through your body? I bet I¡¯ll find out who your friend is.¡±

    ¡°Take it easy, Ash.¡± Niki sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not your enemy, only a customer.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that name?¡± Ash¡¯s eyes were filled with killing intent. ¡°The more you talk, the more I¡¯m tempted to kill you.¡±

    ¡°I know your sister,¡± Niki revealed. ¡°I¡¯m from the Chaos Orphanage, your sister worked there when I was a kid.¡±

    ¡°My sister is dead.¡± Ash was hesitant. ¡°That doesn¡¯t exin how you knew about this.¡±

    ¡°She showed me a picture of you once, I didn¡¯t know it was you before I came in here.¡±

    Niki wasn¡¯t lying, he had truly met his sister. However, she never mentioned that she had a brother, at least not to Niki. He only knew this because he found this out after buying something from Ash in his past life.

    ¡°Alright, I believe you.¡± Ash retracted his gun. ¡°Just to make sure, what was my sister¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°Her name was Mary,¡± Niki answered and Ash smiled. When he smiled back, Ash pointed the gun at him again.

    ¡°Your bluff ends here, that¡¯s not her name!¡± Ash¡¯s finger touched the trigger. ¡°You¡¯ve lied, kiddo. Now, you die.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah. I know you¡¯re bluffing. Just open the door already, I have other things to do.¡± Niki pushed the gun away and looked at Ash speechless. Ash smiled and unlocked the door.

    ¡°You¡¯re a tough nut to crack, kiddo. Don¡¯t your fear death?¡± Ash asked as he opened the door. Niki walked inside to the room that was filled with shelves lined with stolen goods.

    ¡°The more you look death in the eyes, the less scary it gets.¡± Niki smiled as he scanned the room. ¡°At some point, it bes appealing. I¡¯m sorry for what happened to your sister.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk business. What do you need?¡± Ash waved him as if he didn¡¯t want to talk about it. ¡°I don¡¯t have a variety of weapons, you see.¡±

    ¡°I need a gun and a dagger.¡±

    ¡°I have those. They¡¯ll be 20 silvers.¡± Ash went to grab the two weapons but Niki stopped him.

    ¡°Aa,¡± Niki scratched his head. ¡°You have a great judgment, I¡¯m broke indeed.¡±

    Ash paused his actions and turned toward Niki while squinting his eyes. His hand grabbed the revolved on his waist again as his lips parted to reveal his giant teeth.

    ¡°Are you ying with me, boy?¡± Ash took out his gun. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I don¡¯t have anything to offer. I have intel.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about Hyde.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Go on.¡± Ash paused and returned the gun to its holster. ¡°Make sense or I¡¯ll shoot you.¡±

    ¡°I know that you¡¯re looking into Hyde¡¯s movement after what happened to Mary. You must also know that¡¯s he¡¯s nning to raid some ruins at the moment. I know what ruins he¡¯s going to raid.¡±

    ¡°Why would I need that sort of information?¡±

    ¡°Hyde is like a chameleon, once it wanted to hide, you won¡¯t find it. You need this information to find him.¡±

    ¡°What ruins are they?¡± Ash asked through gritted teeth, but Niki didn¡¯t answer. Seeing him like that, Ash cursed and went to grab the two weapons. He threw them at Niki and waited for his answer.

    ¡°Abani Ruins.¡±

    ¡°Impossible, the guild that has bought Abani¡¯s rights is¡­¡±

    ¡°He has people on the inside. That¡¯s all I know.¡± Niki wanted to leave before he saw a panel in front of him.

    [Fate has been stolen. 5 Fate Points has been gained.]

    [New Character, Ash, has been registered.]

    [Fate Meter: 22] [+5]

    [Choose a response in thirty seconds.]

    [Dialogue: Goodbye.]

    [Dialogue: Don¡¯t interfere with Hyde.]

    [Action: Suggest a n.]

    Niki read the panel as quickly as he could. The first thing that grabbed his notice was that Ash¡¯s fate meter was neutral, it didn¡¯t have a +/- sign.

    ¡®Sometimes, people aren¡¯t good or bad. They¡¯re just people.¡¯ Niki sighed. What grabbed his attention was that there was a +5 next to his fate meter. ¡®Did I cause this rise?¡¯ He most likely did.

    ¡°I have an idea on how to get to Hyde without killing yourself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to die, I¡­¡±

    ¡°You will.¡± Niki turned and looked him in the eyes. ¡®I¡¯ve seen it.¡¯ He thought to himself as he remembered the past.

    ¡°¡­ what is it?¡±

    ¡°Use the information indirectly. A tip to the guild or the kingdom, anything. A win is still a win even if you¡¯re not there to see it.¡± After he finished talking, Niki left. Another message appeared in front of him.

    [Fate has been stolen. 5 Points have been gained.]

 Chapter 9: Gunmens Privilige

    Each time he changes the future, he steals fate from someone. The impact that Hyde Crow would leave on the world would be less once Ash hinders him.

    Niki has read something like this before, the butterfly effect. His need for a lousy pair of weapons made him initiate a sequence of actions that would prevent one of thergest heists that Hyde Crow would do.

    He didn¡¯t know if it would be prevented, as the future was different now. The more that he steals fate, thus changing the future, the less he can change the future.

    As he left the bakery and basked in the sunlight, Niki went deep in thoughts. He had to grab as much power as he can before the future bes something he can¡¯t even recognize.

    His interference with Hyde¡¯s raid earned him 10 Fate Points, which is arge sum. It can be because Hyde himself wouldter be one of the most notorious viins the world has seen.

    With the five points that he got from Lan and the sixteen points that he had left from killing Luke, he now had thirty-one points. If he wanted to dump all of these on one event, he can get a 100% probability on an event with a 3.125% chance of urring. His bloodline crystal had a 2% chance.

    Even if he had the necessary 49 points to make his bloodline awakening a guaranteed thing, he stillcked the stats and the resolve to be awakened.

    The Hunters Union had a high-tall building that was lined with red tiles, making a stark contrast against the blue background of the sky. As he stepped on the street known as Hunters Street, every food vendor started selling potions and weapons.

    His hesitation, as he introspected himself, didn¡¯t stem from his clinging to humanity. It was because of his fear of the unknown. What if he awakens not as something powerful, but a frog? Who would kiss a frog in the era of monsters and hunters?

    He¡¯d be deep-fried and served as a snack in Hunters Street before it became midnight. Why would a maiden in love be wandering around before midnight? That doesn¡¯t make sense.

    On the other hand, if he clung to his humanity, he¡¯ll be in the light of knowledge. He¡¯ll have the chance to grow powerful by getting those skills and stats.

    It was a risk, one that involved his future. As someone who came back from the future, he couldn¡¯t think of anything more important to him.

    ¡®Well, besides the present.¡¯ Niki thought as someone bumped into him. With a quick apology, they headed toward an alley. Niki sighed and pulled out his gun that was strapped to his back. ¡®I was too deep in thought. I forgot that snatchers weremon here.¡¯

    With quick steps, Niki found himself in the alley. A shadow was jumping over the wall and Niki aimed before firing.

    The gunshot was loud to make the pedestrians stop in their tracks to take a look. Before any of them can say anything, Niki shouted in a rough voice unlike his own.

    ¡°Give me back my money, thief!¡±

    As soon as he yelled those words, the people around ignored him and kept walking. It was amon thing to be pickpocketed on Hunters Streets. Shooting a gun wasn¡¯t the most dangerous thing that someone can do, so no one cared.

    Niki climbed the wall and jumped into another alley, one that went through a small garden. He followed the trail of blood on the ground until he reached the thief that has taken his money.

    ¡°Give it back.¡± Niki coldly said to the bleeding kid in front of him.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me.¡± The kid squeezed his bleeding leg as he pleaded. It was a short kid with a dirty appearance, who seemed about ten years of age.

    ¡°I give two craps about killing you, just give me my money back.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± The kid took out Niki¡¯s pouch. He was trembling, probably due to the loss of blood.

    ¡°Do you have any other money?¡± Niki asked as he counted his silver. The boy¡¯s face turned pale.

    ¡°Please, sir. I need it. I¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up and answer.¡±

    ¡°¡­ I have nothing.¡±

    ¡°You should¡¯ve lied before you cried about needing it.¡± Niki sighed. ¡°You¡¯re not very smart, are you?¡± Without saying anything else, Niki picked up the kid against his protest.

    Ten minutester, he threw the kid in front of a door and started banging on it. The door opened to reveal a middle-aged man with a colored beard.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Treat his wound, he has enough money.¡± Niki pointed at the kid who was now passed out. ¡°I¡¯lle back to check on him.¡±

    ¡°No, you won¡¯t,¡± The man sighed. ¡°I know this kid, thank you for going easy on him.¡±

    ¡°If shooting him in the leg is going easy, I¡¯m started to question what kind of doctors you are.¡± Niki waved his hand and left. ¡°Tell him that the next time he does this, he¡¯ll be dead.¡±

    He went back to Hunters Street and made his way toward the Hunters Union. If he wanted to hunt monsters, he¡¯d have to register as an adventurer first.

    The building was ancient, as the first founder was the one to build it. Its spiraled towers were a feat of nothing less than magical. With an area of at least two thousand meters, the Hunters Union was one of thergest buildings in Rohan.

    As Niki stepped foot into it, the nostalgic feeling flooded into him again. He knew theyout of this ce like the back of his hand.

    Niki headed straight toward the registration hall, which was right beside the Hub, where tasks were given. The registration hall was always crowded because many people risked their lives to have a living.

    The kingdom didn¡¯t stop people from bing adventurers but encouraged it. As long as you were above sixteen, you can be an adventurer. The irony was that you were allowed to risk your life even if you were underaged, but not your money.

    It had some logic behind it, as underaged people can be strong, but still be immature. Of course, there was a test before you can be an adventurer. You¡¯d have to be at least an F-rank, having 20 points in all of your stats if you wanted to pass.

    This was the baseline, after that you can specialize. As for Niki himself, he wanted to exploit a hole in the system.

    ¡°Are you here to register as an adventurer?¡± The girl behind the desk asked. With a nod, Niki confirmed. ¡°We¡¯ll have to measure your stats before the practical test. If you don¡¯t have any recent stats scans, we can make you one. It¡¯ll be for¡­¡±

    ¡°I want to register as a gunman.¡± Niki interrupted, making the girl stared with wide eyes.

    ¡°That is¡­ wait for a second as I check¡­¡± She was about to grab a guidebook when arge man ced his hand on the desk between the two.

    ¡°Gunmen have the privilege of requiring no stats scan to register, but their practical exam is beyond difficult.¡± The burly man stared down at Niki, doubt clear in his eyes. ¡°Are you aware of that? There was no refund for the registration fees.¡±

    ¡°I am aware,¡± Niki ced one silver coin on the table. ¡°Please take care of me.¡± He took out his gun and ced it on the table.

    Even though it was an old model, it was a proper gun. Niki also got two magazines from Ash, making it proper for a first hunt. For the exam, the Union would provide him with bullets.

    ¡°Very well, follow me.¡±

    The man grabbed the coin and ced it in the girl¡¯s hand before leaving the hall with Niki. They went to the armory and got a magazine for Niki, with twelve bullets inside.

    ¡°These are the bullets that you¡¯ll use for your exam. It¡¯s a simple one, but an iparably difficult one to pass.¡± The man said as he handed him the magazine. ¡°I wish you know what you¡¯re getting yourself into.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Niki smiled. The man shook his head and started walking toward the field. Following him, Niki tried looking around to spot anyone that he knew.

    There was a rule that was specific to gunmen, decreasing the requirements over their stats. Niki had decided to use it since he set his mind to be an adventurer.

    As the two reached the examination field, they found several people who were also taking their exam. They were mostly young, with a few seasoned examinees who never managed to make it.

    They were being tested by someone else, an instructor that dueled against them in a one-against-one fashion. He would then assign them to their adventurer¡¯s rank, which corresponds to their strength.

    ¡°What are you doing here, Regan?¡± The examiner asked the man apanying Niki. ¡°cking off your hunting duties?¡±

    ¡°Save it, Fred.¡± Regan waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯m here to conduct a special examination.¡± He pointed at Niki with his thumb.

    ¡°How special?¡± Fred furrowed his brows.

    ¡°Gunmen special,¡± Regan then started walking again with Niki following after him.

    When Niki passed by the examinee that stood in front of Fred, he paused. It was a girl wearing chainmail with a longsword strapped to her waist.

    ¡®She¡¯s younger than I remember, but that makes sense. I never met her until after my graduation.¡¯

    The person that was taking the exam was none other than one of the Lords that would establish her domain after the war. She was his senior at the academy, but their worlds couldn¡¯t be more different.

    With blonde hair that reached down to her shoulders and deep eyes with an abnormal bright blue color, Valkyrie Helnes was everything that Niki was not. At least, his previous self.

    As she stood there waiting for the instructor to begin the exam, she exuded a heroic aura around her. Her light-chain armor hugged her body tightly, a testimony of how serious she was about this duel.

    ¡°Sir Regan, can I spectate the traditional exam first?¡± Niki asked with expectation. Regan nced at him before ncing at Valkyrie. With a grin, he nodded in understanding.

    Niki knew that this instructor had formed the wrong idea about his interest, thinking he had had a crush on Valkyrie. Well, that wasn¡¯t weird as just by standing there, Valkyrie managed to bewitch all of the spectating men and a few women.

    ¡°As I said before, we can arrange a special exam for someone of your status, Miss Helnes,¡± Fred asked again but Valkyrie shook her head and assumed her stance.

    ¡°I¡¯m no different.¡± Her words were short but concise. Her gaze was sharp and unwavering. This was exactly like Niki remembered her. She had a high sense of righteousness and fairness, refusing to use her status to make her life easier.

    ¡®You were blessed with talent, background, and even looks but you act as if they had nothing to do with you. Doesn¡¯t that mean that all of our efforts are a waste? That our circumstances were nothing more than an excuse?¡¯

    Niki thought to himself as Fred took his stance. That¡¯s exactly why he hated her in the past and now as well. Her longsword was unsheathed and ready to attack. She held it in one hand in front of her, a style she¡¯ll discard in the future.

    With a step that Niki couldn¡¯t follow, the two people collided as sparks flew everywhere. Seeing the first three moves, Niki turned to Regan.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have our exam, sir.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay.¡± Regan was stunned as if he was taken aback by Niki¡¯s withdrawal. ¡°You know,¡± He said as the two walked toward the shooting field. ¡°Girls like those who fight for their heart.¡± He said with a wink.

    ¡°¡­¡± Niki looked at him silently before nodding. It wasn¡¯t a good idea to embarrass your examiner, so he¡¯ll pretend like he took the advice.

    The shooting range had many targets, both humanoid and posters. Once they were there, they found a middle-aged man cleaning his rifle.

    ¡°Regan, are you finally here to admit your defeat?¡±

    ¡°In your dream, old man.¡± Regan patted Niki¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You have a new gunman to be tested.¡±

    The man looked at Regan and then at Niki in disbelief. His lips trembled as his face flushed in anger.

    ¡°Are you mocking me, Regan?¡± He said as he pointed at Regan. ¡°Do you think that anyone can be a gunman these days? Let me show you what a gunman can do.¡±

    Without hesitation, the man aimed his rifle and fired at Regan. With a sigh, Regan¡¯s giant arm bulged and he punched the bullet, deflecting it.

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    ¡°My skill has evolved, old man. The new age has no ce for gunmen.¡± Regan seemed apologetic. ¡°It¡¯s best if you try to¡­¡±

    ¡°Rubbish!¡± The man snarled. ¡°Get out of my sight immediately.¡± He said with a grim face. It seems his inability to hurt Regan made him unreasonable.

    ¡°This kid wants to test out his¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a kid gunman!¡± The man roared. ¡°He¡¯s trying to use the gunmen¡¯s privilege to pass the test! Get him out of here!¡±

    His roar was powerful enough to attract the attention of the examinee and Fred as well. Regan sighed as he turned to Niki.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, kid¡­¡±

    ¡°How about a bet, old man?¡± Niki took a step forward.

 Chapter 10: A Bet

    ¡°You don¡¯t get to talk to me, shrimp.¡± The man pointed his rifle at Niki¡¯s forehead, pushing his head back. ¡°Your kind is the reason people look down on gunmen, I want nothing from you.¡±

    ¡°Then you should do your job and let me have the exam.¡±

    ¡°My job is to create gunmen, not entertain con artists.¡± The man frowned. ¡°Leave before I turn your brain into mashed potatoes.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a good bet. We¡¯ll both take the test. The more urate one wins. If I lose, you can turn my brain into mashed potatoes.¡± Niki stared at the man in the eyes, his eyes unwavering. ¡°If I win, however, I¡¯ll have your Gunman Badge.¡±

    Silence descended like a veil before the man broke into hystericalughter. Regan pulled on Niki¡¯s shoulder as if he was trying to bring him back to his senses.

    ¡°Are you insane, kid?¡± Regan squeezed his shoulder and it ached badly. ¡°This man is a certified gunman. Furthermore, his perception is a hundred times more than yours.¡±

    ¡°Regan, you¡¯ve brought me not only a kid but a lunatic!¡± The man had tears in his eyes from hisughter. ¡°Fred! Get your ass over here and take this guy out!¡±

    ¡°I think you should honor his bravery, Sir Conan.¡± A melodious voice, dripping with righteousness and heroism, said from behind Niki. ¡°He¡¯s asking for a duel, you should know no matter how weak the opponent is, he should be honored.¡± Valkyrie Helnes walked over with Fred following right after her.

    ¡°Miss Helnes, I respect your beliefs but I can¡¯t entertain lunatics. I don¡¯t have the time.¡± Conan shook his head. ¡°This kid is wasting his money and testing my patience.¡±

    ¡°Honor is worthy of your patience,¡± Valkyrie said as a bead of sweat rolled down her face.

    ¡®Honor my ass,¡¯ Niki almost rolled his eyes. As much as he hated this girl¡¯s attitude, as much as he appreciated it at the moment.

    ¡°Is honor that important if he¡¯ll certainly lose his life?¡± Conan frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not participating in this bet. That¡¯s the end of it.¡±

    ¡°The only certainty is that I¡¯m not the one backing down. If I die, I die. That¡¯s none of your concern, esteemed sir.¡± Niki added in the end just to avoid being beaten to a pulp.

    ¡°¡­¡± Sir Conan looked at him silently with squinted eyes. He then looked around the field at a helmet that was almost a kilometer away. ¡°Do you see that?¡± He said to Niki before standing up.

    Niki nced at it and nodded. Conan didn¡¯t say anything and turned his back toward the helmet. He then held his rifle over his shoulder and fired.

    The gunshot rang in their eyes as Niki saw the helmet fall. It was an admirable feat, to shoot down such a far object without looking at it. This required superhuman perception and calction.

    ¡°Now, beat it.¡±

    ¡°I still think I can beat you.¡± Niki smiled. Conan stared at him and shook his head.

    ¡°If that doesn¡¯t change your mind, then I¡¯ll grant you your death wish. The exam is to shoot ten targets in ten seconds. If you hit seven of them, you pass. Four of those targets will be moving.¡± Conan stood up. ¡°If you lose, I don¡¯t want your brain. I¡¯ll have you be my servant for the rest of your life.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about the badge,¡± Niki reminded. ¡°I know it needs to be renewed every month, so it¡¯s not that important.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that after you win.¡± Conan started limping toward the shooting field. Niki nced at his leg and followed right after.

    He nced behind when he heard footsteps behind him. Regan, Fred, and Valkyrie were following behind them. Meeting his gaze, Regan shrugged.

    ¡°We¡¯re bored.¡±

    Niki sighed. The shooting range was a few hundred meters wide. It had many targets, both moving and immobile. Conan limped toward the center of the field where there was a circr track.

    ¡°You¡¯ll stand here, we¡¯ll be watching from behind the ss. Ten seconds, ten targets. Let¡¯s see who¡¯s the better gunman, kiddo.¡± Conan said with a grin.

    Niki didn¡¯t answer and simply took out his gun. He walked until he was in the middle of the field. He then felt it, the sense of belonging.

    How much time has he spent surrounded by such targets? Their immobility, the sound they make when they slide across the tracks, and the smell of gunpowder that never refused to abandon this ce.

    ¡°Three!¡±

    Niki raised his gun with his eyes closed.

    ¡°Two!¡±

    He started calcting the course of action, the sequence of targets, and the pattern they moved in.

    ¡°One!¡±

    He opened his eyes and aimed at the first target. The recoil made his wrist ache, but he¡¯ll get used to it. He didn¡¯t check and simply moved on to the next target, the one after, and the next.

    On the first three shots, Conan¡¯s face turned grim. Regan and Fred watched with wide eyes as interest twinkled in Valkyrie¡¯s eyes.

    On his fifth shoot, Niki missed and his bullet deflected on the iron pole that carried the target. Conan gave a knowing smile as Regan sighed in relief.

    He kept shooting and on thest bullet, the two moving targets aligned in front of Niki as he shot them both using one bullet.

    The ten seconds were up and Niki breathed out. His wrist ached badly, but it wasn¡¯t something that he can¡¯t handle. As he walked back toward the group, he enjoyed their shocked expression.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind it if you forfeit,¡± Niki said to Conan who simply snorted.

    ¡°Some of your shots aren¡¯t urate enough, watch how a real gunman does it.¡± Even though he said, a thick smile stered over his face. In his mind, he was probably thinking about how he got a talented servant.

    Too bad for him, Niki had other ns. As Conan stood in the middle of the field, the targets began to move. Niki knew it was a piece of cake for this man, but he hoped he would be lucky.

    And luck was his ything.

    As Conan shot down the target, he reached the final two moving targets. As he aimed and shot at the ninth target, suddenly the pole that carried it broke down and bent.

    The bullet went past the target andnded on a tree. Conan flinched and struck thest target before staring at the bent pole in shock.

    ¡°You did this,¡± He turned to Niki with wide eyes. ¡°You never missed, but simply weakened the pole. Even still, the chances of it falling under its weight now are¡­¡±

    ¡°I guess aren¡¯t zero.¡± Niki crossed his arms with a smile. ¡°A win is still a win, old man.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha,¡± Conanughed as he raised his face toward the sky. He took out his badge and threw it at Niki. ¡°What¡¯s your name, boy?¡±

    ¡°Niki Yaran.¡± He caught the badge and studied it. ¡°I¡¯ll take a good care of this.¡± Niki smiled. With this, he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about ammunition.

 Chapter 11: Scheming

    [Fate has been stolen. 5 Points have been gained.]

    His actions with Conan and Valkyrie made him rub a few fate points on them, probably taking away Conan¡¯s badge. Despite appearing as not, Conan was someone important.

    He left after Conan gave him the badge, not willing to interact further with any of them. He also got his trainee adventurer¡¯s license, allowing him to hunt in the wilderness only.

    By the time it waste afternoon, Niki has just finished buying the materials he needed for tomorrow¡¯s hunt. All he had to do now was to take his supply of ammunition.

    He left the herbal market and headed toward the Gunmen League, where he would take his ammunition from. The reason he wanted the badge was to take what he needs from ammunition. Every month, gunmen can grab ammunition from the league ording to their contribution.

    Despite being a cripple, Conan was still a gunman. That¡¯s why his badge was worth betting his life for. Ammunition was expensive with theck of mines.

    Well, there wasn¡¯t ack of them, they were simply in the wilderness or possession of the dwarves. That¡¯s why ammunition was expensive.

    As he found himself at the doors of the Gunmen League, the sunset was beginning to take cover behind the horizon. It left a trail of orange that nketed over the city of Rohan.

    As he entered the League, the acidic smell of cigarettes drifted to his nose. He didn¡¯t know if it was a current trend, but every gunman inside strapped his guns to his body with a cigar in his mouth.

    ¡®I guess this trend dies in five years,¡¯ Niki chuckled inwardly as he headed straight to the storage facility. The ammunition was distributed through this facility, which was always crowded.

    As he made an entrance, he was bound to grab attention. A weak-looking teenager like him was rather unfit to be a gunman, as the admission exam was rather difficult.

    It also didn¡¯t discriminate, making the League include crooks and thugs. These people would stop nothing to make a profit. That¡¯s why as soon as Niki entered, he became a target.

    ¡°Do you need any help, kiddo?¡± A giant man with a scar on his face walked over, bottle in hand. ¡°If you¡¯re a rookie, I can give you a tour.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not a gunman.¡± Niki shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just here to receive ammunition.¡± His words made the man frown.

    ¡°Are you a gunman¡¯s disciple?¡± He asked warily. After all, stealing from another gunman was taboo, even for these crooks.

    ¡°I wish, a homeless man gave this to me in return for food. He said he found it in the trash, lucky for me!¡± Niki said with a bright smile.

    ¡°Oh, hahaha! Lucky for you indeed!¡± Scar crook had a thick smile. ¡°Let me help you then,e here.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Niki smiled and bowed. ¡°I n on hunting in the Alm Forest tomorrow, so I¡¯ll be needing those bullets.¡±

    ¡°I see, Alm Forest.¡± The man nodded with delight, which he masked with a worried face. ¡°I fear for you, little brother. How about I help you hunt?¡±

    ¡°No need! This is the road of a true man!¡± Niki ponded his chest.

    ¡°Alright, I admire you, little brother! Let me help you get your ammunition!¡±

    With that, the two walked toward the storage room as the rest shook their heads in disapproval. However, Niki acted obliviously. The moment that this man approached him, he started scheming a n.

    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± The old man, who was also smoking, leaned on the counter in the storage hall. He nced at the man next to Niki in suspicion.

    ¡°Hello, I want to receive some ammunition.¡± Niki produced the badge Conan gave him. The man nced at it and turned to the man beside him.

    ¡°Is this your badge?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m simply helping him.¡± The man grinned. As he did, he scratched his forearm which had a crow tattoo on it. The old man shook his head and turned back to Niki.

    ¡°What kind of ammunition do you need?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know. I want to hunt goblins using this gun. Can you choose the ammunition for me?¡± Niki took out his gun and showed it to the man.

    The old man sighed and went to the back. He grabbed a case of bullets and gave it to Niki. The case had enough bullets for almost twenty magazines, which was more than enough for Niki.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need to scan your badge.¡± The old man took the badge and scanned it. He then frowned as he looked at the screen. Without saying anything, he gave it back to Niki.

    Even though this system seemed wed, it worked well. In case of a stolen badge, a simple call to the League would deactivate the badge and arrest whoever tries to use it.

    The man must have seen who the badge belonged to, making him confused. Even though Conan was a cripple, he was also someone who was respected in the League.

    He was the gunman that helped the current king stop the beastmen invasion seven years ago, making his name renowned throughout Rohan city.

    Yet, the man didn¡¯t say anything and handed Niki the case of bullets. He even offered to clean Niki¡¯s gun, but he refused.

    ¡°With this many bullets, someone would think you¡¯re hunting every monster in the Alm Forest!¡± The scarred manughed.

    ¡°Haha, I would never. I¡¯m not even an F-rank yet, I¡¯m just desperate for money. Well, I have a hunt in the early morning tomorrow, thank you for the help!¡±

    With those words, Niki left. He could feel the man¡¯s gaze on his back as he walked through the streets of Rohan. He was sure that tomorrow morning, a few men will be following him into the forest.

    Inside Rohan city, that thug wouldn¡¯t attack him. In the wilderness, however, there was no truew.

    Niki knew he was no match for these men, they could eat him alive. However, there were other things he couldn¡¯t handle. That¡¯s why he needed these men for his n.

    When he reached the academy, it was as peaceful as he has left it. During the two days weekend that they had, most students would either return home, train, hang out with friends, or simply hunt monsters in dungeons.

    Sadly, you can¡¯t hunt in dungeons unless you were an F-rank, even for gunmen. The usage of guns in the wilderness gave even those with minimum stats an advantage.

    Niki found no one in his room, luckily. He took out a giant bag he had prepared and prepared his weapons, ammo, food, and all the necessities for tomorrow¡¯s hunt. After that, he stashed the bag beneath the guard¡¯s cab, right beside the gate.

    He had only a few hours before midnight, barely enough time for him to prepare the potions. He had gone to the herbal market for this exact reason.

    ¡®I¡¯m broke now.¡¯ Niki sighed as he looked at the materials in front of him.

    Silent Roots, properties include absorbing sound. Moon Dew Water, amplifies the natural properties of nts. There were a lot of herbs that he had bought, but he would need to brew them into potions to use them.

    It was time to head toward theb.

 Chapter 12: Potions

    During his training in the army, he had an officer whose profession was an alchemist. He insisted that they learn how to brew potions from easily found herbs, making it one of the few skills he learned the basics for in the army.

    The thing about potions, however, was that they required a special cauldron that used mana to produce heat. Your mastery over mana would then determine what sess rate you have for your potions.

    There were other factors too, like timing and portions. As for Niki, he was brewing three potions that he had a rtive mastery for. They were Silent Feet, Dizziness Fumes, and Enhanced Vision.

    The sess rates for these three, in his past life, were all 50%. However, he used the cauldron back then, raising his sess percentage. As for now, it was good if he had a 25% sess rate.

    As Niki was walking toward thebte at night, he encountered Miss Jena. He nodded in greeting as he continued on his way but she grabbed him by the cor from behind.

    ¡°You think I would forget about your punishment?¡± Miss Jena asked with a yful smile. ¡°You didn¡¯t go to the mines the other day.¡±

    ¡°Teacher, we were told to stay in our dorms that day.¡± Nikiughed dryly. ¡°Have you heard what happened?¡±

    ¡°That has nothing to do with your punishment. If you keep cking in your sses, you¡¯ll barely reach the F-rank before you graduate.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not cking, I just had a bad day.¡± Niki tried toe up with an excuse. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the orphanage I grew up in was being torn down, so I went there onest time.¡± That was a total lie.

    Miss Jena seemed to be sympathetic as she sighed. She let go of him and adjusted his cor.

    ¡°Fine, just don¡¯t do it again.¡± Miss Jena let go of him, making him sigh in relief. As he watched her walk away, Niki was reminded that she was one of the few that helped him during his first year.

    Niki headed straight toward theb. As he tried to make an entry, he found that it was locked. He went outside and looked through the windows.

    One of them was sloppily closed, leaving a gap that he could use. He took out a metallic strip and used it to unlock the window from the inside. He jumped into theb and closed the window behind it. He then closed the curtains before opening the lights.

    He started taking out the herbs he had bought andid them on the table. With the leftover of his life¡¯s savings, money he got through odd jobs, he only managed to buy five portions of materials for each potion.

    Five portions can be turned into five potions if someone was a grandmaster withplete mastery over the recipe. However, Niki¡¯s case was a bit different.

    He started preparing the first potion, Silent Feet, as he opened his system. He lit the fire under the sk as he threw in the Moon Dew Water and waited for it to boil.

    He then began weighing the materials and cutting them until he got the correct amount. The root tips were the essence of the nt, so he only needed those.

    As he threw in the materials one after the other, Niki changed the probability.

    [The chosen event: brewing Silent Feet potion sessfully.]

    [Probability: 23%]

    [Fate Points invested: 1.]

    [New Probability: 46%]

    [Fate Points: 35.]

    [Manipte Probability]

    He would have 35fate points left after he uses this. The thing is that he only has a 46% sess rate. He can invest another point, but that would mean two-point per potion. If he uses it on all fifteen portions he had, he would need to spend all of his points.

    It wasn¡¯t worth it. He didn¡¯t need fifteen potions for this hunt. After he gets stronger from the Goblin¡¯s Graveyard, he wouldn¡¯t need the potions to help him that much.

    As he waited for the potion to brew, Niki manipted the probability. For a potion, it would take a few minutes to know if it was a sess or a failure. It would either turn into a ck tar substance because the materials didn¡¯t mix probably or turn into a clear liquid with a glow.

    After a few minutes, Niki finally saw a change. The sk¡¯s clear surface rapidly turned ck as fumes rose from it. The potion has failed.

    With a sigh, he started over again. He cleaned the sk before going through the steps. Again, he doubled the probability and waited for it.

    This time, the change happened faster. The boiling materials dissolved together as a soft glow was emitted from it. Niki hurried to pour the contents into a vial before closing it with a sponge lid.

    ¡®You¡¯ll be my ticket to that Graveyard.¡¯ Niki grinned as he ced the vial to the side and took out the next portion.

    Each potion took about fifteen minutes to prepare. By the time Niki has used all of the materials, it was well past midnight.

    Three Silent Feet potions, four Dizziness Fumes potions, and two Enhanced Vision potions. Out of fifteen potions that he tried to prepare, nine were the result. That¡¯s only because he used two points on thest two Enhanced Vision potions.

    He had used 17 Fate Points over these potions. In the end, he only had 19 points left for him to use. He slid the vials one by one into their holders on his belt. He got this one from the market, which also acted as a holster to his gun.

    Under the cover of the night, he took his bag from under the cab before leaving the school. The guard was snoring and probably dreaming about some superheroic as Niki walked out of the front gate.

    Despite being midnight, the streets weren¡¯t that empty. The city of Rohan had many dungeons and the profession of killing monsters knew no time. Niki reached the Alm Gate and stood in line to get out.

    The only people allowed to go out into the wilderness without using any public transportations were adventures. As soon as the guard saw his ID, he simply allowed him to go out.

    The wilderness was a scary ce, Niki was reminded of that fact. It was dark with no light except the moonlight and danger reeked of every corner.

    Niki saw the adventurers set up camps and post points as theyid out ns to take out dangerous monsters. He hid behind a tree and took out the two potions, Enhanced Vision and Silent Feet.

    He drank the former and poured thetter on his feet. He jumped up and down but there was no sound. With everything set, Niki ran through the forest looking for the hidden Goblins¡¯ Vige.

 Chapter 13: Goblins

    Goblin were nasty creatures. They were cruel to anyone that wasn¡¯t of their race. Usually, they moved in groups to hunt or protect their area. They were green in color with pped skins and lots of blisters.

    Niki¡¯s second year in the academy wasn¡¯t better than the first. Luke and Julian made sure that he wouldn¡¯t spend a day without feeling any pain. One time, they were taken to the Alm Forest to hunt as training.

    At that time, Julian, Luke, and Erza were his team. They would do this to ensure that, first, he gets wounded, and second, he gets no crystals from the hunt. This stagnated his growth during his early years, making it impossible to catch upter on.

    At that time, they chanced upon a Goblin¡¯s Vige. Julian and Luke were already E-rankers at that time, making it easy to take down that vige.

    Niki was used as bait, to be chased by the goblins as the other three struck from behind. At that time, the Goblins riddled him with holes using their spears. He needed to lie sick in the hospitals for two weeks.

    Now, he¡¯s going to have a leap in strength exactly because he participated in that raid. As Niki ran silently through the forest, his eyes glowed as they captured every detail in the surrounding.

    The Enhanced Vision potion not only allowed him to see well in the dark but also increased his perception by at least ten points. These ten points were an improvement for a normal F-ranker. As for the weak Niki, it was another realm altogether.

    He felt like his body can finally do what his mind was trained to do ever since he got here. It was, a delusion, as he was nowhere near that level.

    The forest was dark but it also served to hide him. Like a shadow, Niki ran through the trees until he heard low-pitched growls. He stopped running and changed direction.

    He hid behind a tree when he heard a nearby bush move. Three dark green and short creatures emerged from the bushes, looking for something.

    Niki held his breath as he waited for them to get closer. He took out a Dizziness Fumes vial, which he threw between the goblins. The potions turned into vapor as the Goblins started wobbling and staggering.

    Niki jumped from behind the bushes with his gun in hand. He fired the gun toward their vitals but the bullets weren¡¯t powerful enough to prate their organs.

    ¡°Gaa!!¡± The goblins screamed as they ran clumsily in his direction. However, he didn¡¯t wait and ran away because even a simple blow would kill the current him.

    He ran away toward a group of protruding roots that would hinder the goblins. After jumping over them, he turned and waited for his pursuers.

    The fumes worked better than he expected, making a goblin pass outpletely. As for the other two, who seemed to have more resistance to the potion, they kept running after him. One of them had his eyes rolled over revealing nothing but the white of his eyes.

    Niki took out his gun again and fired several shots. Theynded in the same position, each pushing the other and making it easier to prate the organ.

    The Goblin issued a scream and fell on the ground twitching. Niki hurried to change the probability of him dropping crystals, tripling it using two points.

    The other one kept running after him. As earlier, Niki kept running through the trees while firing shots at the same ce. However, it kept running after him.

    Niki gritted his teeth and dived toward the monster. His dagger was in his left as he held his gun with his right. The goblin retracted its arm andunched a spear attack toward Niki.

    Before the spear could reach him, Niki shot two bullets at the goblin¡¯s wrists. The goblin screamed and let go of his spear as Niki closed in on him. Using his dagger, he stabbed the goblin in the biggest wound it had and twisted it.

    He spent another two points on changing the probability of this goblin dropping a crystal. From a 20% chance of it dropping any, Niki raised it to 60%.

    This meant that F-rankers would need to hunt five goblins to obtain a crystal. As for Niki, he only needed to hunt one. The goblin¡¯s body fell to the ground as a red crystal came out of it.

    Niki bent his knees and picked the crystal up, admiring it. It was then that a set of hands wrapped themselves around his neck and began to strangle him.

    ¡°Agh!¡± Niki¡¯s throat was being crushed as he gagged. However, he didn¡¯t give in and kept firing through his gun. The bullets riddled thest goblin as he began to let go of Niki.

    Niki saw the life leave him as his red and swollen eyes, caused by the fumes, turned lifeless. He rubbed his bruised throat as he took deep breathes to make up for the oxygen.

    Through his blurred vision, Niki changed the probability without opening the menu. All he had to do was to think about the event and the points invested for it to work.

    A purple crystal appeared from the goblin¡¯s body, making Niki grin despite his pain. He finally got his hands on his beloved Intelligence stat.

    He stood up and kicked the goblin away as he tottered toward thest goblin which had a green crystal over his body. Niki picked it up and looked for a ce to absorb them.

    From his 17 Fate Points, Niki only had 11 left. He invested one point into the event ¡®get two points from the crystal¡¯ for both Strength Crystal and Vitality, making their probability 50% each.

    [2 Strength Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    [2 Vitality Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    He held into thest crystal with a troubled face. Intelligence Stat was usually a rare stat unless you hunted certain monsters. As someone who relied on his gun, he needed this stat greatly.

    ¡®Invest 3 points into the event of not getting a one-point oue.¡¯ Niki tried again in different phrasing.

    [You can¡¯t increase the probability of more than one event at a time.]

    It also didn¡¯t work. By excluding this oue, he would increase the probability of getting two or three points from the crystal.

    Niki sighed and used three points to get a 100% oue of 2-points. He can¡¯t spend a lot of Fate Points to get an extra Intelligence stat, that would be a waste.

    He felt the change in his body and his pain lessened. Niki stood up from the tree he was leaning on and went back toward the goblins¡¯ bodies.

    He took out his vials as he stabbed them again and filled the vials with their blood. He filled three vials that he needed before deciding to hunt one more group before he goes back to the city.

    After all, his ambushers will be waiting for him near the gate tomorrow morning. He can¡¯t ditch them, can he?

 Chapter 14: Danger Avoided

    After hunting another three goblins using the Dizziness Fumes, Niki¡¯s stat increased again. He got crystals for Vitality, Strength, and Agility. Niki also got the goblins¡¯ weapons, which he can sell in the market for a few silver coins.

    [Vitality: 9]

    [Strength: 12]

    [Agility: 10]

    [Intelligence: 9]

    [Mana: 0]

    However, he had spent his remaining 6 Fate Points on getting the monsters to drop crystals. That left him with no points to get more stats from the crystals themselves. He lucked out with Vitality, getting 2 points. As for Strength and Agility, he got one point from each.

    Beggars can¡¯t be choosers. If Niki wanted to earn more Fate Points, he would need to rise further. He would need to kill people with an impact on the world, to steal their fate.

    ¡®Am I bing that kind of person?¡¯ Niki sighed as he used another Silent Feet potion on his legs to get back to the city.

    As he ran across the meadow, using the road beside the river to go back to the vige, Niki thought about his new powers.

    ¡®To kill others just to grow stronger, even though there are other ways, like the points I got from Ash, it¡¯s still the easiest method.¡¯

    Niki never considered himself to be a good person, but deep down, he wished he was. That was until he saw the true selfish nature of mankind in the war. Betrayals and cruelty seemed easy if someone was suffering.

    He saw the city¡¯s walls in the distance, making him run faster. After he doubled his vitality, he needed less time to rest but he was still a weakling.

    He stopped beside a bridge that went over the river to catch his breath. He then walked to the riverbank and fell on his knees to ssh some water over his face.

    As he felt the cold water dripped over his shirt, Niki spotted something in the water. It was a momentary light that blinked at him, nothing that a normal river under the moonlight wouldn¡¯t do.

    However, it was odd because the light disappeared right after and another blinked. The lights were like a sequence, guiding him somewhere.

    [Choose a response in thirty seconds.]

    [Action: Follow the Lights.]

    [Action: Return to city.]

    Niki looked at the lights and they were leading him toward another direction of the Alm Forest, a region that not many dared to venture due to its oddness.

    It was said that vengeful spirits roamed those grounds, those of the fallen ones in battle. Over hundreds of years, those grounds became a forbidden ce that no one dared to go to.

    Niki was tempted, but he turned and walked back toward the city. There was no other reason besides the fact that he was too weak to risk his life.

    After the thirty seconds were up, his system sent him another notification. Niki grinned when he saw it.

    [Danger has been avoided.]

    The system didn¡¯t give him any points for avoiding this. However, he gave Niki the idea toe back here when he gets stronger. At that time, what¡¯s dangerous for him now wouldn¡¯t be so dangerous.

    Niki returned to the city and headed directly toward the market. He sold the looted weapons to the first shop he found for three silvers. He then went to the market and bought another herb.

    It was almost 5 AM by the time he was done. He returned to the academy¡¯sb and took out the three blood vials. Boiling the blood with the herb he got, Niki got something different than a potion.

    It was a liquid with an official name of Goblin¡¯s Pheromones. He poured the liquid into the vials with a yawn. He hasn¡¯t slept for a full day, making his eyes feel heavy.

    However, the result is worth it. Niki stored the vials and went to the cafeteria to grab some food. It was empty at this hour, so he had a peaceful breakfast until someone walked up to him.

    ¡°A gunman is a rare profession,¡± Valkyrie was covered in sweat, a result of her usual morning training. Niki nced at her and resumed his meal. ¡°I don¡¯t think you like me that much.¡± She said with a smile.

    Niki was stuffing his mouth when Valkyrie sat next to him. She mmed a card on the table that had a fine print of her name and contact information.

    ¡°I¡¯m creating a party, so we¡¯ll be needing a gunman.¡±

    ¡°A Magic Archer is better,¡± Niki said as he sipped on his tea.

    ¡°We already have that. A good gunman is excellent for the team¡¯s dynamic. As a support, you can turn the battlefield into our yground.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡±

    ¡°Yet,¡± Valkyrie stood up. ¡°Train your body a bit, I don¡¯t you to die identally with me. Let me know of your decision afterward.¡±

    Niki grabbed the card and read it. It had her name and a number he can contact. He knew about this party, as Valkyrie did the same in his previous life.

    After they graduate, Valkyrie and her party will go on to create a guild of their own. The guild will slowly expand into one of the strongest in the world.

    This was a decent offer, but Niki had different ns. After he gets enough money for his ship, he will be getting his first ¡®cheat¡¯ skill. A skill so powerful that would give him an advantage.

    At some point, he nned on making his guild. He didn¡¯t see a reason why he wouldn¡¯t, as he had enough knowledge of the future to create the strongest guild in the world.

    Niki registered the number in his phone before getting rid of the card. He then took his bag and walked slowly through the city¡¯s streets. After he passed the gate next to the forest, he saw a man looking at him before disappearing.

    With this, the prey has taken the bait. Not long after, Niki felt a few people following after him into the woods.

 Chapter 15: Graveyard

    The reason that this goblin vige has avoided extermination until now wasn¡¯t that it was powerful. This vige had developed away from sight, a ce at the periphery of the forbidden grounds and behind a mountain.

    This mountain was known as Red Mountain because of the ores inside it. It was a mining site for an ore called Heatwave Ore, a metal that produced heat naturally. It was used in winter to warm up houses, in saunas and public baths, and sometimes in furnaces.

    This was an annoying spot for adventures, as the mountain was like a giant Heatwave Ore itself. The air around it was thin and hot, making whoever passes by this mountain feel like they¡¯re in a sauna.

    With the fact that on the other side was a ce that has seen its fair share of vengeful spirits, this ce has kept to itself until Luke and Julian wanted to curse Niki with a spirit.

    Niki saw the red mountain in the distance, steams and water vapor distorting its view. He looked back at the dirt road he was running across and saw a few leaves falling.

    With a smile, Niki increased his speed. He knew they were waiting for him to be away from view before they struck, so he stuck to the road running alongside the river before diving into the bushes.

    He has checked this way earlier during the night. He found a ce to hide and poured the Silent Feet potion on his feet and gun.

    This was a trick he learned in the army. If your gun wasn¡¯t equipped with a silencer, you can use the Silent Feet potion to temporarily muffle the sound. He headed directly toward the Goblin¡¯s Vige.

    Exactly as he remembered it, there was a narrow road between the trees that allowed him to go around the mountain. It was only a matter of time before he found the vige with its wooden walls and patrols.

    Niki took out his dust and inhaled. He took deep breaths as the veins around his eyes and legs bulged. Niki opened his eyes and ran toward the vige.

    He was easily discovered by the goblins, but that was the n. In a matter of seconds, he finished firing his magazine. He changed it instantly amid the screams of the goblins who turned his way. However, the potion worked to muffle his gunshots.

    He danced around the trees as he kept firing at the goblins who started crowding anding his way. Niki kept them at bay by firing bullets faster than they can reach him.

    The goblins came out from their huts and from around the vige to see what was going on. Once Niki saw a giant goblin make an appearance, he knew it was time to flee.

    He turned around and raced the wind as a roar shook the forest. The giant goblin, followed by his minions, started running after Niki.

    Niki ran back in the direction of his ambushers. He jumped through a set of trees before seeing them, armed and prepared.

    ¡°Nowhere to escape now, kid!¡± Scarmanughed with his giant sword unsheathed. ¡°Give up the badge and we¡¯ll let you go.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ deceived me?¡± Niki¡¯s mouth gaped. ¡°But you helped me!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re dumb, kid. Why would I help you without returns?¡± Scarfaceughed and his twockeys followed along. He took a step forward and stretched out his hand. ¡°Hand it over.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have it.¡± Niki took a step back. He could feel the earth trembling underneath him.

    ¡°Hey, can you hear that?¡± Hisckey looked around. ¡°I hear monsters¡¯ noises. There was also a roar earlier, it¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in the wilderness.¡± Scarman looked at him as if he was an idiot. ¡°There will be monsters around, nothing strange.¡±

    At that moment, Niki raised his gun and fired two shots at the man. With superhuman reflexes, the man blocked the two shots with his sword.

    ¡°Hehe, you thought that¡­¡± Before he could finish his words, a vial broke on his body, covering him with a dark red liquid. It was odorless and it didn¡¯t make him feel any pain, so he appeared confused.

    ¡°Good luck!¡± Niki smiled and started running away.

    ¡°Grab him!¡± He roared as he shook the liquid off his body. At that time, a monstrous roar reverberated through the area making Scarman pause.

    Niki was already a distance away by the time the goblins arrived at the scene. With the Pheromones doing their magic, they ignored himpletely and attacked Scarman and his gang directly.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Hobgoblin!¡± Hisckey shrieked in horror as they were swarmed by the goblins.

    ¡°There must be a vige nearby! Maybe there¡¯ a Graveyard too, haha!¡± Scarmanughed.

    Niki could hear him from a distance away with a smirk on his face. Even though Graveyards were rare, they were almost a certainty for a hidden vige this close to civilization.

    That¡¯s why he needed to go to the vige before they kill the hobgoblin. Niki rolled through the trees and started to crawl to reach the other side of the mountain.

    He started sweating from every pore in his body due to the heat. The dirt was like embers but he didn¡¯t care and kept crawling. As soon as he came out from the other side, he saw the goblin¡¯s vige with only a few goblins in there.

    He decided to leave them alive and threw thest of his Dizziness Fumes at them to stall for time. He ran directly into the vige and to the hut, they found the graveyard in at that time.

    The shabby door broke after three kicks and Niki found himself inside. He started pushing a giant rock off the way to reveal a hole underneath it.

    ¡°There¡¯s the vige!¡±

    A shout came from a distance away and Niki knew he had no more time. He jumped into the hole andnded in front of the big chest he clearly remembered.

    As he opened it, he found ten crystals lined up neatly inside along with a few pieces of jewelry. He bagged all the items as he heard footsteps from above.

    ¡°It must be in this hut! Why is the door opened?¡±

    Niki looked around and saw the path that led underground. He threw thest vial of Dizziness Fumes right underneath the hole and started running away through the tunnel.

    It was barely enough for him to crouch-walk his way through. As the tunnel went farther, it also grew narrower until Niki could only crawl through with his small bag in front of him.

    ¡°What is this?¡± A distant s said making Niki crawl faster. It seems the Dizziness Fumes has bought him some time, but he doubted they would work more than a distraction.

    His breathing grew morebored the farther he crawled. At longst, he started hearing a running stream from below him. Niki didn¡¯t know what this ce was, but it was his only chance of not being buried alive.

    He took out his dagger and started striking the side of the wall. As he did, he heard shouts from behind him making him hurry up to dig through the wall.

    ¡°This path is too small.¡± He could distinctively hear them say. At longst, the ground underneath him broke as he fell toward the water.

 Chapter 16: A Spirit Calling

    As the ground caved in, he fell on a giant rock before diving into the water. A burning pain spread through his back as the coldness of the water surrounded him. Niki didn¡¯t let go of the bag even with the strong current carrying him elsewhere.

    His thoughts were hazy but he couldn¡¯t fight the current to get enough air. As soon as his head left the surface, he would inhale a mouthful of air before going back into the water.

    As he was about to pass out, the sunlight filled his eyes as he reached a waterfall. Despite his struggles, the water threw him out in the open and down toward the river where he crashed again.

    As soon as the water got weaker, Niki began swimming toward the riverbank with a hazy mind. He climbed out of the water and threw his back on the ground as he started coughing water.

    ¡°That¡­ was¡­ dangerous¡­¡± Niki took deep breathes as he looked around. He was in a ce he didn¡¯t recognize and this stream had no roads near it.

    It was the forbidden area.

    ¡®This is bad,¡¯ Niki scanned his surroundings. There was nothing unusual, for now. He picked up his bag as his ears started buzzing.

    ¡°Here,¡± A voice whispered in his head. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± The voice repeated, distant and week. The trees rattled as a chilling coldness assaulted his body. ¡°Come here.¡± The voice asked.

    ¡°No way in hell I will,¡± Niki shook his body of the water and grabbed the bag before he started to run away. However, the voice didn¡¯t cease.

    ¡°HERE!¡± A high-pitched scream made Niki¡¯s ears ache as he ran across the trees. As he looked around, the nts and trees were withering as they followed him. ¡°COME BACK!¡± The voice screamed.

    ¡°Maybe after I¡¯m stronger.¡± Niki kept running away. A giant tree branch detached itself and fell straight toward him. He rolled away from it before resuming his run.

    He couldn¡¯t go back to the red mountain, since Scarman and hisckeys would be there. He was sure that they would be searching for him after they realize the chest was emptied.

    He wasn¡¯t worried about it. After all, he will only grow stronger from now. Faster than anyone can imagine.

    Niki took a deep breath and used the technique to release his leg¡¯s limits partially. Even though they were still sore from his earlier use, it was better than being dead or possessed.

    ¡°Please¡­¡± The voice started to fade away. ¡°Come back¡­¡± That was thest thing Niki heard before he reached the river that was next to the road. He jumped on the bridge and went straight toward the city.

    As soon as he heard the camp¡¯s fire around the city, Niki started to feel weak. However, he didn¡¯t stop and kept going.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± The guard asked him and Niki nodded weakly. ¡°Kid, your back is bleeding.¡± The guard pointed and when Niki nced at his back, he saw a giant wound that had scraped away the flesh. ¡°Let¡¯s get you to the hospital.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Niki backed away when he saw the guard move closer. If they saw what he had in his bag, he was sure that their greed will ovee their concern about him. ¡°I¡¯m alright!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be reckless and let us take you.¡± Another guard strode forward. As Niki was contemting running away, a hand grabbed him.

    ¡°Where have you been, you rascal?¡± Ash had a concerned face as he pulled him. ¡°What have you done? Have you gone out of the city alone? Let me take you to the hospital!¡± Ash apologized to the guards and pulled Niki away.

    The guards looked at them suspiciously but didn¡¯t bother since Niki willingly apanied him. The trip toward the bakery was more difficult than Niki could have imagined, but they made it there.

    Before Ash could say anything, Niki took out thest silver coin he had and handed it over. Ash grinned and went into the back. He was out a few minutester with a potion in hand.

    ¡°Drink it.¡±

    He threw the potion at Niki who started gulping it down as soon as he caught it. The wound on his back tingled and an unbearable itch arrived with it, but he knew better than to scratch it.

    ¡°You lost a lot of blood, so you¡¯ll need to rest for a while,¡± Ash said as he pulled a chair to sit on. ¡°What have you gotten yourself into, kid?¡±

    ¡°I think you already know.¡± Niki smiled weakly. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been following his men around after I gave you that information?¡±

    ¡°Heh,¡± Ash smiled. ¡°That exins why you weren¡¯t surprised to see me near the gate.¡±

    ¡°I figured that you would be watching Hyde¡¯sckeys,¡± Niki slumped back with his hand on his bag. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you would help me.¡±

    ¡°Help is rewarded in my world.¡± Ash smiled. ¡°How did you know about Hyde¡¯s ns? None of hisckeys gave away anything. The only reason I confirmed your words is by monitoring his dealings.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you have that sort of capabilities, you either bribed some people or you have friends in the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too smart for your age. Don¡¯t avoid the question.¡± Ash interlocked his hands. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°A kid that I found in the slums said he heard a few people talking about it when he was in the sewage system.¡± Niki paused and answered.

    ¡°And why did he tell you specifically?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t hear if it was Hyde¡¯s n, he just heard that someone is nning to raid those ruins. He told me because he thought it would earn him some money, I advised him against selling that information if he wanted to keep his life.¡±

    ¡°Clever,¡± Ash stood up and looked through his shelves. ¡°You can piss off now. I know where to find you.¡±

    ¡°Not so quickly,¡± Niki opened his bag and took out the pieces of jewelry. ¡°I want to sell these.¡±

    ***

    Thirty silver coins. It was a hefty sum of money. Those goblins must have stolen these pieces of jewelry from rich noblemen who tried to hunt near their vige.

    Niki kept one piece to himself, a silver bracelet with engravings on it. He could feel the unique quality of this, proving that it was an enchanted item.

    He didn¡¯t know what effects it had, so he had to set it aside to be appraised. He went back to the dorm and went straight to the rooftop after grabbing a set of clothes.

    His roommates should being back today, so he must use the crystals before that happens. As he opened the bag, he was finally able to count his loot.

 Chapter 17: Eerie Doctor

    Inside the bag, there were almost ten crystals. Three green crystals for Strength, two blue crystals for Agility, two red crystals for Vitality, two purple crystals for Intelligence, and one milky white crystal for Mana.

    With this harvest, Niki will rise from being a normal human to the realm of superhumans. However, he had no Fate Points remaining to use the crystals to their utmost potential.

    ¡®I guess I need to steal more fate.¡¯ Niki hid the crystals in the locked box beneath his bed. At the moment, he had no other ce to hide them from his roommates.

    As he was about to leave the room, his roommates arrived. They were wearing leather armor and had weapons strapped on their waist.

    ¡°Those direwolves were a pain in the ass.¡± Ro Za said with a tired face. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have hunted a day before school.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly why we hunted; the mid-term exams are next week,¡± Lan answered with a stern face.

    ¡°If we want to rank in the top 30, we need to work harder,¡± Nar said and his eyes met with Niki¡¯s. ¡°Not that it concerns you.¡± He sneered.

    His roommates nced at Niki and went about their business. Niki, however, didn¡¯t reply and simply took his bag and left the room.

    He couldn¡¯t keep picking up fights every time someone insulted him. This wouldn¡¯t work out in the long run. If he did that, things wouldn¡¯t be that different from his past life. If he had very few friends in the past, then he would have too many enemies in his current life.

    The midterm exams were sooner than he remembers, probably because he failed miserably at them too. These exams would determine who wouldpete for the Lost Garden¡¯s slots by the end of the year.

    He would need to be from the top thirty students of his year. Given that there were several sses for each year, Niki¡¯s quest is a difficult one.

    Furthermore, he only had one week to prepare himself. He needs to get enough fate points for his crystals before that happens. With the mana crystal he obtained, he can use his Limit-Break Technique to get an advantage against the other students.

    ¡®One week.¡¯ Niki¡¯s brain raced as he tried to think of achievements to steal or people to kill.

    ***

    The week went by with Niki avoiding Julian and hisckey. In the meantime, he concocted a n to obtain fate points without needing to hurt others.

    At first, he thought about hunting with Valkyrie but she wouldn¡¯t let him in before he raised his stats. Even though he didn¡¯t like her, her future potential was too high for him to ignore her.

    Ideally, he would want to make her submit to him and be his follower before she reached that stage. After all, she would be the next ruler of this country, one of the Lords.

    That¡¯s why his alternative n was a lot riskier than he would have liked. During hister years, when he worked in the guild, there was a certain incident that left regrets in his heart.

    As soon as the night took over the city, Niki took the cloak he bought and threw it over his body. He headed toward the lower districts, known as the slums.

    Poor people roamed these ces. As soon as they saw Niki, they started begging for a few coppers. In then, Niki saw himself a few months after the war. He took out a few coppers and gave them to the beggars, making them tear in joy before he disappeared into an alley.

    The route was familiar, but they were different circumstances. He took a case when he was in the guild for a sick criminal living in these parts. The details of that incident were still fresh in his mind, as it made him sick to the core.

    The house was on the edge of the city, lit bynterns and flickering lightbulbs. Niki found afortable spot to observe the house. It took an hour for the house¡¯s door to open.

    He watched as the man left the house and locked it behind him. He then looked around with his beady eyes behind a pair of round sses.

    With a hat covering his bald head, the man tottered away holding a leather bag. He limped away as Niki held back from shooting the man right there.

    ¡®I can¡¯t beat him at the moment.¡¯ Niki reminded himself as he covered his face using a bandana and slipped out of the alley. He walked toward the house that was sandwiched by two abandoned buildings.

    Going through the front door was too dangerous. In his investigation, he found a secret exit that he could use to enter the house.

    Niki looked around and made sure no one was looking. He found a manhole that led to the underground sewage system. The stench made him frown as he descended.

    The sewage was pitch ck except for a few cobblestones that lit up in the dark. The water flowed beside him carrying a stench that made Niki nauseous. He walked through the sewage as he heard sounds from somewhere.

    He ignored them and headed until he was under the man¡¯s house. He took out the shlight he brought and started looking through the bricks.

    As he pushed one of the bricks, it sank as a mechanism was activated. The bricks started moving back and then to the side to reveal an entrance. Behind it was stairs of a few steps that led to a wooden door.

    Niki went up the stairs and tried to open the door but it was locked. He looked through his memories and remembered what the enchanter said about this door.

    ¡®It¡¯s a locked door that would open if you say a password.¡¯ The enchanter said as Niki was recording his statement. ¡®Even the password is sick, this bastard.¡¯

    ¡®What¡¯s the password?¡¯ Niki asked and the enchanter told him after shaking his head.

    ¡°Soft Skin,¡± Niki said and the door was unlocked. He turned the doorknob and it opened.

    As he entered the house, an eerie smell of herbs whiffed to his nose. It was dark inside and every room had shelves filled with containers of liquid.

    ¡®He pretended to be a doctor,¡¯ Niki remembered. There was a lot of equipment that he didn¡¯t know the use of. He also didn¡¯t want to imagine what they were used for.

    He went through the rooms slowly and straight to the basement where the children were imprisoned.

 Chapter 18: A Cannibal

    As Niki descended the stairs, he remembered the details of this case. It would onlye to the surface,ter on, disgusting whoever heard it.

    This doctor was a mad scientist, who tried to create a ¡®crystals farm.¡¯ This concept was so unhuman that whoever discussed it was shunned by the world. Yet, there were plenty of these farms in every nation.

    Children and especially orphans were taken away when no one was looking and imprisoned somewhere. They would then be given a potion called Last Stand. As the name suggests, it burns the lifeforce of whoever drinks it in exchange for giving them momentary power.

    The person would then be killed, allowing crystals to drop out of their body. The potion was the reason the crystals drop, but it was an agonizing pain from the moment it¡¯s ingested into the body.

    The concept was to sacrifice people withcking backgrounds or talents to provide a steady supply of crystals to the elite group of society.

    Even though monsters were there to be hunted, that didn¡¯t stop these groups from leeching off the lower sses of society. The farms were everywhere and even high-ranking adventurers were kidnapped for profit.

    The basement¡¯s door was an iron gate. Beyond the bars, Niki was able to see many chained small figures. However, the gate was locked.

    ¡°Soft Skin.¡±

    The gate was unlocked again and Niki walked toward the children who started shivering as soon as he said the password. It seems they thought he was the doctor, here to have another harvest.

    As he reached the middle of the cell, he paused. He turned to the side and covered his nose to avoid the stench. Thereid a small body riddled with giant wounds. On a closer look, Niki saw that its organs have disappeared.

    ¡®He¡¯s a cannibal?¡¯ Niki¡¯s guts turned inside as he felt nauseous. Even the army couldn¡¯t fortify against such twisted minds.

    ¡°Listen here.¡± Niki looked at the five children who started to weep. ¡°I¡¯m not that sick doctor, I¡¯m here to free you.¡±

    The words made the children look up at him with starved eyes. Niki could see hope in them and disbelief. Sadly, he wasn¡¯t purely doing this for them.

    ¡°When you get out of here, make sure to do big things. I don¡¯t care if they¡¯re good or bad, simply rise. If you keep living as a weakling, you¡¯ll be taken away like this time before.¡±

    Niki didn¡¯t like manipting them and traumatizing them further, but it was necessary to his fate points and for their survival. He then took his gun out and poured the Silent Feet potion on it.

    ¡°Show me your cuffs, I¡¯ll break them for you.¡± He raised his guns and the children started trembling again. ¡°Quickly.¡± He was running out of time.

    One of the kids stood up and showed Niki his cuffs. Niki pointed his guns and fired two times. The split metal fell to the ground as the kid started crying.

    ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡±

    The rest came rushing and Niki freed them off their handcuffs too. As soon as they were all free, Niki took them toward the outside.

    As they were walking through the house, Niki nced at the kitchen. There were chunks of meat hanged around and he felt sick. He led the kids through the hidden door where they ended up in the sewage.

    ¡®This kid is¡­¡¯ With the bright cobblestone to cast light on their faces, Niki realized he knew one of the kids. It was the pickpocket kid who tried to rob him. ¡®This kid always ends up in the worst of ces.¡¯

    He led the kids through the sewages away from the house. However, he didn¡¯t receive any notification from his system. Somehow, fate hasn¡¯t been changed for these kids yet?

    ¡®Did I miss something?¡¯ Niki frowned as he looked around. As he studied the kids, he saw that most of them were staring at him silently.

    The pickpocket kid grabbed his attention that he had his hand in his pocket. Niki stormed toward him and grabbed his wrist and took out his hand.

    ¡°Agh!¡± The kid screamed in pain and startled the others who backed away in fear. In his hand was a circr device that was shining brightly. It was an rm device.

    ¡°You¡¯re working with him?¡± Niki¡¯s eyes were terrifyingly cold. His killing intent was unmasked, making the kids shiver. His eyes were resolute as he swallowed.

    ¡°He has my sister.¡± The kid confessed. Niki stared at him silently. This time, his system presented him with options.

    [Choose a response in thirty seconds.]

    [Action: Kill him.]

    [Action: Let him go.]

    [Action: Take him with you.]

    ¡®It would depend on whether I believe him or not.¡¯ Niki then realized something. ¡®Has this kid saw my gun?¡¯ If he had, then he might have recognized Niki from the time he shot him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll believe you. However, your sister¡¯s life isn¡¯t worth more these kids.¡± Niki grabbed the tracker and threw it into the water. This should buy them some time, although not a lot. The doctor should being after them, rmed. ¡°Come with me. As for your sister, I¡¯ll help you in saving her.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡± The kid was hesitant. ¡°What if he does something for her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s either you follow me or you die.¡± Niki grabbed his dagger. ¡°Choose.¡±

    [5 Fate Points have been generated.]

    The kid nodded and Niki smiled behind his bandana. He then started running in the opposite direction of the stream, hoping that the doctor wouldn¡¯t be close behind.

    As they ran through the sewage, Niki finally felt like they were a fair distance away. The kids started climbing out as Niki waited for them. While he was standing there, watching thest of them go away, he heard soundsing from his right.

    As he turned, he was met with pitch-ck darkness. The sounds of steps kept reverberating through the sewage¡¯s hollow structure until it reached Niki¡¯s ears. From the darkness, a figure emerged.

 Chapter 19: A Ghost

    What emerged wasn¡¯t the doctor that was supposed to be following him, but a cloaked creature that hovered above the ground. Yet, the sound of footsteps kepting his way.

    Niki raised his gun and fired multiple shots, which were muffled by the potion. The bullet cut across the air and reached the creatureing his way. Yet, the bulleted passed through it as if it didn¡¯t exist.

    As he was mulling what to do in the split second before it reached him, the monster suddenly stopped moving and hovered idly. He heard a grunt from the tunnel and realized the bullets must have struck the doctor.

    Niki grabbed thedder and started climbing frantically. As his head peaked out of the hole, he found the kids waiting for him.

    ¡°Run toward the Hunters Union!¡± He shouted as he jumped out of the manhole. He rolled as soon as he did and the creature passed through the ground beneath as it gave a deafening shriek.

    The kids screamed and started running away. The creature ignored them and turned toward Niki, who was lying on the ground. He got a glimpse of what was beneath the hoodie and realized it was a ghost skill.

    These were rare and the ghost you got is based on the rank of the skill. It was also a powerful skill to have at the expense of being very hard to train. The ghost shrieked again as it dived toward Niki but he rolled again to avoid it and started running.

    Going into alleys would make things easier for the ghost, not for him. That¡¯s why he ran in a straight line through the slums¡¯ streets. The ghost ran after him as he saw the kids run in the distance.

    ¡°Dammit.¡± He cursed when he saw one of the kids stumble over and fall. Even if he could outrun the ghost because of its slow movements, these kids wouldn¡¯t be able to. ¡®Should I ditch them and run?¡¯

    This was a genuine dilemma of his but he came back to his senses. He might be a fate thief now but he wasn¡¯t a coward. He racked his brain and remembered something he learned from one of the guild¡¯s seniors.

    ¡°Skills that involve spiritual things can be disrupted by the blunt use of mana. For your case, that would be bullets.¡±

    ¡®Good thing I brought this with me.¡¯

    Niki pocketed the white crystal from his waist bag. He used three of the five points he got for a guaranteed 2 points. He crushed the crystal and the white light entered his veins.

    His head jerked back as his eyes burned. This was the feeling of absorbing the first amount of mana into your body. His vision became wider as colors were enhanced. His body felt lighter than it has ever been before.

    Just like a drug, the first time mana enters the body causes a jolt of euphoria and adrenaline rush. Niki was a Returner from the future, he didn¡¯t allow the high to get to his head and directed the mana.

    [2 Mana Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    He waved off the notification and grabbed the kid lifted him off. He kept running as he loaded his gun and turned toward the ghost.

    ¡°Die,¡± Niki muttered as one unit of mana surged toward his gun. His body¡¯s reserves were rendered half-empty in a single attack, a far cry from his past strength.

    The bullet left a blue trail of light as it cut across the street¡¯s darkness. The ghost couldn¡¯t evade in time and the bullet tore through its cloak. It gave a pained shriek as it fell to the ground and began to regenerate.

    Niki didn¡¯t hesitate to run away with the kid lying on his shoulder. He kept looking back and until they were fled away from the ghost¡¯s pursuit.

    Seeing this, Niki slumped to the floor as he put the kid down. He realized it was the pickpocket that had his sister imprisoned by the doctor. The kid was breathing heavily, looking ragged from their escape.

    ¡°I was doing just fine before you came.¡± The kid gathered his breath and spoke. ¡°Now, she¡¯s in danger because I escape as well.¡±

    ¡°Both of you were in danger. I know that man, and let me tell you this. No kid, I repeat, no kid has ever survived after being imprisoned by him.¡±

    ¡°My¡­ sister¡­¡± The kid¡¯s eyes started to tear up and he began sobbing silently. ¡°She¡¯s sick and he said he would treat her. At first, I thought it was simply a long treatment. Then, he refused to let me see her.¡± The kid sniffed. ¡°I don¡¯t know where she is, he said he¡¯d let me treat her if I helped him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a lie. The only way to get her back is to find out where she is now. I¡¯ll help you, so keep hiding until then. If you go back to that doctor, he¡¯ll kill you and eat you as he did to the others.¡±

    The kid¡¯s hands began shaking but Niki knew it was necessary. He grabbed his shoulder and the kid flinched and looked at him with hollowed eyes.

    ¡°Go to the doctor who treated youst time. I¡¯lle by when I¡¯m ready to help you.¡±

    The kid nodded and stood up. He then fled through the alleys away from Niki¡¯s sight. With a sigh, Niki decided to make a detour before going back to Rohan Academy.

    [Fate has been stolen. 15 Fate Points have been gained.]

    [New Character Entry: The Pickpocket.]

    [Rtionship: Dependent.]

    [Fate Meter: 3] [+5]

    Thest bit made Niki pause, he has seen this before when he advised Ash. It signified a changed fate, one having a higher impact on the world than they should have had.

    As Niki walked into an alley, he felt a twinge of pain from his neck. At first, he thought he has been bitten by a mosquito or any other insect. As he touched his neck, he found a needle inserted in it.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Niki fell to his knees as strength left his body. He heard the voice of footstepsing from behind him. As he fell on his face, he turned his eyes upward to see the cannibal doctor¡¯s face looking down on him.

    ¡°Well, well.¡± The doctor looked at him from behind his thick round sses. ¡°The smaller fish brought in a big one.¡± That was thest he heard before he passed out.

 Chapter 20: Madness and Bones

    It began with a bright light. Every time Niki tried to open his eyes, the bright light would make him squint. There were only blurry outlines of the surrounding. However, the sound of breathing made him conclude that he wasn¡¯t alone in the room.

    As his eyes adjusted, he was able to make out the ce he was. He was in the basement of the doctor¡¯s house. He realized he was naked from head to toe.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± The doctor didn¡¯t look at him and kept cleaning his sses. ¡°Are you well-rested?¡±

    He talked in a friendly tone, his deep brown eyes looking at Niki the same way you¡¯d look at a patient or a b of meat. His bald head shone brightly in the light after he had taken off his hat.

    ¡°Thanks to you, I¡¯ve had some good quality sleep.¡± Niki tried to pull his arms but he was strapped to a chair. ¡°What¡¯s next? A good meal? I hope I¡¯m not the main dish.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± The doctor studied him with an inquisitive gaze. ¡°You¡¯re oddly calm. Aren¡¯t you afraid?¡±

    ¡°Being afraid wouldn¡¯t set me free. Well, unless you¡¯re into begging.¡± Niki looked at him through the strands of his messy hair. ¡°What are you nning to do with me now?¡±

    ¡°The options vary.¡± He walked toward the table where a leather bundle wasid. He undid the leather belt and it rolled to reveal a set of tools. Scalpers, scissors, saws, forceps, and mps of different sizes were neatly sorted out. ¡°Your muscles aren¡¯t tender; you¡¯ve used crystals or trained before? No sweat, we can make something out of them.¡±

    ¡°If you were going to kill me, you would have done so while I was unconscious.¡± Niki grinned. ¡°What is it that you want to know?¡± At his words, the doctor paused his actions. He turned to look at him with his beady eyes.

    ¡°How did you know the password?¡± He asked with his eyes squinting dangerously. ¡°Think twice before you lie.¡±

    ¡°I should refuse to tell you, but I¡¯m only a hired knife.¡± Niki shrugged. ¡°There are only a handful of people who know about your business, you can deduce the rest from there.¡±

    ¡°Talk.¡± The doctor picked up a scalper and walked up to him. Before Niki could say anything, he made a long deep cut across his forearm.

    ¡°Agh.¡± Niki winced in pain. ¡°No need to get so touchy, I¡¯ll talk.¡± The doctor paused at his words. ¡°If you fail to deliver the crystals to Hyde, there will be lesspetition on the right-hand man¡¯s position.¡±

    ¡°How do you know about that?¡± The doctor¡¯s eyes turned round in shock. ¡°That¡¯s a matter of top secrecy.¡± He looked at Niki with doubt.

    Niki was saying what he knew from his past life. This person would die at the hands of someone else, apetitor of his a few years from now. This fact made Niki realize that thepetition must have started in their earlier days in Hyde¡¯s association.

    ¡°The Crow is looking for its wings.¡± Niki¡¯s words made the doctor frown heavily. ¡°I¡¯ve overheard some things while I was taking this job, and these could be of value to you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±

    ¡°Bone!¡± The scalper was an inch away from his skin before Niki shouted something that made the doctor stop. ¡°It was Bone who gave me the password.¡±

    The doctor¡¯s stoic face turned into a grin to reveal his crooked teeth. He retracted his scalper as he looked at Niki with a knowing expression.

    ¡°I knew that barbarian bastard wouldn¡¯t sit idle.¡± The doctor seemed to link the dots on his own and fill the gaps. ¡°You no longer serve a need.¡± He waved his hand dismissively but Niki knew that didn¡¯t mean he would be freed.

    [Choose a response in thirty seconds.]

    [Action: Bluff reporting this ce to the Union.]

    [Action: Try stalling for time to escape.]

    [Action: Negotiate to work for Madness.]

    Madness was the codename for this doctor, a befitting one too. For the first option, there was a high chance of the doctor figuring out he¡¯s bluffing. Even if he bought it, he might still kill him and run away.

    As for the second choice, Niki didn¡¯t know how to escape with his restraints begin an enchanted item. He was only left with the third choice.

    ¡°Are you satisfied with knowing?¡± Niki said calmly, making the doctor pause his action. He turned to look at Niki with his beady eyes filled with skepticism.

    ¡°Are you trying to negotiate your life?¡±

    ¡°I like being alive more than dead. Another dead body wouldn¡¯t do much to you other than a meal.¡± Niki shrugged. ¡°I can help you back.¡±

    ¡°I have no need.¡±

    ¡°Your work isn¡¯t showing a lot of resultstely, Bone is the more likely candidate to be a wing.¡±

    ¡°What do you have to offer?¡± Madness began leisurely cleaning his tools.

    ¡°I have already seeded in freeing those ¡®good.¡¯ Bone should trust me now. I can figure out his ns and report to you.¡±

    ¡°You expect me to trust you?¡± Madness gave a thin creepy smile revealing his front teeth.

    ¡°No, but I¡¯m sure you have your ways,¡± Niki said, unfazed. The doctor looked at him silently before walking over to his chair.

    ¡°You would have been better off dead.¡± He said as green light swirled around his finger. ¡°If you betray me, there will be a fate worse than death. This is a curse, so I can kill you anytime. Don¡¯t resist.¡±

    The doctor ced his finger on Niki¡¯s abdomen and the light seeped into his skin. As a burning sensation made Niki scream, a dark green stigma appeared on his skin.

    After the pain went away, Madness grabbed him by his hair and made their eyes meet. Niki could see them glowing dangerously in the light.

    ¡°You have a week to find out Bone¡¯s ns.¡± He ordered calmly. ¡°Otherwise, this curse will eat you alive. Take your things and leave.¡±

    Madness then touched his restraints and they undid themselves. Niki stood up and went straight toward his clothes. Luckily, he hadn¡¯t brought anything important with him other than the mana crystal.

    ***

    Niki was back at the academy before it was noon. He must have slept only for a few hours in the doctor¡¯s basement. The fatigue caused by the drug he was injected in made sure to make itself known every time he took a step.

    ¡®My ns have gone badly, so much for careful nning. I¡¯ve underestimated this cannibal too much, it seems. Well, I couldn¡¯t have known that one of the kids would be working with him. Still, I was careless.¡¯

    Niki went over his mistakes to make sure to never do them again. This time, he ended up being tangled with the underworld. Next time, he would lose his life.

    He read the notification that arrived after he was unconscious. Luckily, his ns have delivered their rewards in terms of fate points.

    [New Character Entry: Madness.]

    [Rtionship: Hostile.]

    [Fate Meter: -43.]

    [Fate has been stolen. Your partnership with Madness has generated 5 fate points. Fate Points: 22.]

 Chapter 21: High and Mighty

    Madness gave him one week to find what Bone is after, and it was more than enough for Niki. Luckily, he had the crystals and Fate Points to keep him going for a while.

    The curse didn¡¯t hurt him other than being an ufortable reminder that he could die at any second. That¡¯s why he had ns to look for an enchanter to enchant a potion.

    However, as soon as he returned to the academy, Miss Jena called out to him. Niki wanted to ignore her, but he knew she woulde after him toward his room. That¡¯s why he obediently went to her office.

    ¡°Who is it?¡± She answered his knock. When he said it was Niki, allowed him in. ¡°Come in.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to get expelled?¡± As soon as he opened the door, the lecture began. She was still working on her papers as she reprimanded. ¡°Skipping on your morning sses, do you think your special?¡±

    ¡°Am I?¡± Niki blinked. ¡°There¡¯s a rule in Rohan that states students won¡¯t be punished unless they skip three or more days per week.¡±

    ¡°You know the rules, I¡¯m impressed.¡± Miss Jena nced at him with a raised brow. ¡°However, with your grades, skipping isn¡¯t allowed. I thought you have turned over a new leaf.¡±

    ¡®Of course, I know the rules, I would need themter on.¡¯ Niki smiled coldly in his heart.

    ¡°¡­ I have,¡± Niki answered sincerely. ¡°I had some matters today, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Miss Jena paused as she turned to his forearm. Even though he covered it with his sweater, it was still a deeper shade of grey than the rest of it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your arm?¡± She sniffed.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Niki hurried to hide it but Miss Jena already left her chair and grabbed his wrist. He winced at the pain and she was lifting his sleeve with a frown.

    ¡°How did you get this?¡±

    ¡°A goblin,¡± Niki said unhesitatingly. ¡°I was hunting and that¡¯s why I¡¯mte.¡±

    ¡°¡­ this goblin must have had a ruler to make such a vertical cut.¡± Miss Jena said as she nced at him. Niki felt awkward by such an obvious lie, but it was better than saying the truth.

    ¡°Coincidences ur,¡± Niki said with a smile.

    ¡°Lucky for you,¡± Miss Jena scowled as she took out a standard potion from her desk. ¡°Stay still.¡± She said as she poured the potion on his arm. It stung but it began to heal quickly. ¡°I nned on sending you to the mines today, guess you¡¯ve had things going on. Tell me if you get in trouble, okay?¡± Miss Jena looked him in the eyes.

    ¡°I will.¡± Niki lied; he would never ask for help. He¡¯ll solely use his strength to prevail.

    ¡°Are you ready for your midterms? They¡¯re this Monday.¡± Miss Jena crossed her arms. ¡°I¡¯m not having too high of expectations, just try to avoid rankingst.¡±

    ¡°I might surprise you.¡± Niki smiled before he left the room. Miss Jena looked at the door withplex emotions. He had changed so much.

    ***

    When he returned to his room, only Lan was there. As he entered, Lan closed his book and handed over a small pouch. As Niki grabbed it and opened it, he found a purple crystal inside.

    ¡°This will help you with your gun,¡± Lan said before returning to read his book. Niki grabbed his payment and went toward his bed.

    He couldn¡¯t use the rest of the crystals now with Lan around, but he could use the Intelligence Crystal that Lan gave him. He had 22 Fate Points now and eleven crystals.

    He could use two points on each. This would give him 2-points from each crystal. Niki absorbed the crystal without further ado.

    [2 Intelligence Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    Niki grinned. At that moment, the door was knocked. Lan closed his book and stood up to open the door. Niki¡¯s interest was piqued when he heard Lan stuttering.

    ¡°Y-yes?¡±

    There were some whispers. Niki frowned and peeked. At that moment, Lan rushed back in with panic.

    ¡°It¡¯s Valkyrie, the Young Miss of Helnes!¡± Lan said while hyperventting. ¡°She¡¯s asking for you! You!¡± He said with a trembling finger.

    Niki smiled at his expected reaction. After all, House Helnes had a duchy, making them only second to the Royal Family. Valkyrie was the daughter of a duke, making her standing in Rohan city second only to the duke himself.

    Niki stood up unhurried and went toward the door. He found Valkyrie standing there with a courtesy smile.

    ¡°How about we take a walk?¡± She asked.

    ¡°That would bring me trouble, you know that.¡± Niki frowned and scowled. ¡°Please don¡¯t trouble me, Lady Valkyrie Helnes.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard some rumors. They would bring you more trouble if you don¡¯t know them.¡± Her words made Niki pause. Seeing his expression, Valkyrie started walking away and Niki helplessly followed after her.

    They reached the academy¡¯ske after a few minutes of silence and Valkyrie broke the silence as Niki was about to.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen your skills with a gun. Given your age, I know you¡¯ll grow into a talent.¡± She said with a smile as she peered over theke. ¡°My offer still stands.¡±

    ¡°Are you simply restating your offer?¡±

    ¡°Also adding a few conditions to join our party. You¡¯ll need to rank in the top thirty in the uing midterms.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my n, to begin with.¡± Niki wore a thin smile. ¡°Is that all?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Valkyrie turned to him with a stoic expression. ¡°I¡¯ve heard some news that you¡¯ll be targeted in the next practical exam. Make sure to ovee this, that¡¯s all.¡± She began walking away as soon as she said what she wanted to say.

    ¡°Does it feel good?¡± Niki asked from behind her. She turned toward him with a puzzled expression. ¡°To act high and mighty?¡±

    ¡°Ho,¡± Valkyrie gave a sly smile. ¡°You dare talk to me this way, I guess I wasn¡¯t wrong about my choice. It doesn¡¯t feel anything but a necessity.¡± She was gone after she said that.

    Niki looked at her departing back as he thought about her warning. She could¡¯ve sent a message or told one of herckeys, but she chose to meet him herself.

    This would scare the small fishes away and attract the big ones to him, his life was getting more and more hectic.

    [Fate has been stolen. 5 Fate Points have been gained.]

    His meeting with Valkyrie would pave the way to more events and it was a direct result of the skills he gained in the past. This meant that he was deviating greatly from the original timeline.

    After he returned to his room, his two others roommates looked at him with cautiousness as soon as he entered the room. He was taking out his items from the box beneath his bed when a shadow loomed over his head.

    ¡°What is it, Nar?¡± Niki looked upward and studied the foreign student who had an ego as big as his nose.

    ¡°How do you know Miss Helnes?¡± He said with a thick ent that he couldn¡¯t shake off even after living here for a while. ¡°What did she want from you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Niki frowned. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re my parents or something?¡± Nar looked at him with a livid expression before a smirk emerged.

    ¡°Seeing how your parents threw you away, I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± He said in a menacing tone. Niki looked at him quietly, seeing through his provocations.

    ¡°Good.¡± He said with a nod. Picking up his bag, he left the room and headed toward theboratory. It was time to prepare for the midterms.

 Chapter 22: Rohan Ruins

    After he absorbed the crystals using fate points, Niki¡¯s body was reborn overnight. From his sickly and thin appearance, he became full of vigor after being evolved using the crystals.

    [Vitality: 13]

    [Strength: 18]

    [Agility: 14]

    [Intelligence: 15]

    [Mana: 2]

    Three green crystals for Strength, two blue crystals for Agility, two red crystals for Vitality, two purple crystals for Intelligence, and the Mana crystal he used during the fight resulted in these stats. For him to gain such growth in a short time, he had to use 18 Fate Points in one go.

    This concept was absurd, even to him. Getting 2 Points from one crystal would make someone cry in joy. After all, a 70% chance was themonly obtained oue. As for the 25% for the 2-Points, it was considered to be extremely lucky.

    Yet, Niki was able to double his evolution speed by manipting his luck. If such a notion came out to the world, he would be hunted down and used for assimting power.

    The Bloodline Crystal he had was still lying there with its 2% probability, waiting for Niki to gather the necessary points for it.

    Even then, Niki was hesitant about abandoning his humanity. He had no attachment to the race itself nor did he hold a noble cause to remain a human, it was the unknown that scared him. What if it was a bloodline with limitations?

    These questions went unanswered as Saturday morning arrived. It was time for Niki to hunt before the midterms arrived. He was thrilled by the concept of overtaking everyone who mocked him before.

    He also needed to gather some materials that are used as an anti-magic agent. Before his one-week period ends, Niki wanted to either weaken the curse or eliminate it.

    ¡®There was a potion that they taught me in the army that temporarily weakens Truth Curses, a way to infiltrate as spies. Maybe it can weaken this curse. If I can enchant it too, there¡¯s a strong possibility of removing it.¡¯

    Niki thought to himself as he left the academy Saturday morning. Julian didn¡¯te after him just yet, he was probably waiting for the practical exam to strike.

    That was probably what Valkyrie warned him about. If Niki remembered correctly, Julian trapped him inside a cave in thisst practical exam. Niki starved for a day before he was found.

    After one lifetime, Niki stopped wondering why this guy was after him. He had to ept that sometimes, people were simply evil.

    He made sure that no one was following him before he left through the Ruins Gate. The Ruins, sitting directly opposite to the Alm Forest, was another hunting ground called The Ruins. Their name was forgotten long ago and they were called Rohan Ruins.

    Torn apart ancient buildings where the undead roamed. It was believed that the undead were the inhibitors of this ce before a cmity struck them.

    Niki knew that there was a special kind of skeleton that can resist magic attacks. Thus, its bones could be grinned to be used as an anti-magic agent. This undead was a powerful foe for mages and wizards.

    However, this monster was vulnerable to physical attacks. It usually led a group of undead that worked to protect it against physical attacks. It would thenunch a series of ranged magical attacks, unique to each individual undead.

    Niki gripped his gun tighter as he waited in line to leave the city. The weight made him reassured of his ability to pull this off. The undead was said to have a higher rate of dropping Mana Crystals, something he desperately needed.

    As his turn arrived, Niki showed his Hunter¡¯s ID, the one he got from Union, and he was allowed to exit. Beyond the gates wasn¡¯t a camp like the Alm Forest, but a marketce.

    It might be weird to have a marketce outside the city, but it was a necessity for hunting the undead. The undead bones and flesh would lose all magical properties unless turned into a potion or an artifact that would preserve its value.

    As he walked through the marketce, Niki took note of the ces that would be a brand nameter on. They were good spots for processing the items he¡¯s going to be taking back.

    Unlike the hunt ofst week, Niki was almost twice as strong as he was. A 100% increase in his stats was like the difference between day and light. He was able to see farther, run faster, and strike stronger. Not to mention his Vitality and Mana, which were both crucial.

    He took out his gun and went straight toward the Ancient Trail that linked the marketce to Rohan Ruins. As soon as he stepped on it, the atmosphere changed and he was surrounded by deathly miasma.

    The trail was long, but not that deadly. Many Hunters walked in parties, looking for their next treasure hidden in the Ruins.

    Hunters nced his way with disapproval. There were only two people that would hunt in the Ruins alone: suicidal ones and Scraps Hunters. This term referred to people who tried to look for Scraps rather than hunting the actual monsters, a ss that was looked down upon by the rest of the kingdom.

    The honor of protecting humanity ran deep in the heart of every hunter, making them feel good about themselves. Niki knew that this was only a delusional idea since most of these people would sacrifice others for survival or power.

    The outlines of the Ruins started appeared after half an hour of walking. The miasma prevented other monsters from approaching the trail, making it a good resting point for Hunters.

    Centuries-old decrepit buildings were now the yground for countless undead. The rest of the Ruins have been tted either by humans or natural causes, leaving only a husk of this ce¡¯s former glory.

    The Ancient Trail ends at the beginning of the ruins and each group chose a different path. These people were veterans, knowing the rank of each monster and where to find them. This would minimize the risk and maximize the rewards.

    Niki took a separate path from the rest. He went directly to a low-ranking ground, a ce that used to be the chapel grounds before it turned into an undead dwelling. Due to the properties of the ground they inhibited being filled with divinity, the undead here were weaker than the others.

 Chapter 23: The Chapel

    As he walked between the ruined buildings, abandoned homes, and empty roads, Niki felt the suffocation of an inevitable future. In ten years, most of the major cities would have fallen and they would look just like this ce.

    ¡®Let¡¯s hope the Lords do a better work this time.¡¯

    Niki thought but he shook his head helplessly afterward. He was the only change that would ur this time around. The war between the Beastkin and humans will be the chance for the elves to strike.

    ¡®I need to grow stronger, faster than everyone, and then beat the crap out all those who refuse to unite against the elves.¡¯ Niki¡¯s thoughts stopped there when he heard the sound of nking bones.

    Niki took out his gun and dagger and leaned on a wall as a skeleton passed by him. These monsters had a low perception of immobile objects.

    Niki wouldn¡¯t attack normal skeletons head-on. Except for the mage types, the rest were resilient to physical attacks and weak against magical attacks.

    The skeleton marched on, leaving the area. Even if this area had weaker monsters, they were still F-rank, meaning they could kill Niki in a blow.

    He nned on using their sluggish movement and perception to kill a few of them using his bullets. He checked again and the area was clear, making him go in.

    The chapel was a grand building lined by many windows. The windows had colored ss that worked to depict the lives of the saints that had died.

    Niki stood by a window with a part of its ss broken to peek inside. The wide chapel was lined with rows of seats that had been destroyed. Undead skeletons roamed between them as a single, smaller skeleton stood in the middle of the chapel.

    ¡®There you are.¡¯ Niki smiled beneath his hoodie. His eyes pierced through the darkness, looking for a way in. His eyes scanned the interior of the chapel and stopped when he looked at the ceiling.

    Under the nagging of time, the ceiling has broken apart to reveal the inner frame. Thick wood beams intersected with each other, making a perfect ambush spot for Niki.

    The only question was how would he get there without alerting the undead. He took out one of Silent Feet potion and poured half of it on his feet. As for the rest, he poured it on his gun.

    The potion would absorb the sound that is close to it. Halving it meant it could absorb less sound, but Niki didn¡¯t need a lot of it. He tightened his grip on his gun as he sneaked around the building.

    On the other side, there was a tall tree that Niki climbed. With his newfound stats, climbing it was a piece of cake. He would simply stab his dagger if he didn¡¯t find a ce to grab, making him arrive at the top of the tree easily.

    As Niki stood on the biggest branch of the tree, he heard chattering voicesing from somewhere. He frowned as he looked across the empty yard beside the chapel, but there was nothing but ruins.

    ¡®I need to hurry.¡¯ There could be other people after the mage skeleton, so Niki decided to hurry up. He crouched before sprinting on the branch.

    As his foot stepped on thest part of the giant branch before it arched downward, Niki stomped hard before jumping. The air raced beside his ears as his body descended downward.

    His hand grabbed into the edge of the roof before he fell downward. The sound his body made as it mmed to the wall was loud enough to make the undead grow uneasy.

    Niki pulled himself upward and used his other hand to climb the roof. He took a short as he waited for the undead to calm down beneath him.

    Niki stood up when the sounds died down. He went toward the hole in the ceiling and dropped down from it. The potion worked to minimize the sound his fall made.

    As he walked on the beams, Niki counted the number of undead below him. There were six beside the mage, making them a seven in total.

    If Niki wanted to fight them head-on, he would need to be at the peak of the F-rank to handle all of them alone. With some tactics and enchanted bullets, he could manage even if he was at the beginning of his F-rank.

    The thing is, he wasn¡¯t even ranked yet. He was a superhuman but nothing that could match the standards of the world. That¡¯s why he would need to use the hit and run strategy.

    The undead didn¡¯t have brains, so it was hard for them to remember things. If Niki could kill the mage and wait for a while, he should be able to find a gap after the others forget about him.

    The beams were big enough for him to run on them. These basic bnce skills were nothingpared to his military training. He marked down the pirs he could use as shields and took out his gun.

    The first attack was crucial, so he injected mana into the gunpowder of the bullet. He didn¡¯t enhance the shell, but the firepower. It was useless to enhance the shell when the mage¡¯s bones held anti-magic properties.

    The bullet left his gun¡¯s muzzle as the weapon shook in his arm. The stronger recoil came as expected and Niki steadied his arm, allowing the bullet to travel in the correct direction.

    The bullet cut across the air and struck the unaware mage in its sternum, the central bone of its ribcage. The mage stumbled backward as it howled in range and looked upward.

    Their eyes met as the mana gathered around the mage¡¯s bony hand. A giant icicle formed above its hand and fired toward Niki. Seeing it in foresight, Niki has already run away and hidden behind a pir.

    As the attack passed, Niki struck again from behind the pir. The undead howled again and used arger icicle that struck the pir, freezing it in an instant.

 Chapter 24: A Distant Voice

    Niki repeated his actions several times, striking and running away. The first two strikes were the most powerful, but he should regenerate some mana in a while.

    Mana attracts mana. The higher mana you have, the more regeneration of mana you would get. Having only two points in mana, Niki was far from a real mage. Even warriors have a higher stat in mana than this.

    As his bullets rained on the mage, the rest of the skeletons got in a frenzy to catch him. They started trying to climb the pirs but that backfired at them as they fell on the ground because of their clumsiness.

    The sound of ttering armor reached his ears and Niki ceased his firing. He hid behind a pir as he looked at the entrance. From there, a group of people walked in while wearing steel armor.

    ¡°Is this the hidden spot?¡± A familiar voice asked. Niki strained his ears to listen in on the conversation. Luckily, he had used the potion earlier to make his shot silent.

    He saw that there were several people and Niki was able to identify two of them. Julian and Scarman. It seems that Julian has hired these thugs to help him farm some crystals, leading the group to this ce. This must be a part of his preparation for the mid-term exams.

    ¡®Oh, he must be quite eager to get into the Lost Garden.¡¯ Niki smiled sinisterly. ¡®Julian, Julian, Julian. This is the beginning of my revenge.¡¯

    ¡°Yes, Young Master.¡± Scarman smiled modestly. ¡°We¡¯ve caught winds of it a few days ago. They respawn every month here instead of the usual week, but they¡¯re only at the F-rank.¡±

    ¡°Mm, very well.¡± Julian adjusted his blond hair while scanning the monsters. ¡°I¡¯ll rely on you guys to hold them off.¡±

    ¡°Of course, young master. Boss Crow asked to take care of you to the best of our ability.¡± Scarman said while rubbing his hands together.

    ¡®Birds of a feather flock together. The Mackay Family must have dealings with Hyde Crow¡¯s gang in the city.¡¯ Niki noted. He hid behind a pir and minimized his breathing.

    His low mana stat made it difficult for them to be preceptive of his existence. As the team started to defend Julian from the mage¡¯s attack, the psychopath Niki hated so much fought against a skeleton.

    Another team member, a henchman of Scarface, helped Julian whenever he was struggling. Even though he was the son of a big family, Julian was just beginning his journey in the stats world. He was still barely an F-ranker.

    He took down the first skeleton in fifteen minutes. The team blocked the mage¡¯s icicles, depleting it of its mana. Niki decided now was a good time before he went toward one of the frozen pirs.

    The veins on his arms bulged and Niki felt the power with them. However, there was also a bacsh to this technique so he needed to make it quick. He struck the pir with all of his strength, producing a ¡®PA!¡¯ sound followed by the crying of the building.

    The roof began to cave in under its weight as the frozen pirs snapped in half as a result of Niki¡¯s actions. Niki began running away as soon as he broke the pir and jumped off the window to fall directly toward the yard.

    The ss broke but the sound was masked by the building copsing. As Niki rolled on the ground and felt the air leave his lungs, he heard the sounds of screams from inside.

    ¡°What the hell is going?¡±

    ¡°Cut apart the ceiling!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s toote for that, the whole building is crashing down! Get out! Get out!¡±

    ¡°AGH!!!¡± Julian¡¯s scream came like a sweet melody to Niki¡¯s ears. The superhumans inside and the undead won¡¯t be harmed by this, but this final push should kill the mage who was weak to physical attacks.

    This meant that Niki had no time to waste. He jumped up and waited for all of the building to copse before he snuck in through a window.

    The pirs and walls have only left narrow gaps between them for Niki to use. He crawled through the gaps and headed directly toward the mage skeleton.

    He found it after several minutes of crawling beneath the walls and ceiling. The bones began turning to dust like they always do. All that remained from the skeleton, who had ironically been killed by the pir it froze, was two crystals and its skull.

    Niki stashed the two mana crystals and the ingredient he needed before trying to crawl away. However, the superhumans were clearing the rubble and it began to grow unstable.

    ¡®I¡¯ll be buried here if they continue.¡¯ Niki realized as he thought of a way out. He needed them to stop before he was buried. His mind raced for a possible exist as he remembered another function of an item of his. ¡®Emergency Call.¡¯

    He took out the Gunmen badge and injected mana into it. The badge glowed as a signal was sent toward the Gunmen Union.

    ¡®The response time should be one minute. All I have to do is to survive until then.¡¯ As he thought of this, the wood above him got shed apart and it came crashing down toward him.

    His hand bulged again as his blood rushed backward for a split second. Like a runner getting ready to sprint, the blood rushed through his veins.

    Niki used the sudden strength to push his felt underneath a pir. He curled into a ball as the wood came raining in the ce that he was at a moment ago.

    ¡°There¡¯s a giant pir here! Break it apart!¡±

    It sounded like a death sentence to him and Niki crawled out before they broke it as well. He crawled underneath the statue of the chapel and waited for the gunmen to arrive. He would use that chance to flee. He leaned on the statue to catch his breath.

    [Here lies I, the great god of thisnd.]

    A voice appeared in his mind as his back touched the statue. It was ancient and distant, but Niki knew what it was the moment it spoke.

 Chapter 25: God of Lost Souls

    [Heed mine bid, mortal one. Seek the seven statues of I, the God of Lost Souls, Vol. Be mine vessel and rule over the dead and the living.]

    The voice rang deeply within his soul, making his blood boil. Images appeared in his mind of a ruler sitting on a throne carried by thousands of souls.

    ¡®It¡¯s a Gods¡¯ Vessels Selection.¡¯ Niki realized after hearing the voice, even if he had never experienced it. He had only heard stories about these Selections from the Lords¡¯ followers, those who got to witness the powers bestowed by these Gods firsthand.

    The war will bring with it another world-changing revtion, the existence of Celestia. A higher dimension ruled by beings that oversaw the human world. This fact was only revealed at the end of the world when the powers of the gods were used against the Elves.

    ¡®I heard your call, God of Lost Souls, Val.¡¯ Niki answered within his mind. ¡®For the matter of being your vessel, I humbly ept the trial.¡¯

    A piece of advice that was given to him by a friend once was to never lie to a god. If you break a word you gave to a god, they can send their vessels after you or intervene themselves, thetter being a lot worse.

    [Thou chose wisely, mortal one. The first trial shallmence in five months, prepare well. There shall be six other mortals topete with thou, may thou emerge victoriously.]

    The light disappeared and the world resumed as if nothing happened. Niki smiled excitedly at this unexpected reward. He hadn¡¯t thought that this church would belong to one of the incarnated gods.

    ¡®However, Val didn¡¯t exist in my past life. It¡¯s either that or¡­ no one passed the trial.¡¯ His heart was filled with apprehension. If he wanted the powers granted to the Lords, he would need to prepare well in five months.

    ¡°Cease your hands!¡±

    A roar came and Niki identified it as Conan¡¯s voice. He smiled in contentment as he tightened his grasp on his spoils before running in a different direction. He threw his body through a window and the ss broke apart.

    As hended on the floor and felt the shards riddle his body with injuries, he felt the presence of someone not too far away.

    ¡°You!¡± As fate would have it, Julian was the person to see his escape. He hurried to sh with his sword but a bullet flew to deflect it before it could reach Niki¡¯s body.

    ¡°I said, cease.¡± Conan was aiming with his rifle toward Julian threateningly. He nced at Niki and seemed to recognize his identity despite Niki covering his face and head. ¡°What are you doing here? This area is surrounded! Leave!¡± Conan acted oblivious of the ss beneath Niki¡¯s feet.

    ¡°He was the one to destroy the building!¡± Julian roared in anger. ¡°Don¡¯t you know my identity?! I¡¯m from the Mackay Family!¡±

    ¡°I saw what I saw.¡± Conan narrowed his eyes and Niki felt grateful. It has been a wise decision to call out for Conan, but he knew this woulde after himter.

    Picking up his body, Niki ran away under the hateful eyes of Julian and Scarman. After he had fled the scene, the gunman grinned at the remaining people.

    ¡°Now, now. I retain the right to investigate the scene since a signal was sent from here. If you want to protest, I would be happy to shoot you down.¡± Conan grinned.

    ***

    He left a trail of blood as he ran with the loot. The Ancient Trail felt suddenly long, stretching the more he ran. Niki had to hide in the city before the gang can wriggle free from Conan¡¯s grasp.

    The tall walls of the city, ck and dusted, looked like a beacon of hope for the bleeding Niki. He decided to use the two white mana crystals now to help in his healing. He consumed 4 Fate Point out of the remaining 8 he had. However, the reward couldn¡¯t be sweeter.

    [2 Mana Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    [2 Mana Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    He longed for the day that he made big changes to the world and watched as Fate Points rained on him. At that time, each crystal would reward him with three points instead of two, a 50% increase in his growth speed!

    As his mana tripled, bing 6 points, his body began recovering faster. His regeneration was determined by his Vitality and Mana statbined.

    Niki made a detour to a stream nearby and cleaned his wounds. He used the bandage he had to wrap them up before wearing his shirt flipped backward. He did this so that the torn parts wouldn¡¯t reveal his wounds but just flesh.

    ¡°What happened to you?¡± The City¡¯s Guards asked with a frown at his tattered appearance. He had revealed his face since they would be more suspicious if he hides it.

    ¡°I was chased by frozen boars, but I managed to flee in time.¡±

    ¡°Well, you better eat some hot soup when you go back. Proceed.¡± The guard allowed him but Niki didn¡¯t go back to the academy, but Hunters Street.

    He needed to process the skull before it lost its properties. In his past life, he had a friend that he could consider to be a close one. They met when Niki helped him gather some rare materials after he had been picked up by ¡®her.¡¯

    At this time, that genius would still be an undiscovered gem that struggled to make a living. Niki went to a clothing shop on hunting street and discarded his clothes before heading toward the rundown workshop at the end of the street.

    It was called the Fine Price workshop, but it was nothing of such. There has been a scandal in the past including the workshop¡¯s owner that involved overpricing customers and fraud.

    After being heavily fined and punished by the King, the owner opted to keep his workshop for low-quality potions and desperate brewers and consumers.

    ¡®It¡¯s time to lift this curse.¡¯ Niki opened the workshop¡¯s door as fumes hurried to escape it.

 Chapter 26: Crazy Alchemist

    The interior of the workshop was dark as if has abandoned for ages. A stench of mold and burnt herbs spread out the moment Niki opened the door. He walked inside and allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

    ¡°What brings you here?¡± A wilted face of a man appeared in front of him from the darkness. The old man¡¯s wrinkles came in folds, each proving the years he had lived.

    ¡°Greetings, Master.¡± Niki nodded in courtesy. The man mellowed somewhat at Niki¡¯s respectful greetings. ¡°I have a meeting with Sergio, I have a few Painful Glees to sell.¡±

    ¡°That boy is still on with his crazy experiments!¡± The man huffed and shooed Niki away. ¡°You¡¯ll find him in one of the rooms.¡± The man disappeared into the darkness again.

    Niki followed the light and peeked through the windows until he found his friend from a different life. Sergio was as focused on brewing as he has always been.

    His hair was a mess, but it brought charm with its silver sheen. It sprawled to cover his forehead and only reveal his navy-blue eyes. In front of him were a cauldron, a furnace, sets of materials, and his precise hands that moved to extract the essence.

    ¡®Truly, an artist.¡¯ Niki sighed. His ability to manipte probability granted him simple potions, but it worked little to make him an alchemist. This profession demanded time, knowledge, and most importantly: dedication. That¡¯s why it was better to have a friend like Sergio.

    ¡°Hello,¡± Niki knocked on the door but the young Alchemist¡¯s focus was unparalleled. Seeing him like this, Niki knew that talking to him was impossible right now.

    Seeing this as a good hiding spot, Niki slumped to a chair nearby and watched his friend work. Sergio used mana to extract the essence of the herbs and materials. However, Niki frowned when he saw that Sergio was trying tobine an ice-essence with a fire-essence.

    ¡®This crazy bastard is the same even when he¡¯s seven years younger.¡¯ Niki stood up and went to hide behind a giant desk. He slumped to the ground and waited for the explosion to happen.

    Sergio didn¡¯t disappoint him and after a few minutes, the room shook as ss flew everywhere. Niki sighed and stood up to find Sergio with his handcerated, a new scar added to many before it.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Niki strode forward and used a mp to take the shards out of his hands. Sergio was groaning as sweat drops rolled down his face. ¡°That¡¯s what you get forbining fire and ice essence.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the point!¡± Sergio said through gritted teeth, his face as ck as coal. ¡°If this destructive force can be amplified¡­¡±

    ¡°You want to amplify it further?¡± Niki gaped. ¡°Do you want the old man to choke you to death?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Sergio mped his mouth shut. ¡°Wait¡­¡± He turned toward Niki with a frown. ¡°Who are you and what are you doing here?¡± Sergio stared with wide eyes.

    ¡°I am¡­¡± Niki sighed at this clueless alchemist. ¡°someone who wants to buy you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not into men.¡± Sergio backed away from Niki while defensively raising his arms. As he stared at Sergio, Niki wanted to vomit out blood for the first time in his new life.

    After restraining himself from beating Sergio to a pulp, Niki proceeded to exin what he meant by buying. Sergio stared at him with doubt nheless.

    ¡°You want me to work for you?¡± Sergio judged him through his blue eyes. ¡°Do you even have any money?¡± It seems he was doubtful of Niki¡¯s age.

    ¡°How much money do you make per month here?¡± Niki asked with a smile. ¡°Five Rosian coins?¡±

    ¡°¡­ Three.¡± Sergio groaned. Niki was taken aback but Sergio exined the reason. ¡°I break a lot of things, so I need to pay for them too.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Niki chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten silvers per month, excluding the materials you will use for the potions.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Sergio¡¯s eyes turned into the shape of silver coins. He grabbed Niki with his bandaged hands. ¡°Lead the way, boss!¡±

    ¡°Your enthusiasm is frightening me.¡± Niki¡¯s brows twitched. ¡°You don¡¯t have any debts, do you?¡± He feared people will being after him just because of this workaholic.

    ¡°None!¡± Sergio smiled proudly as he waved his hand. ¡°Except for one gold coin, I¡¯m debt free!¡± He said with such confidence and smugness that Niki needed to look at his face again.

    ¡®Is this really the Genius Alchemist?¡¯ Niki had some doubts about this. However, there was no mistaking it. Other than his knowledge and passion for potions, future-grandmaster-alchemist Sergio was nothing but an airhead.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pretend to be dissatisfied about the prices of Painful Glees and storm out of here. Meet me at this clinic after you¡¯re done.¡± Niki drew a quick map of the doctor he knew before turning to leave.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Sergio grabbed his wrist. Niki turned to see his eyes sparkling. ¡°Do you really have Painful Glees?¡±

    ¡°Are you mad? Who would carry around those things?¡± Niki was speechless. ¡°However, I promise to get you some in a while.¡±

    Niki then put on a show of being dissatisfied before storming out. However, no one even paid attention to him. He went toward the clinic next to Hunters Street and knocked on its door.

    ¡°¡­ You¡¯re back.¡± The doctor stared at him silently. ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡±

    ¡°Is that kid here?¡± Niki asked before walking inside. The doctor pointed toward a closet that had its door open and Niki saw the kid sleeping inside.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any other rooms.¡± The doctor sighed. ¡°He came here shaking, I had to sedate him. After that, he grew quiet. What happened?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s worried about his sister.¡± Niki studied the doctor¡¯s expression. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you treat her?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a curse, not a disease.¡± The doctor sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not an alchemist but a simple healer.¡±

    ¡°Did it look something like this?¡± Niki raised his shirt and revealed the curse Madness left on his body. The doctor¡¯s eyes shook and nodded.

    ¡°How did this¡­¡± The doctor furrowed his brows. Niki shook his head and took off his shirt. The wounds were still bleeding through the bandages. ¡°By the Gods, how can you even stand?¡±

    The doctor panicked and hurried to bring his tools. He took out the shards from Niki¡¯s body before using mana and herbs to heal his wounds.

    All that was left was a raised fibrous tissue of where the wounds were. Niki traced them silently. He never had these marks before.

    ¡°Prepare some herbs for a friend of mine too.¡± Niki gave the doctor thirty coppers, enough to heal two people. ¡°As for the kid¡¯s sister, tell him I¡¯ll take care of it when he wakes up.¡±

 Chapter 27: Betting on Winning

    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Niki opened the door to see Sergio carrying his bags. ¡°You trust people too easily.¡± He moved aside and allowed Sergio inside.

    ¡°I trust my guts.¡± Sergio ced his bags on the floor. ¡°These are all the tools I will need to start working. What are we doing here?¡±

    ¡°To treat you, of course. Doc!¡± Niki called out to the doctor who came out from the kitchen carrying his herbs and equipment.

    ¡°They¡¯ll heal on their own after a while.¡± Sergio shrugged. ¡°I hate doctors, they simply rip you off.¡±

    ¡°You could¡¯ve said that somewhere else.¡± Niki sighed. ¡°No time for them to heal on their own, I need you for something.¡± He said nothing further and started wearing his clothes.

    ¡°Can you be any vaguer?¡± Sergio threw his hands up and then undid the bandages. The doctor began treating him immediately.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try next time.¡± Niki nodded and picked up his bag. ¡°It¡¯s time we visit your new workce.¡± He walked out after the doctor treated Sergio.

    The ce Niki have rented before he went to Rohan Ruins was an old one-room house in the slums. He had cleared away the furniture of the previous owner and reced it with a bed and a table.

    ¡°You can work here for now.¡± Niki ced Sergio¡¯s bags on the table. ¡°It¡¯s a humble ce, but the area is deserted and the walls are made of strong bricks. You won¡¯t be annoyed for blowing things up.¡±

    ¡°I think this is the best decision I made in my life.¡± Sergio started unpacking immediately. ¡°What potion do you want me to start with, boss?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a potion to lift off curses.¡± Niki rampaged through his notebook and tore away the paper. He handed it over for Sergio to read. ¡°The ingredients are here; I only need you to practice without this.¡± Niki took out the skull and ced it on the table. ¡°You have two more days before this turn into useless garbage.¡±

    ¡°This is¡­¡± Sergio examined the recipe. ¡°insane. Where did you get such a recipe? I never read about thisbination before.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a family¡¯s secret.¡± Niki lied. This was developed by the army to lift off the curses of the Elves six years from now. ¡°There are some slight adjustments I need you to consider.¡±

    ¡°What are they?¡±

    ¡°First of all, this potion works on the brain. I need you to make it work on the circtory system. Make sure nothing causes any side effects because of this difference. You¡¯ll need to research every ingredient for this.¡±

    ¡°Who are you using this for?¡±

    ¡°Myself,¡± Niki revealed. ¡°That means, if you don¡¯t seed in two days, you¡¯ll be unemployed again.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Sergio tightened his hold of the paper and grinned. ¡°If I fail, I¡¯ll just quit being an alchemist.¡±

    ¡®Yeah, no way that would happen under any circumstances.¡¯ Niki smiled but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡®You¡¯re my future guild¡¯s alchemist, after all.¡¯

    Sergio got busy and Niki left him for his research. He knew the character of this friend of his quite well, so he trusted his thirst for knowledge to bound him to their deal.

    It was already night when he returned to the academy. He found that there was a crowd in the middle of their dorm with many people holding bags of coins.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Niki asked nonchntly, but the person next to him shut his mouth after he turned to answer.

    ¡°Nothing you can afford,¡± The student sneered at him. ¡°You might earn a few pennies if you bet on your death. Wait, the odds are so high that you¡¯ll probably earn nothing at all!¡±

    ¡®Oh, it¡¯s this exam¡¯s betting rounds.¡¯ Niki had a yful smile. ¡®I didn¡¯t think I would make some money this easily.¡¯ He ignored the remark that the student made and went forward to the table.

    The one who had set it up was a wealthy son of a casino¡¯s owner. He even had a big screen behind the table and a machine to print out receipts. On the scream were different columns with each listing all students in their year.

    1- Top Rankers,

    2- Bottom Rankers,

    3- Most Likely to Die,

    Each column had the names of all students and their odds. He had the lowest one for Top Rankers, the highest for Bottom Ranker, and the highest for Most Likely to Die.

    ¡®This is the reason why so many people lost their humanity. Normalizing the fact that people can bet on other¡¯s lives even if they were students. The world will never cease being cruel.¡¯

    Niki walked toward one of the devices and ced ten silver coins. He then chose Number 1-70 and the receipt was printed for him.

    ¡°You wagered that you¡¯ll rank first?!¡± The student from earlier followed after him. ¡°Everyone, check this out! This guy thinks he can rank first!¡± His voice drew attention to Niki and everyone looked at him as if he was delusional.

    ¡°Stop dreaming, you think a glitch in the system would save you again?!¡±

    ¡°This is an insult. I bet you stole that money too, poor bastard!¡±

    ¡°You think you are better than the top rankers?!¡±

    The words spoken were loud and menacing. They gathered around Niki and mocked him,ughing and insulting him in any way they wanted.

    It just so happened that Julian returned to the academy at that moment, haggard and tired. He heard the words said by the crowd and red at Niki like a wild beast.

    ¡°You think you¡¯ll outrank me?¡± Julian strode forward and stood in front of Niki, looking down on him. ¡°A weakling like you dares look down on me?¡±

    He was breathing out fumes of anger and sparks of fire were appearing around his eyes. Niki stared back at him silently as Julian raged. He seemed to be exploding at him because he couldn¡¯t do anything to Conan earlier.

    Niki saw Julian¡¯s fist tighten as his muscles bulged. Without any warning, Julian threw a punch that tore through the air toward Niki.

 Chapter 28: Midterm Exams

    There was a difference between strength and skill. For example, if everything relied on stats, then people should just carry around their certified stats and have cards battles instead of fights.

    Once, Niki witnessed a fight between a B-ranker and an A-ranker. Even though the A-ranker could tten dozens of B-rankers normally, the B-ranker still won in the end.

    The utilization of strength was called skill. Depending on it, the amount of strength exerted could vary. Not to mention weak points, bodynguage, and battle sense.

    As soon as Niki saw Julian¡¯s arm bulge, he knew that this psychopath has reached his limits. That¡¯s why he took a step back beforehand and avoided the punch.

    Mana exploded from Julian¡¯s fist and it tore through the floor¡¯s tiles. The scene was chaotic and the students began running away. Niki had managed to avoid it by a hair¡¯s breadth and got out safely,

    ¡°You insect!¡± Julian roared and threw another punch that Niki was ready to avoid. However, someone jumped in and blocked the punch using the handle of a training sword.

    The air pressure made her hair flutter but her eyes were ring at Julian coldly. The ck-haired girl that helped Niki before was again rising to the asion.

    ¡°What are you doing on school grounds?¡± The girl gripped her sword tighter. ¡°Do you think you own this ce?¡±

    ¡°This has nothing to do with you.¡± Julian spat venom. ¡°His disrespect has been overlooked for too long.¡±

    ¡°Who are you to teach him respect?¡± The girl red at him. ¡°Back away or this won¡¯t end lightly for you.¡± She said while Marcus and several others surrounded the two. Julian looked as if he had swallowed a fly and retracted his fist.

    ¡°You will regret this.¡± He said before ring at Niki and walking away. As for Niki, he was silently measuring the whole situation.

    ¡°Who sent you?¡± He asked while squinting his eyes. ¡°I think you know why Julian is targeting me. Such hate wouldn¡¯t be without reason, and you intervened because you know.¡±

    ¡°Here isn¡¯t the best ce to talk.¡± The girl sheathed her wooden sword. ¡°Let¡¯s go elsewhere.¡± She said before leaving with her gang. Niki pondered the pros and cons before following after them.

    They arrived at the clubroom of Swordless Club. The rest waited outside while Marcus, Niki, and the girl he didn¡¯t know sat on the couch inside.

    ¡°Marcus, tea.¡± The girlmanded and Marcus was quick to offer pre-made tea. As she took the cup and sipped, Niki noticed that she had the etiquettes of a noble. ¡°I think you have some questions.¡±

    ¡°That means you have the answers. But first of all, who are you? Why did you help me multiple times?¡± Niki asked while burying down a question in his heart. ¡®Why did you only help me now?¡¯

    ¡°My name is Sira Bolvak.¡± Sira smiled. ¡°I¡¯m nothing but the daughter of a vessel house to her grace,dy Valkyrie Helnes. I was asked to make sure you don¡¯t die before you graduate.¡±

    ¡°Before I graduate?¡± Niki frowned. ¡°When did she ask you this and why?¡± This didn¡¯te up in his past life. He never had that much interaction with Valkyrie, to begin with.

    ¡°Because your eptance into the academy wasn¡¯t a glitch, but the design ofdy Valkyrie. As for the reason for her actions, I don¡¯t know myself.¡±

    ¡°For a whole month, I was tormented by Julian and Luke.¡± Nikiughed, knowing it was far longer than just one month. ¡°Why now?¡±

    ¡°Because you showed potential and courage. If you haven¡¯t shown such traits, I wouldn¡¯t have intervened. Those were my instructions. As for the rest, you¡¯ll have to ask Lady Valkyrie.¡± Sira said before sipping more of her tea.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Niki stood up. ¡°But don¡¯t expect me to be grateful to either of you. We both know that the reason Julian is after me was because of Valkyrie¡¯s interest, to begin with.¡±

    He left the clubroom as the knot in his heart was untied. After so many years, he finally understood why Julian hated him. It was because he knew Valkyrie pulled strings to admit Niki into the academy.

    A question was answered, but a new one emerged. Why did Valkyrie help him get admitted, to begin with? Niki would have to find out but things haven¡¯t changed.

    He still needed to grow stronger. For that, he would need the treasure hidden in the Lost Garden.

    ¡®The midterm exams are tomorrow.¡¯ Niki walked toward his room. ¡®This is a chance to grow stronger, earn fate points, and most importantly, take revenge.¡¯

    His hate toward the world didn¡¯t decrease after knowing the answer but only increased. It was never his fault; it was always the world¡¯s fault that he suffered.

    However, he shall suffer no longer.

    ***

    The midterm exams were separated into two, a written exam and a practical one. The written exam took ce in the morning. Niki went toward the Exam Hall where giant machines were ced.

    The machine had many chairs where the students sat down and ced helmets on their heads. This way, cheating was impossible. The exam will be taken via virtual reality artifacts. As he ced the helmet on his head, a panel appeared in front of him.

    [Exam willmence in 5:05¡­]

    It was a countdown until the exam began. As he waited for it to begin, he tried to remember what he studied in his first year of the academy.

    The topics were very basic. Energy channels, monsters, and herbs. They were the basic knowledge a person would need to survive in this world.

    For someone who lived in the army and the wild, this exam was nothing but child y for Niki. After the countdown reached zero and it began, a nt appeared in front of him as he smelled the distinct smell of burning coal.

    [Name this nt and list its uses.]

    ¡°Coaline nt. Can be used for cooking, closing wounds, and repelling water-based monsters.¡±

    After he finished answering, a giant monster appeared in front of him. This way, he was asked time and time against different things and topics. After each question, another followed after.

    Niki was merciless and didn¡¯t try to hold back. He didn¡¯t have the mindset of staying low. He was sick of staying low, he did that in his past life and it brought nothing but misery. Furthermore, his system was rewarded based on the impact he left on the world.

 Chapter 29: Monoliths

    Niki left the virtual reality after finishing his exam. His face was sweating, as some details were too basic for him to remember. Nheless, he felt good about his score.

    Now, all he needed to do was to ace his practical exam. If he remembers it correctly, then the midterms and finals would be a conjoint exam of the different sses in the academy.

    There were almost one-hundred-fifty students per year in Rohan academy. A single ss had thirty students, making them five sses thatpeted against each other and among themselves.

    The sses were Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Lightning. These were the main elements, but not the only ones. The sses were said to be divided ording to the stats of each student, not the skills.

    There was no real relevance as to why these sses were chosen. The element didn¡¯t express anything but simply a division to make things morepetitive.

    The practical exam was held in two parts, individual and team battles. Both of them rewarded different points of achievement that would be used to judge the ranks of each student.

    ¡°The first part of your exam for today is over.¡± After the theory exam was over, Mr. Heartwrath came over to exin. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve done well, but let¡¯s see you put that knowledge into practice.¡±

    He asked them to follow him and Niki¡¯s ss, which was Earth ss, followed after. They were escorted to the academy¡¯s training field where students from other sses have already begun gathering.

    The tension was high between the sses, who usually didn¡¯t interact with each other than exams like this one. Based on the results of the entrance exam, the Lightning ss was the strongest. They had the top-ranking student, heir of a major family in the Rosia Kingdom.

    After that came the Water ss, who had a high-ranking archer in the lead. This ss didn¡¯t have a powerful leader, but their students were of equal strength more or less and had excellent teamwork.

    The Earth ss, theirs, was third-rank in strength. This was due to the existence of several powerful people, and the rest following after them.

    The Fire ss was also powerful, but they had a lot of internal conflicts. This made them rank fourth despite their strength. Even as they stood in the training field, they were split into groups.

    The Wind ss was the least powerful, but Niki didn¡¯t know if they were weak or if they simply didn¡¯t care. In his past life, it was from this ss that several top spots were taken before anyone realized.

    As the sses gathered, Mr. Heartwrath stepped forward and began exining the practical test. The students quieted down as each of them held either nervousness or ambition.

    ¡°The practical exam will be held in an hour, starting with the team battles. After that, the individual exam will start. The ss battles will consist of each ss having a monolith to protect. That monolith can either be destroyed or captured.¡± Mr. Heartwrath exined and pressed a button on the remote control.

    A hologram with images appeared in front of them. The monoliths were erected on several clearings in the middle of Rohan Academy Forest. They were giant pirs with a barrier constructed around them.

    Purple for lightning, blue for water, yellow for earth, red for fire, and green for wind. Each monolith was colored differently.

    ¡°On top of each monolith,¡± Mr. Heartwrath pressed the remote again. ¡°Is a single key.¡± There was a floating key in the new pictures. ¡°If you destroy the barrier or snatch the key, you conquer that monolith.¡± The hologram disappeared and the teacher continued.

    ¡°The examsts five hours. The winning team will be the one who conquers the most monoliths. If two teams conquer two, and thest has yet to be conquered, another hour will be given.¡±

    That means whoever conquers two and defends them guarantees first ce. It was a race of who can conquer the three the fastest and defend them.

    ¡°The monolith will give buffs to its ss, so stick to it if you want to defend it. That will be all. Go to the buses and pray the odds are in your favor.¡±

    As they walked to the buses, Niki made sure to study the students of the other sses. As he suspected, the oddballs were there in the Wind ss. The Lightning ss was also dangerous because of that powerful lightning user.

    ¡®This is getting exciting.¡¯ Niki grinned. He was feelingpetitive after being granted a chance to take on these geniuses for one more time.

    They reached Rohan Academy¡¯s forest after twenty minutes. They passed through the northern gate which was the safest and went toward the forest. The ancient-looking buildings disappeared and were reced by green forests and steep cliffs that interlocked like the teeth of a giant monster.

    Each ss was on a different bus and they soon diverged. Each ss was dropped at a different entrance of the forest, closest to their monolith.

    ¡°The exam begins in fifteen minutes. Gather next to your monolith before that time! Anyone who isn¡¯t next to their monolith will be disqualified from the exam.¡±

    This was to make sure no traps wereid beforehand. The sses split and entered the forest to head toward their monolith.

    ¡°Listen up, everyone.¡± Julian stepped forward. ¡°Since I¡¯m the strongest at the moment, I¡¯ll be leading the ss. If anyone has a problem with that, I¡¯ll be happy to discuss it.¡±

    No student objected because they all knew how violent Julian can get to those who disobey him. Sira and Marcus didn¡¯t say anything as well, opting to stay indifferent.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care how you feel about me or who you are, all I care about is winning. Follow mymands and I¡¯ll make sure we conquer the other monoliths.¡± Julian said before sprinting in the direction of their yellow monolith.

    After Niki followed his ss for a while, he managed to see the monoliths in the distance. They were giant stone pirs with a height of over thirty meters. On the t tip of the monolith was the key that can be snatched.

    ¡®Indeed, with such a height, no one can snatch it easily. Furthermore, anyone approaching to make a jump or climb will be taken care of by the defending ss.¡¯ Niki saw his ss spread around the monolith as Julian assigned roles. ¡®Well, it¡¯s time to make another n.¡¯

 Chapter 30: Skyward Falcon

    ¡°As for you,¡± Julian walked over slowly with a twisted smile on his face. His nose appeared hooked under his grin, giving a goblin-like appearance. ¡°You will be our scout, traveling all alone to bring back news. Your first mission is to go scout the lightning ss out. Make sure you¡¯re not caught.¡± He said before walking away.

    Traveling alone in the forest was suicidal. There was no need for scouts as the light from the pirs made sure that every ss¡¯s location was known to the others.

    Thus, people traveled in groups of two usually. Niki realized that the same thing happened in his past life and he was chased by an Earthen Bear. He only managed to flee at that time because he met the lightning heir.

    Niki picked up his gun, which he got from the school again, and walked away slowly toward the purple light in the sky. He heard footsteps from behind him and found that Marcus was there.

    ¡°Let me apany you,¡± Marcus said, with the serious expression of a proper servant. ¡°Lady Sira asked me to take care of you.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the offer.¡± Niki walked away slowly. ¡°However, I don¡¯t need a babysitter. I¡¯ll take care of myself until the exam ends.¡±

    Even though he made it seem as if he would just hide, Niki had no intention of doing so. The ss battles weren¡¯t only about winning or losing, but also about performance. There would be separate points for individual performance such as leadership, cooperation, and also objective-oriented points.

    He went into the forest, leaving Marcus behind filled with dissatisfaction, and ventured deep toward the Lightning Monolith. As soon as he felt like no one was watching him from his ss, Niki changed directions and went toward the mountain in the distance.

    This mountain was the only one in Rohan Academy¡¯s Forest. It oversaw the whole forest and a single monster lived on top. The monster was an intelligent one called the Skyward Falcon.

    As he started climbing the mountain, Niki felt the wind currents change. The more that he walked upward, the more resistance he received.

    Nheless, he preserved. After climbing half of the mountain and wasting half an hour, Niki changed route again. He followed a different trail over the mountain, going toward a cave.

    He took out his dagger and gun, prepared for any monsters that woulde out. When he went into the cave, he heard the sounds of battle behind him. The battle has begun.

    The wind changed again and Niki shot a mana-infused bullet at the sphere of light as soon as it appeared. The wind firefly died before it could attack Niki.

    It took him another few meters of looking before he found the ore. It shone bright green in the darkness, providing him with the necessary light to mine the ore.

    He dug around it using his dagger until the giant ore fell. He looked at the liquid-like light inside it and infused his dagger with mana.

    ¡®Precise and slow.¡¯ He reminded himself as he began extracting the gem from within the ore. This required a high degree of dexterity and mana control, which Niki had thanks to his past life. Sweat beads appeared on his face as he worked.

    The process was mentally exhausting and risky, as a simple mistake would make the ore blow up in his face. However, when he looked at the wind elemental gem in his hand, he felt like it was too easy.

    Niki left the cave while holding on to his gem. The wind currents grew milder because the gem repelled them. Niki climbed the mountain as the students below fought against each other.

    ¡°Who dares ventures to my abode?¡± An ancient voice boomed in the mountain; a threatening tone intertwined to it. ¡°Go back and you shan¡¯t be punished. Otherwise¡­¡±

    Niki ignored it and kept climbing the mountain. The wind grew more violent, but nothing that would make him be swapped off his feet and fly away.

    He reached the top of the mountain and the trees began decreasing. On the tip, there was a clear pond of water with a giant t stone in the middle. On top of the stone stood the Skyward Falcon.

    ¡°Greetings, guardian of Rohan Academy.¡± Niki bowed as he raised the gem with both of his hands. ¡°Please do not shred me to pieces just yet.¡±

    ¡°I see that you¡¯re a student of my academy.¡± The Falcon spoke the human tongue. ¡°Speak, what impudent reason brought you here?¡±

    The Falcon¡¯s wings spread wide as wind currents flew from beneath it. Green feathers lined its body, filled with elemental winds.

    ¡°I brought you an offering. As per tradition, I ask that you listen to a request of mine.¡± Niki brought the gem closer and ced it on top of the pond. The wind worked its magic to carry the gem toward the Skyward Falcon.

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± The Skyward Falcon looked at the gem with its clear blue eyes. ¡°It has been years since an offering was made. Who taught you of this secret?¡±

    ¡°The Wisdom of the Forgotten.¡± Niki bowed his head. ¡°I seek help in challenging today¡¯s trial.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The falcon turned toward the direction of the monoliths. ¡°For such a small request, this wind elemental gem is indeed enough. However, I was asked to not help any students.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not helping me; this is a contract.¡± Niki raised his head. ¡°I seek your powers while offering you what I have.¡±

    ¡°A contract¡­¡± The falcon¡¯s voice held amusement. ¡°It is indeed as you say. For someone so young, the wisdom and wits you carry are worthy of doubt.¡±

    ¡°For doubt, I shall ept,¡± Niki nodded. ¡°Would you help me, great guardian?¡±

    ¡°Very well!¡± The Skyward Falcon spread his wings. ¡°This contract, I ept! Tell me your name, young human!¡±

    ¡°My name is Niki Yaran.¡± He stood up and smiled at the great Falcon as the winds fluttered his clothes. ¡°This contract, I shall ept as well!¡±

 Chapter 31: Lightning Heir

    Sira looked on with apprehension at the direction the battle roars wereing from. The Water ssunched their attack at the Fire Monolith, using their teamwork to ovee the individual capabilities of the Fire ss.

    The barrier around the Monolith could only receive so many attacks before breaking. Before long, an announcement was broadcast that the Fire Team was eliminated, taken over by the Water ss. Sira thought that it could be a good chance to attack the Water ss, but Julian had a different opinion.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be attacking the Lightning ss; they are the strongest and the most threatening.¡± Julian shook his head at her suggestion. ¡°If we turn our backs to them, we¡¯re bound to be eliminated. They must be eyeing whoever takes the bait and attack the Water ss¡¯s base.¡±

    ¡°Fighting them head on is just reckless.¡± Sira couldn¡¯t believe he would even suggest such a thing. ¡°I think we should steer away from them until the end.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Julian spat. ¡°I can take on their leader, all that would be left would be the small fries. The Water ss won¡¯t be attacking us, they would go after the weaker Wind ss. Let¡¯s go! Three people should stay here to inform us if another ss attacks!¡±

    Before long, Julian gathered his forces and marched on toward the closest monolith to them, the Lightning ss. After ten minutes of navigating through the forest, they were able to see the purple light piercing the sky.

    ¡°After we take them down, everyone else will fear us!¡± Julian dered his ambitions and they were delusional in Sira¡¯s opinion.

    ¡®We¡¯ll be crushed by that guy.¡¯ She knew it as a fact. ¡®The only good thing is that I don¡¯t have to take care of that weakling. If he couldn¡¯t hide probably until the end of the exam, then Lady Valkyrie would understand how useless he is.¡¯

    Even though her grace, Valkyrie Helnes, has asked her to take care of him because he was special, Sira couldn¡¯t see it. That student had no redeeming qualities that she could respect, not to mention special ones.

    At this time, she couldn¡¯t take care of him. That¡¯s why she had asked Marcus to apany him but that impudent fellow turned him down again. No wonder he was so hated, Sira thought.

    As they approached the monolith, they noticed the sky was beginning to grow darker. When they exited the forest and entered the clearing, they were able to see lightning dye the sky with a purple hue.

    ¡°Wee!¡± A voice greeted them from above. They craned their necks to see who it was and found a young youth standing atop the monolith with his arms crossed around his chest. ¡°I hate tactics, so let¡¯s go all out against each other!¡±

    He wore unusual clothes that consisted of a light-purple robe that reached his knees and a white shirt lined with engravings. From his ears dangled a pair of earrings that resembled a golden lightning mark.

    The youth pped his hands together and mana exploded from them. The mana turned into a lightning spear that was grasped by the youth. He grinned as heunched the spear at them.

    ¡°Scatter!¡± Julian was reasonable enough to know that crowding now was deadly. The students fled everywhere as Sira jumped backward.

    Lightning descended and it brought a dear friend of its, destruction. The ground turned into fine crystals as a wave of heat exploded along with the iing explosion.

    The unfortunate students, who didn¡¯t manage to flee in time, were electrocuted senseless. However, Julian preferred to charge forward than reorganize their forces and help the fallen students.

    ¡°Charge!¡± Julian roared as he and Erza ran forward. The confused students didn¡¯t know what to do other than follow after him. Sira shook her head as she sensed that Lightning ss students wereing to block them.

    ¡®They¡¯re trying to hold us in ce until he creates the next spear of lightning.¡¯ Sira realized, panic beginning to take over. ¡®I knew that he was reckless, but this is insane.¡¯ She looked at Julian, furious.

    ¡°What should we do, mydy?¡± Marcus asked from beside her and she gritted her teeth. Without saying anything, she ran after Julian.

    Even though he was reckless, his choice was correct at the moment. If they get close to the enemy, the lightning would do as much damage to them.

    The students from the Lightning team didn¡¯t have the Lightning elemental mana. It was only a coincidence that the heir of a lightning family ended up in the lightning ss.

    Sira took out her bow and jumped upward. With one swift motion, she nocked three arrows and released them. The arrows found their mark but couldn¡¯t deal a lot of damage.

    The war began and the students attacked each other. It was a cruel y that the academy orchestrated for the sole reason of turning them into soldiers. The gap between the students wasn¡¯t that huge, making it hard for anyone to kill others unless they actively worked for it.

    Her hair rose as the clouds thundered. She turned with a startled expression toward the sky and saw that the lightning heir jumped from the monolith carrying a sword created from lightning.

    ¡®He¡¯sing.¡¯ Sira took out a special arrow from her quiver and nocked it to her bow. Her mana gathered into it as she released it. The arrow split the sky with blinding light and flew toward the lightning heir.

    ¡°Futile!¡± The youth roared with a grin and shed at the arrow with his lightning sword. The two met with a boom but the arrow could only disintegrate in front of lightning.

    ¡®We¡¯re doomed.¡¯ Sira sighed. ¡®This is our loss.¡¯ After they were defeated here, the Lightning ss could easily take over their monolith.

    As the lightning heir descended with his sword, Julian rose to meet him. Julian¡¯s arms bulged as he punched while his fist was covered in mana.

    The two met but Julian¡¯s fist began turning charcoal under the effect of lightning. He roared and retracted his fist before punching with his other hand.

    ¡°You overestimate yourself.¡± The lightning heir smiled in mockery while catching Julian¡¯s fist with his palm. ¡°This battle is mine to win, so move aside.¡± He kept his grip on Julian while shing with his sword.

    It was then that a cry shook their souls as a whistling sound cut across the sky. All of the students paused their battles and looked above to see the clouds parting as something arrived.

    ¡®Is it a monster?¡¯ Sira frowned. The clouds were pushed aside suddenly as a great falcon descended atop the monolith. ¡®Is that¡­¡¯

    ¡°Who are you?!¡± The Lightning Heir roared before throwing Julian away and sprinting toward the monolith.

    Sira looked at the person standing on top of the Falcon with shock. How could she not recognize the person she considered useless a few moments ago?

    ¡°Who am I?¡± Niki smiled before jumping from the Falcon. Hended on the monolith next to the key. ¡°I¡¯m just someone who¡¯d rather work smart than work hard.¡± He walked toward the key as the lightning heir roared

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± His hands exploded with lightning, propelling him toward the sky. However, he was toote and Niki easily snatched the key floating atop the monolith.

    ¡°Oh, why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Niki smiled as the announcement rang in their ears.

    [The Lightning ss has been eliminated!]

 Chapter 32: Inherited Skill

    The reason that the academy allowed for another method of winning was to allow students to show their individualistic powers and use strategies to avoid brute force. This was an art of war that was far more efficient than using brute force.

    [Any Lightning ss student that continues fighting will be expelled.]

    As the announcement rang, the lightning heir ran up the monolith and jumped in front of Niki. His face was cold but there were no traces of the rage that he showed earlier.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The youth with unusual clothing asked, intrigued. ¡°I¡¯ve never met you before.¡±

    ¡°My name is Niki Yaran.¡± He held his hands behind his back. ¡°A pleasure to meet you, atst, Zhong Xin.¡±

    ¡°You know my name.¡± Zhong Xin smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s as much of a pleasure for me.¡± He nced at the key in Niki¡¯s hand.

    ¡°What is a rival but a friend?¡± Niki grinned. He knew this person¡¯s character so he wasn¡¯t worried about being targeted by him. This person would prefer to lose than use underhanded methods, and it was the same in his past life. That was the reason he didn¡¯t rise through the rankster on.

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Zhong Xinughed and turned to leave. ¡°I¡¯ve lost today, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can be my rival just yet. Nheless, well yed.¡± He jumped from the monolith and left with his downcast ss.

    Niki looked at his departing back and smiled. This maniac was powerful and wealthy, but he was a good person. It was rare given that most of the heirs were arrogant.

    ¡®On the other hand,¡¯ Niki turned to look at Julian. He was looking at Niki with bloodshot eyes. ¡®The one I need to be wary of is in my own ss.¡¯

    ¡°We¡­ won?¡± One of his ss¡¯s students muttered. ¡°We won!¡± He shouted in disbelief. He was one of the victims of the first attack who only managed to pick himself up just now. He never thought they would win after the Lightning Heir descended from the sky.

    ¡°We defeated the Lightning ss!¡± Another student shouted and cheers soon followed. Almost all of the students were happy about the oue, regardless of the method.

    These students included some who looked down on Niki, but they didn¡¯t seem to care that he was the one to save them at thest moment. All they cared about was their rank being raised through this exam, granting them more training resources and an actual chance of entering The Lost Garden.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Julian roared toward his ssmates and the cheering ceased. It was reced with fear as all the students looked at the fury breathing maniac.

    Niki met Julian¡¯s eyes and he saw humiliation. He would have never understood why if it was before Sira told him. Julian sought Valkyrie¡¯s approval, probably aiming for the party that she was organizing.

    However, even in Niki¡¯s past life, Julian didn¡¯t manage to enter the party. It seems he always med Niki¡¯s existence since it was easier than admitting his ipetence.

    ¡°You¡­ dare disobey me?¡± Julian walked toward Niki with his face turning into an ugly frown. He gritted his teeth in anger until they began squeaking. ¡°I¡¯m your ss¡¯s Leader and I gave you an order!¡± He roared and the forest was deathly quiet.

    ¡°You were never my leader,¡± Niki said with a stoic expression. ¡°You are only a bully that pretends to be civil. How many of these students bowed to you not out of respect, but fear?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve grown a tongue, bastard.¡± Julian¡¯s eyes were terrifyingly cold. ¡°This time, I¡¯ll make sure to severe it so that it never dares speak up to me again.¡± Julian¡¯s mana exploded as he stomped on the ground.

    An arrownded in front of Julian and stopped him in his tracks. Sira took a few steps with Marcus and stood in front of Julian.

    ¡°No, you won¡¯t,¡± Sira said with a frown. ¡°You¡¯ve acted too childishly today; you¡¯re unfit to be our leader,¡± Sira said coldly. ¡°You should be praising him for saving your ass but you choose to act this way.¡±

    ¡°Childishly?¡± Julianughed as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. ¡°I can act however the fuck I want because of a single reason, I¡¯m the strongest!¡± He roared and sprinted toward Sira and Marcus.

    ¡°Impudent.¡± Marcus stepped in front of Sira and crossed his arms in front of his body. A shield of light appeared in front of him, making Niki¡¯s eyes grow wide.

    ¡®A skill?¡¯ It was rather rare for someone as weak as them to have a skill. First of all, only those with elemental mana could use skills. Another reason being that Skills used a considerable amount of mana.

    Even if a person could learn a skill before the F-rank, it was unwise because of the strain his body would suffer. Marcus¡¯s face on the other hand was unfazed and stoic, making Niki hypothesize that it was an inherited skill.

    Julian didn¡¯t stop even at the appearance of the shield and punched instead. The collision made a resounding boom that made the hearts of everyone shiver.

    ¡°Cough,¡± Marcus coughed as a wide crack appeared on the shield. Julian was about to strike again when someone jumped out of the trees behind them.

    ¡°Julian!¡± The student shouted in a panicked voice. ¡°The Wind ss has taken over one of the monoliths of the Water ss! They¡¯re advancing toward our monolith to conquer it as well!¡±

    It was one of the scouts that Julian had left behind. His words made everyone¡¯s faces go pale as this would mean they would lose all the progress they made until now.

    ¡°The Wind ss?¡± Julian stopped attacking and frowned. ¡°Are you retarded? They¡¯re the weakest of all sses.¡±

    ¡®Ah, it¡¯s happening again.¡¯ Niki smiled as he remembered how the Wind ss shocked everyone in their year at the ss battle. Julian said the same thing before. ¡®Those three oddballs have shown themselves.¡¯

    Niki turned to see how would Julian react now. Would he choose to attack Niki or would he be sensible and retreat? Julian turned to re at him as well before pointing a finger at him.

    ¡°When I catch you, I¡¯ll kill you myself.¡± Julian spat before turning toward the students. ¡°The weaker third stays here to fend off any attacks! The rest will follow after me to fend off those weaklings.¡±

    It seems Julian still had some sense left and ordered a retreat. He turned toward Niki and added before he left.

    ¡°As for you, if you move from there, I¡¯ll break your legs!¡± He said before disappearing. Niki shrugged and turned to the Skyward Falcon.

    ¡°Can you give me another lift? It¡¯s time that I step in as well.¡± Niki took out his gun with a smile.

 Chapter 33: A Bluff

    Niki squinted his eyes to protect them from the powerful wind. The Skyward Falcon¡¯s speed was unprecedented. He wanted to fly directly toward the Wind ss¡¯s monolith, but he knew he wouldn¡¯t make it in time.

    As he dived through the clouds that covered their monolith, he saw the Water ss making their advancement after they defeated the scouts Julian had left behind.

    ¡°Does our contract involve helping me fight?¡± Niki grabbed the Falcon¡¯s feathers tighter.

    ¡°A single elemental gem is insufficient and I doubt the academy would allow it.¡± The Falconughed. ¡°Move your ass, boy. I want to see how you fight too.¡± The Falcon¡¯s words made Niki sigh.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± A student spotted him from the wind ss. Niki jumped from the Falcon¡¯s body as he came closer to the ground.

    ¡°I request that you wait here.¡± Niki took out his gun after hended. ¡°For my ss needs some time to make it back here.¡±

    ¡°How did you tame that monster?¡± One of the students shouted as he looked with fear at the Falcon¡¯s departing back. The Falcon left the battle and hovered above in the sky.

    ¡°Through my strong will. If you take a single step forward, the monster will shred you to pieces!¡± Niki said with a triumphant expression, scaring all of the Wind ss students.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lie. I won¡¯t interfere no matter what happens.¡± The Falcon said, foiling Niki¡¯s bluff.

    ¡°¡­¡± Niki exchanged nces with the Wind ss. They red at him after his bluff was called out. ¡°He¡¯s simply baiting you into attacking me!¡± He tried again but the Wind ss¡¯s students were already taking out their weapons.

    The three oddballs at the back were studying Niki with interest. He cursed his luck and aimed his gun at them. Without saying anything, he fired three shots that were instantly in front of the three nsmen.

    Wearing simr green bandanas on their foreheads, the three students were simr odd with a unique appearance for each. One of them stepped up, who was as round as a sphere and pped his belly.

    Wind elementals exploded from his body after the p and created a barrier. The barrier deflected the bullets sessfully and Niki¡¯s attack was rendered useless.

    ¡®As tenacious as ever,¡¯ Niki felt a headacheing. He knew these three quite well from his past life. They were from the same n that cultivated the Wind elemental mana. ¡®Theyplement each other a bit too well and they are equally as strong.¡¯

    Another person stepped out of the three and nocked an arrow on her bow. She aimed it at Niki and fired the arrow, but it was created from Wind mana. The arrow turned into a whirlwind that threatened to topple Niki off his feet.

    ¡®Finally.¡¯ Niki smiled as he closed his eyes. He used a bit of his mana through a technique he learned under ¡®her¡¯mand. It was to fight without seeing, but feeling the elementals in the air.

    Niki nned on taking it one step further today and using the wind to his advantage. ¡®Let it rain!¡¯

    Niki jumped forward with his gun in hand. He fired several shots in session that were in no way aimed at the students. The target of his missed shots looked at Niki as if he was an idiot.

    ¡°The bullets are flying all over the ce, is he blind?¡± Asked the fatty with a green bandana. ¡°I think you need to take him out, Veron.¡± He looked to the short youth in the middle. Veron was also one of the nsmen, wearing a simr bandana in addition to green earrings.

    ¡°There¡¯s something weird,¡± Veron said as he looked at the bullet. ¡°The bullets have yet to strike a single object, the wind is trapping them.¡±

    ¡°Kara¡¯s wind is that strong.¡± The fat nsmen said with a smirk. ¡°I bet that¡¯s the reason this guy lost his aim.¡± Veron nodded but still seemed doubtful. Suddenly, his eyes went round as he reached out to the fatty.

    ¡°Duck!¡±

    He warned but it was toote. Fatty screamed in pain as a bullet lodged itself into his back. It appeared out of nowhere like a ghost, but it was by no means thest.

    ¡°Cling!¡±

    A clinking sound resounded as Veron¡¯s arm trembled after deflecting a bullet that appeared out of nowhere. The bullets kept raining on them from every angle that the wind blew.

    ¡°Who is it?!¡± Kara turned her body to look for the attacker, but there was no one behind them except for the ever-stretching forest.

    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± Veron gritted his teeth as he pointed his sword at Niki. ¡°He¡¯s using the wind currents you made to direct his bullets. Even though their power decreased, their angle is unpredictable anymore!¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡± Kara turned with shock at Niki, who kept firing one magazine after another. The bullets started raining on every student in the Wind ss and chaos and confusion spread. ¡°Is he even human?¡±

    ¡°We need to take him down!¡±

    Veron shouted and green mana coated his sword. He dashed forward and endured the iing bullets tounch his attack on Niki who kept firing.

    It was a fact that gunmen were weaker in close-rangebat, so Veron¡¯s judgment was sound. The only problem is that Niki was always one step ahead of them.

    Despite his bullets, Veron managed to get close to Niki. With all of his years of experience, Niki knew that he couldn¡¯t match up to this swordsman.

    The sword descended like the wind itself, threatening to rip Niki into two. At thest second, a dagger appeared in Niki¡¯s hand and redirected the sword.

    Niki blocked the attack at an angle, allowing the sword to slide off his dagger and miss. As Veron¡¯s body leaned into Niki¡¯s left side, Niki shoved the gun into his face.

    Without hesitation, Niki fired. The bullet left his pistol¡¯s muzzle and went on to strike Veron¡¯s forehead, but it stopped. The elemental wind has gathered in front of Veron¡¯s forehead to stop the bullet.

    ¡°You are good.¡± Veron smiled. ¡°But this is the end.¡± Veron let go of his sword and struck with his open palm. Wind from every direction gathered in his hand to form an unstoppable force that sent Niki flying away.

    Rolling on the ground, Niki coughed the dirt that got into his mouth and tried to stand up. However, it took him several tries to manage to stand up straight. The attack was far more powerful than he had anticipated.

    ¡°Step down, it¡¯s your loss.¡± Veron picked up his sword. ¡°I don¡¯t mind giving you a permanent injury if that¡¯s what it takes.¡±

    ¡°My loss?¡± Niki smiled as he picked up his gun. ¡°But my n has yet to bepleted.¡± His words made Veron frown. It was at that moment that a high-pitch scream came from the forest.

    His first volley of bullets didn¡¯t miss as they expected, but Niki was aiming at the forest¡¯s monsters. He saw that monster from above when he was flying and decided to make use of it.

    His bullets worked very little to harm that monster, but they were enough to irritate it. With a high-pitch scream like that of a vengeful ghost, the monster made its debut.

 Chapter 34: Bloodsucker

    A shadow leaped out of the forest and started attacking the first person next to him. The shadow bounced on the poor student and they rolled on the ground.

    The monster revealed itself to be a giant rabbit with sharp teeth protruding from its mouth. Its two front legs were arched into ws that held the poor student in ce by piercing his shoulders.

    ¡°A Bloodsucker!¡±

    The red eyes of the monster made it clear that it was no ordinary one, but a bloodsucking monster that got stronger by drinking the blood of other creatures. They were stronger as their evolution was a lot faster than normal.

    ¡°Help!¡± The student cried out, fear reeking from his voice. Veron diverted his wind sword and shed toward the Bloodsucker. He let go of the wind de and it bolted toward the rabbit who let go of the student and evaded in time.

    ¡°Treat him!¡± Veron shouted as he waved his hand, allowing the wind elementals to retrieve his sword for him. He looked with a frown toward the bloodsucker giant rabbit before turning to Niki. ¡°It¡¯s a vile thing to think of the lives of others so lowly.¡±

    ¡°If that what it takes to win.¡± Niki shrugged, even though he had no intention of letting the monster take the life of any student. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t standby idly.¡±

    As he finished his words, Niki heard shoutsing from a distance. He turned to see that his ss arriving at the scene. They picked the worst possible time for arrival, as the monster targeted them as well now.

    ¡°You dragged down your ss into this.¡±

    ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t think they would be so quick.¡± Niki shook his head. ¡°Nheless, my objective is clear here.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to run away now?¡± Veron didn¡¯t look at him but kept eyeing the bloodsucker as the monster stared back at him. The monster¡¯s droll pooled on the ground in front of it as its eyes darted from a ce to the other.

    ¡°Not a chance.¡± Niki wasn¡¯t a vile person, only a ruthless one. He had no qualms about endangering others if it was for his benefit. However, this was a different topic. ¡°This monster looks like a proper prey.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Veron smiled for the first time today. ¡°We both have two monoliths, so the Water ss¡¯s monolith is thest. How about we make this a fair battle?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it would be fair with your strength, but I¡¯m tired of plotting too.¡± Niki aimed his gun at the monster who was crouching, ready to bounce again.

    His bullet left the gun before the monster could strike again,nding exactly in the monster¡¯s eyes. It screamed in agony as the mana-infused bullet did some damage to his vision.

    Veron said no more and rushed to the monster, shing with his sword. The monster met Veron with its ws and deflected the attack only for more bullets to rain down on him.

    The moment that it tried to run away from the bullets, it was struck by Veron back on track. Their teamwork was wless as each bullet passed by Veron without interfering with his attacks.

    The scene of enemies allying themselves left everyone dumbstruck, but they soon realized why the two had joined forces. If left alone, this monster would rip apart both sses apart.

    An arrow flew over from a distance and lodged itself into the rabbit¡¯s hindleg, severely restricting its movements. Niki spotted Sira standing on top of a tree a fair distance away, aiding them as well.

    ¡°Wind!¡±

    Veron shouted and Kara¡¯s whirlwind arrived to aid them. The bullets danced in the wind as if God himself was guiding them to the monster¡¯s weak points.

    Veron stomped powerfully on the ground and pierced with his sword¡¯s tip enveloped in green mana. The monster seemed to realize the danger it was in, making it gather blood-colored mana in its mouth.

    The corrosive blood exploded to meet the de, but a rain of mana bullets arrived to disturb it. The blood energy exploded in the monster¡¯s mouth, taking away arge chunk of its face.

    Veron¡¯s sword arrived and pierced the monster¡¯s chest and a whirlwind exploded from within, shredding apart the monster¡¯s internals.

    The monster fell to the ground, dead. Two crystals rose from it, each colored with a dripping blood color. These crystals were special vitality crystals that were dropped by Bloodsuckers only after umting tons of vitality from other creatures.

    ¡°Unique Vitality Crystals!¡± A student shouted and the rest of the students¡¯ eyes were dyed with greed. These crystals would at least give you five points in Vitality.

    Veron nced at him and sprinted forward. As Niki was a distance away, someone else rushed in to snatch his crystal. Julian was like a wild beast as he sprinted toward the crystal.

    A normal crystal wouldn¡¯t cause such a reaction, but a unique one was different. Veron and Julian arrived at the same time and each snatched a crystal.

    Without hesitation, each of them broke their crystals. Well, for Julian, it was more of a try than a sess. A bulletnded on his hand and broke the crystal at the moment he was about to break it. The crystal turned into nothingness in front of Julian¡¯s eyes.

    [6 Vitality Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    [A unique energy enters your blood, lying dormant. Activation is necessary for this energy to be harnessed.]

    ¡°NIKOLAI YARAN!¡± Julian¡¯s roar was that of an angry god, ready to deliver celestial justice. It was the first time that Niki heard Julian say his full name in both of his lives.

    ¡®Is this how it feels when your mother calls you by your full name?¡¯ Niki wondered but he couldn¡¯t know since he was an orphan.

    Julian was madly running toward him, fumes of fury spewed out of his mouth. However, Niki wasn¡¯t scared. The more that he interacted with Julian, the more he understood how insecurity-driven his actions were.

    The wind was still as strong as before. With two bullets, Niki struck Julian¡¯s knees and made him roll on the ground in front of Niki. Julian looked up in bloodshot eyes while Niki looked down on him. Without saying anything, Niki turned and sprinted in a different direction.

    ¡°He¡¯s going after our monolith!¡± Veron shouted as he ran after Niki. Julian was left on the ground, trembling with rage at the humiliation that Niki made him grow through.

 Chapter 35: Knowledge Reigns Supreme

    No one outruns the wind.

    This saying was quitemon between adventurers, it was a piece of advice and a warning. Don¡¯t try to outrun against a person with elemental wind, you¡¯ll only be eating their dust.

    That¡¯s why when Niki tried going after the monolith, Veron chased after him and caught up easily. As he was running, Niki felt the wind whistle behind. He threw himself forward and rolled on the ground, avoiding the wind de easily.

    ¡°I guess your sharpshooting skills are your only trump card.¡± Veron aimed his de at Niki, who had to admit that Veron¡¯s words were right.

    His stats werecking and his mana was element-less. He had no inherited skills or any martial arts that would give him an edge over others. The only things that he had were his sharpshooting skills and his knowledge.

    ¡°Knowledge reigns supreme.¡± Niki smiled as his muscles bulged. He jumped from the ground as a dagger appeared in his hand. With one swift motion, he stabbed toward Veron.

    ¡°Gou!¡± Veron shouted and a wall of wind appeared to protect him. The three oddballs¡¯ strength didn¡¯ty in their elemental wind, but their teamwork.

    Niki¡¯s dagger bounced off the wind wall and Kara¡¯s elemental wind arrived to lock him in ce, surrounding leaving no escape for him from behind.

    ¡°Teamwork reigns supreme,¡± Veron said with a smile. ¡°Knowledge does very little when you are weak and alone.¡±

    ¡°I used to think the same way,¡± Niki nodded. ¡°But I think teammates hold you down.¡± He smiled. ¡°For example,¡± Niki sprinted toward Gou and appeared in front of him in an instant. He swung his dagger as Gou shrieked and fell backward.

    His elemental wind broke apart and Niki slipped from the gap Gou left. He knew from before that the only reason Gou used a shield was that he was afraid of confrontations and fighting.

    Niki ran away as Veron rushed to help Gou stand up. He nced at three who would rather check on their friend than chase after him, even though Gou wasn¡¯t injured in any way.

    ¡®This is weakness.¡¯ Niki turned away from the three and ran in the direction of the Fire ss¡¯s monolith, which should be unguarded by now. ¡®Fighting while caring about the wellbeing of others will only drag you down.¡¯

    Teammates can support you or protect you, but they¡¯re also a weakness. This was what the Elven Princess taught him, and she was right.

    Niki used his limit-breaking technique to sprint forward, putting great strain on his muscles. He saw the peak of the fire monolith after a few minutes.

    ¡°BASTARD!¡±

    A roar came from behind him and Niki turned to see Julian, enveloped with bubbling mana. His eyes have turned red from the anger he felt as fumes of red mana left his mouth and nostrils.

    ¡®This guy really tried to steal my loot and got mad that he didn¡¯t seed?¡¯ Niki couldn¡¯t begin to understand the magnitude of narcissism someone needed to behave this way. ¡®How do the Mackay Family raise their children?¡¯ A sigh escaped his mouth.

    Even though the Fire Monolith was only a distance away, Julian seemed to care so little about the ss Battle anymore. His eyes only saw Niki and revenge for what he did.

    Niki had to stop running because that would give an opening for Julian to attack. He turned around and inserted another magazine into his gun, which was also hisst.

    ¡°The Fire Monolith is over there!¡± Niki pointed to the distance. ¡°If we work together, then we can¡­ He¡¯s already rushing forward.¡± Niki sighed and stopped trying to persuade him. What did he expect from someone who tormented him only because Valkyrie showed interest in him?

    Maybe it was the thought of Niki being his equal that ticked him off, but Niki wasn¡¯t his therapist and wouldn¡¯t try to understand why he did the things he did.

    He aimed his gun and bullets left the muzzle one after the other. The advantage bullets had over weapons was that it was hard to evade them without the agility of an F-ranker, but that was for normal bullets anyway.

    His mana drained as he infused it into the bullets. His 6 Points of mana were drained fully and would need some time to recover. However, the first attack was all that mattered since the condensed mana shattered Julian¡¯s defense and pierced his abdomen.

    With a rageful howl, Julian kept rushing forward. His frame turnedrger as he turned more bestial by the second. He jumped as he got closer to Niki and punched.

    With a jump and a roll, Niki managed to evade only because he saw iting. He rolled down the hill before standing up and running away.

    He thought that he would do more damage than this, but it seems things were different from his past life. Julian felt more threatened by Luke¡¯s death and the interest Valkyrie ced on Niki.

    As he ran toward the fire monolith, Niki used the forest to try obstructing Julian. However, trees broke and soil was upturned as Julian chased after him.

    Niki knew it won¡¯t be long before Julian¡¯s mana runs out, as they were still below the F-rank. However, he would need to survive until then.

    He turned around and shot three bullets using the branches as a blind spot. The bullets went through the branch and struck Julian in the forehead, making his head jerk as he fell to the ground.

    This would buy Niki more time to run toward the monolith. As he got closer to it, he saw three figures waiting for him over there. Veron, Gou, and Kara used the time he wasted with Julian to run over here. With their wind to help, it was an easy feat.

    ¡®Enemies in front of me and enemies behind me.¡¯ Niki¡¯s mind raced. ¡®It¡¯s time to make the two collide.¡¯

    He ran faster until his feet barely touched the ground. He didn¡¯t stop even with the three nsmen in front of him. With Julian behind him, Niki nned on making use of his rage.

 Chapter 36: End of Class Battle

    Niki felt Julian gather his mana behind him. He nced back and saw him crouching, ready to bounce on Niki. Seeing this, Niki dashed forward and shot three bullets toward the three nsmen.

    ¡°I won¡¯t allow you!¡± Gou shouted and constructed his shield of wind. The wall rose high and deflected the bullets, but that was Niki¡¯s intention. He turned around and gave his back to the wall.

    ¡°Come on, little Julian.¡± Niki gestured with his index finger, provoking Julian further until his eyes couldn¡¯t see anything but rage. Julian roared and jumped upward, throwing a powerful punch toward Niki.

    Niki used mana and dodged to the side. Julian¡¯s punchnded on the wall of wind. It broke it apart before going directly toward Gou, striking him in the abdomen.

    ¡°Cough!¡± Gou coughed up blood as he slid several meters backward before being supported by Veron and Kara.

    ¡°Gou!¡± Veron shouted with worry as he hurried to help his friend. After seeing his blood, Gou¡¯s eyes turned white, and he fainted. Veron ced him on the ground before turning at Julian with fierce eyes.

    ¡®That¡¯s the second weakness teams have, subjectivity.¡¯ Niki sighed in his mind. Veron lost the ability to be objective the moment he teamed up with his nsmen.

    ¡°Take this!¡± Kara shouted and shot three whirlwinds toward Julian. Before Veron could stop her, the mighty wind was already tearing through Julian¡¯s clothes and body.

    Niki retreated as the three continued with their fight. Enraged further, Julian started fighting the Wind nsmen as things escted.

    Niki ran back into the forest before changing direction and going toward the other monolith the Wind ss had. The sounds of battle rang in his ears until they began to fade.

    ¡®Like removing a hair from a dough,¡¯ Niki sighed inwardly. ¡®At some point, I¡¯ll run out of tricks and I won¡¯t fool these kids anymore.¡¯

    Niki knew that the only method that can never fail is to be stronger than others. This way, he won¡¯t have to think about how to do stuff but do them.

    He arrived at a hill that was a short distance away from the monolith. He surveyed the surrounding, and his eyes spotted someone on a different hill, also looking around.

    Niki squinted as the other person met his eyes. The two looked at each other with confusion. After a short while, Niki realized who this person was.

    ¡®She¡¯s the archer of the Water ss,¡¯ Niki remembered, seeing her giant blue bow. ¡®She must be here to reim the monolith while the Wind ss is busy.¡¯

    They had nothing but half an hour left in their time limit. Assuming things remained the same or the Water ss reimed the monolith. In that case, the academy will extend the time by another hour.

    ¡®My ss is barely holding on.¡¯ Niki thought. ¡®If the time is extended by another hour, we¡¯ll be falling apart.¡¯ Thinking of this, Niki dashed toward the monolith.

    At the same time, the archer sprinted down the hill as well. She was faster than Niki, but he navigated better through the forest. As a result, they were both advancing at an equal rate.

    Niki heard the whistle of an arrow as the wind changed, making him roll forward. An arrownded in his earlier position, proving his hunch was correct. He took out his gun and shot two bullets.

    The archer pulled on her bow¡¯s string and released it, shooting an empty shot. However, the mana that she infused into the bow exploded to divert the directions of the bullets.

    The two looked at each other, knowing that they were only wasting more time. At the same time, both Niki and the archer began running toward the monolith again.

    ¡°Two enemies areing!¡± One of the remaining Wind ss¡¯s students shouted as they gathered. There were only five of them. The archer nocked her arrow as Niki aimed his gun. While running, the two took their aim.

    The screams of the students came one after the other as the bullets and arrows knocked them out. In the end, Niki got three out of the five while the archer got only two.

    ¡®Pulling the trigger is always easier and quicker.¡¯ Niki smiled even though he knew that archers had it easier than shooters in the long run. After being infused with elemental mana, arrows will be far more powerful than bullets.

    The archer red at him, but neither of the two stopped running. They reached different sides of the monolith at the same time. Both began climbing using the rough texture of the stone monolith.

    ¡°Lost Art of Azure Wind,¡±

    Niki heard the wind whispers in his ears as he nced back. He saw Veron standing on top of a hill far away,manding the wind into his bidding. The elemental mana surrounding him as he chanted, making the wind in the area listen to his words.

    ¡°Hear my call and let the wind guide me, First Move!¡±

    Veron shouted and shed downward. The wind gathered on his sword, and he unleashed it in the monolith¡¯s direction. With every meter the wind de traveled, it gathered more wind and momentum.

    When it reached the monolith, it was a vortex of a windstorm. The wind was powerful enough to make scratches on the monolith, and they began ripping away Niki¡¯s clothes.

    ¡®Dammit, this guy is too powerful for a mere 17-years old.¡¯ Niki gritted his teeth as his veins bulged. He used the technique taught to him by the Elves, limit-break.

    Using his strength after straining his body, Niki jumped away from the vortex and started climbing forward. As if they knew, the wind des chased after him and the archer.

    ¡°Agh!¡± The archer grunted as a wind de tore through her shoulder, but she didn¡¯t stop climbing. Niki admired her strong will and relentless pursuit, but he wouldn¡¯t back down either.

    As the wind chased after them, the two climbed further. Niki was the first to reach the edge and pulled himself up. The key glowed bright blue in the light of day.

    The archer managed to reach the edge right after him. Niki didn¡¯t bother obstructing her and ran toward the key. He knew that a more dangerous foe was after him.

    ¡°I shan¡¯t allow it!¡± A shout came as Veron descended on the monolith after being carried by the wind. He sprinted toward Niki with his sword in hand, aimed at Niki.

    ¡®That¡¯s cheating!¡¯ Niki wanted to cry out after seeing how easy this guy climbed the monolith,

    With a powerful stomp on the ground, Veron sprinted in his direction. In front of Niki was the key and on his left was Veron¡¯s sword.

    If he wanted to grab the key, he would risk Veron¡¯s sword stabbing him. If he dodged and went after the key, the archer would be the one to have it. The moment she grabbed it, the monolith would buff her, and she would be able to hold them back until her teammates arrive.

    ¡®If I can¡¯t have it, then no one else can.¡¯ Niki grabbed his gun and used thest of his meager mana and thest of his bullet.

    Seeing his actions, the archer and Veron grew wary. The one that Niki would shoot at will be the one losing the advantage. However, their eyes showed disbelief when Niki shot at none of them.

    His bullets zoomed through the air and struck the key, sending it flying away. Niki threw bent his knees forward and slid on them, making the sword only scratch his left cheek.

    After crossing the two, Niki jumped after the key. The key fell off the monolith and to the ground. Niki reached to it midair and grabbed hold of it, allowing the announcement to shake the hearts of everyone.

    [The Earth ss has conquered three monoliths!]

    The monolith turned yellow, granting strength to Niki¡¯s body. The buff would help him survive the impact of falling, but Niki knew he couldn¡¯t avoid a few fractures.

    ¡°Skyward Falcon, is that enough?!¡± Niki shouted to the sky as the Falcon¡¯s winds arrived to help him. The wind carried him safely to the ground before disappearing and making him roll in the dirt.

    ¡°Brat,¡± The Falcon¡¯s voice arrived. ¡°I never thought you would be so determined. This favor isn¡¯t a part of our contract, but out of respect. The next time that you visit me, I hope you would be stronger.¡±

    The Falcon¡¯s voice traveled from a distance as Niki spit out the dirt in his mouth. He looked up with a smile as the giant monster disappeared into the clouds.

    There were less than ten minutes before the end, and he needed to survive the pursuit of the Wind and Water sses. He saw Veron and the archer prepare to jump down as someone arrived behind him.

    ¡°You knew I was here, but didn¡¯t trust me to protect you.¡± Marcus said as he walked over. ¡°You could¡¯ve ended this earlier if you didn¡¯t shoot the key.¡±

    Niki gave him a knowing smile but didn¡¯t answer his question. He felt the presence of Marcus and spotted him earlier but didn¡¯t want to rely on him for this.

    ¡°Well, I did my part.¡± Niki stood up. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time for you to step up.¡± He gestured toward Veron and the Leader of the Water ss. With a sigh, Marcus crossed his arms. A yellow shield appeared in front of them, protecting them.

    Veron¡¯s and the archer¡¯s attacks arrived but did little to break the shield Marcus has constructed. After a while, Sira also came and pushed them back.

    Niki sat down, ying with the key as the countdown reached zero. When the announcement arrived, he stood up and threw the Key to Marcus.

    [The Earth ss wins the ss Battle!]

 Chapter 37: Ascension of Immortals

    On the way back, Niki finally noticed his roommates. While Lan was in the wind ss, Nar was in the fire ss, and Ro Za was in the water ss. He didn¡¯t notice them before because things were messy, but they were bound to see him.

    Mr. Heartwrath gathered them in front of the Rohan Academy¡¯s Forest gates, giving them one final speech before going back to the academy.

    ¡°The Earth ss has emerged victorious this time. I can¡¯t say I expected that. There are a lot of things no one expected.¡± He nced at Niki as he said that. ¡°Scores shall be rewarded ording to performance. The academy will double The Earth ss¡¯s scores because they won. For the Wind and Water ss, who managed tost until the end, we will increase their scores by 30%. As for the Lightning and Fire ss, they got nothing!¡±

    Hearing this, the students of the Fire and Lightning ss groaned. The Lightning ss red at Niki, who has stolen their first-ce position.

    ¡°Sir!¡± Julian stood up from the crowd. ¡°Some students used outside aid; isn¡¯t that cheating?¡± He was referring to Niki and the Falcon, hoping to disqualify him.

    ¡°The Guardian of Rohan is no outsider.¡± Mr. Heartwrath replied sternly. ¡°If he decided to intervene, then it must be within the limit.¡± He waved Julian off, who gritted his teeth in anger.

    Niki didn¡¯t say anything and endured the hateful gazes of the students. All he cared about was his performance scores. He was the one who captured both monoliths, giving him a very high score.

    ¡°The individual exam will be held in the academy¡¯s virtual chambers.¡± Mr. Heartwrath said as the buses arrived. ¡°There, you can prove yourselves.¡±

    Even though his score doubled, so did the scores of the other students in his ss. This reward included Julian, who did nothing but obstructing them.

    Niki boarded the bus as he thought about the possibility of them punishing Julian. However, he couldn¡¯t see it. The academy wouldn¡¯t offend the Mackay family over this.

    The students deserted the row of chairs he sat in, either out of fear or hate. He looked out of the window as he thought about the curse on his body. He needs to lift it today after the exam.

    This way, he would have an easy mind as he makes his way into Hyde¡¯s inner circle. The materials were there, and Sergio researched what Niki asked of him, so it should be okay.

    [Fate Points: 24.]

    He looked at the panel in front of him with a smile. The system has rewarded him with 20 Fate Points for dominating the exam. This way, he¡¯ll have an easy time going through his following ns.

    ¡°For someone who made so many enemies, you seem rxed.¡± Sira walked over and sat beside him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that your wings will burn if you get too close to the sun?¡±

    ¡°By the sun, I don¡¯t know if you mean glory or Miss Valkyrie Helnes.¡± Niki squinted his eyes. ¡°Are you saying I should back down?¡±

    ¡°Who am I to tell you what to do?¡± Sira shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that you should expect some retaliation.¡±

    ¡°From who?¡±

    ¡°From everyone that you will outrank.¡± Sira smiled. ¡°We¡¯re the sons and daughters of heaven, untouched by the mortal world. Everyone carries this mindset; what would happen if the mortal world reached out and proved stronger than them?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Niki said dismissively. ¡°You can leave.¡±

    ¡°Make friends, not enemies,¡± Sira said before standing up and leaving. Niki remained silent as her words remained in his mind.

    ¡®If I care about your feelings, I¡¯ll never advance.¡¯ Niki clenched his fist. ¡®The Lost Garden, Bloodline Crystal, hiring a flying ship, and finally, trial of God of Lost Souls. You try to hold me down, but I shall break through everything and obtain what revenge.¡¯

    Niki¡¯s eyes were terrifyingly cold. The world has betrayed him time and time again, breaking something within him. He didn¡¯t care about anything but obtaining the power that would make him invincible.

    The buses arrived at the academy, where Mr. Heartwrath to go to the Virtual Reality facility. For the individual exam, they will be taking it using a game called Ascension of Immortals.

    If the students hated him before, they loathed him now. As he was walking into the academy, he received more gazes than usual. From now on, there will be people other than Julian.

    As he arrived at the virtual reality facility, Niki found Miss Jena waiting for them. She gave him an encouraging wink as he walked toward the cab. Niki shook his head with a smile as the scenery changed in front of him.

    Ascension of Immortals.

    Arge majority of adventurers below the F-rank yed this game. It was a series of challenges that they needed to tackle and climb the tower. It helped sharpen their observation skills and instincts.

    In front of Niki was a giant gate. He walked through the gate, and the game asked him to enter his name. After he wrote it, the gate exploded and pulled him into the tower.

    ¡°Your scores will be based on how well you do here.¡± Miss Jena¡¯s voice arrived to inform them. ¡°The more progressive you are in the tower, the higher your scores. I wish you luck.¡±

    As her voice faded, the first floor appeared in front of Niki. He was in a brick room filled with ancient vines. The vegetation grew from between the wall¡¯s spaces and gave the room an abandoned ambiance.

    A single orb glowed in front of him with words floating above it. Niki read them and smiled. This exam was going to be his yground.

    [Lucky Orb: This orb appears at the end of every floor, rewarding adventurers with random items. The gods took pity on humans and spared one Lucky Orb at the beginning of every adventure.]

    [Items: Tools, weapons, or artifacts that would help you on your quest. Their ranking is Low, Average, High, and Perfect.]

    ¡®If it¡¯s luck, then I have tones of it.¡¯ He had forgotten about this from his past life. Niki opened his system and checked the odds of getting a perfect item.

    [The chosen event: Obtaining a Perfect-rank item.]

    [Probability: 10%]

    [Fate Points invested: 0.]

    [New Probability: -]

    [Fate Points: 24.]

    [The system has detected a Virtual Reality Realm. The points required to change probability differ from the real world. One Point guarantees a single oue.]

    ¡®Ah,¡¯ Niki grinned as he read thest note. ¡®It¡¯s because the program runs this Virtual Reality, not a real-life event.¡¯ He used his system, and the orb glowed a golden color. ¡®It is alling together.¡¯ He pulled the item from the Lucky Orb.

 Chapter 38: Galvinâ€™s Fang Sword

    [You pulled out a Perfect Item!]

    A message of bright color appeared in front of him as his hand gripped a handle. Niki pulled as a long and icy sword emerged from within the orb.

    ¡°Ugh, a sword?¡± Niki groaned. Swords were a bother and required a lot of effort. For him, Niki wasn¡¯t used to swords because he always foundfort in using a gun. That was until he had to learn to use a dagger.

    [Galvin¡¯s Fang Sword: A master cksmith created this sword from the fang of the giant Ice Dragon, Galvin. Forsaken by his race, the dragon lived forever in hatred. The hatred within Galvin¡¯s fang works to strengthen the user.]

    [Special Power 1: Ice Doman.]

    [Special Power 2: Freezing Poison.]

    [Special Power 3: me of Hatred.]

    Niki expanded the powers and realized they were too overpowered. Ice Domain would create a domain around him where every other object or creature would receive ice damage over time. Freezing Poison would paralyze his opponents after the first wound he gives them for 10 seconds. As for mes of Hatred, it would double his strength when he wields this sword.

    ¡°Can I take this sword out?!¡± Niki¡¯s mouth gaped. This weapon would make him instantly powerful enough to open a guild of his own.

    [yers can¡¯t take weapons out, as they are not real.]

    The game answered him, and Niki felt embarrassed. He knew that. After a cough, he examined the sword closely. It was crystal clear with a blue sheen over its surface. As he pushed his finger close to the de, frosting appeared on his fingernail

    ¡°Overpowered!¡± Niki grinned as he shed with the sword. The sword felt light in his hand, and it left a trail of ice. The ice mmed to the wall and froze it instantly. ¡°Well, I better leave this room before I break it down.¡±

    Niki walked out of the room and into the yellow-brick corridor. The vegetation spread over the walls and ceiling as chunks of metaly in every corner.

    ¡®Right, the first stage¡¯s enemy is¡­¡¯

    As Niki remembered, a machine woke up from the few that were scattered around. It hovered in the air as its single eye turned from blue to red.

    ¡°Enemy¡­ Identified¡­¡± The machine said with a crackling voice, warning its long-dead owner.

    ¡®Ancient machinery,¡¯ Niki sighed. ¡®These pieces of machinery always remind you of the passage of time.¡¯

    The machine turned a few gears as giant scythes protruded from the machine¡¯s spherical body. They were each a meter long and would rip you apart if they managed to touch you.

    ¡°Let¡¯s test you, Fang.¡± Niki shed with his sword, and it left a trail of snow as it struck the machine. The ice covered the device as it ceased all movements.

    ¡°Damage¡­ Damage. Da¡­¡±

    The machine froze and fell to the ground, breaking apart into small pieces. It seems the ice has further weakened the parts that time eroded.

    Niki¡¯s mouth gaped, as he has expected that he needed to put a bit of effort. He looked at the sword in his hand with a speechless expression.

    ¡°I understand that it¡¯s to make people addictive to the game, but isn¡¯t this too much?¡±

    What he didn¡¯t know was that the program has made sure that yers wouldn¡¯t pull this sword easily. You¡¯d have to be Lady Luck herself for you to pull this one on the first floor. Unluckily for the game, Niki was precisely that, except he was a guy.

    Niki wouldn¡¯t kick away a pie that fell from the sky, so he simply shrugged and advanced. Another machinery rose in the air and began its assault, but Niki¡¯s single sh brought it down again.

    He breezed through the corridor until he reached a giant door. When he touched it, the door opened to reveal a circr hall with massive machinery inside.

    ¡°Are you the boss?¡± Niki walked in, unhurried and confident. With his bugged item in hand, even the gods would fear him. The giant machinery didn¡¯t answer, of course; it simply stayed still. ¡°Hah, afraid?¡± Niki gave a wicked smile of a second-rate viin.

    As he got closer to it, the machinery finally awoke. It rose in the air as cannons appeared on its back and giant scythes protruded from its sides. Red eyes glowed on the head as it looked at Niki, who looked puny in front of it.

    ¡°Uh, you¡¯re a big boy. How about we talk things out?¡± Niki backed away as he saw the cannons on its back. Not even his godly sword could create a shield.

    The machinery seemed to have an antisocial personality and an aggressive one too. Without answering, its cannons began glowing red as the machinery fired countless missiles.

    The missiles flew upward before falling toward Niki, who stabbed his sword into the ground, making it produced a massive ice shockwave.

    ¡°Ice Domain!¡± Niki shouted, but it seemed the game needed to make a fool out of him.

    [No need to shout the name of the skill.]

    The area around him started getting frozen rapidly as the air around him turned icy. The ice attack obstructed the missiles who worked to turned their mes off but couldn¡¯t do it in time.

    Niki grabbed his sword and swung with everything he had, creating a giant ice wind sh that traveled toward the missiles. The missiles and ice storm collided, and an explosion urred midair.

    Niki dashed toward the machinery without pause and struck it with his sword, leaving a giant scratch on it. From there, the Freezing Poison spread and began freezing the machinery rapidly.

    Despite not being frozen still, the ice still slowed down the machinery. Niki had an easier time avoiding the scythe as it arrived to cut him down.

    With light steps, Niki appeared behind it and attacked again, slowing it down once more. The hit and run game began as Niki used the sword¡¯s freezing effect to outrun the machinery.

    In the end, the machinery broke down and fell, unmoving again. Niki smiled and almost kissed his sword, but he refrained after remembering he would turn into a popsicle if he did.

    He didn¡¯t even reach the first boss in his past life because his stats were below that of an average person. That¡¯s why he ranked at the bottom again.

    [You have cleared the first floor.]

    [Rewards: Lucky Orb and one health potion.]

    [Exam-Mode has been detected. You have obtained the first-clearance reward: Ten-minute ticket.]

    Since they had an exam using the game, Niki obtained an extra reward for being the first person to clear the floor. The ticket he received would give him ten more minutes of the exam, instead of the usual three hours.

 Chapter 39: End of Exam!

    Grabbing the ticket with both hands, Niki tore it in half. In front of him, the time increased by ten minutes, granting him extra time to progress farther into the tower.

    He turned to the Lucky Orb and used one Fate Point to get a perfect item. This time, the reward that appeared wasn¡¯t a weapon but a small watch.

    [Malfunctional Pocket Watch: This perfect-grade item can stop time for five seconds. You can use this watch up to five times before it stops working. The usage¡¯s cooldown is ten seconds.]

    ¡®Another overpowered item,¡¯ Niki grinned as he threw the watch into his pocket. ¡®If I meet a powerful monster, I¡¯ll just kill them when they¡¯re frozen.¡¯

    After the giant machinery disappeared, a small cylindrical pir emerged from the ground in its stead. Niki walked up to it and touched the engraving, prompting another message to appear.

    [Would you like to visit the Second Floor?]

    ¡®Yes.¡¯ Niki¡¯s body began disappearing as he ascended to a higher floor of the tower.

    This game reminded Niki of the actual Towers of Gods and how they yed an essential role in surviving the apocalypse. The Elves weren¡¯t the only threat out there, as the war they started was only a result of a greater cmity.

    Pushing the ominous future away from his mind, Niki looked at the second¡¯s floor interior. This time, he was in a giant cave. He looked at the stctites that dropped from the ceiling and the countless monsters hanging from them.

    ¡®Bloodsucker Bats.¡¯ Niki felt a headacheing. This Floor would be more effortless for stealth sses to clear, like assassins. Anyone else will suffer. ¡®It¡¯s time to use my foolproof discreet n.¡¯ He took a few steps forward, as quiet as he can.

    ¡°WAKE UP, YOU BLOODSUCKING VERMINS!¡±

    His roar shook the cave, and it threw the bats into a frenzy. They pped their wings, obstructing Niki¡¯s visionpletely. He took out Galvin¡¯s Fang and stabbed the ground, creating the Ice Domain.

    The domain covered the bats¡¯ wings with ayer of ice, making them collide against each other as they failed to steady themselves. Taking this opportunity before they began attacking him and ripping him to pieces, Niki took out the watch and activated it.

    Everything came to a halt.

    He could see the bat¡¯s freeze midair, their fangs protruding as the ice ran over their skin. Their red eyes were looking for the prey that dared venture into their cave.

    One second was up.

    Niki ran forward, shed with his sword, missing his gun greatly. If he had obtained it, killing these bats would be a lot easier.

    His sword wounded multiple bats every time he shed. He made us of the unique power the sword had and the pocket watch¡¯s ability to paralyze the bats.

    By the time the five minutes were up, the bats were all paralyzed. They fell to the ground, ready for Niki to kill and advance. Stabbing their necks with his sword, Niki watched as the bats turned into light particles and disappeared.

    He walked through the cave until he found another group of bats. Repeating the same actions, Niki advanced through the Floor until he met the boss again.

    A giant bat that breathed out poison. Niki looked at the pocket watch, which had a single usage left, and strode forward. The boss spotted him and gave a loud shriek apanied by fumes of poison.

    Niki activated the watch as the fumes raced to poison him. However, he disappeared from his position and appeared behind the bat instantly.

    The bat turned to bite its prey, but suddenly, countless wounds radiating powerful ice energy appeared on its body. Ice worked to freeze all of its blood until the bat turned into a giant ice statue.

    ¡°A fine piece of work.¡± Niki admired the ice statue and sighed when it disappeared. A message arrived from the game to notify him that he was the first to clear the second floor. ¡°Well, I¡¯m excited to get those silvers.¡± He smiled after he remembered his bet.

    ***

    The countdown had fifteen minutes left. Niki emerged from the dust storm and looked at the temple in the distance. The seventh Floor seems to be the limit of his current ability and abnormal luck.

    He took out a health potion from his bag and drank all of it, healing his wounds. The scorpions in this desert used the sandstorm tounch sneak attacks that he could barely evade.

    If not for his three artifacts, Niki would have died. The bracelet he wore had three beads out of the five. It was another perfect artifact that gave him five extra lives in the game.

    He died twice because he didn¡¯t react in time and used the other artifact, the pendant he wore. It created a shield that negated all attacks. The catch was that the protectionsted a fraction of a second before disappearing.

    This artifact was all about timing, which Niki failed because of the sneak attacks the scorpions made. As for the final artifact, Niki had yet to use it. However, calling it a weapon of mass destruction was more appropriate.

    He used the rest of the rewards fighting against monsters and avoiding traps. They were the items that had limited usages. If not for them, then Niki would have failed countless times.

    Despite tickets to extend the time, Niki was still unable to go beyond the seventh Floor. However, he was sure that no other students would be able to pull it off. The reason was simple: they weren¡¯t as lucky.

    The temple stood imposing, made of ck marble, a contrast to the white sand beneath it. The red sky looked like it was there to bring down the apocalypse upon him.

    He walked straight in without trying to mind any traps because he knew this was the boss¡¯s room. The temple had many pirs, big and small. Niki passed them all until he reached the grand hall, where a giant creature coiled around itself.

    At his arrival, the boss uncoiled itself and stood up. It was a giant centipede with teeth and legs as sharp as his sword. The joints crackled in the empty temple as the monster studied him.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be thest boss I fight over here.¡± Niki¡¯s sword left an ice trail as its tip slid across the sand. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±

    Niki jumped forward and shed with his sword. The temple¡¯s temperature dropped as ice exploded from his sword. The many legs the monster had gathered to block the sword before freezing.

    With the buzz of an insect, the monster bent over to bite Niki¡¯s head off. The bead on his bracelet broke as he allowed it to teleport him above the centipede¡¯s head.

    Niki swung downward, and the ice exploded again. His sword collided with the hard shell and left a deep scratch but didn¡¯t prate it. The monster whipped its body and headbutted Niki, sending him cracking to the wall.

    ¡°Cough, you bastard.¡± Niki decided it was no time to hold back. If not for his shield, he would have died just now. He needed to create an opening so that his final attack wouldn¡¯t go to waste. Niki jumped forward and used the shield to deflect the monster¡¯s attack before striking again.

    After a few rounds of fighting, Niki finally found his opening. The monster was dizzy after Niki struck its head again, and it fell to the ground.

    This opening was what Niki needed. He took out the small book from his bag and raised it high. Mana was injected into the book as the skill activated.

    The book turned to a giant meteor above his hand. Niki raised it high before he swung his hand down, bringing down the meteor with it. The destruction began before it mmed to the ground as the ground caved in under pressure.

    The meteor descended on the boss and obliterated everything in its path. Because of the cramped space, Niki was swept away by the explosion and lost two of his lives before he managed to teleport outside. The notifications arrived in hauls as the meteor demolished the temple to the ground.

    [You have cleared the Seventh Floor!]

    [You are the first to clear the Seventh Floor in this exam round!]

    [You obtained three rewards!]

    [Exam has ended!]

    [Logging out of the virtual world¡­ Calcting your score¡­ Calcting your ranking¡­ Creating a list¡­]

    [Congrattions, you have scored the highest in this exam!]

 Chapter 40: The Curse

    The exam ended, and the students left their virtual cabs, gathering in the grand hall of the academy. However, confusion spread when the academy didn¡¯t announce the results in time.

    ¡°Why is it taking so long?¡± Julian asked, annoyed. ¡°How long are we going to stay here for?¡± The other students, who couldn¡¯t sit still for more than a few minutes before wanting to kill themselves, shared his annoyance.

    ¡°It seems,¡± Miss Jena furrowed her brows. ¡°The exam hasn¡¯t ended for everyone; someone is still taking the exam.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°How can that be? Didn¡¯t the exam onlyst for three hours?¡±

    ¡°Is it some sort of bug? That¡¯s not fair!¡±

    The hall grew chaotic as all of the one-hundred-fifty students talked at once. They felt betrayed by the fact that someone had more time to score than them.

    ¡°Silence!¡± Mr. Heartwrath arrived with a bald older man. As soon as they appeared, all students closed their mouths. It wasn¡¯t because of Mr. Heartwrath, but because of the man standing next to him.

    Even though Mr. Heartwrath towered the man with a thin frame, their auras were vastly different. The man looked to be in his sixties with a beard mottled with white, the wrinkles under his eyes giving him an ambiance of wisdom.

    ¡°Principal!¡± Miss Jena bowed. Even though this man was her father, their rtionship was still professional in public.

    Her father smiled and waved his hand before taking the stage. His maic voice rang in the grand hall after he let out a faint cough to clear his throat.

    ¡°It¡¯s the first time you take this exam, so, understandably, it¡¯s the first time you witness such a case. The exam format encouragespetition as you have all read the instructions. A stealth-ss can take a long time to clear floor one, but easily finish floor too.¡±

    The principal waved his hand, and several pictures appeared on the giant screen behind them. They were pictures of every floor, and the sses needed to finish them quickly.

    ¡°Thus, the student would finish at different times. We reward everyone with a ticket that increases their time by ten minutes. Usually, that means the results will be dyed by ten minutes, twenty if someone is a dual-sser.¡±

    ¡°Sir, you mean¡­¡± Mr. Heartwrath looked at the clock with a shocked expression. It was a bit over an hour since the end of the exam for most students.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, this time, a single student was the first to finish several floors!¡± The principal grinned with an unusual excited expression. ¡°That student not only finished seven floors, he even finished them quickly!¡±

    The students began to look around, looking for the missing student who was still taking the exam. However, they couldn¡¯t find out with so many people here.

    ¡°The game will announce the result in a few minutes after that student¡¯s time is done. Of course, I simply calcted the extra time to know how many floors he finished; he might have finished even more than this.¡±

    After saying that, the principal went silent and waited. The rest of the students felt their skins crawl. They were going to school with a monster, a mighty hidden dragon, and they had no idea.

    Seventy minutes after the exam was over, as the sky was getting darker, the screen finally turned bright, and rows of words appeared. Every student snapped their head in its way with great zeal to know the identity of the abnormal student.

    [This exam is over. The system is calcting the scores of every student. adding them to their ss battles scores, establishing several rankings, creating a list¡­]

    After that, three columns appeared. Ranks and scores of the ss Battles, the Ascension of Immortals, and the Final Ranking. The first ce of all three was seized by the same name, shocking every student and teacher in the academy.

    ¡°Heavens!¡± A teacher of another ss eximed. ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± He gasped in a shocked manner. ¡°Wait,¡± He then frowned. ¡°Who the hell is Niki Yaran?¡±

    ***

    His phone vibrated in his pocket as Niki left the academy. An email telling him he was the first ranker arrived. As he left the ancient gates of the Rohan Academy, he read through the notifications in his system.

    [Fate has been stolen! You obtained 20 Fate Points.]

    [Fate Points: 37.]

    After subtracting 7 points he used in the Virtual Realm, Niki ended with 37 points. That was a small distance away from the 49 Points he needed to awaken his bloodline, but his stats were nowhere near enough.

    Inside, Niki wanted to step over everyone who looked down on him. However, he had more important things to do. He went to Hunters Street and took a detour from there.

    When he entered the workshop, he heard mumbling sounds like that of an evil ghost. He found the genius alchemist sitting with a pile of books beside him. Niki smiled and sat beside him, startling the alchemist.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s boss.¡± Sergio sighed. ¡°You should¡¯ve knocked. What would you do if I had a woman over?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re too young for that.¡± Niki frowned. ¡°Besides, if you do something like that here, you¡¯re fired.¡±

    ¡°Ha, ha, ha,¡± Sergioughed dryly. ¡°I¡¯m kidding, boss! Anyway, I¡¯ve done what you asked. I¡¯ve adjusted the portions of the form to suit the abdomen instead of the head.¡±

    ¡°Good, are you ready?¡±

    ¡°What, now?!¡± Sergio gaped. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m still not familiar with the process. My sess rate will be 1:5! We only have one set of materials!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯m quite lucky.¡± Niki smiled. ¡°Come on, take out the materials.¡±

    ¡°Boss, even the heavens look down on arrogance. Let me have two more, no, one more day! I¡¯ll raise that sess rate by 10!¡±

    ¡®A 30% chance is not a lot different than 20%, but the fact he can do that in a day is monstrous.¡¯

    Sergio went on to convince Niki, but he didn¡¯t know that Niki had very little time. Madness will use the curse in less than a week, and there will be no escape then.

    Defeated and pressured, Sergio took out his cauldron and materials. He lit up the mes and controlled them using his mana. As the metal turned warm, he started pouring the materials Niki brought one after the other.

    [The chosen event: Sergio¡¯s sess in brewing the potion.]

    [Probability: 25%]

    [Fate Points invested: 3.]

    [New Probability: 100%]

    [Fate Points: 34.]

    [Manipte Probability]

    Niki wouldn¡¯t take any chances with this potion, so he made sure the probability was 100%. Sergio worked withser-like focus despite his protests, and to Niki¡¯s amazement, he had a 1:4 sess rate. This young man underestimated himself.

    The process took half an hour, and by the end of it, Sergio was sweating. As he ced the final material, the skull¡¯s refined power he made, the potion began glowing.

    ¡°A sess?!¡± Sergio was shocked and turned to Niki as if he was a descended god. ¡°Boss, what kind of luck do you have exactly?¡±

    ¡°Shut up and put it in a vial.¡± Niki started undressing. Sergio rushed ahead to ce the potion in the vial. As Nikiy down on the bed, Sergio looked at the curse with dread.

    ¡°Seeing it up close, it¡¯s gruesome¡­¡± Sergio muttered.

    ¡°Hurry up.¡± Niki frowned. Sergio nodded and poured the vial on his abdomen, starting the torture.

    As soon as the liquid came in contact with his body, Niki felt like it was on fire. He gritted his teeth and didn¡¯t let out a single scream.

    ¡°Hold me down!¡± Niki shouted, and Sergio hurried to restrain his hands. Niki fought the urge to scratch away his skin as the curse and potion collided.

 Chapter 41: Sub-Stat: Blood Energy

    Niki wanted to enchant the potion before using it, but he decided otherwise. Unlike the case with Sergio, he didn¡¯t know any enchanters that he could trust. Knowing that Madness had deep ties to the Enchanters Association deterred Niki from seeking them out.

    [Event¡¯s Probability: 30%.]

    He was measuring the sess of removing the curse and realized that it was shallow. Gritting his teeth, Niki spent two points for it to seed. As soon as he did, the pain intensified.

    ¡°AGH!¡± Niki let out a groan for the first time, strong enough to startle Sergio, who was holding him down.

    ¡°Boss, are you alright?¡± Sergio asked, panicky. He didn¡¯t want to deal with a dead body, not that anyone else did. Well, except for Madness.

    Niki couldn¡¯t answer even if he wanted to and just wished for the pain to stop. Even dying didn¡¯t feel this bad. The potion was slowly eroding the curse. His head grew faint until he fainted, freed from the pain.

    ***

    When he woke up, he found that it was early morning of the next day. The workshop was empty and but Sergio has cleaned it up while Niki was asleep.

    He helped himself sit up as he examined the curse, but it was gone. With a sigh of relief, Niki slumped back into bed. The workshop¡¯s door opened to reveal Sergio carrying a grocery bag.

    ¡°Bossman!¡± Sergio gave him a weird nickname as he rushed in, relieved at the sight of Niki¡¯s wellbeing. Feeling warm inside, Niki sat up.

    ¡°That¡¯s not even a word.¡± Niki smiled as he sniffed. ¡°Sweet buns?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Sergio took out the buns from the bag and handed one to Niki. His mouth watered as he smelled the sweet aroma of the bun.

    ¡°By the way, boss.¡± Sergio suddenly asked. ¡°You should¡¯ve told me that it was a blood curse. Luckily, it somehow worked.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about it?¡± Niki frowned as he finished his bun. ¡°It¡¯s not a blood curse; the potion for those needs to be drunk, and they¡¯re tough to eradicate.¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± Sergio hurried to exin as if he wanted to prove he wasn¡¯t ignorant. ¡°I thought it was a normal curse until ck blood left your orifices.¡±

    ¡®ck¡­ blood?¡¯ Niki frowned heavily. He wiped under his nose, and as Sergio said, there were traces of ck blood. ¡®Uh-oh, this isn¡¯t supposed to happen¡­¡¯

    Jumping from the bed, Niki hurried to look in the mirror for any changes in his body. Other than the stains of blood on his face and shoulders, there was nothing abnormal. Niki¡¯s body felt lighter than it was before.

    ¡®Initiate.¡¯ Niki knew that if something changed, the system would record it. As expected, he received notifications the moment he opened the system.

    [The curse disappeared from your body!]

    [The powerful reaction affects your blood, awakening the Energy dormant in it!]

    [A powerful energy is eating away your blood essence!]

    [The residue of the potion takes effect and restores the damage.]

    [Energy stabilizes. Your body is expelling the foul blood.]

    ¡®What the hell is going on here?¡¯ Niki was taken aback. A battle has taken ce in his body, and so many changes emerged while the pain knocked him up. Luckily, things worked out without any damage. He hurried to open his stats menu to see what was going on.

    [Vitality: 18]

    ¨C [Blood Energy: 5.]

    [Strength: 18]

    [Agility: 14]

    [Intelligence: 15]

    [Mana: 6]

    ¡®Is this¡­ a sub-stat?¡¯ Niki¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. There was only one exnation for a stat to appear beneath another stat, which was a sub-stat.

    The human body¡¯s wonders were as infinite as the universe, and there was no equality among humans. The body sometimes evolves in a different way than expected and produces a unique trait for the owner. These were called sub-stat, and they were more valuable than stats but also more specific.

    There were many sub-stats that he knew and a lot more that he did not. In either case, the undeniable truth is that he hit the jackpot with this Energy!

    ¡®How do I use this?¡¯ Niki tried focusing on his body because it had the answer to everything. If mana originated from his soul, then this Energy came from his blood. It was the Energy of the living.

    Niki focused the Energy on his arm, and all of it gathered to form a fist. The Energy was violent and destructive, unlike the gentle and sharp nature of mana.

    ¡®I would tear this ce down if I used it.¡¯ Niki thought to himself and allowed the Energy to return to its home. ¡®However, it¡¯s a sub-stat of vitality. That means its main function isn¡¯t destruction, but regeneration.¡¯

    ¡°Sergio, where is my dagger?¡± Niki asked, and the alchemist fetched his dagger for him. Grabbing it from his hand, Niki shed his forearm.

    ¡°Ah! Bossman, what are you doing?!¡± Sergio screamed in horror as the blood fell on the ground.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not deep.¡± Niki focused his Blood Energy on the wound. All of a sudden, it began to glow red as it healed rapidly. A grin broke on Niki¡¯s face as only a fifth of his Energy healed the wound.

    ¡°It healed?¡± Sergio muttered in a daze. ¡°How?¡± He looked at Niki as if he was an alien.

    ¡°My vitality is high.¡± Niki grabbed a cloth and cleaned the blood away. ¡°You did well. Buy whatever materials you want.¡±

    ¡°Yas!¡± Sergio was thrilled. ¡°Thank you, boss! I¡¯ll make you prouder than my deadbeat father!¡±

    ¡°Uh, no need.¡± Niki frowned as he grabbed his clothes and started dressing. ¡°I need to go. I¡¯ll drop by again to give you the money for the materials.¡±

    Niki left toward the academy after saying that. On the way, he looked through his bag and found the receipt with the number 1-70 on it. As he remembered it, the odds of him getting first ce were 1:160.

    The auction house calcted the odds using performance, ability, linage, estimated stats, and others to establish a close-to-reality estimate. Niki was in for a harvest since most people betted on the powerful ones getting the first rank.

    ¡®1600 silvers, hehe.¡¯ Niki grinned. ¡¯16 Gold Coins just like that, easy.¡¯ He walked back to the academy, lighter than ever and skipping steps with joy. ¡®Oh, the students will hate me.¡¯ He thought with a cheerful mindset.

 Chapter 42: Drunken Stars

    The Academy of Rohan loomed over the city, only a short distance away from the House of Helnes. A wide canal separated the academy from the house, which had fields of poppies on each side. Niki walked beside the water stream from the city¡¯s center.

    He enjoyed the cold breeze of the canal as he walked on top of the dyke. Admiring the scenery, he couldn¡¯t help but think how this ce would turn into a bloodbath after the first worldwide dungeon break.

    He saw someone sitting on the edge of the dyke in the distance. Valkyrie looked like a prince charming more than anything with her white shirt, red bowtie, and ck silk trousers. With a sigh, Niki slowed down his steps.

    ¡°It¡¯s rude to sigh when you see someone.¡± Valkyrie turned to him with a smile. ¡°But I guess geniuses get away with anything.¡± She shed her white teeth.

    ¡°Since when did I be one?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± Valkyrie opened up her holographic watch. ¡°Niki Yaran. Excellent sharpshooting skills. Low-key personality. The first ranker in thetest midterm exams. Background: unknown.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean unknown? I¡¯m from the Chaos Orphanage.¡± Niki frowned, but Valkyrie simply smiled. ¡°Do you know something?¡±

    ¡°Even if I did, I don¡¯t see why I would tell you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not very like you, Righteous Knight.¡± Niki shook his head. ¡°Are you trying to coax me?¡±

    ¡°Do I need to?¡± Valkyrie threw a pin that Niki caught. On it was the heraldry of House Helnes. It consisted of a three-pairs-winged bird that raised its peak toward the sky. ¡°Next Friday, the Alm Forest.¡±

    ¡°Is this the official invitation to your party?¡± Niki looked at the pin, unimpressed. ¡°Holding this pin feels like a lot of trouble.¡±

    ¡°No one will dare cross you in the light, but the dark is always more dangerous.¡± Valkyrie smiled as she turned toward the running water, her blue eyes reflecting the shimmering light. ¡°This is another test for you.¡±

    ¡®Heavens give me strength. I thought her self-conceitedness came after she became god¡¯s champion.¡¯ Niki couldn¡¯t believe the amount of audacity someone would have to go around testing people.

    However, he still remembers that the party Valkyrie created would obtain many treasures and earn the title of the Blessed Party of Rohan.

    After the first year of the academy, the students can create parties and hunt together. They could report their achievements to the academy, and it would reward them ordingly.

    However, there was no rule stating that first-year students couldn¡¯t join parties, only that they couldn¡¯t create them. That¡¯s why many first-year students tried to build connections to get into parties and learn from their seniors.

    ¡®Of course, no one would trust a weakling.¡¯ Niki turned toward Valkyrie. As much as their ideals differ, she was still someone with high potential. She also offered him an olive branch, even if the wolves would be after him if he took it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you there.¡± Niki nodded and left Valkyrie, who held a thin smile as she watched him go.

    He arrived at the academy¡¯s training field, which connected to the canal, and showed the guard his ID before entering. As soon as a student saw him, Niki felt the difference.

    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± The first student whispered to his friend, who looked confused. ¡°Stupid, the student who ranked first! Didn¡¯t you see the post on themunity?¡±

    Hearing his words, Niki opened his phone and checked the app Community. It was a social mediawork on the WMA, Wide Mana Array. A mechanic created this array to transfer information at high speed, allowing data to be shared instantly.

    ¡°The Cheater First Ranker, Niki Yaran.¡± Niki read the post with amusement. He didn¡¯t expect this method for the students to get back at him. The post was written professionally and listed all the inconsistencies in Niki¡¯s achievement and its illogic.

    From there, theories emerged on how he managed to steal the first rank. Students from his year told of how Niki used outside help to snatch the victory in the ss Battles.

    As he was heading toward the grand hall where the betting stand was, Niki kept reading thements they made about him.

    In his past life, the students ignored Niki more than hating him. It was one thing to get admitted because of a glitch, but another to snatch victory from the powerful.

    ¡®All of these students are just sour because they lost their money.¡¯ Niki shook his head. ¡®That¡¯s why you don¡¯t bet what you can¡¯t lose.¡¯

    He arrived at the betting stands where the casino¡¯s wealthy heir was sitting, taking the receipt and delivering the money. When Niki¡¯s turn came, the wealthy heir¡¯s face turned from a smile to disgust.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t process your money.¡± The wealthy heir shook his head. ¡°There were manyints about the methods you used to win, forcing me to cancel all bets in your favor.¡±

    ¡°All bets? There is only my bet. No one else betted on me.¡± Nikiughed. ¡°Hand over the money. I don¡¯t care what everyone thinks.¡±

    ¡°Unless you have proof that there was no foul y, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡± He shook his head again and shooed Niki away. ¡°Please step aside. The others are waiting.¡±

    He dismissed Niki entirely as if he was a fly. Cold rage boiled in Niki¡¯s heart as a smile broke on his face. Even though this was his rightful money, this bastard refused to give him.

    ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± Niki raised his voice. ¡°It works the other way around. If you don¡¯t have proof that there was a foul y, then hand over the money!¡±

    The students gathered around them as the youth¡¯s face turned ugly. He stood up and leaned closer to appear more intimidating.

    ¡°As I said, there were many reports that you¡¯ve cheated in the exam!¡± He shouted even louder than Niki. ¡°Unless you have proof otherwise, then scram!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± One of the bystanders chimed in against Niki. ¡°You cheated! There¡¯s no way a weakling can be the first ranker!¡±

    ¡°Get out of here, shameless scoundrel!¡±

    Students began shouting at Niki to scram, and the wealthy youth grinned in triumph. Niki turned to the crowd and memorized their faces, amused that one of them was Ro Za.

    ¡°Have some shame and leave!¡± Ro Za shook his head, clearly not wanting Niki to seed any further.

    ¡°Oh, so all you want is proof!¡± Niki raised his brows as he crossed his arms. ¡°Well, why didn¡¯t you say so?¡± He tilted his head before taking out the pin Valkyrie¡¯s and pping it on the table.

    ¡°This is¡­¡± The Wealthy Youth¡¯s face paled as he saw the pin. He looked at Niki with wide eyes beforeughing. ¡°This is fake!¡±

    ¡°Impudent! We should report him to the academy!¡±

    ¡°How is this kind of behavior even allowed? I¡¯ll have my fathere here immediately!¡±

    No one believed the pin was authentic because it was simply unbelievable that the most promising party in the academy would invite a cheater who got admitted because of a glitch.

    Niki shook his head. He was about to take the pin and leave before someone snatched it. Turning around, it was Julian who had arrived after hearing themotion the students made. Erza and a newckey apanied Julian. He looked at the pin in his hand and turned to Niki with a disdainful expression.

    ¡°Not only do you cheat, but you also impersonate identities now? How low can you get?¡± Julian added to the fire, and the students all agreed. By the minute, the crowd grewrger. They all opposed him.

    ¡°Give it back, Julian,¡± Niki demanded with a calm expression. However, Julian pped his hand away before seizing him by the cor.

    ¡°How about you take it, Dear First Ranker? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re strong enough for that.¡± Julian red at him with an overwhelming amount of rage. Niki looked at him with a smile, ready to use the new energy he obtained.

    Suddenly, most of the student¡¯s phones rang. As most students gathered here, the noise of their notifications rang loud enough to disturb even Julian.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Julian frowned, knowing it must be an announcement of some sort. However, there very few notifications that most students wouldn¡¯t mute.

    ¡°This is!¡± Julian¡¯sckey shouted as he opened his phone. ¡°It¡¯s an announcement from the Drunken Stars party!¡± A grin broke on Niki¡¯s face when he heard the name of the party. ¡°They have a new member!¡± Theckey shouted in more zeal. ¡°Wait, he is¡­¡±

    Theckey turned toward Niki with a shocked expression. Linking Niki¡¯s pin, the announcement from Valkyrie¡¯s party, and hisckey¡¯s reaction, Julian came to the same realization as the others.

    ¡°It is¡­ a genuine pin?¡± The Wealthy Youth from earlier had a pale face. ¡°That is¡­¡±

    ¡°How about you give my money now?¡± Niki pped Julian¡¯s hand away, who was dazed just like the rest of the students. ¡°And if you have any doubts about me, talk to my party.¡±

 Chapter 43: Fate Fragment

    Niki enjoyed the 16 Roserian Gold Coin clinking in his bag as he walked out of the hall. He smiled with contentment as he walked through the school, every student looking at him warily.

    He returned to his dorm room, where he found his roommates sitting in the living room while discussing something. As soon as he returned, Ro Za jumped up and weed him.

    ¡°Niko!¡± Ro Za said with an affectionate smile, but his brow was twitching. ¡°I hope you forget what I said earlier; I thought you were someone else!¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Niki was taken aback by such a tant lie. ¡°There¡¯s another first ranker?¡±

    ¡°That is¡­ ahem.¡± Ro Za¡¯s face was flushed and awkward. ¡°I was drunk, so I wasn¡¯t at my best! Please forget about it!¡±

    ¡®Bro, would you get back to the room this quickly if you were drunk?¡¯ Niki smiled but didn¡¯t say anything. He ignored Ro Za and went to his bed and looked at the package on it.

    ¡°The Academy?¡± Niki was surprised. Lan and Nar were ncing at him as they acted as if nothing changed. Niki opened the package and found two cards. They were a stats card and an item card. ¡°So generous!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the reward for obtaining the first rank. Congrattions!¡± Lan said while adjusting his sses. ¡°I knew you were going to achieve big things in the future, but you surprised me!¡±

    ¡°Hm!¡± Nar nodded in agreement. ¡°Let¡¯s take care of each other from now on!¡±

    ¡°Uh, thanks.¡± Niki looked at Nar with raised brows. Thest time he heard this guy talk, he was saying how disgusting Niki was. Shaking his head, Niki looked at the cards.

    One Item from the Rohan Vault.

    Five Crystals from the Rohan Vault.

    ¡®The vault?¡¯ Niki was pleasantly surprised. He knew that the first ranker obtained more rewards, but he didn¡¯t think they were this bountiful.

    Niki took the cards and his bag. He wouldn¡¯t dy things as he had to infiltrate a gang and impress a daughter of heavens. Niki left the dorm and went straight for the vault. It was the ancient building in the academy¡¯s middle ground and the first one the founder constructed.

    The Rohan vault looked like a temple that no one renovated for years. Yet, it was well maintained. As soon as he approached it, Niki could smell the aroma of cherry trees.

    A narrow walkway surrounded by a pond on each side greeted Niki when he walked in. White and ck koi fishes danced in the water that had cherry petals floating on top of it.

    Niki walked until he reached a door where an old man sat reading a book. He was facing the cherry trees, and a giant umbre blocked the sun off his bald head.

    ¡°This student greets Principal Rohan!¡± Niki ced his hand on his heart and bowed slightly. The aged man ced the book down and smiled at him.

    ¡°You are polite, boy.¡±

    ¡°You deserve anyone¡¯s respect, principal.¡± Niki knew better than disrespecting this man. And as he said, he had earned Niki¡¯s respect from his past life.

    ¡°Haha, and why is that, exactly?¡± The principal stroked his beard with a pleasant smile. ¡°Do you know of my merits, or are you trying to tter me?¡±

    ¡°After graduating from the Royal Academy, you became the vice-guild master of the Royal Guild, led by his majesty. In the Battle of Ores against the beastkin, you went alone to save a strategically abandoned city.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha,¡± The principalughed heartily. ¡°Then you know why I ended up here.¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Niki nodded, not knowing if he should say it. ¡°They call you the ughterer of a Thousand Man.¡±

    ¡°Then tell me, boy. Why do you think I deserve respect?¡± The principal¡¯s eyes were sharp. ¡°I have not earned that title because of my strength but my foolishness.¡±

    Niki paused. The man in front of him didn¡¯t have this title because he was a mighty war hero. It was because his choices resulted in the death of the men under him.

    ¡°You saved the lives of tens of thousands of people. You chose the lesser evil, but it was still evil.¡± Niki closed his mouth after that and took out the cards from his bag. ¡°I¡¯m here to receive my reward, principal.¡±

    ¡°I can see how you¡¯ve ranked first. You are a wise child.¡± The principal nodded and took the cards. ¡°Come, Niki Yaran. Let¡¯s reward you properly.¡±

    The principal stood up and opened the door behind. As the two walked in, a strong wave of mana rushed out. This wave was the umted mana in all of the crystals and the magical items that the academy had.

    ¡°What crystals do you want?¡± The principal asked.

    ¡°Three for mana, and two for intelligence,¡± Niki answered without hesitation. He already decided on them before he came here.

    Niki had no ns to be a mage now, as that would require a tremendous number of resources, and it would also leave him vulnerable to physical attacks. Furthermore, mages couldn¡¯t survive without a party. Most of his ns were to be alone.

    ¡°Oh, not strength or agility?¡± The principal was surprised. ¡°What an oddball you are.¡± The principal then went on and took out the F-rank crystals from a few cabs.

    Niki smiled in response. He knew that at their age, strength and agility were the most important. However, if he spotted the monster early, he would have more time to attack or flee.

    The mana was crucial because it was the most significant weakness Niki had in his past life. There were so many times he almost died because of his low mana. Furthermore, there was one crucial aspect.

    ¡®I can¡¯t attack spirits without mana.¡¯

    Niki still remembered the system alerting him about a spirit calling in the forbidden area.

    ¡°Here you go.¡± The principal gave him the crystals as if they were candies. ¡°Let¡¯s choose the item then.¡± The principal went to another room and opened the double doors.

    The myriad of lights danced in harmony as Niki walked in. There were all sorts of items, from weapons to artifacts to potions. As he looked around, Niki realized that all of them had potent magical properties.

    ¡°Choose an item, and I¡¯ll tell you what it is.¡± The principal said, and Niki had a sense of deja vu. Before he left the academy, the principal also offered him an item to help him go on.

    As Niki walked through the shelves, he felt in awe of the items, but they weren¡¯t enough to grab his interest. He didn¡¯t even look at the swords, spears, and ymores.

    ¡°Are there any enchanted guns?¡± Niki asked, but the principal shook his head.

    ¡°Guns are tooplicated and ineffective for an enchanter to take an interest in them. If you want one, you¡¯ll have to look in the association or the mechanics¡¯ hall.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Niki nodded. He walked toward a wall that had bows hanging from it. He admired the craftsmanship until he found a peculiar longbow that looked quite shabby.

    It looked as if someone tied a string to an arched tree branch. Niki found it a surprise that such an item would be kept in the vault.

    ¡°Oh, that. A student found it long ago, and there was no actual use for it.¡± The principal exined, but Niki¡¯s system told him otherwise.

    [The System has detected a Fate Fragment.]

 Chapter 44: Darkmoon Longbow

    ¡®Fate fragment?¡¯ Niki was confused. He looked at the shabby longbow in his hand and wondered if the system was referring to another item. After all, he couldn¡¯t feel any magical properties from this bow.

    [Fate Fragment (inactive): An item that resonates with fate. These items can be activated or used by expanding fate points.]

    ¡®Hm? That¡¯s very vague.¡¯ Niki frowned. He still didn¡¯t know if this item was worth taking.

    ¡°Was this item ever appraised?¡± Niki asked. The principal seemed dissatisfied with his interest but nodded nheless. He walked toward a ledger and pulled an old paper from it.

    ¡°The student was convinced that this item was special, but he didn¡¯t know how to use it. He paid for an appraiser to seek the divine wisdom and find out how this item worked. Sadly¡­¡± The principal handed Niki the appraising results.

    [Name: Darkmoon Longbow.]

    [Type: Enchanted Weapon.]

    [Magical Properties: this item has a 20% of giving the arrows random magical property.]

    [Status: Inactive.]

    ¡°The appraiser couldn¡¯t find out how to activate this item, so itid dormant in the vault for all these years.¡± The principal shook his head. ¡°Even if you activate it, this item only has a chance of 20% of working.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± Niki knew that the principal was trying to talk him out of it, but he made up his mind when he knew this item relied on chance. Furthermore, he wanted to find out what fate fragments had.

    ¡°Boy,¡± The principal shook his head. ¡°This item might look special, but all that glitters is not gold. This longbow doesn¡¯t even glitter.¡±

    ¡°Goodpanions are found, not sought. This longbow looks like a goodpanion that I discovered by ident. Please understand my choice, principal.¡±

    When the principal heard Niki¡¯s response, he sighed and nodded. He took out the bow and handed it over to Niki. The moment he touched the longbow, it buzzed in response.

    A sharp light shed in the principal¡¯s eyes, but he hid it quickly. With a smile, he looked at Niki in a new light.

    ¡°Goodpanions are found, not sought. I think you just found yours.¡±

    ***

    Niki returned to his room with an extra bag on his shoulder. The principal gave him a quiver of twenty arrows that the student found with the longbow, but they looked pretty ordinary.

    The Darkmoon Longbow was pitch ck, with distinct lines of wood covering it. It had a silver string that made a beautiful contrast with the ck wood; otherwise, the longbow looked ordinary. It had woody protrusions everywhere that made the longbow challenging to hold.

    ¡°I need to test it,¡± Niki muttered to himself as he looked around. He spotted the training field from a distance and found that there were no students there.

    He walked to the training field with his bow, quiver, and bag. The struggle made Niki miss his storage rings, but he had to endure. It was better than leaving his items away from sight.

    He reached the training field and looked through the facilities. He didn¡¯t remember what the training field had because Julian used to bully him whenever he entered this ce.

    The field had arge yard in the middle with several facilities in each direction. The poppy fields were on the far side of the yard while the facilities were on the other.

    Niki looked for the archery field and found it right beside the fence on the far side of the yard. He walked into it and ced his bags in the locker before locking them.

    Niki held his longbow in hand and wore the quiver on his shoulder. The archery facility had lockers as soon as one would enter it, and beyond it were the private archery chambers or the field.

    Niki walked into one of the chambers and closed the door behind him. The chamber had a circr raised tform in the middle, which urged Niki to stand on top.

    Before he took the test, Niki decided to use the crystals he obtained. Each as big as his index finger, he couldn¡¯t believe something so small could make you stronger.

    From the 32 fate points, he used two on each crystal for a total of ten. The crystals ate away a third of his fate points, bringing much pain to Niki¡¯s heart. However, the returns made him recover.

    [2 Intelligence Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    [2 Intelligence Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    [2 Mana Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    [2 Mana Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    [2 Mana Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    Smiling in contentment, Niki walked up the tform. Suddenly, a holographic panel appeared in front of him.

    ¡°Wee to your archery training, student.¡±

    Niki navigated to choose the difficulty and the time limit. He took hold of his bow and nocked his arrow as the countdown from ten to zero began.

    Suddenly, a panel opened on the ground, and an arrow rack appeared in front of him. There were a hundred arrows in there, and Niki could use all of them.

    His highlighted perception after the increase in his intelligence stats allowed him to see things more clearly and feel the change in mana more perceptively.

    A sphere of glowing mana appeared a distance away, and Niki aimed his bow and released his arrow immediately. The arrow zoomed through the air and struck the target, albeit not in the center.

    Another sphere appeared, and Niki repeated his actions until his muscles ached. The targets appeared one after the other, and some of them moved. He kept firing the arrows until he grabbed empty air. He frowned and looked at the rack, finding it empty.

    ¡®Oh, I used all of them.¡¯

    ¡°Training is over. Reassembling the arrows.¡± The panel appeared again, and the arrows flew from every canny of the chamber back into the rack. ¡°Results are the following.¡±

    [Targets missed: 7.]

    [uracy: 72%.]

    [Mastery: Intermediate.]

    [Arrows per Minute: 31.]

    Niki looked at the results with a smile. He was d that he didn¡¯t miss his archery training as a ranger, even though he wasn¡¯t that good at it.

    ¡®It¡¯s a good start. However, my uracy waspromised because I was too hasty. Getting used to the slow but powerful pace of the longbow will be hard as a gunman.¡¯

    Niki decided that it was time to go back, as he still needed to activate the Darkmoon Longbow and find a way to get intel on Bone. He picked up his arrows and bow before turning to the door.

    For safety reasons, the academy made a small window in the door. It was for the regr inspection of the chambers because many students overestimated their mana supply.

    From the ss window, Niki spotted half a head peeking. As their eyes met, the culprit ducked and disappeared. With an exasperated sigh, Niki bolted to the door and opened it.

    The culprit couldn¡¯t run away in time and was frozen stiff when Niki saw them. With furrowed brows, Niki found out that it was a student he met before.

    ¡°Spying on people is an offense, Archer.¡± Niki crossed his arms in front of him. The archer from the water ss turned around with an awkward smile. ¡°Do you have anything to exin yourself?¡±

    The archer, however, didn¡¯t answer him. She raised her hands, made circles with her index fingers, and ced a fist on her mouth. Niki realized that she was mute.

 Chapter 45: Weapon Binding

    ¡°Are you a survivor?¡± Niki furrowed his brows and got his answer from the archer¡¯s expression. Her eyes turned wide as she made several gestures. ¡°Yeah, I know signnguage.¡±

    ¡®How did you know I am a survivor?¡¯ The archer gestured.

    ¡°In our age group, most mute people are survivors of that Dungeon Break.¡± Niki massaged his forehead. Memories of someone he knew from the orphanage resurfaced. ¡°Anyway, why were you watching me?¡±

    ¡®Interest.¡¯ The girl gestured. ¡®You defeated me in the battle.¡¯

    ¡°I can report you to the academy for privacy breach.¡± Niki couldn¡¯t believe this girl would admit it so readily. ¡°Forget it.¡± Niki sighed. ¡°Just leave.¡± He shooed her and walked away.

    It wasn¡¯t a secret to hide, even if she saw him. Niki gained Fate by changing things, but he couldn¡¯t change many things while keeping everything a secret. Even in the midterms, he didn¡¯t go lowkey because he needed Fate Points to grow stronger.

    He didn¡¯t press the matter because of the resemnce this girl held to his friend from the orphanage. He hasn¡¯t thought about him for a long time, but the resurge of memories ruined his mood.

    ¡®I hope you are in a better ce now.¡¯ Niki thought to himself as he walked beside the fence. He looked at the poppy fields with eyes tinted with grief. ¡®The world was too cruel for you.¡¯

    Niki shook the sadness away and went back to his room. He found the room to be empty. It seems that his roommates either went out hunting or simply went out to eat.

    He took out his Darkmoon Longbow and initiated his system. A panel appeared in front of him, detailing the activation process.

    [The System will begin its analysis of the Fate Fragment.]

    [Fate Fragment: Darkmoon Longbow!]

    [Activation: 5 Fate Points!]

    [Activation Rewards: the longbow has a 30% chance of granting special magical effect to the arrows it fires. Activation through Fate Points binds the bow to the user.]

    ¡®Activate.¡¯ Nikimanded, and the weapon consumed Fate from his body. The longbow¡¯s ck wood began shining as its shape began to change. It grew bigger, and all the protrusions and inconsistencies disappeared.

    [Activation sessful!]

    [Darkmoon Longbow (Tier 1): An ancient being created this weapon as a gift for his son, using the essence of the Darkmoon Tree. Heavens were wrathful and sealed the longbow until a fateful owner awakens it.]

    ¡®Fateful?¡¯ Niki was stunned. ¡®Does that mean that Fate Points aren¡¯t only about probability but can substitute fate itself?¡¯

    This theory means that Niki wasn¡¯t the one supposed to awaken this item, but it was fated to be the possession of someone else. However, Niki stole it from that person and substituted it using Fate Points.

    ¡®That¡¯s why the system always says ¡®Fate has been stolen¡¯ when I use Fate Points to change probability.¡¯ Niki pondered.

    [The weapons will bind to the user now.]

    Suddenly, the longbow began shaking. Niki let go of it and watched the longbow float into the air before turning into a stream of dark matter and going inside of Niki¡¯s body.

    ¡°It itches.¡± Niki grimaced as the bow appeared in his Inner World. ¡°Okay, it hurts now!¡± Niki grabbed his head and fell on his knee.

    His Inner World was nowhere near enough to hold a weapon. That¡¯s why the longbow began expanding his Inner World for it to fit. When it finally stopped, Niki was on the ground panting.

    ¡®At least, I won¡¯t have to worry about someone stealing it.¡¯ Niki stood up andid on the bed. His mind grew hazy, and he began drifting to sleep. ¡®I need to hide my things first.¡¯ Niki snapped his eyes open and threw his bag into the vault under his bed.

    After that, Niki couldn¡¯t handle it, and he fell asleep. However, even when he was sleeping, he was somehow aware of anyone close to him. That included the people going in and out of their dorm rooms, his roommatesing back, and even Ro Za looking through his things.

    It was dawn when he woke up. Niki looked around the dark dorm room with a smile. Ro Za tried to look through his things for some reason, and Niki suspected Julian¡¯s handiwork.

    ¡®What is he looking for?¡¯ Niki wondered. ¡®Is it the pin?¡¯

    It could only be Drunken Stars Pin. Losing it would bring him a lot of trouble, so Julian must have thought of a n to steal it. It could also be Ro Za trying to steal his money, but it was unlikely.

    Niki took his bag and left the room, going straight to the academy¡¯s gate. Before leaving the city, he went and bought several regr arrows. Then, he went directly toward the Alm Forest, where he decided to try out his bow.

    Like before, the forest was split in two by a river. It was also the same river feeding the farnds of Rohan in the north, right beside Rohan¡¯s Academy Forest.

    He found a secluded spot in the forbidden area to try out his longbow. Making sure that no one was around, Niki raised his hand, and the longbow left his Inner World.

    Aiming at a tree, Niki let go of the arrow. Suddenly, the arrow turned bright and struck the tree, freezing it.

    ¡®Damn.¡¯ Niki was taken aback because he didn¡¯t even infuse mana into the longbow. This property wasn¡¯t the norm for Enchanted Item, making him furrow his brows. ¡®Does this weapon need no mana to infuse the magical properties?¡¯

    Niki fired several shots, and the 30% stayed true. However, the arrows had all sorts of effects. There were ice, fire, poison, lightning, healing, and invisibility.

    That meant without using mana, Niki could fire three magical arrows out of ten. There was more to it, too.

    [Fate Fragment linked.]

    [Resonance achieved. You can use Fate Points to infuse arrows with desired magical effect. The user can choose the effect through the system.]

    ¡®Fire.¡¯ Niki thought randomly, and a new panel appeared.

    [1 Fate Points required.]

    ¡®Healing.¡¯

    [2 Fate Points required.]

    Niki grinned. Probability didn¡¯t matter anymore because this was a Fate Fragment. Niki could choose the effect he wants, and he would have a 100% chance of obtaining it.

    ¡®Annihtion.¡¯ Niki tried something else. This effect should make the arrow a one-hit kill item.

    [The Longbow needs to evolve to infuse this effect.]

    ¡®Figured.¡¯ Niki sighed as he looked at his longbow. This item was indeed a treasure, but it was expensive to use. Every shot would consume 1 Fate Point at least. ¡®But it¡¯s a life-saving item.¡¯

 Chapter 46: Disguise Pill

    After he tested his bow, Niki left the forest and returned to the city. He went to the fence, Ash. If there were anyone in the city knowledgeable about low-lives, it would be the one buying the stolen goods from them.

    ¡°Boy, it has been a while.¡± Ash slid his window and looked around. ¡°Still a lone wolf, huh?¡±

    ¡°Always will be. I want to buy something.¡± Niki took out fifty silver and handed them over. ¡°One Disguise Pill.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡± Ash took the silvers and looked at Niki. ¡°What would you need it for?¡±

    ¡°Is that a part of a fence¡¯s job?¡±

    ¡°Only a curiosity.¡± Ash smiled, revealing his big teeth. ¡°If there is profits, I want in.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not that close.¡± Niki smiled. ¡°And what I¡¯m about to do wouldn¡¯t fit your personality.¡±

    ¡°Try me.¡± Ash crossed his arms.

    ¡°Are you selling or not?¡± Niki frowned. Seeing his attitude, Ash shrugged and handed him the pill.

    ¡°Itsts for one hour,¡± Ash said. Niki grabbed the pill and nodded. Taking out another ten silvers, Niki ced them in front of the fence.

    ¡°I want you to tell me the name of Bone¡¯s newest smuggler.¡±

    ¡°Bone?¡± Ash frowned heavily. ¡°What are you getting yourself into?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Niki said. ¡°I just have a new job, that¡¯s all. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not a part of Hyde¡¯s gang now.¡±

    ¡°If you were, I would have known.¡± Ash squinted his eyes. ¡°Bone is in charge of supplying Hyde withmon but profitable goods. He¡¯s always willing to take in new smugglers, and he just made some dealings with one.¡±

    ¡°Great, tell me about him and hisckeys. And, tell me where his most trustedckey lives.¡± Niki smiled. ¡°I know you have all the information about Hyde¡¯s gang.¡±

    Ash sighed and told him everything he needed. Afterward, Niki left the bakery and went toward the lower district. He followed Ash¡¯s instructions and reached an abandoned building. Walking inside, Niki could see that it was inhabited.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Someone shouted as Niki made some noise. Covering his face with his hoodie and bandana, Niki took out his bow. He kicked a chair, making it produce a loud noise.

    After that, Niki hid behind a cab. He nocked an arrow and used his fate points to create the effect of Knockout. As soon as the man came in, Niki released his arrow.

    With a yelp, the man fell to the ground, unconscious. Niki walked out leisurely and stood beside the man. Without saying anything, Niki took out his dagger and shed his arm.

    Niki took out the pill and allowed it to absorb the man¡¯s blood. It turned from white to red instantly. Pocketing it again, Niki looked at the abandoned building to find some ropes and tied the man.

    After that, Niki left the building. He went toward an inn in a higher district where the man¡¯s boss worked. This innkeeper worked as a smuggler for Bone, trading all sorts of illegal goods. He took the pill, and mana exploded from it to turn him into the man from earlier.

    ¡°Hey, Boss!¡± Even his voice was the same. The innkeeper nced at hisckey and nodded. ¡°Any work today?¡±

    ¡°Why are you so loud?¡± The boss frowned and looked around. He ced down his ledger. ¡°There is. Get your ass ready.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to work hard!¡± Niki said and walked over. ¡°I won¡¯t make you disappointed!¡±

    His boss nodded in approval and handed Niki a piece of paper. It had a list of ces, people, and deals to make. They mainly were low leveled merchants that worked for the innkeeper.

    Niki took the paper and left hurriedly since his time was limited. He went to the nearest merchant and walked straight into the storage.

    ¡°Tell the boss that the goods are here, so he shouldn¡¯t be worried.¡± The merchant said. ¡°You look a little different.¡± The merchant frowned.

    ¡°That¡¯s because I fucked your mom yesterday.¡± Niki scowled. ¡°Show me the goods. The boss says there must be no mishaps.¡±

    The merchant cursed Niki under his breath and hurried to reveal the goods. Niki¡¯s eyes squinted as he saw the countless crates full of explosives. Telling the merchant to keep an eye out for suspicious people, Niki left and hurried back to the abandoned house.

    He looked at the man who was tied up and nocked another arrow. The man looked at him pleadingly, but Niki shook his head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t remember anything.¡±

    ¡®Memory Alteration and Transfer.¡¯

    [5 Fate Points are required.]

    ¡®Damn it.¡¯ Niki frowned but still infused the effect into the arrow. After all, he needed to make sure no one finds out. Niki chose to transfer the memories of the past hour and alter some of them.

    He struck the man, who was still unconscious and changed his memories. Niki then untied him and carried him to the bed before leaving the house.

    ¡®Bone is preparing a lot of explosives; I¡¯ve heard about this before. Hyde asked him to blow up a dungeon¡¯s entrance to create a distraction. This step will be the first of Hyde¡¯s ns to steal Abani. The Union won¡¯t have the resources avable to send reinforcement to the ruins.¡¯

    Niki grinned as he walked through the streets. Even though he managed to lift off the curse, it would be pretty rewarding to have Madness interfere with Bone¡¯s mission without him knowing.

    That was how it is between Hyde¡¯sckeys, no trust between them. All of them would hide their dealings lest they get sabotaged by the others.

    ¡®All I need to do now is alter the story to have Madness interfere with Hyde¡¯s n without knowing. He¡¯ll believe because the curse wouldn¡¯t allow me to deceive or betray him.¡¯

    Niki went toward Madness¡¯s house and left a note under his door with the details of Bone¡¯s ¡®n.¡¯ Of course, he used codes he picked up from investigating Hyde¡¯s gang in the past.

    With this, he¡¯ll have to sit back and wait for those Fate Points toe raining down on him. Niki walked back to the academy as he thought about saving that kid¡¯s sister.

    Once Madness betrays Hyde, he¡¯ll be a goner. At that time, that girl will either be released or discarded. As long as she doesn¡¯t die before then, Niki would find something out.

    It wasn¡¯t that he cared about the kid or his sister, but he wasn¡¯t someone who would go back on a promise he made. Plus, that kid had seen him before when he pickpocketed Niki.

    Niki walked back to the academy using the exact route of the poppy fields. As he entered the academy and began walking by the fence and through the training field, several people appeared and obstructed his way.

 Chapter 47: Nightmare Effect!

    Niki looked at the people in front of him, wondering why it has taken them so long to do it. They were all wearing masks, but Niki didn¡¯t have many enemies willing to ambush him.

    ¡°Julian, huh?¡± Niki looked at the group, all wearing robes and covering their faces with masks. ¡°Are you after this?¡± He took out the pin from his pocket.

    As soon as the object came to light, the five people rushed forward to take him down. Niki grinned and pulled out his guns, firing several shots without stopping.

    Even though the gunshot rang loud, there were no people around at this time. And this was a training field, so it was ordinary to hear such sounds without anyone getting worried.

    His bullets seemed to have eyes of their own, striking his assants where it hurts: their faces, joints, and most of all, their private parts.

    ¡°Indecent!¡± A shout came from one of the masked people as two of hisrades were struck in the groin. No matter how much a superhuman you are, that area will always be private.

    ¡°We are just getting started.¡± Niki grinned as he infused his bullets with mana. This time, it¡¯s going to do a lot more harm than just hurt people. His crazed expression, a stark contrast to his usually stoic face, induced fear in the eyes of these students.

    ¡°Use your weapons and take him down!¡± The leader shouted, and despite sounding rougher, Niki was able to deduce the identity of this person. It was theckey who appeared with Julian the other day.

    ¡°Try if you can.¡± Niki leaned his body forward, and the ground caved in beneath his feet. He bolted forward and appeared in front of theckey, seizing him by the throat.

    ¡°Guh!¡±

    Theckey made choking sounds as Niki¡¯s hand tightened around his neck. He began squirming and iling to escape Niki¡¯s grasp, but it was hopeless.

    ¡°Bastard, you¡¯ll kill him!¡± One of the other students shouted and rushed forward. Niki raised his gun and shot a mana-infused bullet at him, making him scream.

    Seeing their Niki take down theirrade, the other assants rushed in with their weapons and shield. The shield holder rushed forward and deflected Niki¡¯s bullet as they rained, ramming into Niki and sending him flying.

    Niki rolled on the ground and jumped with his gun in hand. Theckey was heavily breathing after being released, trying to take in the air stolen from him.

    ¡°Work together!¡±

    Theckey shouted, and the others rushed in with the shield holder in the lead. Niki fired several bullets, but they were useless. The shots left dent marks on the shield, but nothing more.

    ¡®That¡¯s why I need an enchanted weapon.¡¯ Niki sighed and leaned forward again. He bolted forward as the shield user rushed toward him, the gap between them lessening by the second.

    Before they collided again, Niki jumped to the side and ran across the facility¡¯s wall. He then jumped midair and fired two bullets, striking the man¡¯s knees from behind.

    As the man fell to his knees, scraping them against the ground, Nikinded next to him and struck his neck. The man fainted and fell to the ground.

    ¡°What¡­¡± The others, who were preparing to attack, paused and stopped moving. Their friend fell listlessly on the ground without any resistance.

    ¡®Kids,¡¯ Niki inwardly thought as he bolted forward. ¡®You¡¯ve chosen the wrong person to antagonize.¡¯

    As Niki was about to fire his gun, he heard a sound from above. He looked up and saw that a neer jumped from the facility¡¯s roof and plunged toward Niki with his fist.

    ¡®Here you are, Julian.¡¯ Niki thought as he blocked the blow by crossing his arms. Using his arms was the only way that he could avoid an attack on his vitals. A loud cracking sound rang before Julian, masked as well, kicked Niki away in his stomach.

    ¡°Cough!¡± Niki coughed up blood as his left arm ached. There was at least a fracture, but he could care less about it now. He raised his gun with his other arm, but someone appeared beside him and kicked it away from his hand.

    The neer who appeared beside him kicked him again in the abdomen, making Niki roll on the ground several times until he struck the facility¡¯s wall. Raising his body with difficulty, he looked at the remaining six who have surrounded him.

    ¡°Seven people just for me? I¡¯m ttered.¡± Nikiughed. ¡°Julian, do you think Valkyrie would acknowledge you just because I lost the pin?¡± None of the six answered him, but one of them stepped forward after a bit.

    ¡°She will realize how mistaken she is about you.¡± Julian took off his mask. ¡°Today, I¡¯ll not only break all of your limbs but your mind too. I¡¯ll make sure you can never smile again.¡±

    ¡°Boss!¡± One of theckeys panicked.

    ¡°No one will believe him.¡± Julian grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that no one does.¡± He walked over to Niki slowly, grabbing his hair. ¡°You will regret the day you ever crossed me, trash.¡± He spat in Niki¡¯s face.

    ¡°Yup, that¡¯s a nice distance.¡± Niki suddenly took out an arrow from his bag and shed Julian with it. In response, Julian leaned back and avoided it quickly, appearing prepared.

    Niki¡¯s bow suddenly appeared in his hand. He nocked the arrow and fired it instantly while applying a new effect on it.

    [You infused the Nightmare Effect, consuming 3 Points.]

    The arrow struck Julian in the chest as light exploded out. As soon as the light entered his head, Julian began screaming in a terrified voice.

    ¡°What is this? Get away from me! Why are you here again? You should be dead!¡± He began to attack randomly, striking hisckeys in the process.

    ¡°Julian! What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± A voice, Niki identifying as Erza¡¯s voice, shouted in panic. However, Julian could no longer see them. He was in a long and terrifying nightmare, attacking anything in front of him.

    Niki stood up and started to walk beside the wall, leaving the area. However, he saw someone walking over from a distance. The man walked over slowly; his steps measured.

    ¡®What is he doing here?¡¯ Niki gritted his teeth.

    The man¡¯s blond hair was long, falling beside him and tied in a hairband. He had a striking resemnce to Julian, who was out of his mind at the moment.

    ¡°I thought I would need to stop you,¡± The man shook his head as he looked at Julian. ¡°Yet, you seem to be only capable of failure.¡± He stopped walking in front of Julian and struck him in his be.

    Julian stopped iling and fell to the ground. His older brother, which Niki knew from his past life, shook his head helplessly. Then, he turned to Niki.

    ¡°You¡¯ve ced him in devilish torture. I doubt he¡¯ll recover easily from this.¡± The young man said with interest, not with hate. ¡°However, I still need to take care of him. Hand over that pin and never speak of this matter. I¡¯ll make sure no one bothers you again.¡±

    [Choose a response in thirty seconds!]

    [Hand over the pin and leave.]

    [Keep the pin and try to run away.]

    [Keep the pin and fight.]

    [Negotiate a way out.]

 Chapter 48: Death Gale

    The identity of the young man in front of him wasn¡¯t so simple. He was the heir of the Mackay family, Galen Mackay. Even on his own, this young man would set out to be a great adventurer. Niki remembers the nickname this young man had.

    Death Gale.

    It referred to the man¡¯s agility and technique, which he had trained to monstrous levels. It was also a part of his name, Galen. This man will be the guild master of the Serene Guild that the Mackay family owned.

    ¡®He¡¯s not someone I can handle.¡¯ Niki thought silently to himself. He wasn¡¯t a coward, but he wasn¡¯t someone who would fight a losing battle. However, giving him this pin would mean he won¡¯t be a part of Valkyrie¡¯s party.

    At first, Niki didn¡¯t want to join the party. However, he changed his mind because it would make him obtain Fate Points and would be an excellent start to forge connections with the Helnes family.

    He couldn¡¯t ignore the fact Valkyrie will be a lord one day, even if he tried to stop her from bing one. The god that will choose her would be useful after the apocalypse, allowing her to start a nation after every nation in the world falls to pieces.

    The clock was ticking, and a sigh escaped Niki¡¯s mouth. He took out the pin and handed it over to Galen. With a smile of approval, Galen walked closer to grab the item.

    ¡°You¡¯ve made the right choice,¡± Galen smiled as he took the pin from Niki. ¡°Don¡¯t show your face to me again, and no one will harm you. Leave.¡± He dismissed Niki while studying the pin in his hand with greed.

    Galen was currently a third-year student, making him quite powerful. However, even for him, the Drunken Stars party was quite the opportunity to forge connections with young masters from different prospects.

    ¡°How can someone like him obtain it?¡± Galen shook his head with regret, ignoring Niki¡¯s existence. Suddenly, he felt the pin¡¯s surface prickle his skin. ¡°What is this?¡± Galen shouted and threw the pin away, but he was toote.

    Red energy exploded from within the pin and struck his hand. Galen grunted as the blood inside his hand exploded, turning it into a mangled mess.

    ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡± He turned to Niki with unbridled rage, eyes bloodshot. He couldn¡¯t understand how this orphan managed to blow up the blood vessels in his hand, but it seems Niki had no intention of exining.

    ¡°Try me.¡± Niki had his arrow ready the moment Galen turned to face him. ¡°Light!¡± He infused the effect, and the arrow shone brightly. As he released it, the arrow cut across the air and struck the ground in front of the group.

    Blinding light exploded from the arrow, forcing everyone to close their eyes. Niki darted and rolled on the ground relying only on perception and memory, picking up the pin before bolting away.

    ¡°Seize him!¡± Galen roared, but the rest of them were too blind to catch Niki. Sending his mana in waves to see while covering his eyes, Niki managed to flee through an opening.

    The light began to fade as the assants¡¯ vision began to return. Niki could hear a whistle as Galen chased after him. Using Limit-Break, Niki bolted forward and jumped into the training field¡¯s yard.

    He rolled on the ground when he heard the wind whistle. Three deep marks cut across the field in the ce he was just standing. Dirt covered Niki¡¯s face as he looked at Galen rushing toward him.

    Jumping and taking out his bow again, Niki nocked the arrow while thinking about which arrow to infuse. Before he could release his arrow, a different arrow cut across the air and went toward Galen.

    ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Niki frowned as he saw Galen stop to strike the arrow away. Taking this chance, Niki turned around and fled. He would nce back to see the arrows hindering Galen¡¯s way until Niki managed to leave the field.

    As he ran into the middle of the academy¡¯s gardens, Galen chased after him no longer. While he was sitting down to gather his breath, someone walked up to Niki.

    ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± Niki asked without looking up. ¡°Why did you get yourself into this mess?¡± Niki raised his head, and the archer made a few gestures in response.

    ¡®It was the right thing to do.¡¯ She gestured.

    ¡°The only right thing is to keep yourself safe and away from trouble.¡± Niki shook his head. ¡°What are your demands?¡±

    ¡®Demands?¡¯ The archer tilted her head with confusion.

    ¡°In return for helping me.¡± Niki stared at her, his lips turning into a thin line. ¡°Name your demands.¡±

    ¡®I don¡¯t have any.¡¯

    ¡°You,¡± Niki hated her response. ¡°You are a stupid person.¡± It was just stupid to risk yourself for others. He couldn¡¯t understand it and hated anyone who did it so blindly.

    ¡®Fine.¡¯ The archer rolled her eyes and gestured. ¡®Train with me every week.¡¯ She demanded.

    ¡°Just that?¡± Niki frowned. ¡°You can ask for something more.¡±

    ¡®Nothing else, just that.¡¯ The Mute Girl smiled. She then turned and left without waiting for Niki¡¯s reply. Staring at her back silently, Niki gave his judgment of her personality.

    ¡®This girl is delusional.¡¯

    ***

    Niki broke into theb again with all of his items. He needed to recover in a private ce, away from Galen¡¯s and Julian¡¯s influence. He couldn¡¯t trust his roommates or the academy, so he found an isted spot to recover.

    His fractured bones have already healed thanks to the Blood Energy, although he had to consume most of it. The rest of his energy went into the pin, which he handed over to Galen, rapturing his blood vessels.

    As Niki sat on the ground in the empty room, he waited until night arrived to sneak out of the academy. He wanted to make sure that they wouldn¡¯t follow him as he leaves the academy, so he jumped over the academy¡¯s walls and jumped into the canal.

    It was an extreme action, but Niki had to do it. He knew that Galen was more ruthless than Julian and had more resources to use as the heir of his family.

    The stream took him to the lower districts, where he got out and went to the workshop where Sergio stayed. Seeing his haggard appearance, Sergio allowed him to crash on the bed to rest.

 Chapter 49: A Matter of Principle

    Then came daybreak and shed light from the east to wake up the city. Sunrays went through the window in three broken parts, falling on Niki¡¯s face and waking him up.

    As he pulled himself out of bed, he found that his body was as good as new. Only a tiny portion of his Blood Energy remained, as his body consumed it overnight to heal him.

    ¡°Good morning, Bossman!¡± Sergio was quick to greet him. The Alchemist stood up from his table, countless vials of different colors. ¡°I prepared some healing potion here; you can drink it!¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Niki smiled. ¡°However, I don¡¯t need it right now. Put the vials in a small case for me to carry around. They can be useful.¡±

    ¡°Right away!¡± Sergio hurried to follow Niki¡¯s request. As he rose from the bed and looked at him, Niki¡¯s heart felt warm.

    Even in two lifetimes, Sergio was still the same. An alchemy-focused good person and a great friend to have. Niki might be his boss at the moment, but Sergio treated him the same way he did in his past life.

    ¡°Here you go, Bossman.¡± Sergio gave him the case, which Niki ced in his bag. ¡°What happened yesterday? You came here bruised up, dirtied, and wet.¡±

    ¡°A lot,¡± Niki walked to the bathroom. ¡°I¡¯m taking a shower.¡±

    As he undressed and stood beneath the water, Niki¡¯s mind began clearing up. Everything that happened yesterday was within expectations, but he hated the fact that he allowed it. He was ying into Valkyrie¡¯s hands this way, which was the opposite of what he wanted to do in his second lifetime.

    Since she must be aware that he took care of Julian and injured Galen, Niki¡¯s value skyrocketed in her eyes. A gunman and a magic archer were what she needed to organize significant battles.

    ¡®What would happen if things didn¡¯t go as she nned?¡¯ Niki smirked to himself as the water ran across her skin. ¡®I lost sight of my biggest goal, to never be used or abused.¡¯

    Niki threw a towel around his waist and left the bathroom. Sergio was on his desk concocting something as Niki rummaged through his bag. He took out his old phone and connected to the WMA, logging into the Rohan Community.

    The news of a new member joining the Drunken Stars party was the topic talked about the most. After Niki¡¯s revtion, many posts emerged as to why the party chose such a ¡®weak¡¯ student.

    [Drunken-Stars: The party chooses members based on their usefulness and their potential.]

    Came the reply of the party on one of the blogs, which made things escte a lot. Niki became the hot topic everyone either questioned or hated. The party¡¯s official reply confirmed the identity of the new member joining the party.

    ¡®Ah, this will be fun.¡¯ Niki grinned as he logged into his official student ount. There was no one else who can have the same name since he was using his student ID.

    [Niki-Yaran: I¡¯m very grateful for the high praise, but I apologize for my inability to join your party. I hope that one day, we can hunt together. @Drunken-Stars]

    After writing that down, Niki posted his reply. Anything with this party¡¯s handle drew attention, and Niki¡¯s name amplified that. As soon as his post appeared, many reposted andmented on his post.

    [Ray-Gn: What? Is this true? Or is this just a different person?]

    [Arin-Varin: This has to be urate, no one in thismunity shares the same name. He¡¯s an idiot!]

    [Peter-Hosko: I believe he made the right choice, as this party is above his qualifications, even as a first ranker. I salute him for knowing his limits.]

    [Erza-Terni: Trash.]

    Nikiughed at Erza¡¯s reply. She had a lot of free time to go online and keep on tabs on this topic. His post was replied to and reposted by everyone in the school, even the senior students.

    ¡®What are you going to do now, Valkyrie?¡¯ Niki watched the thing escte until his phone suddenly rang. It was amunity call, and the id of the caller appeared in front of him.

    Valkyrie-Helnes.

    Leaning back into the couch, Niki answered the call. As soon as he did, Valkyrie¡¯s provocations arrived.

    ¡°Have you been scared by the Mackays?¡± She asked with a hint of teasing. ¡°You passed the test, so you should know better than folding now.¡±

    ¡°Why would I be scared after I handled eight people, Galen included?¡± Niki dismissed her provocation in a rxed manner. ¡°It¡¯s a matter of principle; I won¡¯t be toyed around with.¡±

    ¡°Do you have any other choice?¡± Valkyrie shot back at him. ¡°I¡¯m the reason you got into the academy; would you leave to defy me too?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave once this year ends, dly.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re aiming for the Lost Garden.¡± Valkyrieughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that makes you determined or too ambitious. Students from every academy, including the Royal Academy, explore this space. Do you think you can grow that strong in two months?¡±

    ¡°Watch me as I do, Lady Valkyrie Helnes.¡± Niki¡¯s tone was neither arrogant nor uncertain. As if he was reading a simple fact from a book, his tone was t.

    ¡°Confident.¡± Valkyrie¡¯s voice came after a moment. ¡°Very well, I hope you won¡¯t regret your choice. You¡¯re the first person to reject an offer I made.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll grow up and forget it, no worries,¡± Niki said.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± She snorted and cut the line off. Niki grinned and threw his phone back into his backpack.

    ¡°You seem happy, Bossman.¡± Sergio smiled. ¡°Did you break up with your girlfriend?¡±

    ¡°Did you even listen to the conversation?¡± Niki looked at Sergio in a speechless manner. ¡°How did you conclude that I was¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave once this year ends. Watch as I do. You¡¯ll grow up and forget about it.¡± Sergio then mimicked Niki¡¯s tone exaggeratedly and dramatically. ¡°Our love may have died, but the memories will live on forever!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say thest part.¡± Niki wanted to p him. He shook his head and began dressing. ¡°Forget it. You¡¯re the same as before.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Sergio was confused, but he forgot about it once Niki took out a gold coin. ¡°Payday!¡±

    ¡°That was like a week ago,¡± Niki was speechless. ¡°Buy this list of materials. I¡¯ll need a lot of potions in a while. You¡¯ll get a lot busier.¡±

    ¡°Boss, can I¡­¡±

    ¡°Sigh, buy the materials you want too. Just don¡¯t blow up the potions you make.¡±

    ¡°Rogers!¡± Sergio snatched the coin and ran out. Niki thought about the possibility of him stealing it and running, but he simply shook his head.

    ¡®I¡¯m too cynical. This guy would never.¡¯ Niki remembered the time this guy offended the king because he refused to poison someone. At that time, the king would have killed Sergio without several powerful people interfering to save him.

    One of those people was the disguised Elven Princess, which Niki followed during that period. Remembering those days, Niki felt two contradicting emotions.

    One of them was nostalgia, and the other was disgust toward himself for feeling any kind of sentiment toward that time.

 Chapter 50: Seclusion Form

    It seems that no matter what one would do, there was bound to be hate. The news of Niki rejecting the invitation made people have two different opinions.

    The first was that Niki did well because he was underqualified for the job. As for the second, it was that Niki was too arrogant after Senior Valkyrie showed him kindness.

    Thus, the hate toward Niki continued in the academy. He thought he would go unbothered after rejecting the offer, but a student blocked his path once he returned to the academy.

    It wasn¡¯t Julian, but a student that Niki never interacted with in his past life. A small frame, elegant features, and a proud look that all nobles shared.

    ¡°Are you the one named Niki Yaran?¡± The young man looked down on him while taking off his white glove.

    ¡°Did you wear that just to duel me?¡± Niki blinked.

    ¡°ept my duel!¡± The noble threw the glove over. ¡°I am Alonso Searle, the youngest son of Marquese Searle.¡± He said with disdain toward Niki. ¡°I duel you for the sake of Lady Valkyrie Helnes!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Niki was genuinely confused. ¡°I did nothing to Senior Valkyrie.¡±

    ¡°I know of your disrespect! After she helped you to obtain the first rank, you¡¯ve betrayed her trust and rejected the offer she made you!¡±

    ¡®Helped me?¡¯ Niki smirked. ¡®The only thing she did was make things difficult, but if I say that to this love-struck bird, he¡¯ll just waste my time.¡¯

    ¡°Senior Valkyrie, what do you think about this?¡± Niki looked beyond the young man¡¯s back and asked. His actions prompted the young man to turn hurriedly with panic.

    ¡°My Lady! I will restore¡­?¡± He paused when there was no one there. As he turned to look at Niki, he found him to be gone.

    ***

    Niki went toward his room and found that his roommates weren¡¯t there, and their belongings were gone too. As for his bed, they ripped it to shreds, and they wrote words on the walls like Trash, Cheater, Coward, Ungrateful, Bastard, and someone even misspelled a word and wrote Peasent.

    ¡®This must be the act of Julian or Galen along with Valkyrie¡¯s admirers.¡¯ Niki squinted his eyes. There was only one word that he hated among these. ¡®I¡¯m not a coward.¡¯ He gritted his teeth.

    He knew better than letting these childish games get to him, but this specific word still haunts him. Everyone cared about courage and defiance of the odds, but Niki didn¡¯t have any odds to begin with.

    They called him a coward every time he chose to stay alive. Every time Luke beat him up without him resisting, he was named a coward. When he avoided Julian and Luke, he was called a coward.

    At that time, he lost the game the moment he was born. He couldn¡¯t be courageous. That was the luxury of the strong. He knew his limits and knew better than biting more than he can chew.

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get back at all of you.¡¯ Niki red at his destroyed belongings. ¡®This time, let¡¯s see who¡¯s the coward.¡¯

    He returned to the academy to get his clothes and leave, but they have ripped them apart as well. Luckily, he didn¡¯t keep anything in his vault, which they had broken through too.

    Niki went directly toward Miss Jena, the only person he didn¡¯t suspect working for the Mackay family. He handed her a form in her office, which she looked at in a dazed manner.

    ¡°I reject this.¡± She didn¡¯t even think about it. ¡°You are growing overconfident; you didn¡¯t even get your monthly resources yet.¡±

    ¡°You can send them to this address.¡± Niki pushed the form back to her. ¡°I still want to take a seclusion to train. I can¡¯t keeping to the academy.¡±

    ¡°This form is for students with powerful and resourceful backgrounds.¡± Miss Jena exined with a frown. ¡°We won¡¯t punish them for going into seclusion because their families could make sure their growth isn¡¯t stagnant. For you, there¡¯s no such thing.¡±

    ¡°I understand, but this is to ensure my safety as well,¡± Niki exined. ¡°I¡¯ve been attacked twice in the past two days, and a noble dueled me.¡±

    Hearing his words, Miss Jena sighed and looked at the form with aplex gaze. She nodded and took it before stamping it. Standing up from her chair, Miss Jena walked up to him.

    ¡°I was also skeptical when you enrolled, and my father didn¡¯t say the reason for your admission. However, I know that you are going through a lot at school, and it¡¯s our fault for not protecting you.¡±

    ¡°I understand that your hands are tied too.¡± Niki nodded. ¡°I just hope you trust me enough to let me do this.¡±

    ¡°After yourst exam, I have no choice but to trust you.¡± Miss Jena smiled and then hugged him. ¡°Take care of yourself and tell me if you need anything.¡±

    Being hugged like this, Niki flinched. He knew that Miss Jena was almost ten years older than him at the moment, but he was twenty-seven years old in mind too. Sensing something amiss, Miss Jena leaned back and looked at him, confused.

    ¡°Oh, I¡­ am sorry. Ahem.¡± She coughed when she saw his flushed face and backed away hurriedly. ¡°Well, you can leave now.¡± Niki noticed that her face was a little flushed because of his reaction, and he nodded and left.

    ¡®Sigh, I¡¯m still not good with intimacy.¡¯ Niki bowed and took his leave from the office. He took onest look at Miss Jena and saw her pinching her nose with cheeks of a light shade of red. ¡®Maybe she¡¯s not good with it too.¡¯

    ***

    He left the academy afterward and went toward the bakery. Since he came here more than once, Niki walked through the backdoor once the shop was empty. The baker didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Your visits are getting more frequent.¡± Ash looked at him with a frown. ¡°My regrs will get jealous.¡±

    ¡°Your regrs are thieves. Should I be concerned?¡± Niki smiled. ¡°Did you confirm Abani Ruins?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡± Ash squinted and opened the door. As Niki walked in, he found that a lot of items were missing.

    ¡°I guess you are preparing.¡± Niki smiled. ¡°You didn¡¯t take my advice.¡±

    ¡°I did take it and worked overtime to make sure Hyde has troubles getting into the ruins.¡± Ash smiled in triumph. ¡°I sent an intel about a leak in information about the Ruins Resonance.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s smart,¡± Niki nodded. ¡°Then what are you preparing for?¡±

    ¡°A secret n.¡±

    ¡°Assassinating Hyde?¡± Niki sighed, and Ash¡¯s face contorted. ¡°I gave you that information to help you reduce Hyde¡¯s strength, not to get yourself killed.¡±

    ¡°This is the only chance I have, the only way I can take revenge.¡± Ash gritted his teeth in hatred. ¡°No one other than hisckeys ever saw him. It is the first time I catch wind of his movements. I wouldn¡¯t have known it was Abani without you.¡±

    ¡°Then, trust me,¡± Niki affirmed. ¡°You will kill yourself if you go with this mission, and you won¡¯t even do any harm to Hyde. There are better ways to execute revenge than risking your life.¡±

    ¡°Surviving and achieving happiness?¡± Ash snorted in disdain.

    ¡°Cute, but no.¡± Niki raised a brow. ¡°Steal what he wants and grow stronger. Then, you can take revenge easily.¡± A dangerous light shed in Niki¡¯s eyes. ¡°Would you change your mind if I say we can steal what he wants?¡±

 Chapter 51: Gunman Knight

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. We don¡¯t know the time the ruins are opening; that¡¯s top-secret information.¡± Ash shook his head.

    ¡°The conversation I overheard mentioned something about an ancient text. I looked through the library ever since and managed to glean off the day and time the ruins are opening. We only need to be there before them, and the rest will be easy.¡±

    ¡°You told me not to cross Hyde, as that would get me killed.¡±

    ¡°If we¡¯re not seen or known, they can¡¯t do anything,¡± Niki told him. ¡°I¡¯m weak on my own, but we can prepare properly for the ruins. I¡¯ll have to look into the ruin¡¯s structure to make a proper list.¡±

    ¡°You sound like a schr,¡± Ash remarked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s worth it.¡±

    ¡°Is losing your life worth it?¡± Niki sighed. ¡°I¡¯m offering you a future where you¡¯ll take revenge on Hyde and grow powerful and wealthy. It¡¯s up to you to decide.¡±

    His words struck a chord, and Ash furrowed his brow, pondering. After a short while, which Niki allowed him to have, the man nodded in a determined manner.

    ¡°When is it?¡±

    ¡°The walls have ears. Start preparing for now, and I¡¯ll tell you when we set off.¡± Niki smiled and walked toward the door.

    ¡°Not very trusting of you!¡± Ash shouted behind him.

    ¡°We were never trusting people, to begin with.¡± Niki turned and grinned. Ash sighed as Niki left the bakery.

    After that, he went toward the market and bought a mattress, clothes, and several necessities. He didn¡¯t want to give the shop his address, so he had to carry all of them by himself.

    ¡®This weighs a feather.¡¯ Niki smiled at his increase in strength as he carried the mattress back to the workshop. As he arrived there, he found Sergio moving in countless materials.

    ¡°Bossman! Are you moving in too?¡± Sergio asked in a speechless manner. ¡°I¡¯m not sure it fits both of us, and sleeping in the same bed is a little¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you shut your mouth for just one minute?¡± Niki sent a kick his way, but Sergio hurried to run inside. With a smile, Niki ced his items in the hallway of the workshop. ¡°I¡¯m not moving in; I¡¯m renting the house next to this one.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re living here too, Bossman?¡± Sergio was doubtful. ¡°This seems a bit below your level.¡±

    ¡°And it fits yours?¡± Niki was speechless. ¡°Man, have a higher opinion of yourself. I like this ce because it¡¯s quiet and remote. Do you have any money left?¡±

    ¡°Aaaa¡­¡± Sergio¡¯s eyes darted around. ¡°There were some rare materials¡­¡±

    ¡°You bastard.¡± Niki frowned. ¡°You spent a whole gold coin like that?¡± He didn¡¯t expect this guy to be so prodigal. ¡°Forget it, take these silvers and rent the ce next to here for me. Move this stuff in before Ie back.¡±

    ¡°Bossman, you¡¯re treating me like a handyman! I¡¯m a proud alchemist!¡±

    ¡°You know what, why should I rent a new ce when I can just kick you out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll carry your orders even if it kills me!¡± Sergio snatched the silvers and ran out again to rent the house. Niki sighed as he suddenly felt like he had a son or a younger brother.

    ¡®It¡¯s time to check that ce out.¡¯

    Niki needed to get stronger. He did have several means to get there, but he didn¡¯t have the strength to use his knowledge. The dungeons or spots he knew would reward a lot of crystals were at least F-rank.

    That¡¯s why he decided to go to the Forbidden Forest, where spirits resided. His system offered him the choice once before, but he had no way to hunt spirits at that time.

    Before he went toward the Forbidden Forest, Niki went to the Gunmen League to get some bullets. As soon as he walked in, a man stormed his way and grabbed him by the cor.

    ¡°I¡¯ve finally found you, bastard!¡± Scarman spat each word with boundless hate. Niki was confused before he remembered what he did to this guy.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Niki blinked. ¡°Thank you for the help, Mister!¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯m going to let it slide?¡± Scarman red at him. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know what it¡¯s like to offend our Crows gang!¡± Scarman made sure to reveal his tattoo, which was a ck crow with red eyes.

    It was to make sure no one intervened, as Hyde¡¯s reputation of taking care of hisckeys was quite known. Niki debated how he should get out of this problem.

    ¡®Why is this guy even here? He¡¯s not a gunman.¡¯ Niki frowned. ¡®Is he getting stuff for someone of a higher rank than him?¡¯

    ¡°Let¡¯s take this elsewhere.¡± Scarman grabbed him and started pulling him outside. No one tried to stop him, fearing they would get dragged into trouble.

    Niki was nning to kill Scarman without anyone finding out when a cane blocked the giant man¡¯s path. The two turned to the one blocking their path and found The Crippled Gunman, Conan.

    ¡°What do you think you are doing?¡± Conan¡¯s face contorted into a terrifying frown. ¡°Do you think this ce is your little hideout? Unhand him before I break your neck.¡±

    ¡°Move away, old man.¡± Scarman brought his tattoo forward, fearing that Conan forgot he was Hyde¡¯sckey. ¡°You don¡¯t want to get hurt.¡±

    ¡°I said, unhand him.¡± The cane Conan held disappeared and reappeared several times. Scarman¡¯s body caved in several spots, and air left his lungs.

    His grip on Niki¡¯s cor loosened as Scarman fell to the ground, breathless and immobile. Hisckeys ran forward to aid him.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±

    ¡°Take him away before I kill all of you.¡± Conan¡¯s eyes were cold, promising that he would follow on with his words. Theckeys were frightened and carried Scarman away as the crowd around them dispersed under Conan¡¯s re.

    ¡°Follow me, boy.¡± Conan walked away after he told Niki. Looking at the limping man, Niki felt intrigued. He was indebted to him, after all.

    He followed Conan to a room where a man was cleaning a weapon. He was about toin before the cane was shoved in his face, a centimeter away from his nose.

    ¡°Out!¡± Conan said, and the man ran away. Niki smiled as he walked in and looked at the gunman who had taken a seat. ¡°Sit.¡± Conan pointed at the chair in front of him. ¡°Don¡¯t try to deny it, boy. You were the one¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you for helping me the other day,¡± Niki said without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I had to use that method, but I was in a pinch.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Conan was surprised that Niki admitted it. ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that you trust me that much.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not about trust. I know that you wouldn¡¯t go around getting into other people¡¯s business.¡±

    ¡°Because other people are dumb. But you, boy, you are interesting.¡± Conan grinned. ¡°Have you used all of the bullets?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m here for enchanted bullets,¡± Niki admitted, taking out the badge. ¡°I think that¡¯s thest I can take with this.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ll be expiring soon.¡± Conan smiled. ¡°How about I make you an offer? I heard you rejected Lady Valkyrie¡¯s interest. A foolish choice, but I approve.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it is foolish, but it works for me.¡± Niki nodded. ¡°If you know that I rejected Valkyrie¡¯s offer, then yours must be quite different.¡±

    ¡°Be a knight,¡± Conan made it simple. ¡°Not a normal knight, but a gunman knight. Show the world the power of these babes.¡± He caressed the rifle on his back.

    ¡°I have no interest in rekindling that glory, Sir Conan.¡± Niki shook his head. ¡°And I don¡¯t need to be a knight to prove that.¡±

    ¡°The kingdom thinks that the era of guns is dying, that guns are of the past. I think otherwise. It was a gun that sniped the powerful King of Beasts, my gun!¡±

    Niki could see the pride in Conan¡¯s face. Not pride in his achievement, but pride in his gun. He knew that feeling, for the world to know of your presence based on your powers, not your identity, to defeat foes without being there.

    ¡°I have no use for it.¡± Niki shook his head. Knights were the elite of the kingdom, working directly for his majesty, but he didn¡¯t want to belong anywhere.

    ¡°Other than countless resources and a Knight¡¯s Badge?¡± Conan smiled. ¡°You know better than that, boy. Knights walk around unhindered byws because they are thew.¡±

 Chapter 52: Souls Gatherer

    ¡°A free soul is better than a chained god,¡± Niki said, and the old gunman pped his thigh with an approving nod.

    ¡°Well said!¡± Conan shouted. ¡°You are mature, kid. However, do you have the ability to back those words?¡±

    ¡°I can only hope.¡± Niki shrugged. ¡°Thank you again for helping me and for the badge too.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve earned both of those too.¡± Conan stood up and leaned on his cane. ¡°My offer stands, boy. Come to me if you want to be the best gunman to have ever lived.¡±

    ***

    Niki weighed the case of enchanted bullets that he received with great worship. Nothing was more precious than good bullets for a gunman.

    [Enchanted Effect: Mana Amplification.]

    A giant red phrase spanned the ck case from side to side. This effect was the one Niki chose. His mana wasn¡¯t a lot, and this was the best effect he could obtain. There was the effect of anti-ethereal, which worked against a range of ethereal monsters, including spirits.

    He left the Gunmen League and worked through the alleys to reach the city¡¯s gate without being seen. He used the leaving crowd to slip through without drawing too much attention.

    After covering his face as soon as he left the city, Niki ran toward the Forbidden Forest directly while most others went to the other side of the stream, the Alm Forest.

    He kept an eye on the stream until he saw the lights again, shining in a straight line toward the forbidden parts. He stopped running and crouched beside the lights.

    [Choose a response.]

    [Action: Follow the Lights.]

    [Action: Leave.]

    Niki looked over the stream and saw the abandoned bridge that connected the two sides. He ran across the bridge as it squeaked beneath him. The middle panel of his system glowed brightly before disappearing, being reced by a different one.

    [Quest Began: The Lost Soul of Rohan.]

    [Quest Description]

    [Before he ascended to Celestia, Val had many servants. One of the souls lost its way. Being trapped by the other spirits, it can¡¯t leave the forbidden area of the Alm Forest. Free the soul to finish the quest and quite possibly, learn more about the God of Lost Souls.]

    [System Rewards: 50 Fate Points.]

    [Other Rewards: Unknown.]

    Niki¡¯s eyes gleamed as he read the description. A servant of Val, the God of Lost Souls. This spirit might know where another statue is. If Niki could obtain that information, then he can be Val¡¯s Champion earlier than nned.

    ¡®The ability to rule over the dead.¡¯ Niki grinned to himself. If he could obtain this power, then he will be more than a guild master. He will have his undead army and maybe even an undead kingdom.

    He knew that The Fate System wasn¡¯t an empowering system but a supportive one. It made things easier for him, but it didn¡¯t give him power directly. It gave him knowledge of the future and the ability to change it.

    Niki wanted to rule over the dead because he can trust them. They won¡¯t betray you for their self-gains, and they will forever be loyal to you. That¡¯s because they were dead.

    Niki reached the point where the lights in the stream ended, and they pointed toward an ominous spot of the forbidden area. There was not a soul in sight. Well, that phrase might not be urate.

    Niki could hear the wailing of spirits as they roamed the forest. Their cries sent shivers down one¡¯s spine because they resonated directly to the soul. Niki took a deep breath and loaded his gun with regr bullets.

    Niki followed the path of the light until he reached the edge of the forest. He turned around and saw that the light that guided him here was gone.

    ¡®Was it the system aiding me, or was it the lost soul?¡¯ Niki wondered as he turned toward the forest.

    There was a face in front of him.

    A morbid and disfigured face of a roaming spirit red at him with its round and hollow eyes. The skin has festered and blistered beyond recognition.

    ¡°AAA!¡± The spirit screamed and lunged toward him. Luckily, Niki already had his gun in hand and only needed to aim it upward and fire his mana-infused bullet.

    The bullet passed through the spirit¡¯s robes and chest, disturbing its ethereal form using mana. The monster screamed and soared away as it began condensing again.

    ¡®Sigh, that was quite the scare.¡¯ Niki looked around him. Spirits were bothersome because physical attacks didn¡¯t work on them, and they couldn¡¯t be perceived. ¡®I need to be careful here.¡¯

    Niki walked through the forest as memories of his past adventures returned to him. The anticipated danger, the odds against you, and the desire to emerge victoriously.

    He held his gun with both hands as he walked through the trees and their branches. His eyes wereser-focused on anything that would move.

    As soon as a spirit appeared from beyond the trees, Niki fired his gun, and the spirit¡¯s head disappeared. It wailed before running away. Niki advanced, starting his venture into the forbidden area.

    ***

    The forest was, as Niki remembered it to be, a death trap for adventurers who didn¡¯t focus on mana. Luckily for Niki, he could infuse his bullets with mana to disrupt the spirits enough for them to leave him.

    As he kept walking on the edge of the forbidden area, Quest Clues began appearing. The first was an empty frozen field, where signs of battleid everywhere.

    ¡®Are there other people here?¡¯ Niki wondered to himself as he looked at the sword shes on the ground. The signs of battle weren¡¯t fresh, and there were no traces of any fallen humans or spirit dissipation. ¡®It was either a tie, or one side fled.¡¯

    Niki walked into the empty frozen field, looking around. As he reached the center, a system announcement arrived.

    [You have entered the Quest area.]

    ¡°Ah, Ra, Nee,¡± A singing from a distant ce reached his ears, prompting Niki to look at the spirit that appeared in the middle of the field. ¡°Fa, La, Cee.¡±

    ¡®An elemental talking spirit.¡¯ Niki slowly took out the enchanted bullets¡¯ magazine from his belt. Slowly, he inserted it into his gun. ¡®Is this the one trapping the lost soul?¡¯

    As if answering his question, the spirit swayed to reveal a clear pendant around its neck. Seeing it, Niki realized how the soul had been trapped here. This pendant was a Souls Gatherer.

 Chapter 53: Kill Stealer: Drake

    The spirit looked like an ice woman, her eyes hollow and frozen. She wore a long blue robe that swayed in the air as she approached Niki. The field began freezing as soon as she appeared.

    ¡°Ah, Ra, Nee.¡± The spirit kept singing as she floated toward Niki. All of a sudden, the spirit screamed. ¡°Sin!¡± Her eyes glowed blue as five ice shards appeared above Niki.

    With one swift motion, Niki fired five enchanted bullets. The ice shards flew his way, but they couldn¡¯t reach him. With a powerful stomp on the ground, Niki retreated.

    He turned and began firing the enchanted bullets while infusing them with mana. The enchantment amplified the mana in the shot, and it whistled as it cut across the air.

    ¡°Fa, La, Cee, Rin!¡±

    They reached the spirit before it could fly away, but the monster wouldn¡¯t sit idle. It began singing and an ice forcefield pulsed from its body, diverging the direction of Niki¡¯s bullets, making them hit the trees.

    ¡°Such a troublesome opponent,¡± Niki breathed in and leaned forward. ¡°But it¡¯s my turn now.¡± The spirit was resting after its earlier skill. It was the perfect chance to strike, but someone beat Niki into it.

    A figure descended from the sky like lightning, appearing right in front of the spirit. The neer carried a great sword in one arm, showing extraordinary strength and stats. Coupled with the ck and white robes the figure wore, Niki recognized their identity immediately.

    ¡°Drake!¡± Niki shouted with rage as he aimed his gun at the neer. Without hesitation, he fired countless bullets at the masked figure, making sure that he won¡¯t be able to dodge.

    A particr group called Kill Stealers had an underground organization that traded information about possible ¡®steals.¡¯ These were some of the most hated people by society. They caused adventurers endless frustration by killing monsters and stealing loots. Drake was one of them.

    Drake, who turned to block the bullets with his greatsword, was one of the most notorious Kill Stealers in Rohan. Niki had countless encounters with him where he got his kill stolen by the unknown thief.

    The bullets bounced off the sword¡¯s giant de while leaving cracks and chips on its surface. After all, they were enchanted bullets that Niki chose over thousands of regr ammunition.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Drake let out a breath as the eyes behind the mask squinted at Niki. However, the man was as professional as he was in the past. He turned back to the spirit to steal the kill.

    ¡°As if I¡¯d let you.¡± Niki used Limit-Break and disappeared from his spot, appearing behind the man directly. As if expecting it, Drake shed with his great sword toward Niki.

    Niki used his free hand and struck the sword¡¯s surface, using it to jump into the air and send an ax kick at the masked person.

    Drake¡¯s eyes widened as they saw the kick descending on his face, and he only managed to block it using his free hand. The fact that he could wield the greatsword with one hand saved him.

    The Kill Stealer¡¯s feet left a trail in the field as he slid several meters away. Niki was still midair when he fired several bullets at the spirit, trying to kill it.

    The spirit screamed in agony as the bullets lodged in its chest, disturbing the ethereal form it had. The field froze in an instant as the ghostly woman began singing again.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    As soon as it said the first syble, Niki was running far away from the spirit. Drake lunged himself forward to finish off the spirit, which was on death¡¯s doorstep. However, Niki kept running away.

    ¡°Ra!¡±

    The spirit kept singing as the ice began gathering above it. Drake was already a short distance away from it, ready to kill and steal the loot.

    ¡°Nee!¡±

    Countless ice shards formed above the swordsman, making him halt his movements. There were tens of shards ready to strike him, and they descended with the spirit¡¯sst syble.

    ¡°Sin!¡±

    The ice shards descended on the swordsman, and he struck his sword in the ground and crouched behind it for protection. The ice shards came down like rain, cruel and unceasing.

    A whistle resounded in the air as the spirit¡¯s singing stopped. Niki¡¯s bullet found its target and destroyed the Soul Gatherer on the spirit¡¯s neck.

    The ice shards stopped attacking Drake as Niki walked up to the spirit, which was dissipating. The Soul Gatherer fell to the ground as another crystal dropped from the monster. The crystal was transparent and had a symbol inscribed on top.

    ¡°A Skill.¡± Niki picked it up along with the Soul Gatherer as the souls trapped by the spirit were running away. He held it in hand, and the system panel appeared.

    [Quest Completed. You have obtained 50 Fate Points.]

    [Val¡¯s servant acknowledges your deeds and rewards you with a soul fragment.]

    [Larigo¡¯s Soul Fragment: This fragment resonates with one of Val¡¯s statues and guides you to it.]

    Niki grinned as the notifications arrived. As he held the crystal in hand, information about this crystal appeared in his mind. It was a Common-Skill called Ice Shards.

    ¡®Even though I can evolve skills, I can¡¯t settle for this one. The potential it has will always be minusculepared to the rarer skills. Not to mention,¡¯ Niki pocketed the skill to sell itter. ¡®I have my eyes on the Legendary Skills.¡¯

    Those skills, even at the novice level, were world-changing. They were the manifestation of power, and anyone who obtains one would rise against the odds. Everyone could only learn one skill per rank, so Niki needed to choose wisely.

    The ice shards that were impaled to the ground began breaking as Drake stood up and swung his sword. Several parts of his body were frozen stiff, but he was still alive.

    ¡°How did you know?¡± A gruff voice, covered by an illusionary enchantment of the mask, asked Niki. ¡°The fact my attack was a feint and that the spirit was going to attack.¡±

    ¡°Really? You¡¯re looking for constructive criticism on how to steal my kill better?¡± Niki looked at the man as if he was an idiot. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that I¡¯m leaving you alive.¡±

    ¡°Leave me alive?¡± Drake¡¯s voice was amused. ¡°It¡¯s not like you have a choice.¡± He said as his body began dissipating into the darkness. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again, Young Gunman.¡±

    These were thest words Drake said before disappearing without a trace. Niki cursed the skill this guy had with frustration. It was a Grand Skill that allowed him to avoid capture for a long time.

    ¡®In my past life, did Drake obtain Val¡¯s Selection?¡¯ Niki wondered to himself. The reason that Drake didn¡¯t attack him was simple, the man¡¯s policy was like this: never kill those you can steal in the future.

 Chapter 54: Adventure in The Sky

    The crystal in his pocket signified a new path opening for him. A skill was rare. It was rare enough for Niki to avoid spending his Fate Points to get one. The moment he obtained the loot, he prepared himself for a long battle against the Kill Stealer.

    It was either that Drake didn¡¯t see the skill because Niki hid it before he broke the ice or that he was simply uninterested in a Common Skill.

    Niki left the forest and went back to the city. He went straight to the fence and presented his loot. Seeing the transparent crystal, even Ash was surprised.

    ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± Ash asked. ¡°It¡¯s not something you should sell.¡±

    ¡°A skill, I know.¡± Niki smiled. ¡°I have no use for it.¡±

    ¡°Your stats might be below the F-Rank, but this skill can save your life. Do you know of Elementals? This thing is even stronger than that!¡± Ash exined while tapping on the counter. ¡°Unless you already have a skill, which I highly doubt, use this immediately!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to make a profit, Ash?¡± Niki chuckled. ¡°This is not a proper way to do business.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m better off than swindling a small fry.¡± Ash waved his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go out there and die on your own.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s sweet.¡±

    ¡°You still have a few uses.¡± Ash leaned on the counter with a wide smile. ¡°You¡¯re my precious informant, after all.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s a creepy smile. I still want to sell it.¡± Niki pushed the crystal forward. ¡°It¡¯s beneath my level.¡±

    ¡°Oi,¡± Ash massaged his temples. ¡°Don¡¯t be arrogant, kid. You gotta take what the heavens offer you.¡± Ash pointed with his index finger.

    ¡°Then take what the heavens offer you.¡± Niki gave Ash the crystal. ¡°How much is it?¡±

    ¡°Sigh,¡± Ash appeared defeated. ¡°The usual price for amon skill is twenty gold.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take that,¡± Niki agreed immediately. Ash looked at him with doubt before taking out twenty gold coins and handing them to Niki.

    ¡°Someone will swindle you one day,¡± Ash muttered, but Niki didn¡¯t mind it. He knew the market price for skills, so he knew Ash didn¡¯t con him.

    ¡°Give me one gold worth of ammunition. All of the enchanted ones too.¡±

    ¡°For your XR9?¡± Ash nced at his gun and nodded. He took out small crates of different bullets. ¡°I don¡¯t have enchanted bullets, but I have a lot of elementals,¡± Ash said.

    ¡°A lot? I guess even fences have their bad days.¡± Niki smiled and took the crates, shoving them into his bag. ¡°Do you have a magazine attachment?¡±

    ¡°A reloader?¡± Ash nodded. ¡°I have an old one, but it still works.¡± He took out the square item from a shelf and gave it to Niki. This rectangr item slides over the base of his gun and reloads magazines on its own. ¡°One gold.¡± Ash grinned.

    ¡°Just take it,¡± Niki threw the gold coin. ¡°Prepare for Abani ruins. Get the best trap detectors there are before we set off. I¡¯ll be back in a month or two.¡± Niki waved his hand as he walked out.

    ¡°What? Are you going somewhere?!¡± Ash peeked his head through the window and shouted with panic.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be back. I need to make some preparations before we try to cross Hyde.¡±

    Niki left the fence and went toward the workshop. He found out that Sergio rented the house for him and moved in his stuff. Looking at the ce, which he¡¯ll have to leave now, Niki sighed.

    ¡®You can never calcte everything.¡¯

    Niki thought he would need more time to hunt here and make money, but he lucked out and obtained the skill. This amount of money was just enough to rent a flying ship for his trip to get his first Legendary Skill.

    It was only a matter of time before Galen and Juliane after him. He also needed to prepare for the final exams and then the Lost Garden.

    ¡®It needs to be that skill.¡¯ Niki smiled as he unlocked the workshop¡¯s door. ¡®The skill that favored the rich over the poor.¡¯

    It even earned the title of ¡®Money Eater¡¯ in his past life. But it was also the skill that allowed its owner to be called The Invincible Profligate.

    ¡®If I obtain that skill, then Val¡¯s trial will be easy to pass. After that,¡¯ Niki walked through the door. ¡®My Undead Army.¡¯

    Boom!

    An explosion threw Niki out of the building as mes erupted from the workshop. The st shook the ground and broke all of the windows. The sound was loud enough to shake the whole district, almost bringing the building down.

    ¡°Sergio!¡± Niki stood up and shouted as he rushed into the workshop. The ce was a mess, and mes ate everything in its path. The fire originated from the work desk that Sergio concocted on. ¡°Sergio!¡± Niki shouted again as he raised his bandana to cover his face.

    ¡°Cough, cough.¡±

    Coughing came from beside the bed, and Niki hurried to help the alchemist sprawled on the ground. As he pulled the alchemist up, he found that his face and hair have caught some burns. As for his arms, they were full of burns.

    ¡°I fucking told you,¡± Niki pulled him outside as he lost hisposure for the first time. ¡°Don¡¯t try any weird shit!¡±

    ¡°It¡­ worked¡­ cough!¡± Sergio muttered in Niki¡¯s ears. ¡°I did it, Bossman, I did it. Ibined the fire and ice essence! The destruction was immense!¡±

    ¡°No shit, look at yourself.¡± Niki kicked the door opened and dropped the excited alchemist to the ground. ¡°That¡¯s what they do when theybine. They explode!¡±

    ¡°But I managed to make them stabilize!¡± Sergio said excitedly, his still burning and his face turning a bright red color in different ces.

    ¡°You mean?¡± Niki paused. ¡°Did you turn them into a usable item?¡±

    ¡°Yes! They¡¯re stronger than ancient grenades!¡± Sergio said excitedly. ¡°We can turn this into a profitable item!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Niki closed his mouth lest someone heard them. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone about this. We need to leave this ce now.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Sergio¡¯s eyes darted everywhere. ¡°Are we being watched?¡±

    ¡°If we were not before, then we are after that explosion. It¡¯s time we leave the city.¡±

    ¡°To go where?¡± Sergio was confused as he watched Niki run into the rented house and take out his things. As he threw his bags over his shoulder and helped the alchemist up, Niki grinned.

    ¡°An adventure in the sky.¡±

 Chapter 55: Alias

    It waste at night, and you could tell that by how sleep-deprived Niki¡¯s eyes were. He stood atop the balcony¡¯s tower in the sky, overlooking the rest of Rohan and its twinkling lights.

    ¡°The Young Hero sets out on a journey full of danger, treasures, and heavenly beauties. Hees to realize that the true treasure was no other than his friend, the Divine Alchemist.¡±

    ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Niki sighed as he rolled his eyes at Sergio, who was narrating an imaginary scenario. ¡°I have no qualms about calling yourself that, but really? True treasure?¡± Niki smirked.

    ¡°Hehe.¡± Sergio sheepishlyughed as he grabbed the railway and leaned back. ¡°Everyone loves heroic tales and meaningful endings.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if they were meaningful or not. Endings are endings.¡± Niki turned, leaned on the railway, and looked at the flying ships in the sky. ¡°The meaning is found along the way.¡±

    ¡°Deep!¡± Sergio eximed.

    ¡°That¡¯s what she said,¡± Niki smiled before walking inside. Sergio¡¯s face was confused before realization dawned on him.

    ¡°Nice one, bossman!¡± Sergio shouted after him as Niki walked into the harbor.

    This tower was nothing ordinary. It was a harbor for flying ships. Legends say that thousands of years ago, a meteor changed the world¡¯sndscape, giving parts of it the ability to ignore gravity.

    Humans used these parts to explore the inds in the sky and isted areas from the rest of the world. It was the beginning of the Sky Riders era. Ever since then, flying ships became the dreams of many.

    Today, Niki wanted to get such a ship. He would need to charge its core after every trip, but it was worth it. There were two ways to get a flying vessel of your own.

    ¡°Wee to The Dimond Harbor!¡± A receptionist weed as Sergio ran after Niki. ¡°What¡¯s your destination?¡± She asked with a sweet smile.

    Niki could see the receptionist stealing nces at Sergio, entertaining her fantasies. He sighed inwardly but didn¡¯t feel envious.

    ¡°We¡¯re here to buy a ship.¡± Niki¡¯s words made the receptionist¡¯s eyes turn round.

    ¡°Buy? Right away! We have a catalog of ships over here that you can choose from.¡± The receptionist handed them arge book which contained all models of ships.

    ¡°Damn! These ships are at least 100 golds!¡± Sergio eximed. Niki could only share the sentiment. The ships were marvelous and gigantic.

    Niki went to the end of the book and found thest ship on the list. It was a small ship that could barely fit three people. The price was just enough for Niki to afford, twenty gold.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take this one.¡± Niki pointed at the ship. Sergio and the receptionist peaked at his choice and appeared awkward.

    ¡°Sir, this is a self-driving model. You¡¯ll have to drive it on your own, as no crew fits that.¡± The receptionist exined, but Niki was already aware.

    ¡°No crew needed. I¡¯ll drive it myself. When can I receive it?¡± Niki took out the twenty gold and handed them over. ¡°I¡¯d like a receipt too.¡±

    ¡°R-right away.¡± The receptionist hurried to register his purchase as Sergio fidgeted to tell him something.

    ¡°Bossman, is there a room on this ship for me to work?¡± Sergio asked like a shy maiden.

    ¡°You can work on the roof.¡±

    ¡°What about the wind? The fire will be chaotic!¡± Sergio¡¯s face paled.

    ¡°It¡¯s time to sharpen your skills then.¡± Niki smiled as the receptionist hurried to get them the ship¡¯s key.

    ¡°Sir, we need an adventurer license.¡±

    Niki gave her his license, and she registered the ship under his name. He knew that he was leaving a trail using his license, but forging an adventurer license was difficult and risky.

    Its punishment byw was execution.

    ¡°Here you go, sir. You need to set a take-off before thirty minutes.¡±

    ¡°Set one now.¡± Niki took the key and walked toward the dock. It was on the highest floors where the big ships are. He found his ship ready in the spot written on the key.

    ¡°Our ship!¡± Sergio said excitedly.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t pay anything.¡± Niki corrected as he studied the ship in front of him.

    The small ship was seven meters long, five meters high, and three meters wide. It was smallpared to the giant vessels out there, and its core was slower, but it would do. A red sail fell from its mast, and it had a Dimond Harbor logo pained on its beige surface.

    ¡°Bossman, are you sure you can drive this?¡± Sergio asked with worry. ¡°We can hire a guy; I know of a retired Rider.¡±

    ¡°Do you have the money to hire someone?¡± Niki ran his fingers across its hull. ¡°It¡¯s an adventure. Take these coins and stock up food rations and basic supplies.¡±

    ¡°Basic supplies?¡± Sergio was confused.

    ¡°Toilet bags, man. Why are you clueless about anything other than potions?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, you don¡¯t need to praise me. I¡¯ll get the supplies straight away!¡± Sergioughed and hurried to buy the supplies from the harbor.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Niki wanted to say it wasn¡¯t apliment, but the alchemist ran away already. He sighed with a smile as he climbed the ship.

    As he reached the ship¡¯s roof, a cold breeze of wind arrived. Niki looked at the small, but enough, space with great sentiment. It was the first time he owned something as ¡®purely¡¯ his. He either rented stuff before or used other people¡¯s possessions.

    ¡°Bossman! I got the supplies!¡±

    Before he knew it, Sergio was back. Several men carried the giant crates into the ship as the alchemist took out a bucket of ck paint. He handed the brush to Niki, who looked at him with confusion.

    ¡°Name it!¡± Sergio grinned.

    Niki looked at the brush and the ship in front of him. He jumped off and wrote with giant words on the hull of the ship.

    ¡°Alias.¡±

    His handwriting wasn¡¯t anything special, but it was readable. With bold and strong strokes, Niki pained the name he had in mind. Sergio looked at the word from on top of the ship, trying to glean off the reason behind it.

    ¡°There¡¯s a spirit long forgotten,¡± Niki exined. ¡°They say it was faster than the wind, and its name is Alias.¡±

 Chapter 56: You Screwed Up

    ¡°Yourunch is scheduled to be in half an hour.¡± A staff member from the harbor wearing a cap told him while looking at his cupboard. ¡°The flying process is mostly automatic from a harbor to harbor. Since you are an adventurer, you can drive it manually, but it¡¯s unrmended.¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± Niki said while grabbing the rails of the ship. The staff member nodded at him and took out a remote control from his pocket. After pressing some buttons, Alias began to move.

    ¡°Whew! We are moving!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the presetunch route,¡± Niki exined as he went into the ship¡¯s cab. There was a captain cab and twopartments below the deck. The two were a core room and a bedroom. ¡°You can have the captain¡¯s cab.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to fly this thing!¡± Sergio replied in shock.

    ¡°You fly it using the core. The captain is the only one to navigate and make calls. The core masters are the ones who take hismands.¡±

    ¡°Still, you should take the captain¡¯s cab, bossman.¡± Sergio shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll take the room below.¡±

    ¡°And blow it up right beside the core?¡± Niki smirked. ¡°Not a chance. The only reason I¡¯m giving the cab to you is for you to create potions.¡±

    ¡°Can I?!¡±

    ¡°Not the destructive one, though. We¡¯ll need a lot of potions for our trip. You¡¯ll be working overtime.¡±

    ¡°I can handle whatever as long as it includes brewing,¡± Sergio said with a grin as their ship docked into a different stream. The fluid, which wasn¡¯t water, kept the ship in ce.

    ¡°Launch will be in 10, 9, 8, 7¡­¡±

    A countdown began as the doors in front of them were opened. Alias gave a soft hue as the core started working. The core generated wind currents that would propel them forward through the sky.

    As the ship began to advance, the fluid beneath glowed. As if in tow, the vessel started to levitate through the air.

    ¡°We¡¯re flying!¡± Sergio ran to the railway and shouted excitedly.

    ¡°The fluid was what held the ship to the dock.¡± Niki walked over as well. ¡°The moment they inject mana into it, the fluid loses its adhesive function.¡±

    Their ship rose and flew through the narrow airway until it reached the doors. The night sky was being washed away by the light of dawn as their flying vessel soared.

    ¡°We wish you a pleasant and safe flight.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re so nice.¡± Sergio turned back to Dimond Harbor. Niki smiled and didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°They expect us to die,¡± Niki said as he grabbed the shrouds and began climbing. He reached the highest point of the mast, where a small viewpoint was.

    ¡°Bossman, be careful!¡± Sergio held into the railway as a mighty wind arrived. Their sails were down because they were only there in case the core broke.

    Niki held into the ropes until he climbed to the viewpoint. The City of Rohan presented itself for him with its ancient building, ever stretching river, and sleepy lights. The Ro River split the city and the forest in two as it chased the horizon.

    ¡°Finally, I¡¯ve got away from that lifetime.¡± Niki grew sentimental. Leaving this ce meant that he escaped from his past life forever. There was no way it would be the same anymore.

    ¡°Bossman! The guide here says to be wary of wandering flying monsters!¡± Sergio shouted from below, holding a thick book.

    Niki climbed down andnded on the deck with a refreshed smile. Without saying anything, he opened the hatchway and jumped into the bedroom. There were two bunks, a toilet, and a desk.

    Opening the door on the side, Niki found the core room. The middle of the core room had a spherical object floating while chained to the ship¡¯s hull. There was a te with a keyhole in front of the core, which Niki could navigate.

    ¡°Bossman, how are you going to fly this thing?¡± Sergio asked after he jumped after him.

    ¡°Using mana.¡± Niki ced the key in and injected mana into the te. Symbols appeared beneath his hands as the core gave a soft glow.

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to the next city?¡± Sergio asked with concern. ¡°They said the destination was pre-determined for us.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s to avoid going into dangerous ced.¡± Niki grinned. ¡°We¡¯re going west.¡±

    The ship began turning as the core generated wind to the side. All Niki had to do was make sure they were high enough to avoid mountains and low to flee from dangerous monsters.

    ¡°Done.¡± Niki let go of the panel, and the ship flew on its own. ¡°We should arrive at our next stop in a day or two.¡±

    ¡°Next stop? Not our destination?¡± Sergio furrowed his brows. ¡°How long is it going to take us?¡±

    ¡°Well, in total, the trip should take a month.¡± Niki calcted. ¡°Are you regrettinging along?¡±

    ¡°Not with my debt.¡± Sergio grinned. ¡°I can just enjoy my time here.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Niki nodded. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll say the same when we reach the Bestial Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Sergio blinked at him. ¡°Did you just say¡­ the Bestial Kingdom? Aren¡¯t we at war with those?¡±

    ¡°Hm, I guess we are.¡± Niki nodded as he left the core room and ascended to the deck. ¡°This will make it harder to breach the border.¡±

    ¡°Bossman?¡± Sergio ran after him. ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re kidding? The beastmen will use my small body as a toothpick. We¡¯re not going there, right?¡±

    ¡°Adventure!¡± Niki smiled. ¡°Plus, the image of the beastmen is simply ruined by the kingdom. They¡¯re as bad as humans and just as good.¡±

    ¡°We are at war!¡± Sergio pleaded. ¡°Aren¡¯t there other ces you want to explore? Maybe the sweet and chilly kingdoms up north?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯lle to love the beastmen. Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll thank meter.¡± Niki smiled.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that!¡±

    Niki nced at Sergio and shook his head. How can he tell this alchemist that before Niki¡¯s death, Sergio lived among the beastmen all the time?

    The ship flew west as Niki programmed it to do. They passed by the Ancient Ruins of Rohan and the desert that came after it.

    Their first day was scorching, so they spent it in the room below. Sergio was reading a book as Niki practiced using his Blood Energy.

    When night arrived, it was finally cool enough for the two to go upstairs. They were in the middle of nowhere, and the stars mottled the dark sky. With no light to obstruct them and no smoke to cloud the sky, the stars felt reachable.

    ¡°To the stars!¡± Sergio raised his fist and dered with zeal. Niki shook his head with a smile. It was at that time that they heard some rattling noiseing from the crates.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Sergio turned around with a frown. ¡°Did you bring a pet, boss?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s either a rat or someone who sneaked into the ship using the crates.¡± Niki took out his gun. ¡°Either way, you screwed up.¡±

 Chapter 57: Broken

    The rattling intensified as if something was trying to break free from the crates. The sound came from thergest container, which had basic supplies like tissues and water.

    ¡°Shoot it, Bossman!¡± Sergio hid behind the mast and peaked his eyes as he pointed. ¡°Quick, before it devours us!¡±

    ¡°What kind of imagination is that? I¡¯m not going to ruin our supplies just because you¡¯re scared.¡± Niki aimed his gun at the crates nheless, prepared for anything.

    ¡®How did I miss something sneaking in? I¡¯m sure there was no sound or smell. I would have noticed anything unusual, but there was none. I should have checked the crates instead of trusting Sergio.¡¯

    The rattling suddenly stopped.

    ¡°Achoo!¡±

    A sneeze broke the deathly silence of the deck. Niki frowned since this meant it was no rat but a person.

    ¡°Come out now, or I¡¯ll riddle the crate with holes.¡± Niki threatened, but no answer came.

    ¡°Shoot them!¡± Sergio shouted, but a protesting banging arrived from within the crates. The startled Sergio took several steps back in fright. ¡°Hurry!¡±

    The banging grew stronger, and Niki simply sighed and lowered his gun. He walked to the crate under the fearful eyes of Sergio and used the lever to open the box. The crate opened, and a head jumped from it.

    ¡°AAA! It¡¯s the headless monster!¡± Sergio ran into the cab and locked it up. ¡°Bossman! Hurry up!¡±

    ¡°Headless? How is it headless if there¡¯s a head?¡± Niki sighed as he looked at the person who appeared from within the crates. ¡°I guess you had your reasons for not answering earlier.¡±

    ¡®Hehe, thank you for not shooting.¡¯ The archer gestured with a smile. Niki red at her silently in resentment and turned toward the railings.

    He opened the small wooden door and stood behind therge crate. Without hesitation, he began pushing the container to throw it off.

    ¡°AA!¡± The mute girl screamed and began gesturing for Niki to wait. Hearing the sounds, Sergio peaked from the window.

    ¡°Bossman! Are you killing someone?¡± Sergio¡¯s eyes turned wide as he saw Niki push the crate to the edge of the ship.

    ¡®Wait! Please!¡¯ The mute archer gestured as if her life depended on it. Well, it did depend on it. Niki stopped pushing and simply rested his foot on the crate. With a single push, the archer would need to grow a pair of wings.

    ¡°Why did you follow me?¡± Niki red at her angrily. ¡°Unless you want to die, exin yourself.¡±

    ¡®I saw you walking in the city and wanted to console you about what happened in the academy!¡¯ The girl gestured for Niki. ¡®I hid in the crate on an impulse, but I ended up here!¡¯

    ¡°Great, then allow me to send you back.¡±

    ¡°Boss! Boss!¡± Sergio ran out of the cab and grabbed into Niki¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but you can¡¯t kill people!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Niki¡¯s face crumbled, frightening the alchemist into letting go of him. ¡°If you don¡¯t kill to protect yourself, others will kill you to protect theirs.¡± He said coldly.

    ¡°But¡­¡± Sergio scratched his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s an enemy.¡± He nced at the short mute girl who looked harmless.

    ¡®It¡¯s still weird.¡¯ Niki furrowed his brows. ¡®Why can¡¯t I remember this person at all from my past life? Someone like her is bound to draw attention.¡¯ That was the reason he couldn¡¯t trust her despite how harmless she looked.

    ¡°Sergio,¡± Niki said calmly. ¡°There are ropes in my bag. Bring them to me.¡±

    ¡°Ropes?¡± Sergio blinked. ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°Just do it.¡± Niki aimed his gun at the archer. ¡°As for you, get out of the crate, now.¡±

    Until he finds out why he can¡¯t remember her, Niki would rather keep her alive than dead. It didn¡¯t sit well with him, the fact that he didn¡¯t know something he should.

    Sergio ran to his bag and took out the ropes. They were special items created from the Unbreakable Vines. Niki wanted to train using them, but it seems they would serve another purpose.

    ¡°You,¡± He gestured toward the mute archer. ¡°Turn around and put your hands behind your bag. Sergio, tie her up.¡±

    ¡°Bossman, is this necessary?¡± Sergio was hesitant.

    ¡°Listen well, Sergio,¡± Niki exined calmly. ¡°I¡¯m telling you this because I think of you as a friend. You¡¯re still too naive. This girl sneaked into the ship without us knowing. She could do the same and slit our throats in our sleep.¡±

    ¡°That is¡­ a bit extreme.¡± Sergio gulped and looked at the girl. ¡°She looks trustworthy.¡±

    ¡°Can you exin how she got in without anyone noticing?¡± Niki asked instead. ¡°If you could tell me, then I¡¯ll rest easy.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask her?¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t matter. The answer wouldn¡¯t change the fact that she can sneak upon us.¡± Niki aimed with his gun. ¡°Now tie her up.¡±

    Atst, Sergio listened to Niki¡¯smands and tied the girl to the mast. She looked upset with Niki but couldn¡¯t gesture anymore tomunicate.

    ¡°I know that I owe you one from before.¡± Niki crouched beside her. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I can trust you. Until I find out what I need about you, I¡¯ll treat you as a suspect.¡±

    Niki struck her dantian with his index finger. Air left her lungs as the girl¡¯s body turned stiff. Unlike what Niki did to Luke before, he didn¡¯t destroy this girl¡¯s center of power. He simply injected enough mana into it to block it and paralyze her.

    This way, he could rest easy without fearing her. Niki stood up and walked to the front of the deck. Sergio looked at the girl who couldn¡¯t move anymore and at Niki.

    ¡°Bossman, I think you¡¯re overdoing it.¡±

    ¡°Trust is earned, not gifted.¡± Niki shook his head at his friend. ¡°I know that this is extreme, but I have my reasons.¡±

    Niki would never fall for appearances again. He did once before, and it cost him his life and his trust in others. Trust was a trap. It was tempting to give, but once someone breaks it, something within you breaks as well.

    Once that thing breaks, you¡¯ll stop being human and turn into a creature who either tries to survive or seeks revenge. Niki was both of those.

    He was a broken person.

 Chapter 58: Pirates!

    ¡°Bossman, I¡¯m not getting any signal!¡± Sergio raised his phone high, waving it through the air to get a signal.

    ¡°Of course, you won¡¯t get any,¡± Niki said while sitting on top of the captain¡¯s cab. He was studying the arrows he got with his Darkmoon Longbow. ¡°The Wide Mana Array doesn¡¯t cover high altitudes.¡±

    ¡°How am I going to read Alchemy4U Blog?¡± Sergio fell on his knees in defeat. Niki smiled and didn¡¯t say anything.

    Even though they were only tools to connect to the mana array, phones became an essential daily item for many. Before innovating devices that could receive information, people had to train to glean information directly from the WMA. The phone¡¯s screens were a special crystal that could visualize mana.

    ¡°Aaa!¡± The archer opened her mouth to produce noises, but her voice was hoarse and unrecognizable. Sergio turned her way and then looked at Niki.

    ¡°Boss, the mute girl seems to want something.¡±

    ¡°Feed her.¡± Niki didn¡¯t take his eyes away from the arrow. The arrow had ancient engravings, each with a different one.

    ¡°She¡¯s shaking her head. I think it¡¯s the opposite of feeding.¡± Sergio said, and Niki turned to see the archer nod. He sighed and jumped from the cab¡¯s roof.

    ¡°Why do you have to make it so difficult?¡± He crouched next to the archer. ¡°Can¡¯t you just hold it in?¡±

    ¡°Boss, that¡¯s an inhuman request.¡± Sergio looked from behind him. ¡°Let¡¯s just take her to the toilet downstairs.¡±

    ¡°You think? I nned on letting her do it on the deck.¡± Niki said sarcastically, but he saw the girl¡¯s eyes shake. ¡°I¡¯m kidding.¡± He picked her up and opened the hatchway. ¡°Go down there and catch her,¡± Niki told Sergio.

    Niki threw the archer, and Sergio caught her in time. However, he fell on his rear with her in an embrace. He struggled to get up under Niki¡¯s speechless face.

    ¡°Next time, remind me to get you some strength crystals.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d rather have Intelligence Crystals.¡± Sergio panted. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we unrestraint her upstairs, and she could get down on her own?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust her. Put her on the seat.¡± Niki jumped down as well. ¡°I¡¯ll only restore your arms for you to finish your business.¡±

    Niki struck a spot above her naval, and she could use her arms again. As soon as she did, she went on toin.

    ¡®Why are you doing this to me?¡¯ The archer red at him as she gestured. ¡®I told you it was by mistake. Is this how you wanted to repay me?¡¯

    ¡°I wanted to repay you until you sneaked into the ship.¡± Niki red at her. ¡°I have no reason to trust you.¡±

    ¡®And no reason to not trust me.¡¯

    ¡°That¡¯s a foolish way of thinking.¡± Niki shook his head. ¡°Finish your business and knock on the door.¡±

    ¡®How do I get you to trust me?¡¯ She hurried to gesture before Niki turned to leave.

    ¡°Tell me how you sneaked into the ship.¡± Niki thought for a second. The archer looked at him silently and sighed.

    Suddenly, her aura diminished, and her breathing, presence, and mana disappeared. Niki squinted his eyes as the girl turned almost imperceptible.

    ¡°It¡¯s a skill?¡± Niki squinted his eyes. ¡°Where did you get it from?¡±

    A skill that could make you invisible was rare, not to mention one as good as this. Niki didn¡¯t expect an answer, but the archer seemed determined to answer him.

    ¡®I obtained it when I lost my voice.¡¯ The girl gestured. ¡®It was a tradeoff, I guess.¡¯

    Niki clenched his fist before rxing it. It was the same with his friend from the orphanage. He obtained a skill that manifested early and managed to leave the orphanage at that time, but it only ended up being the beginning of his nightmares.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you free as long as I¡¯m not asleep,¡± Niki said before turning to leave. ¡°However, you¡¯ll never leave my sight.¡±

    ***

    Niki sat on the railings and looked at the horizon. It waste afternoon now. He nced toward the archer seated on the deck and teaching Sergio signsnguage.

    ¡°I told you to get away from her.¡± Niki scowled at Sergio, who simplyughed awkwardly.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never met a mute person before, so it¡¯s interesting,¡± Sergio said naively. Niki shook his head and looked at the archer, focused on writing down the words for Sergio.

    They were bored up here in the sky as their ship sailed west, so Sergio asked her to teach him. Realizing something, Niki called out to her.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name, archer?¡± He asked, and the archer paused writing and took out another paper. Withrge letters, she wrote down her name and how to pronounce it.

    ¡°Yuxi, pronounced as Yuksi.¡± Niki read with a frown. It was a name he didn¡¯t recognize. Why was this girl so unknown to him, even though she was someone he would notice? ¡°What¡¯s yourst name?¡±

    ¡®Woodville.¡¯ Yuxi wrote down again. Niki didn¡¯t say anything and tried to look through his memories. As he was gazing at the horizon, he saw a dot moving across the sky.

    ¡°Sergio.¡± Niki stood up. ¡°Prepare the potions.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Are wending?¡± Sergio turned with confusion.

    ¡°No, but we¡¯ll be going into a fight.¡± Niki walked to his bags and took out the enchanted bullets he had. They weren¡¯t a lot, but they were enough to protect him.

    ¡°A battle? Against who?¡± Sergio stood up hurriedly and darted to his bag as he asked.

    ¡°Pirates.¡± Niki gripped his gun. ¡°Let¡¯s hope they don¡¯t notice us, but that¡¯s unlikely. They¡¯ll being after us.¡±

    ¡°P-pirates? Isn¡¯t this bad?¡± Sergio stuttered as he rushed over with his potions. Niki looked at his frightened expression and patted his shoulder.

    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you.¡± He said with confidence. ¡°Hide in the room below. Take this key. If I can¡¯t handle them, I¡¯ll need you to rotate the key in its hole like this: clockwise, anticlockwise, anticlockwise, clockwise, anticlockwise.¡±

    ¡°Would that send a rescue signal?¡± Sergio grabbed the key with hope, but Niki shook his head.

    ¡°It¡¯ll start the self-destruction countdown. There are parachutes under the bunks. Take them and jump if I don¡¯t make it.¡±

    ¡°How about we just surrender, boss?¡± Sergio seemed like he was about to cry. Niki didn¡¯t think he was a coward but someone who valued his life.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Niki raised his gun. ¡°They¡¯ll have to kill me to get to you, and there¡¯s no way that¡¯s happening.¡±

 Chapter 59: Be The Bait

    As Niki has expected, the ship sailed in their direction soon after. It seems the pirates have chosen them as their next target. Niki looked from over the railings as he started nning. He sensed Yuxi stand up as he did.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Niki frowned as he prepared his gun.

    ¡®Let me help.¡¯ The archer gestured. But Niki simply shook his head, making Yuxi pouted, and went toward the crates.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Niki aimed his gun at her, and Yuxi sighed exasperatedly.

    ¡®I don¡¯t know what happened before to make you so cynical,¡¯ She gestured. ¡®But don¡¯t let that cynicism kill you. You can make use of my help.¡¯

    Her words struck a chord in Niki¡¯s heart. He knew that he was too edgy, too cynical, and too untrusting. However, he knew that such qualities were the survival skills of theing era.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Niki smiled as he came up with his next n. ¡°You two will be the bait.¡± He pointed at Sergio and Yuxi. The two blinked their eyes before their faces crumbled.

    ¡°Bossman! What happened to your earlier promise of protecting me?¡± Sergio¡¯s face was about to cry.

    ¡°I would never go back on that promise,¡± Niki said with reassurance. ¡°Our best chance is through this n.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t even fight!¡± Sergio¡¯s face looked defeated as he rushed toward the railing. ¡°Let¡¯snd, boss! We¡¯ll run on foot!¡±

    ¡°Just trust me, Sergio.¡± Niki walked over to him and pulled him away from the railing. ¡°We¡¯ll have a grand loot if this goes well.¡±

    ¡°And a grand death if it goes wrong.¡± Sergio rebuked with tears in his eyes. Niki raised his hand and pped him.

    ¡°Calm down,¡± Niki said with a frown. ¡°Don¡¯t let fear take hold of you. It has a little friend called death, and that fear will invite him right away.¡± Sergio seemed to calm down a bit. Niki nodded at him and turned to Yuxi. ¡°Make sure to look pitiful.¡±

    ***

    Yuxi looked at the pirate ship throwing its shadow over their tiny vessel. The ship was a giant inparison withrge beige sails and a fortified hull. She could seerge windows with cannons protruding out of them.

    ¡®How does he n on taking this ship down?¡¯ She wondered if he was simply trying to run away. He didn¡¯t look like the type, but he indeed showed worse qualities. ¡®He¡¯s not a coward, though.¡¯

    Yuxi had seen it before when he fought against enemies and friends alike to capture thest monolith. Then, he stood against every student who hated him in the academy and fought against the Mackay family.

    She knew he wasn¡¯t a coward, but the odds were against them.

    ¡°Surrender your goods, and we¡¯ll spare your lives!¡±

    A voice came from the pirate ship as several pirates appeared on the railings. The one speaking was a man who wore a sleeveless vest with his side face covered in sideburns.

    ¡°We, the Pirates of Shi, are merciful to the obedient wealthy!¡± A girl with a crossbow aimed her weapon at the two.

    ¡°We, we surrender!¡± Sergio hurried to raise his hands. ¡°We¡¯re an adventurous couple on a honeymoon, so please don¡¯t harm us!¡±

    The pirates nced at their simple ship and seemed to buy it. After all, Alias was rtively small for a merchant ship. Nheless, the pirates weren¡¯t disappointed.

    ¡°A honeymoon, eh?¡± The sleeveless man held his chin with a grin. ¡°You must be loaded then,¡± He said and jumped andnded on Alias¡¯s deck. ¡°Search the ship, boys! Make sure to search every nook and cranny!¡±

    ¡°Aye, captain!¡±

    Five of the eight people jumped andnded on the ship. First of all, they tied up Sergio and Yuxi to the mast of Alias. Then, they started searching them up

    ¡°Where is your money, couple?¡± The sleeveless pirate crouched beside Sergio, but he was too terrified to answer.

    He turned to Yuxi, but she was silent as well. She stared at him with nk eyes that scared him a bit. As he sensed that something was off, Alias began to move.

    ¡°This ship is rising!¡± The crossbow woman screamed, but it was toote. Alias rose higher in the air as if it wanted to break through the skies. ¡°Wait, why is it turning?¡±

    Before any of the present people could grab into something, the ship rotated 180 degrees in the air and flew upside down. Sergio and Yuxi were the only ones tied to the mast, but the rest either fell or grabbed the railings.

    ¡°Someone is driving this ship!¡± One of the five pirates screamed. ¡°Aron!¡± He shouted as he tried to grab onto one of his friends, but the pirate screamed as he fell to his demise.

    ¡°It¡¯s still rising higher!¡± The sleeveless man frowned as he started climbing the railing and heading toward the hatchway.

    Yuxi looked at them with her head upside down, trying to grab into the railings as the wind struck their bodies. She and Sergio were the only two who had it easy because they were tied up.

    ¡®What kind of nning is this?¡¯

    That guy nned to lure the pirates into the ship using their weak appearance and Sergio¡¯s panicked but genuine attitude. He knew that the pirates would tie them up and search for their belonging.

    ¡®Such foresight and belief.¡¯ Yuxi looked at the sleeveless man, who ignored thempletely, climb toward the hatchway. When he couldn¡¯t find a ce to grab, he punched the wooden floor to create a hole.

    He reached the hatchway as the ship began to stabilize. Now, not even Yuxi knew the rest of the n. The pirate opened the hatchway and climbed into the core room.

    Boom!

    At that time, the pirate¡¯s ship, which was beneath them, had an explosion on its dock. The smoke blinded everyone¡¯s vision as the pirate¡¯s ship began to sink toward the ground.

    ¡°Captain! Our ship is sinking!¡± The crossbow woman screamed in horror to the core room. However, no answer arrived. ¡°Captain?!¡±

    Yuxi watched as the pirates panicked. They had to choose between checking on their captain or returning to their sinking ship.

    ¡®How¡­¡¯ Yuxi looked at the mayhem ensue. ¡®How did he pull this off?¡¯

 Chapter 60: Vultures

    ¡°Surrender your goods, and we¡¯ll spare your lives!¡±

    Niki heard the pirates make their standard deration as he took hold of Alias¡¯s core. He knew that with Sergio¡¯s and Yuxi¡¯s timid appearance, they would let their guards down.

    He waited as he listened to the conversations above. After he heard the captain¡¯s order to tie the two up, Niki prepared himself. His perception picked up the phrases above him.

    ¡°Where is your money, couple?¡±

    ¡®Now.¡¯ Niki navigated the ship to rise and rotate 180 degrees. Alias obeyed, and he was soon felt the vessel begin to spin. Niki let go of the control once it was upside down andnded on the ceiling.

    He opened the door to the room and went ahead to open the windows. When he got his head out of the window, he saw the pirate¡¯s ship beneath them.

    He heard the pirates scream as they tried to grab the railings. Looking back, Niki took out his Darkmoon Longbow and infused an effect into the bow.

    [You infused the Lethal Gas Effect, consuming 3 Points.]

    If one weren¡¯t aware of this trap, then this poison would be enough to, at least, make them unable to move. The best-case scenario was to kill them, but Niki had no expectations of that.

    He jumped out of the window grabbed into the sails of the ship. After a roughnding, Niki tried to find out the location of the rest. He closed his eyes and felt the presence of everyone on the ship. There were only three people here to protect the ship.

    [You infused the Stealth Effect, consuming 5 Points.]

    Niki used his bow to infuse another effect. He didn¡¯t know the limits of this stealth, but he hoped it could be enough for him to kill the three.

    He took out the arrow and shed his abdomen. It was a shallow wound that healed instantly with his Blood Energy, but it was enough to make his body blend into the surrounding.

    ¡®But first, we need a smokescreen.¡¯

    Niki grinned and took out his gun. He loaded his enchanted bullets before rushing toward the core room of the ship.

    These ships were standard, so it wasn¡¯t hard to locate the most critical room. Unless someone had them made so that they hide this ce, anyone could find their way.

    Niki followed the traces of mana and ran toward the room. It was below the deck as well, and Niki found someone guarding the door. Since fighting them would produce noise, Niki opted to sneak in from the window.

    He grabbed the railing and jumped to the other side. After he let go and allowed himself to fall, Niki held the edge of the window.

    ¡®How do I break the window?¡¯ Niki thought about creating a diversion, but he didn¡¯t need to.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening to the ship above?¡± The guards screamed as they rushed forward. Without hesitation, Niki pushed the window and broke it. He slipped in andnded on the wooden floor right beside the core.

    ¡°Should we help them?¡± He heard the three guards talk above as he took out his bow. Taking out a Darkmoon arrow from his quiver, Niki decided to test it.

    [You infused Dyed Explosion Effect, consuming 5 Points.]

    [A Darkmoon Arrow amplified the effect: Dyed Grand Explosion.]

    [The explosion will ur in one minute.]

    Niki grinned as he nocked the arrow to his bow. He released the string and watched as the arrow struck the core that started to grow violent.

    Without dy, Niki turned and ran outside. He used the hatchway and was lucky enough for the three guards to miss him because of the events on Alias.

    Niki passed by them as he ran up the mast and climbed like his life depended on it. He felt the ominous mana gather like a parasite crawling on his back as it began topress.

    ¡°Huh?¡± One of the pirates looked up the mast. ¡°There¡¯s someone over there!¡± He pointed at Niki and took out his crossbow. ¡°After him!¡±

    However, their hopes were in vain as the explosion arrived. mes erupted from the core room with a heaven shaken explosion, and the deck¡¯s floor began to unpeel themselves and rise likeva erupting from the ground.

    Niki felt his ears buzz as the explosion pushed him upward while smoke clouded everyone¡¯s visions. Using the momentum from the explosion, Niki kicked the mast and flew in the direction of Alias.

    He soared through the sky and managed to grab the edge of the captain¡¯s cab. His fingers dug into the wood to avoid losing grip and falling.

    ¡°Captain!¡± The other pirates called for their captain, which was probably poisoned by now. Niki took out his gun and aimed it at the nearest pirate.

    Bang!

    The gunshot rang loudly, and the bullet struck the railway that the pirate grabbed, making him fall toward the ground. However, he managed to grab the fallen mast of their ship in time.

    ¡®Tsk.¡¯ Niki aimed again but heard the distinct click of a crossbow being loaded. He jumped to the side without hesitation and dodged the arrow that lodged itself into the cab¡¯s wall.

    Niki aimed his gun and fired at the crossbow woman behind the smoke. There was grunt proceeded by the sound of flesh tearing as another arrow was loaded.

    However, the arrow never arrived. Niki frowned as he heard the sound of pping wings and a feminine scream. He saw a figure fell from the ship in the corner of his eye, and it cut through the smoke.

    It was the crossbow woman. Her body was torn and bloodied as she fell to her demise. Niki¡¯s heart turned cold as he tried to think of an exnation, but he didn¡¯t need to.

    A figure flew from his right, and Niki managed to see the outline of it. It was a giant flying monster with a person riding it. The shape of the beast made Niki dreadful.

    ¡®A Vulture.¡¯ Niki¡¯s heart felt heavy. ¡®Can it be that n?¡¯ He had hoped that they would pass undetected by them, but it seems the explosion caught their interest. ¡®This got a lot moreplicated.¡¯

    It has been nothing but a few days since they set out, but it seems their trip wasn¡¯t fated to be an easy one. That legendary skill would have to wait for a bit until they leave this ce.

    ¡®It¡¯s time tond.¡¯

 Chapter 61: Battle in The Air

    The smoke from the sinking ship made it even more difficult to ascertain their situation. Niki grabbed his gun and strained his ears to pick up the slightest of sounds.

    He heard the pping of wings from his right side. Aiming his gun in that direction, Niki waited for the vulture to show itself. The pping got closer, and the smoke parted but from the opposite side.

    ¡®What?¡¯ Niki turned the gun to his left, but he was toote. The vulture dived toward him and took hold of his arm with its talon. Niki had to let go of the cab, and the struggle in the air began.

    The vulture held Niki¡¯s arm as the Rider on top, a guy with giant goggles, stabbed with his spear. Niki dodged and took hold of the spear before sending a kick to the vulture¡¯s head.

    The monster screeched as Niki struck its ear. It lost its bnce and started to p its wings and spin in the air. The Rider on top grabbed the base of the beast¡¯s wings as Niki grabbed its legs.

    ¡°Die!¡± The Rider stabbed again with his spear at Niki¡¯s heart. Using the dagger that he took out from his belt, Niki diverted the attack before shing at the monster¡¯s neck.

    Sensing the danger, the vulture suddenly pped its wings and generated a whirlwind that sent them soaring through the skies. After missing, Niki felt the vulture try to let go of his arm.

    ¡°You wish!¡± Niki stabbed the monster¡¯s abdomen, making it screech. He used the dagger to avoid falling, but he could feel it slipping from the beast¡¯s body.

    The monster tried to peck him, but Niki let go of the dagger to dodge. The monster missed, and Niki wrapped his arm around its neck. The giant beast shook its neck to get Niki away, but Niki stuck to him like a parasite.

    ¡°Taste your own medicine!¡± Niki opened his jaw and bit the monster¡¯s neck with all of his strength. His jaws ached, but the monster¡¯s scream proved that it was worth it. He could feel his mouth filling with blood, but he didn¡¯t care.

    ¡°Let go of him!¡± The Rider stabbed with his spear, and it lodged into Niki¡¯s shoulder. With a grunt, Niki ignored him and shoved the gun into the vulture¡¯s face. ¡°No!¡± The Rider screamed as he pulled his spear out to strike again.

    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

    In a single moment, Niki fired several five times. The gunshot disfigured the monster¡¯s face, and its brain matter came to the surface. As the vulture turned limp, the two began falling through the sky.

    ¡°Mori! I swear that I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The Rider screamed at him and started strapping belts to his backpack. The straps linked the bag on his back to his sleeves.

    ¡°You can¡¯t run away alone,¡± Niki grinned as he gripped the Rider¡¯s leg. As he suspected, a set of wings opened from the Rider¡¯s bag with the belts strapped to his arms.

    ¡°Let go!¡± The Rider kicked Niki with his other leg because rather than gliding to safety, they were still falling but at a slower rate.

    Niki endured the kicks as he blocked them with his right arm. The powerful attacks fractured his bones repeatedly, but his Blood Energy worked on healing them.

    When they got closer to Alias, which was still upside down, Niki jumped andnded on the ship¡¯s hull. The Ridernded in front of him with his spear still in hand.

    ¡°You killed Mori,¡± The Rider red at him from behind his giant goggles. ¡°Prepare to pay the consequences.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a talkative fellow for a n of very few words.¡± Niki looked around, looking for any others. ¡°How many of you are here?¡±

    ¡°You¡­ know of us?¡± The Rider red at him with both shock and rage. ¡°If there were any chances of you living, they just became none.¡±

    ¡°Hah,¡± Niki smirked. The only reason that no one knew of this n was that no one lived to tell of their misdeeds. There was no way they¡¯d let him live, anyway.

    Niki aimed his gun and fired, but the Rider struck the bullet away with his spear. He rushed forward, faster than Niki anticipated.

    ¡®I can¡¯t win, not in a head-on fight.¡¯

    Niki deduced in an instant. The hull was small. It was the worst environment for a sharpshooter to fight in. With his lower stats, Niki thought of a better n.

    The wound that the spear left in his shoulder was already fully healed after consuming 3 out of the 5 Blood Energy Niki had. He waited for the Rider to get close, and as soon as he did, Niki kicked the hull of the ship.

    His attack was apanied by what remained from his Blood Energy and the Limit-Break technique he learned from the elves. He was able to break open a tile in the ship. As soon as he did, the Lethal Gas came out straight into the Rider¡¯s face.

    ¡°Hah!¡± The Rider gasped as he held his breath, but he had already inhaled some of the gas. While he was distracted, Niki retreated and fired his gun. The Rider tried striking the bullet away, but his body didn¡¯t work as he expected, and it struck his abdomen.

    Bullets rained.

    The Rider¡¯s body was bleeding from everywhere as he stood on death¡¯s brink. As he took out another magazine, Niki heard another pping of wings.

    ¡®I knew it. These Riders would never attack alone.¡¯

    Niki ducked as the giant vulture passed above him, leaving scratches on his back. He raised his head and found that several Riders appeared to surround him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move, or you¡¯ll die.¡±

    A man riding on top of a white vulture said. A breathing mask and two ck goggles covered his face. His long brown hair fell beside him in dreadlocks.

    ¡®A chief.¡¯ Niki frowned. He looked around and counted the riders: there were five, including the chief. As Niki stood up, the leader jumped andnded on the hull. He walked toward his poisoned and bloodiedrade.

    ¡°You¡¯ve poisoned him.¡± The chief noted. ¡°You¡¯ve shown no mercy. Thank you for honoring him. This way, he¡¯ll die as a warrior.¡± The chief stood up.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll let this slide, huh?¡± Niki tried to force a smile, but the wounds on his back burned like hell.

    ¡°I¡¯ll repay the honor and kill you myself.¡± The chief waved his silver spear. ¡°Prepare yourself, ounder.¡±

 Chapter 62: An Expensive Honor

    As he looked at the chief grasping his spear tightly, memories of his past life resurfaced in Niki¡¯s mind. This n was one of the unique ones he came across, so it was hard to forget them.

    They were called the Vultra n, a group of Vultures Riders that inhabited the west of the Rosia Kingdom and the southeastern parts of the Bestial Kingdom.

    ¡®As I remember, they became known after the war began because they started stealing resources from the people on thend.¡¯ Niki looked at the chief in front of him. ¡®The war did them cruelly, and their n couldn¡¯t survive.¡¯

    The chief looked at him with a stoic expression, knowing fully well that Niki was resting or nning. However, for reasons that Niki couldn¡¯t fathom, like honor or battle dignity, he didn¡¯t attack first.

    Niki¡¯s eyes darted, looking for his quiver. He found it on the edge of the hull, nothing but a touch away from falling. The quiver was on his back when the vulture carried him through the sky, but it came off when hended with the Rider earlier.

    ¡°Is that your weapon?¡± The chief turned to nce at the quiver. ¡°No, you use a gun. You must be a multi-weaponist.¡±

    ¡®I thought thest guy was chatty. At the time I knew them, they were too impoverished to chat.¡¯ Niki didn¡¯t say anything in response.

    He took a step back and aimed his gun. The tension rose between the two as the chief crouched while holding his spear. The rest of the riders didn¡¯t get involved but either stayed to watch or went to attack the other pirates.

    ¡®I hope Sergio is well,¡¯ Niki thought to himself. As for the archer, she got into this mess by herself. Sergio was dragged here by Niki, so thetter felt responsible. ¡®Right, I have the vials he created.¡¯

    Niki asked him to brew a set of potions for Niki to use. He gave Niki a small leather pouch that had a group of vials, but Niki never used them.

    ¡°Do you think this is an honorable fight?¡± Niki broke the tension. The chief looked at him silently and nodded. ¡°One of your people attacked me from behind, and now you im honor in fighting an injured man.¡±

    Niki never believed there was an honor in fighting. There was only winning. However, the Vultra in front of him thought otherwise. His words seemed to work as the chief lowered his spear.

    ¡°What do you suggest?¡±

    ¡°Let me use a healing potion, and we¡¯ll fight to our heart¡¯s content,¡± Niki said and lowered his gun. ¡°If you refuse, then there¡¯s no point in fighting. Just kill me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± The chief looked at him silently. Niki hoped this man would be foolish enough to agree. As he expected, the rest of the Riders didn¡¯t stay silent.

    ¡°You¡¯ve poisoned ourrade! How is that honorable?¡±

    ¡°Kill him, leader!¡±

    ¡°Silence.¡± The chief scowled. ¡°Drink your potion, ounder. For we are not a bunch of low-lives, but honorable warriors.¡±

    ¡®Ah,¡¯ Realization dawned on Niki as he heard these words. He had heard of this person before. The man in front of him was the next n Leader.

    ¡®This guy is the one who refused to run away when a Lord called them thieves and set out to exterminate them. Choosing to die honorably than run like a rat, he fought the Lord head-on and perished with his n.¡¯

    Niki was sure of it now; this man was foolish. However, it worked in his favor. He took out the pouch of vials and found ten of them in it.

    Three Healing, three Mana Restore, and three Quick Steps were inside the pouch. As for thest vial, it had a ck fabric wrapping it. With a frown, he took out the piece of paper next to it.

    [I¡¯ve created the destructive potion, teehee. (¡É???¡É) Use it well, Bossman!]

    ¡®You fucking idiot!¡¯ Niki¡¯s heart shook as he wanted to scream. ¡®I was running around carrying this bomb with me?¡¯ At this moment, Niki¡¯s rage was unbridled.

    He asked Sergio to avoid creating it on the ship because it was dangerous. Not only did he not listen, but he also went ahead and slipped it into Niki¡¯s bag.

    ¡®Wait, this clothing is¡­¡¯ Niki touched the fabric. It was rough to the touch and absorbed mana. This item was a Shock Absorber. ¡®Well, he¡¯s not that dumb, I guess¡­ but still,¡¯

    Thanks to Sergio¡¯s recklessness, Niki now had a chance against this chief. He took out the Healing potion and drank it. His wounds began to heal, and all of his fatigue began to lessen.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be the only one drinking a potion. Drink one too.¡± Niki said as he took a stance with eyes full of determination. ¡°Let¡¯s have an honorable fight!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need a potion.¡± The chief said, but Niki shook his head in response.

    ¡°This is not an equal fight, then.¡± Niki took out a potion from his bag. ¡°Let this serve as a repayment for your n¡¯s noble deeds.¡± He threw the vial in the air, and it made an arch toward the chief.

    The chief appeared hesitant but still reached out to grab the potion. At that moment, Niki raised his gun and shot the potion. Like an angry dragon, the vial broke to spew out mes and ice energy.

    Boom!

    The explosion took the chief by surprise, and the mes engulfed him. Niki was surprised that such a tactic would work, but he attributed it to the chief¡¯s idealistic values.

    The explosion pushed him away, but Niki was the farthest from its center. Holstering his gun, Niki ran and jumped after his quiver that fell from the ship. Catching it midair, Niki removed the lid of the quiver and took out an arrow.

    He turned around while falling and nocked the arrow to his Darkmoon Longbow, which appeared in his hand. He watched as Alias sank toward the ground further away from him because the explosion damaged its core.

    ¡°Be safe, Sergio,¡± Niki muttered, hoping that Sergio manages to flee using the backup n Niki prepared. There was nothing more that he could do.

    Niki released the arrow after infusing it with a magical effect. Even though these effects could only serve as tricks at most, they were the reason Niki was still alive.

    [You infused the Target Tracking Effect, consuming 5 Points.]

 Chapter 63: Time to Awaken

    The wind made it difficult for Niki to open his eyes as he fell from the sky. He took out another arrow with a bleeding heart at his dwindling precious Fate Points. Only 46 points were remaining. If not for the quest he finished, he would have suffered.

    ¡®I¡¯m consuming too many points,¡¯ Niki prepared his arrow as he saw the orange trees get closer. ¡®Every effect I needed until now costs at least 3 points.¡¯

    [You infused the Whirlwind Effect, consuming 1 Point.]

    Niki fired his arrow, and it lodged on the ground beneath him. Winds rose from the ground that slowed down his fall until hended safely. As soon as hended, Niki fell to the ground.

    The fight from earlier, fighting pirates and the Vultra, consumed a lot of his energy. Luckily, he didn¡¯t feel any monsters nearby at the moment.

    The sun was going down. The trees around him weren¡¯t green, but light orange with a transparent body. As if they were artificial, the trees looked ss-like. He tried to remember where he was, but he had no clue.

    It¡¯s not like he knew everything.

    ¡®I need to find a ce to rest.¡¯ Niki stood up despite being tired. The potion from earlier worked to lessen his fatigue, but he felt dizzy because he consumed many fate points.

    He wondered if this fate resided in his body instead of a separate entity. Niki wandered the forest until he found a giant crystalline tree with a hollow trunk. He walked in and found a small space inside, surrounded by the light of the sunset.

    However, he couldn¡¯t see what was outside. The lighting through the tree was too distorted to be ss. Niki slumped on the ground and started resting.

    ¡®Most of my ammo and luggage are on the ship. There is also Sergio and that mute.¡¯ Niki¡¯s eyelids dropped as his breathing slowed. ¡®If I¡¯m not mistaken, the Vultra n must have taken hold of my ship.¡¯

    He needed to reim his ship and repair it. Unfortunately, the explosion that allowed him to flee damaged the core. Thus, Alias sank to the ground.

    ¡®How do I repair a core?¡¯ Niki felt a headache. ¡®I need to find a good craftsman or a new core.¡¯ Unfortunately, both options were equally difficult, given his current circumstances.

    Niki thought of something and opened his stats menu. His stats have grown a lot since he returned to the past.

    [Vitality: 18]

    ¨C [Blood Energy: 5.]

    [Strength: 18]

    [Agility: 14]

    [Intelligence: 21]

    [Mana: 12]

    ¡®Can I¡­ awaken my bloodline?¡¯ Niki wondered to himself. ¡®It¡¯s the best way to reim the ship and repair it.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t know a lot about awakening, but bloodlines gave powers to their owners. So, if he awakens it, then his stats and body should get an enhancement. Niki took off the crystal from around his neck and studied it.

    [Requirements to use: A Bloodline and 25 points in all stats. The sess rate of awakening: 2%]

    He didn¡¯t know if it was because it was a broken crystal or low quality, but the chance was minimal. Nheless, Niki didn¡¯t need to use it with a 100% chance of urring.

    ¡®If I get a 2% increase for every point, 25 points should make it a 52% chance. So, it¡¯s a high risk.¡¯

    He wanted to use points to hunt monsters here before going to the ship. Then, after he gets all of his stats to 25, he would use the crystal to awaken his bloodline.

    This way, he should have a chance against the Vultra n. The only problem was the fate points he was missing. Niki closed his eyes and allowed his ears to be his guards as he rested.

    Time passed.

    The light stung his eyes. When Niki opened them, he found that morning has arrived. He spent the night half-asleep, but it was enough for him to function.

    ¡®I need some coffee.¡¯ Niki groaned as he stood up. He walked out of the tree and breathed in the air of dawn. ¡®It¡¯s time to raise my stats to 25. But first of all, I need to search for Alias.¡¯

    He took out his bow and focused on it. Niki could still use the tracking, and he got the general direction of Alias. He got out and ran toward the ship while watching for any monsters.

    The ship wasn¡¯t in the direction it fell at, and Niki realized the Vultra n must take hold of it. However, he needed to act quickly because the tracking wasn¡¯t going tost forever, and the Riders should notice the arrow in a while.

    As he was running, he saw something move in the orange forest. Niki hid behind a tree as he peaked at the monster. It was a humanoid monster with a head covered in orange leaves and the body of a tree.

    ¡®A low-ranking druid¡­¡¯

    Niki started climbing the tree, and he jumped from one tree to the other. With his stats, he didn¡¯t have any difficulty doing so. He could feel that Alias was close.

    Niki reached a giant tree, which he climbed to get a better view. After reaching the highest point he could stand on, Niki looked for Alias.

    ¡®There is it¡­¡¯

    The Vultra n resided on a steep mountain in a vige of connected rope bridges and watchtowers. Alias was on the bast of the mountain with a cage hanging above it. As he focused, Niki could see that Sergio and the mute were in it.

    ¡®The Vultra captured them.¡¯ Niki frowned as he looked at the vige. It was full of Vultures and Riders walking around. Right beside Alias stood the chief that Niki attacked.

    Before being seen, Niki ran away. He knew that this wasn¡¯t a battle he could take on just yet. So, he ran far away from the vige lest they find him.

    After he was far enough, Niki spotted another druid walking in the forest. Without hesitation, Niki jumped in the air with his dagger in hand. He descended from the sky andnded on the druid, stabbing it in the head.

    ¡°Goh!¡± The druid screamed as its arms bent unnaturally to attack Niki. Then, with a kick to his dagger, Niki retreated away while taking out his gun.

    ¡®Let your death be my stepping stone.¡¯

 Chapter 64: Resent The World

    The druid let out an ear-piercing scream as its leaves left its head and floated above it. They revealed a red core attached to the head, the only weak spot this monster couldn¡¯t regenerate.

    Niki knew that druids were the masters of regeneration. Fighting them in a battle of attrition was the path of the unwise and reckless. As the core came to light, Niki knew that his moment arrived.

    To fight a druid, one would need to provoke it intounching its strongest attack, Autumn Leaves. This name came from the orange color of the leaves and the fact that Autumn was the season of death.

    The leaves flew toward him at an unprecedented speed and sharpness. Niki aimed his gun and shot them, deflecting their course but not destroying them. He wished he could, but they were the armor and the final attack for a reason.

    Niki shot the leaves away as he fired several shots at the core of its head. The bullets found their way, and the druid fell to the ground, dead.

    After its death, the red core disintegrated, but there was nothing else. Niki sighed and ruffled his hair in annoyance. He didn¡¯t use his fate points because he wanted to save them, but it was dreamy to win the 20% loot drop probability.

    ¡®Let¡¯s go to the next monster.¡¯

    Niki ran through the forest, looking for his next prey. He found another druid, which he sneak-attacked and killed again, but no loot dropped this time as well.

    ¡®This is why it¡¯s so hard to raise your stats.¡¯

    Niki looked at the druid¡¯s body and sighed. Frustration was building up in his heart, but he reminded himself of the iron rule of survival.

    The patient adventurer lives the longest.

    He didn¡¯t want to be too hasty and end up dead. That¡¯s why he hunted again without using fate points, but it was the same: no crystal. He did it again, for the fourth time, and no crystals. As he was starting to get tired, he noticed something off.

    His nose picked up a smell, and he sniffed before turning in the direction of the scent. He saw the smoke of a campfire splitting the sky into two.

    ¡®Who¡¯s the idiot camping in the middle of nowhere?¡¯ Niki frowned but realized it soon after. ¡®I¡¯m the idiot. This camp must belong to the surviving pirates who sank with their ship.¡¯

    Niki deduced and ran in the direction of the smoke. He avoided the monsters because he didn¡¯t think his luck would improve without using Fate Points. If that was the case, then he needs to get some fate points.

    Niki ran through the forest and hid behind the crystal trees to avoid monsters until he got close enough to see the camp. As he suspected, the three pirates were sitting next to a campfire.

    There was one other person next to them. As Niki focused, he noticed that his body was bruised up and bandaged. When he flipped the ship in the air, he heard the scream of one person.

    ¡®He didn¡¯t die, even from that height.¡¯ Niki realized. ¡®The heavens truly favor its Defiers.¡¯

    A Defier was those who refused to be content with what heavens gave them. It was a term referring to anyone who sought power, skills, and godhood.

    ¡®This is the reason I didn¡¯t get any fate points even though this guy fell. Their ship must be close by with all of their money and loot.¡¯ Niki grinned. ¡®It¡¯s time to finish up what I started.¡¯

    Instead of trying to be lucky without Fate Points, it was better to steal fate instead. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d have the opportunity, but heavens were merciful to him but cruel to these pirates.

    Niki retreated without making a sound. He kept a distance as he waited for the sky to wear its darkest dress. Then, as the night descended, he slipped into the darkness and went toward the camp.

    There were only two sleeping, one of them was the injured one. As for the other two pirates, they stood guard on each side. Niki climbed the highest tree in their vicinity

    He took out his Darkmoon Longbow and an arrow. As he held his bow, he felt the darkness gather around his body. With a frown, Niki returned the bow inside his body.

    The darkness dissipated.

    ¡®I guess it¡¯s called Darkmoon for a reason.¡¯ Niki looked at the sky and its half-moon. He wondered how much would bow hide him when the moon was gone.

    Niki nocked his arrow to his bow and released the attack. The projectile zoomed and struck the sleeping pirate¡¯s neck. As he bled to death, the two guards noticed immediately.

    ¡°Enemy attack!¡±

    They shouted and turned to look in the direction in which the arrow came. Niki was already jumping from one tree to the other, using the darkness to run away.

    He took out his gun and enchanted bullets as he held into his bow with his other hand. The darkness surrounded him and made him obscure as he aimed his gun at one of the pirates.

    [You have stolen fate. As a result, you obtained 5 Fate Points.]

    The pirate died after bleeding into his throat, and Niki fired his gun. He felt no regret for killing these people because they had iting once they picked this profession.

    The enchanted bullets absorbed his mana and amplified it. A white trail followed after it as it zoomed toward one of the guards. He tried to block it, but the destructive mana destroyed his armguard and militated his arm.

    ¡°AAH!¡± The pirate screamed, but Niki fired again. His friend ran in his direction to help him, but Niki didn¡¯t fire at the injured pirate.

    It came unexpectedly, and the bullet struck the side of his neck. Blood spurted like a fountain as the pirate fell next to his injured friend.

    [You have stolen fate. As a result, you obtained 5 Fate Points.]

    Thest pirate, other than the bandaged one, held into his arm as he looked at Nikie out of the darkness.

    ¡°Please,¡± The pirate begged the young man with cold eyes for mercy. ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything to you. Please let me go!¡± He sobbed. ¡°I¡¯m a merchant. I have a wife and two kids. Please don¡¯t do this.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re lying.¡± Niki walked over with his dagger. ¡°And I know you have a throwing knife strapped to your wrist.¡± Niki took out his gun with a smile. ¡°What were you nning to do, I wonder?¡±

    The pirate¡¯s face rapidly crumbled as he waved his uninjured arm to slide a knife into his hand. He ran toward Niki in a less ditch attempt, but Niki simply fired at his head, killing him. Blood spurted from the pirate¡¯s skull and dyed Niki¡¯s cheek.

    [You have stolen fate. As a result, you obtained 5 Fate Points.]

    The campfire fell silent, only disturbed by Niki¡¯s heavy breathing. Then, he turned to thest pirate who was bandaged and walked over slowly.

    The noise awakened the pirate, and he looked at Niki with pleading eyes. Niki walked over as he wiped the blood away with his sleeve.

    ¡°Don¡¯t beg me. Beg the heavens, resent the world, and haunt me if you like as a ghost.¡± Niki slit the throat of the pirate, stealing his life and fate.

    [You have stolen fate. As a result, you obtained 5 Fate Points.]

 Chapter 65: A Lich

    Niki looked at the bloody camp. Three of the pirates dropped a crystal each, reminding the reason nations waged wars. There was a rule that made killing so desired.

    The stats obtained are not yours.

    This phrase didn¡¯t mean that stats are useless but that those who use many crystals have a higher chance of dropping them once they die. However, those who follow the path of ughterers will be hunted downter on.

    Niki walked toward the crystals and picked them up. Two Agility Crystals and one Strength Crystal. Niki pocketed them as he looked in the bags of the pirates.

    He found a rough outline of the surrounding mountains and forest. The mapmaker made sure to pinpoint the location of their ship on the drawn map. It seems they abandoned their ship for now and decided to camp here.

    That means there were dangerous monsters near the ship. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t camp in the wild for no reason. Niki took the map and left the camp because he knew the scent of blood would attract wild beasts.

    Niki traversed the forest until he reached the tree he slept in the day before. He leaned on the distorted wall as he took out the three crystals he obtained.

    From his 65 Fate Points, Niki decided to use 6 to use the crystals. He raised the probability of obtaining 2-points to 75% and crushed the strength crystal.

    [1 Strength Stats Point has been absorbed.]

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Niki mmed his fist to the ground with fury. ¡°What dog¡¯s shit luck do I have today?¡± Even though he wanted to stop, Niki kept trying.

    [2 Agility Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    This time, it worked in his favor. Niki calmed down when he remembered it was only a 2x% chance of getting 1-point from a crystal.

    [2 Agility Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    Niki sighed in relief. With these four points, he was an inch closer to meeting the minimum requirements to awaken. His stats now looked like this:

    [Vitality: 18]

    ¨C [Blood Energy: 5.]

    [Strength: 19]

    [Agility: 18]

    [Intelligence: 21]

    [Mana: 12]

    He had four stats above 18, and only mana was a problem. He should be able to reach 25 in all stats once he finds a proper hunting spot.

    ¡®I guess I¡¯ll go and explore the pirate ship after I wake up.¡¯ Niki decided as he fell to sleep. When he opened his eyes again, dawn threw its first rays into the world.

    Niki stretched his body and stood up. He walked out into the orange forest, where the light took unnatural routes, giving it a mystical ambiance.

    He saw that a druid was wandering, but Niki didn¡¯t want to waste his time here. Avoiding it while looking at the map, Niki made his way toward the pirate¡¯s ship.

    It was in the opposite direction of the Vultra n, luckily for him. Rockyndforms began appearing as the number of trees dwindled. He found himself entering a maze.

    ¡®What monster inhabits this ce? And why didn¡¯t the pirates take any of their loot with them?¡¯ Niki wondered as he saw the edge of the hull make an appearance from behind a hill.

    The pirate ship was almost five times as big as Alias and had better parts too. Even with its damaged core, it didn¡¯t crash into the ground. It remained floating a short distance away from the rocks.

    ¡®The meteorite fragment must be unstable.¡¯ Niki realized when he saw that the ship was tilting to one side. He walked closer to it with caution as his eyes looked for any abnormalities.

    ¡°Aaa,¡±

    A scream came from above, and Niki rolled on the ground and hid behind a rock. He looked at the ship and saw a figure emerge from the hull. It was a spirit.

    ¡®I see, the pirates couldn¡¯t grab anything because spirits attacked them.¡¯

    Things got moreplicated with this realization. The maze was the perfect terrain for spirits who could pass through objects. Niki looked at his remaining magazines with a frown.

    He only had two magazines left of enchanted bullets and four of standard ones. The rest were on Alias. These were the ones that he took when he decided to go through with his n.

    ¡®I need to make every bullet count.¡¯ Niki thought to himself as he peeked from behind the rock at the ship. He looked up and found a bony arm above him.

    The bony hand shed as if it tried to rip his face off. Niki pulled himself back in time as the hand disappeared into the ground. He stood up and began running as his instincts screamed in rm.

    The arms protruded from the rocks and tried to grab him. Niki rolled on the ground, dodged to the side, or jumped to avoid them.

    ¡®This is the work of a summoner!¡¯ Niki realized as the arms multiplied and began to corner him. He noticed that they directed him toward the center of the hill as if something was luring him in.

    ¡®It¡¯s either I see the end of this path or that I waste my bullets trying to destroy the arms.¡¯ Niki weighed both options with a heavy heart. ¡®It¡¯s better to avoid ying into their hands.¡¯

    Niki was about to aim his gun at the arms when a panel appeared in front of him. It was from the soul fragment of Val¡¯s servant.

    [The Soul Fragment resonates with a statue.]

    He paused as the Soul Fragment lit up to guide him. The direction it pointed in was the same direction the summoner was luring him to take. After this change in events, Niki decided to explore the hill.

    ¡®The more statues that I find, the better chance I have of obtaining Val¡¯s powers.¡¯

    Niki ran in the direction of the hill as the rocks becamerger andrger until the road turned into a tunnel. The arms followed after him as if they feared he would change his mind.

    Niki was betting on the fact that a summoner was weaker in close-rangebat. This way, he¡¯ll be hitting two birds with one stone.

    The arms disappeared as engraved walls appeared in the tunnel. Niki ran further inside the temple-like structure. The path grew darker the farther he went inside, and the arms disappeared once he reached a giant door.

    ¡°I guess you are here.¡± Niki took out his dagger as he walked through the doors. Beyond themy a grand hall full of spirits and a single throne in the middle.

    ¡°Human, your arrogance will spell your doom.¡± The bony monster, a lich, sat on the throne as his mouth let out a menacingugh. ¡°You chose to wander into my abode on your own, prepare to leave your soul and Val¡¯s fragment.¡±

    Niki ignored the lich and looked at the statue behind the throne. It was another statue of Val, God of Lost Souls.

 Chapter 66: Nauseous Holy Light

    The existence of the statue exins why the pirates abandoned their ship. This monster could summon lower sses of the undead, and creating those arms was an easy feat for him. The statue¡¯s powers must have attracted the undead, just like the case in Rohan Ruins.

    ¡°You¡¯ve evolved because of Val¡¯s fragment, interesting.¡± Niki gripped his gun tightly.

    A mage skeleton also protected the statue he found. It seems the powers of Val were naturing to these undead monsters so that they would evolve beyond their limits.

    ¡®That one was only a mage, not a lich.¡¯ Niki frowned as he looked at the furious monster in front of him.

    ¡°Puny mortal, you dare ignore me?¡± The lich rose as the spirits screamed in wrath. ¡°Prepare to die!¡±

    The lich waved its bony hands at him, and the spirits flew everywhere. They screamed as they ran toward him. Niki stood there silently and raised his gun, firing his enchanted bullets and striking the spirits in their head, dissipating them temporarily. Yet, more appeared.

    Niki ran to the side as he dodged and rolled away from their attacks. Every time he could, he fired several shots and took down more spirits.

    Bang, bang, bang, bang!

    The gunshots resounded in the dark hall as the lich kept waving his hands in a frenzy, summoning monsters left and right. Niki furrowed his brows as a thought urred to him.

    ¡®He can¡¯t leave that throne; it must connect him to the statue and the powers of summoning.¡¯ Niki rushed forward as soon as he knew that. He raised his gun and fired several enchanted bullets with amplified mana at the lich.

    Spirits rushed his way to block his attacks, but some of his bullets managed to reach the lich. However, a giant bony wall appeared to protect him.

    The bullets destroyed the bones, crushing them to smithers before losing their power. Niki raised his gun again and fired several shots in the same trajectory.

    The lich raised his wall again, and the bullets dug deeper into it one after the other. What made the monster scared was that Niki¡¯s shots struck the same spot, and they managed to prate his wall of bones and reach him.

    ¡°Impudent Mortal!¡± The lich roared as it raised hands, ck energy swirling into them. A mouth came out from the ck portal to devour the attacks, and Niki¡¯s bullets sank into a bottomless abyss. ¡°Your tricks are useless!¡±

    Niki didn¡¯t attack again and simply turned toward the spirits. His mana was low, and these spirits were the perfect monsters to change that.

    He aimed his gun at the spiriting toward him. It was the ethereal shape of a screaming man, and Niki fired an enchanted bullet at the slightly bluish dot in its center.

    Without being close enough to the spirit, it was hard to tell the location of this dot. It was the point where the spirit¡¯s body held together. This was the case for unmanifested souls, unlike the ones Niki killed to free Val¡¯s servant.

    ¡®Change probability,¡¯ Niki invested 2 points to raise the chance of this spirit dropping loot into 60%. The bullet struck the ethereal man, and it screamed as it disappeared, dropping a white crystal.

    Niki ran toward the crystal and snatched it from the ground. Then, as he rolled on the ground to avoid a different spirit, he invested two more points into the crystal and broke it.

    [2 Mana Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    ¡°You won¡¯t be lucky for long!¡± The lich screamed as he started chanting something. A sea of bones rose from behind Niki as the wave began chasing after him.

    Niki sprinted away as he shot another spirit he encountered. However, he didn¡¯t invest anymore and simply relied on countless ethereal beings to beat the probability.

    His bullets decreased as the spirits fell one after the other. Most of them didn¡¯t drop crystals, but as soon as one did, Niki ran toward it and broke it, investing two more points every time he did.

    [2 Mana Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    [2 Mana Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    [2 Mana Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    His mana reached 20 as his Fate Points dwindled to 51. However, the bones started to surround him, and wounds riddled his body from the spirits¡¯ attacks.

    ¡°Al, mon, Sae!¡±

    The lich finished chanting, and a giant summoning circle appeared on the ground. Niki ran away as the summoned monster appeared.

    A giant undead knight began appearing from within the summoning circle as the lich kept chanting. Niki ran to get a better angle before taking out his longbow.

    ¡°Say, lich. Do you know what Holy Light does to the undead?¡±

    The lich flinched when he heard the words. He looked at the human taking a stance below, with a longbow in hand. The arrow he held radiated powerful holy energy that could obliterate its existence from this world.

    ¡°You lost the moment you¡¯ve revealed this opening.¡± Niki released the arrow as all of the spirits ran away from him. He was waiting for the lich to try summoning something powerful so that he would reveal the opening. The arrow, infused with his mana, gave a brilliant radiance as it zoomed through the hall.

    Unable to break his chant, the lich tried running away from the throne. But, as soon as he did, every spirit ran away, and the summoning ceased.

    It was still not enough, as the Holy Light filled the grand hall. Every brick shone with holy light as the lich¡¯s life began disappearing.

    ¡°No! Why can you use the holy powers while you are also an¡­!¡± The lich screamed, but Niki didn¡¯t understand what it meant.

    ¡®Is he talking about Val¡¯s fragment?¡¯ Niki frowned as the arrow struck the lich, and the monster¡¯s body began to disintegrate to ashes.

    He walked toward the throne, where holy power was at its strongest, but stopped when he felt nauseous.

    ¡®Is my body¡­ rejecting the Holy Light?¡¯ Niki realized with dread. He never felt this way toward Holy Powers in his past life. ¡®Does this have to do with my bloodline?¡¯

 Chapter 67: Kill A God

    Niki thought that he must be mistaken, as the Holy Powers were the bane of the undead and Dark Beings. He walked forward, despite his instincts screaming for him to run away.

    Just by standing in front of the lich¡¯s ashes, which radiated Holy Powers, Niki wanted to vomit his guts out. Something within him wanted to break free from his body and run away.

    ¡®Can it be that I am already¡­¡¯ Niki reached out his hand toward the holy light, and his finger sizzled as cracks appeared on his skin. ¡®No longer human?¡¯

    Niki retracted his hand with furrowed brows. Sweat drops rolled down his face from the excruciating pain he felt. He clenched his teeth as he walked away from the Holy Light toward thefort of Val¡¯s statue.

    [Thou are hither, mine chosen one.]

    Val spoke to him as Niki stood in front of the statue. The sound was ancient and cold as if death itself was talking to him.

    [I never thought that one of mine chosen ones had been¡­ someone such as thou.]

    Val¡¯s tone was as if he was surprised, and it made Niki¡¯s heart clench. Val knew something that Niki did not.

    ¡°Enlighten me, ancient one.¡± Niki bowed his head.

    [There¡¯s no want for the facade of respect. I wot that thou are only after mine faculties. That is how I prefer it to be.]

    ¡°You prefer that I don¡¯t respect gods?¡± Niki looked at him with confusion. He was indeed only acting respectfully for Val¡¯s powers, but Val¡¯s response surprised him.

    [That is indeed the truth because if thou obtain my powers, all Gods will hate thou and seek thy death.]

    Val paused as Niki squinted his eyes. The existence of Celestia would only be knownter on after the emergence of the Lords. Niki saw it with his own eyes, the powers of the beings known as Gods.

    They were terrifying.

    [Hesitation?]

    ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m simply thinking of something.¡± Niki smiled. ¡°If I have your powers and kill a god, can I turn them into my undead?¡±

    The temple fell silent, and Val¡¯s voice didn¡¯t answer for a few moments. Then it came, like the coldest frosty breeze of winter, Val¡¯sugh.

    [Haha, thou are an intriguing ¡®being.¡¯ I¡¯ll leave that question for you to answer.]

    Val¡¯s statue began to shine as Niki felt something enter his body. However, Niki still had a question left.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me what you mean by ¡®such as thou.''¡± Niki asked, but Val ignored his question and left him with a warning.

    [Thy actions brought the trial closer. Thou have three months, and I hope thou emerge victorious against the others.]

    Niki turned to leave and received a message from his system. Having a bright violet color, the panel proved that someone else should have found this ce instead of him.

    [Fate has been stolen. As a result, you have obtained 10 Fate Points.]

    He walked toward the lich¡¯s body and picked up the two crystals that fell from its body. They were purple and white for Intelligence and Mana, respectively.

    Niki used them immediately, consuming 4 Points. Including the ones that he just obtained, he now had 57 Points. However, the message from his system made him sigh in exasperation.

    [1 Mana Stats Point has been absorbed.]

    [2 Intelligence Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    His stats rose again, and he was getting closer to the 25-stats requirement. As he looked at them, Niki realized he still needed to hunt more monsters.

    [Vitality: 18]

    ¨C     [Blood Energy: 5.]

    [Strength: 19]

    [Agility: 18]

    [Intelligence: 22]

    [Mana: 21]

    ¡®I hope that Sergio is still safe.¡¯ Niki thought to himself as he walked through the tunnel. After he killed the lich, the spirits roamed the ce aimlessly. With a bit of caution, Niki was able to avoid them until he left the maze.

    He looked at the pirate ship in the sky that was full of wandering spirits. His mana was still a short distance away from reaching 25, so Niki knew he would have to go there.

    ¡®I need to absorb the other stats first.¡¯

    Niki took out his enchanted bullets. There were only five of them left. His mana almost doubled, so he could infuse the shots with mana without amplifying it.

    ¡®It should do the trick.¡¯

    Theck of ammunition was the leading cause of death among shooters. Niki sighed as he loaded his regr bullets and walked past the rocks. He traveled far into the forest, away from the spirits, until he found an All-Stats monster, elemental goblins.

    ¡®Why can¡¯t they be regr goblins?¡¯ Niki sighed as he looked at the short, greenish monsters. They looked the same as the one he killed back in the Alm Forest, but their bodies had different engravings.

    These monsters could use elemental mana, but they were a weaker species of goblins in terms of physical strength. So, even though they were easier to kill, they were also more dangerous.

    An adventurer could know the element a goblin can use as long as they memorized the engravings. Niki was locally famed as the goblins guy back in Rohan when he worked for the guild.

    He didn¡¯t like the title because he always cringed when he heard it. People who graduated from Rohan Academy went on to be Knights, Guild Masters, and even Kings. As for him, he became the goblins guy.

    ¡®I did have to earn a living.¡¯

    Now that he thought about it, he was so naive. After he met the disguised Elven Princess and started following her, he met many powerful people. His life changed after he met her, and despite how ruthless she was, Niki fell for her.

    But that was only the beginning of the end.

    Niki found a good spot and aimed his gun at the group of goblins. For starters, he needed to kill their sharpshooter: the Fire Elemental Goblin with his giant staff.

    The sound of gunshots rang in the forest as they rained on the goblins. The monsters tried to flee, but there was a bullet to strike them in every direction they ran.

    ¡®I¡¯m back to hunting goblins. I wonder where I¡¯ll end up this time.¡¯ Niki pulled the trigger time and time again. The goblin with the giant shield ran in his direction. ¡®I also wonder where you are, Lilith.¡¯

 Chapter 68: Ghost Ship

    The giant goblin cried in pain as its ice began melting. With onest cry, the goblin fell to his death as his body revealed a Green Crystal.

    Niki huffed as he stopped running. He fell on his knees in the middle of the goblin¡¯s bodies. He took out a bandage from his bag and tied it around the wound on his bleeding arm.

    The frost helped him decrease the bleeding, but it numbed his arm. Despite the pain, Niki stood up and picked up the crystal that fell from the goblin.

    He killed four goblins, but only one dropped a crystal. This loot was what he got from trying to rely on his luck. That¡¯s why the party system was so essential.

    ¡®This is temporary.¡¯ Niki consoled himself as he broke the crystal while investing another two of his points. ¡®I just need to awaken.¡¯

    [2 Strength Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    The notification made him sigh in relief. It has already been three days since he killed the lich. During those three days, he barely slept. There was nothing else on his mind but one: stats.

    He had to invest 17 fate points to increase the probability of a few crystals. Since the drop rate was low, he had to make every crystal count.

    He was proud of what he aplished.

    [Vitality: 26]

    ¨C [Blood Energy: 6.]

    [Strength: 25]

    [Agility: 27]

    [Intelligence: 25]

    [Mana: 21]

    Since he needed every Fate Point, he didn¡¯t use them if he only needed one point from the crystal. As for the agility and vitality, he simply obtained them from the goblins even though he no longer needed these two stats.

    The only stat left was mana, but Niki was exhausted. He was sleep-deprived and injured. He pushed himself for Sergio, but he was sure that the chief wouldn¡¯t hurt them.

    He was waiting for Niki to show up.

    Niki picked himself up and went back to his camp, the giant tree. He fell to the ground with heavy breathing as his eyes blurred. It was time to use his Blood Energy.

    A red hue glowed from his skin as the energy rushed to heal his body. The wounds began closing, forming new scars on his body as Niki started to regain consciousness.

    ¡®I need to go today.¡¯ Niki pulled himself up using the root of the tree before turning and leaning on it. ¡®That chief might have some pink ideals of honor, but that doesn¡¯t apply for the rest.¡¯

    He was hesitant before about awakening because he didn¡¯t know what he would turn out to be. What if he turned into something that couldn¡¯t live with humans? What would he do then?

    That was his mindset and reasons to hesitate. Now, he didn¡¯t care. Not because he wanted to save Sergio badly enough to sacrifice his humanity, but because he wouldn¡¯t survive like this either. His ammunition was limited, and he needed his ship to leave.

    Niki groaned as he stood up and carried his tired body out of the tree. He strolled toward the pirate ship that was full of spirits. It was nighttime when he arrived at the mountain.

    ¡®How do I go up now?¡¯ Niki sighed with exasperation. ¡®The closest point for me to jump from will be the cliff of the mountain.¡¯

    Instead of whining about it, he began to climb. The pace he set for himself allowed him to recover before reaching the ship. By the time he needed to jump toward the vessel, his body was back to normal.

    Niki leaned forward before sprinting. Using his Limit-Break and Blood Energy, he jumped from the mountain toward the ship. As his body began to descend, he grabbed the hull and began to climb.

    ¡°AAAA~¡±

    The spirit began screaming as soon as hended on the deck. He looked around at the destruction he caused, as the deck was a mess. There was barely enough foothold for him to walk. There were holes everywhere.

    ¡®Damn, those pirates were lucky to survive.¡¯ Niki was surprised that the explosion brought this much destruction. The only reason those three pirates survived was that they were running after Niki.

    As he took out his gun to start hunting spirits, his ears picked up a sound from above. His irises constricted as he recognized the sound: it was the pping of wings. Niki sprinted forward.

    ¡°Attack!¡±

    A roar tore through the sky as countless vultures soared around Niki. He felt a presence approach from behind him. There was no need to turn. He knew it was the chief.

    ¡®I was ambushed.¡¯ Niki¡¯s heart went cold. ¡®How did they know I would find the ship?¡¯

    He couldn¡¯t think of an answer, but he could suspect only one thing: The pirates¡¯ captain that he poisoned had a way to find the ship. The Vultra n must have captured the pirates and found the vessel before him.

    Niki was too focused on awakening that he missed calcting for such an oue. Without turning, Niki jumped through the hole on the destroyed deck.

    The chief¡¯s attack destroyed the spot he was standing in as Niki fell into the room below the deck. It looked like a kitchen, and Niki fell on a table, breaking it down.

    The explosion destroyed the interior of the ship so much that it looked like a ghost ship. Along with the roaming spirits, the scene looked like a tale Niki knew.

    ¡°Seize him!¡±

    The chief¡¯s roar arrived, and the Riders jumped after him. Niki rolled through the hallway as the spear attacks came to rip him apart. The walls tore like papers in front of the Rider¡¯s wrath.

    ¡®I need to find a way out.¡¯ Niki thought as he made his way through the moonlit hallway. The moonlight fell in three parts, making pirs of light in the hallway. ¡®Or not¡­¡¯

    Niki changed his mind when he saw a spirit leave one of the rooms. In one swift motion, he raised his gun and fired. The bullet destroyed the spirit¡¯s core, killing it.

    A white crystal fell on the ground as Niki¡¯s fate points decreased. He slid across the hallway and picked it up, crushing it.

 Chapter 69: Fa?e

    [2 Mana Stats Points have been absorbed.]

    Niki ignored the message and ran forward as he heard the footsteps approach from behind him. He turned around the hallway as his search for another spirit began.

    ¡°He went left!¡±

    The Riders were close behind him, and as soon as they turned around the hallway, they threw their spears at him. Even though he threw himself into one of the rooms, breaking the door, a spear managed to graze him. It was enough to leave a deep wound on his body, but Niki kept running.

    He found himself in a room full of bunks, but there was no spirit for him to get thatst two points of mana. As he heard the Riders run after him, Niki opened the window and climbed out of it.

    ¡°Where is he?!¡±

    The Riders were momentarily confused as Niki climbed the hull toward another window. The strong wind tried to throw him off bnce, but he dug his nails into the hardwood.

    ¡°He¡¯s outside!¡±

    The sound of the wood breaking under his clutch alerted the Riders. A whistle came from within the room, followed by the pping of wings. A vulture flew toward Niki while he was climbing the hull.

    ¡®You should have learned your lesson already.¡¯ Niki took out his gun as he held to the ship by a single arm. He aimed at the vulture and began shooting at its wings.

    Another whistle came, and the vulture flew toward the window where the Rider was about to jump. Seeing this, Niki knew he had no time left.

    His arms bulged with veins as he threw himself toward the window of the other room. He clutched his fist and punched the window, destroying it.

    As he climbed in and fell on the ground, the spear struck the window¡¯s edge and prated the hardwood. Niki huffed as his back burned from the wound.

    ¡®Should I use the Darkmoon Longbow?¡¯

    He felt tempted, but his fate points were alreadycking. There were only 35 remained after he used so many earlier. If he used anymore, he would gamble away with his Awakening. Then, through his blurry vision, Niki saw a spirit pass through the door into the room.

    ¡°Haha,¡± A crazedugh escaped his mouth as Niki stood up. He could hear the pping of wings, the shouts of the Riders, and the spirit¡¯s low hum as it floated in front of him.

    Bang!

    His gun¡¯s recoil made his body m against the wall. Because he infused so much mana into it, the recoil was enough to leave cracks on his muzzle.

    The bullet looked like a me of unbridled energy as it traveled toward the spirit. His points decreased to 32 as a crystal dropped on the ground.

    Niki ran forward and fell on his knees while grabbing it. He crushed the crystal as his points decreased to 30.

    [2 Mana Stats Point have been absorbed.]

    Niki pulled off the pouch on his neck and opened it. As he got the Bloodline Crystal out, Niki stared at it in silence. Once he crushes this crystal, nothing will remain the same.

    ¡®I have 30 points only, where I need 49.¡¯ He hesitated because that meant only 62% probability. So, there was a big chance that his Awakening would fail. ¡®I have no other choice. Invest all points!¡¯

    Niki was about to crush the crystal when a violet panel appeared in front of him from the system. He looked at it with confusion because it wasn¡¯t something that he expected.

    [You stole fate. As a result, you obtained 10 Fate Points.]

    ¡®What?¡¯ Niki was confused as he looked back for the reason that he would only obtain Fate Points now. Realization dawned on him. There was someone that he almost killed and poisoned, but Niki never got Fate Points.

    The Rider he fought on top of Alias.

    This man was the only one expected to die. Even the chief thought so, but it was admirable that he held out for some long. Nik invested the extra Fate Points into his Awakening and raised the chance to 82%.

    ¡°He¡¯s in this room!¡±

    Shouts came from outside as Niki crushed the Bloodline Crystal. A ck light exploded from his hand as it covered him. The Riders opened the doors, but they could see nothing but darkness.

    In front of Niki¡¯s eyes appeared a panel with three words on it: The Fate System. Below it, several more panels appeared as his Awakening began,

    [You have used a Bloodline Awakening Crystal.]

    [Bloodline found.]

    [Starting the Awakening Process.]

    [A System Evolution is underway.]

    [Awakening¡­]

    As the panels appeared and disappeared, Niki began feeling the change in his body. Then, from the deepest parts of his soul, dark and ominous energy exploded out. It changed everything its path as his body began turning into something else.

    In front of Niki was the same panel with the three words on it. However, a white dot appeared above the letter ¡®t¡¯ in the word ¡®fate.¡¯ As the Awakening ensued, the white light began crossing the letter.

    ¡®The¡­ Fa?e System?¡¯ Niki¡¯s heart began beating rapidly. ¡®Fate. Fa?e. Fae?¡¯

    [Bloodline Awakened: Fae.]

    [Sub-Bloodline Awakened: Dark Fae.]

    [Bloodline Rank determined: Lesser Fae.]

    [A higher bloodline detected. You need more Bloodline Crystals to awaken it.]

    As confusion filled his heart, Niki began feeling his body morph into something else. His ears grew longer like those of the Elves. But unlike the Elves, he could feel a pair of horns sprout from his forehead.

    His teeth began growing sharper and more prominent as the pain of such a process threatened to break his mind. Finally, Niki opened his mouth and let out a deafening howl like that of a beast.

    His voice grew hoarse, but it was one he didn¡¯t recognize. It was dripping with darkness as the morphing continued. Niki banged on the floor and felt the wood easily break beneath his strength.

    The Awakening felt like itsted forever but also took nothing but a moment. At some point, Niki began to regain his senses as only the sound of his breathing remained in the darkroom.

    [Awakeningpleted.]

    [Bloodline restriction detected: Curse of the Banished.]

 Chapter 70: Curse of The Banished

    Niki looked at his hands. Even with the darkness that surrounded him like a hungry beast, he could see. The pain should have broken him, but all he could feel the rity.

    It was the same rity you get after a long feverish night¡ªthe rity you have after looking death in the eyes and telling it to return another day.

    ¡®I¡¯m no longer human.¡¯ Niki clenched his fists, released them, and clenched them again. ¡®These¡­¡¯

    He traced his long-curved ears, which pointed to the side instead of pointing up. His hands left his ears and traveled to the two small horns on his head. They were an extension of his forehead, not separate parts. They were curved as well, pointing upward.

    Leaving the horns, Niki touched his teeth. As his index finger touched his canine, he felt a prick, and blood leaked out of his finger. They were sharper than most swords.

    [You have awakened several traits of Dark Faes. Do you wish to generate a summary?]

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Niki¡¯s voice came out, but he didn¡¯t recognize it. His voice changed as well as if ayer of illusion masked it now. It was not hoarse but full of darkness.

    [Generating a list¡­]

    [Three main changes urred.]

    [Your stats have doubled.]

    [You have obtained the Darkness element.]

    [The Curse of The Banished has inflicted your body.]

    ¡®Curse¡­ of The Banished?¡¯ Niki muttered as he read the notification from his system. The words made sense if Niki read them one at a time, but he had to reread them as sentences because they made no sense.

    [Curse of The Banished: A curse inflicted on the dark fae race, forcing them to live in the shadows of the world and feed on souls to survive.]

    [Effects: adverse effects if the user does not consume living souls. 200% Damage received from Holy Powers.]

    ¡°Consume a living soul?¡± Niki was confused. ¡°What is this bloodline?¡± He tried standing up, and the darkness around him rippled. ¡°This is not a darkness, but my mana.¡± Realization struck him.

    ¡°He¡¯s in this room! Why is it so dark in here?¡±

    He heard the Riders shout, but Niki was still confused. He looked around the room and found a mirror. Walking toward it, Niki saw a pair of crimson eyes stare back at him. z

    Whatever he was now, it was far from a human. He felt the darkness get torn apart as the Riders rushed into the room. Niki retreated, but he realized they couldn¡¯t see him.

    [Darkness Element.]

    [Your mana now has the Darkness Element. This element has the following traits:]

    [Stealth: You can use your mana to hide yourself, others, or objects. The amount of time you can use stealth depends on the amount of mana and the size of the target.]

    [Bane of Elements: 200% damage against elements, except for Divinity.]

    [Pocket-Dimension: You can construct a darkness pocket dimension in proportion to your mana. The dimension can have both living beings and inanimate objects.]

    Niki never met anyone with this element before other than monsters. These monsters were considered a higher undead species, eradicated by humans because they were ¡®anomalies.¡¯ They were called Dark Beings.

    Now, Niki was one of these anomalies. As he looked at the Riders sweep through the room, he felt a soul-crushing pain. Like a void that opened in his chest, the pain threatened to swallow him from the inside.

    [Warning!]

    [Consume one living soul or suffer the consequences. The stronger the soul, the more time you will have before the curse activates.]

    ¡®A living soul?¡¯

    Niki clutched his chest as he fell to his knees. The pain was unimaginable, and it threatened to make him lose his sanity. His teeth grew sharper, as if his body was reacting on its own to survive.

    ¡®What¡­ am I doing?¡¯

    That was thest of his thoughts before Niki rushed toward one of the Riders. Even at such proximity, the Rider didn¡¯t notice him. Niki grabbed his head and shoulder and bit off his neck.

    The man shrieked as his body began convulsing. His eyes rolled back as arge chunk of his neck disappeared, ending his life. From the wound came out a blueish ethereal smoke that Niki opened his mouth to devour after spitting the meat.

    [You have devoured a living soul. The curse has been sated. Time until next deprivation: 50h, 4m, 55s.]

    ¡®This feeling is¡­¡¯ Niki¡¯s crimson eyes looked at the sky as the man¡¯s soul entered his body. ¡®Too heavenly.¡¯

    A warm feeling filled his body after being pushed until the brink of copse. The void he felt earlier was now gone, reced by explosive euphoria throughout his whole body.

    ¡°What is this monster?! Kill it!¡±

    The shout from another Rider brought Niki back to his sense. It also made him taste the metallic feeling in his mouth. He had just bit the man¡¯s neck off, but all he could feel was euphoria.

    The Rider¡¯s spear arrived to strike him. Niki let go of the corpse and slipped back into the darkness. The spear struck the air beside him as the mana hid Niki¡¯s body from sight.

    [You have stolen fate. As a result, you obtained 10 Fate Points.]

    ¡®Did I just¡­ devour his soul?¡¯ Niki¡¯s body shook as he remembered the feeling of biting the man¡¯s neck off.

    He could feel his mana decreasing as his stealth continued. Niki shook his head as he tried to focus on the danger he was in at the moment.

    ¡®No matter if I¡¯m a human, demon, or a Dark Fae, all that matters is that I¡¯m still myself and that I survive.¡¯

    Leaving his fears and worries behind, Niki took out his gun and infused his gun with darkness. The bullet left his muzzle with a dark light as it cut across the room, leaving his stealth and striking another Rider.

    As his bullet was about to pierce the Rider¡¯s head, a silver spear appeared to block it. The chief struck down his shot as he red in Niki¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Vile being, what are you?¡±

 Chapter 71: Infiltrating

    His name was Lucan, one of the seven chiefs of the Vultra n. The chiefs were the sons of the Elders, and his father was the current Leader.

    Lucan held his head high as a part of the Vultra n. Even if their resources came from looting pirate ships and fallen ones, they were still proud warriors.

    However, his long years as a warrior might end today against this creature before him. He went down after his followers because he heard the screams of one of them. As he ran toward the room, he got to see a figure with crimson eyes devour one of his people.

    The figure slipped back into the darkness before a ck light attacked another of his people. Lucan rushed forward and struck the projectile away.

    ¡®Heavy¡­¡¯ Lucan frowned. He might have deflected the attack, but the weight it carried was not to be underestimated.

    ¡°Vile being, what are you?¡±

    Lucan red at the darkness as it rippled. As if answering his words, the darkness exploded around them. Lucan released his mana as well, and it carried the green elemental wind.

    ¡®What?¡¯ Lucan¡¯s heart shook when the darkness began devouring his elemental wind and pushing it back. As he was about to release all of his mana to protect hisrades, the darkness disappeared.

    A more urate term would have been light returning to the room, but the darkness proved itself to be alive. After Lucan looked around to make sure they were all there, he was convinced that the creature has disappeared.

    Relief filled his heart, making him question whether he was a coward. However, it was a fear that originated from his soul. As he rxed his guard, a scream came from above them.

    ¡°Did it go to the deck?¡± One of his followers muttered. Without answering, Lucan rushed out of the room and jumped through the hole.

    As hended on the deck, he found one of his followers lying on the ground, unmoving, as a creature stood above him. The darkness prevented Lucan from seeing the monster¡¯s features, and Lucan can only make a general outline.

    It had long ears, a pair of horns, and crimson eyes. Other than that, the creature looked like a human. It opened its mouth to reveal its long teeth and began eating away the ethereal materialing out of hisrade¡¯s body.

    ¡®What is it doing?¡¯ Lucan¡¯s body shivered with fear. As he took a step back, the creature turned to look at him with its crimson eyes. They glowed eerily in the darkness.

    As Lucan grabbed his spear, preparing for a battle, the creature shot down his expectations and darted toward the corpse. Darkness exploded, and before Lucan could react, the creature was gone.

    Lucan didn¡¯t try to look for it. For the first time in his life, he was d to avoid a battle.

    ***

    The ground approached rapidly, and Niki waved his arm,manding the darkness to lessens his fall. The dark smoke rushed to form a cloud beneath him, absorbing the damage from his fall.

    He crushed the crystal in his hand and saw his stats increase further as he wore the goggles and the hooded robe he stole from the Rider.

    [1 Intelligence Stats Point has been absorbed.]

    [Vitality: 52]

    ¨C   [Blood Energy: 13.]

    [Strength: 50]

    [Agility: 54]

    [Intelligence: 51]

    [Mana: 50]

    He managed to steal these from the corpse without the chief realizing it. Otherwise, he would have seen through Niki¡¯s n to infiltrate the n and followed after him.

    ¡®Stealth is so useful¡­¡¯

    The only drawback was that it consumed mana the more he used it, and the more he moved. If he stood in one spot, Niki knew he could stay there for hours without running out of mana.

    The moment he moves, however, the actual consumption begins. That¡¯s why he wanted to save his mana for crucial moments where he needs to flee or attack.

    ¡®Dark Fae¡­¡¯

    It was a race he doesn¡¯t know about, making Niki both ecstatic and apprehensive. He enjoyed the Dark Element he obtained, the increase in stats, and the doubled damage against other elements.

    Niki thought about the drawbacks of his bloodline as he jumped over a river and dived through the forest, going straight toward the Vultra n.

    ¡®I¡¯m weak to holy light, and I need to consume living souls to survive. Not to mention, if humans saw what I look like, I¡¯ll be hunted down as a Dark Being.¡¯

    Niki reached the giant tree he took as a camp for the past few days. As he stopped in front of it, he closed his eyes to sort out his mind.

    ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter what I think about this bloodline,¡¯ Niki felt rity that he never had before. ¡®All that matters is how I live with it and what I make of these powers.¡¯

    There was no going back, anyway. The only unsettling fact was that Niki needed to devour souls to survive. The pain he felt when the curse festered was unlike anything he had felt before.

    [Time until next deprivation: 99h, 23m, 45s.]

    He looked at the countdown that increased after he devoured another soul. Since the Rider was dead, Niki didn¡¯t see why he wouldn¡¯t make things easier for himself.

    He shook his head and looked at the mountain that the Vultra n upied. He adjusted his clothing, tore a few of them, and began running toward the n.

    Once he was close enough, Niki began shouting. He tried to add a thick ent that the Riders had, hoping it would be enough to fool them.

    ¡°Help! Anyone! The chief is in trouble! A group of pirates ambushed us!¡±

    He ran into the n¡¯s ground and fell on his knees. His act was convincing enough to rm the guards into opening the gates after seeing his bloodied back and torn clothes.

    ¡°Summon an Elder!¡± The guards ran toward Niki as they tried to carry him toward the n¡¯s grounds. He was ced on a bed as a man with a hooked nose, and formal attire came to meet him.

 Chapter 72: Addiction to Souls?

    ¡°What happened? Where is your vulture?¡± The n¡¯s Elder questioned with a frown. Niki tried to gather his breath and put up his best act of lifting himself to sit.

    ¡°I¡­ it was a disaster¡­ we wanted to ambush the ounder, but he seemed to have foreseen our trap and brought in a group of pirates with him. They surrounded us and shot down our vultures. The chief risked his life so that I made it back to call for reinforcement. Please, hurry, the chief is¡­¡±

    Niki acted emotionally, and the Elder seemed to buy it. He stood up and flicked his sleeve tomand the guards beside him.

    ¡°Gather fifty nsperson and follow me. Treat this disciple and make sure that his wounds heal. We leave immediately.¡± The Elder made his decisions swiftly and moved to execute them like the wind.

    In a matter of a few minutes, Niki could see fifty vultures soar through the skies. He immediately used his stealth and disappeared, running away from the eyes of the Riders.

    Luckily for him, no one took off his hood or goggles. Otherwise, forget about his identity, he would have been attacked immediately. The Riders were too rmed about his warning and wounds to care about these things.

    Niki darted across the n and went straight toward Alias¡¯s location. He noticed that although he could see everything in the real world, his stealth ced him in a separate dimension¡ªa dark one, where he felt at home.

    He crossed dimensions to hide at a spot a distance away from Alias. Another thing he noticed is that while in the stealth dimension, his perception was limited.

    ¡®Three guards and two vultures.¡¯

    Niki¡¯s crimson eyes scanned the surrounding, picking up the tiniest of clues to facilitate his escape. It might be easy to use stealth on himself, but just that cost him half of his mana until now.

    He would never be able to take away Sergio and Alias without being seen. The sheer size of it would leave him stranded.

    ¡®Oh, there¡¯s also that mute.¡¯

    Niki inwardly grimaced as he remembered the nuisance of an archer. He should have handled her the moment she snuck up on him, but she was too damn simr to his friend from the orphanage.

    ¡®Not that I care what happens to her anymore.¡¯

    Niki slid into his stealth again and ran past the guards without being noticed. Alias was chained to a giant rock to prevent it from flying away. As for Sergio and the mute, Ruxi, they were in a cage that hung from a towering tree.

    ¡®Wait, these are?¡¯ Niki paused next to a cave. He looked inside and found the pirates who attacked them locked inside. It seems this was the reason he was ambushed. ¡®Should I finish them off?¡¯

    He licked his lips but flinched when he noticed his actions. The Curse of The Banished forced him to devour souls, but the process of eating them was too euphoric that he began to crave it.

    Niki fought the thoughts away as he kept running. He wasn¡¯t living in denial, but he knew better than bing an addict to such vile things.

    He climbed the tree and jumped tond on the cage¡¯s ceiling. The noise from hisnding was absorbed as well, making none of the guards below notice his arrival.

    ¡°Sergio,¡± Niki surrounded the cage with darkness to make his voice reach the two inside only.

    ¡°Ah? Mama, is that you?¡± Sergio¡¯s voice was weak, and it seemed the Vultra n didn¡¯t feed enough for the past few days.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Niki. I¡¯m going to get you out of here.¡±

    ¡°Zzz¡­¡±

    When he heard the snoring, Niki craned his neck to look into the cage and found Sergio asleep. As for the mute, she looked at him silently, gesturing as soon as she saw him.

    ¡®Who are you?¡¯ She asked cautiously.

    ¡°I just told you. I¡¯m taking Sergio away. Good luck to you.¡±

    ¡®You sound and smell different¡­¡¯ Ruxi gestured with a frown, but Niki ignored her. As he was about to break the lock, she grabbed the bars of the cage. ¡®If they catch me, I won¡¯t stay silent about your identity like before. I know your name.¡¯

    ¡°Threatening me is unwise, archer,¡± Niki said coldly. ¡°I won¡¯t be as kind asst time.¡±

    Niki reached out his arm, and the darkness locked around her neck and raised her in the air. She began to struggle as the dark mana tightened around her neck, making her face turn blue.

    ¡°Guh!¡± Her voice gave out iprehensible sounds that made Sergio snap awake. As he saw an unknown entity trying to kill hisrade, Sergio jumped to grab Niki and bit on it.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Niki blinked as his friend tried to bite as hard as he can, but couldn¡¯t even make Niki bleed.

    ¡°Ah? Boss?¡± Sergio snapped out of it and looked up at Niki. ¡°I knew that you would be back! Oh, wait, what¡¯s happening to Ruxi?¡± He asked with worry.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to kill her,¡± Niki answered as he wondered how Sergio recognized his voice immediately, although it was so different.

    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Sergio nodded as he let go of his arm. ¡°Wait, no! Boss, what are you doing? She¡¯s going to die!¡± Sergio tried to grab the darkness but screamed and as soon as he touched. ¡°What is this thing? Boss, please stop!¡±

    Niki hesitated and turned toward the archer, whose eyes were now rolled back. Just a bit more, and she would be dead, but he didn¡¯t think that Sergio would ever forgive him.

    Niki let go of her and stared at Sergio, who rushed forward to help her. The alchemist was clueless about what to do and settled to using mana on her neck.

    The mana helped heal the vessels in her neck, allowing blood flow to be restored, and the archer woke up with a gasp. She began gasping and vomiting while ring at Niki with eyes full of hate.

 Chapter 73: Pocket Dimension

    ¡°Bossman, that was too cruel.¡± Sergio looked at him with disapproval. Niki, however, didn¡¯t say anything and destroyed the lock using his mana.

    ¡°As soon as I open the door, the guards below will notice.¡±

    ¡°Ah, should we make a run for it? I saw these people ride the birds faster than the wind!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, trying to outrun them is unwise. We also need to take the ship with us, but it can¡¯t fly.¡± Niki nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ll need to wait until I try something out.¡±

    ¡°Ah? Okay, okay.¡± Sergio nodded and turned to Ruxi. ¡°What should I do to her?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Niki tilted his head. ¡°I¡¯m not taking her with me.¡±

    ¡°Bossman, why are you so cruel?¡± Sergio red at him, even raising his voice, for the first time since they met. Niki was confused as he looked at the alchemist, started to get irritated.

    ¡°Are you an idiot? You met her for like what, a few days? She will only slow us down.¡±

    ¡°I asked her about what you said before, the time where she helped you, and she told me that you promised to repay her. What happened to that?¡± Sergio looked at him with cold eyes.

    ¡°A promise is nothing in front of survival, don¡¯t be a fool.¡± Niki spat and turned away, sitting on top of the cage in a lotus position.

    ¡°Survival without principles is meaningless!¡± Sergio reached out and shouted. ¡°Bossman, if you are as I think you are, you¡¯re not going to leave her to die.¡±

    ¡°Please shut up and let me focus for now,¡± Niki said with exasperation. ¡°Don¡¯t talk anymore. They¡¯ll hear everything you say.¡±

    As he said that, Niki retracted his mana and focused on the third power his element had: the Pocket Dimension. It seems Sergio wanted to say more but managed to restrain himself in time.

    The moment you get an element, all of its powers should be natural to you. However, Niki has awakened only a few hours before, so it was a stretch to learn how to construct a dimension.

    As he closed his eyes and focused on his Dantian, Niki found an endless stretch of void inside. His sea of consciousness changed after he awakened, and his mana resided deep within it.

    Niki dived deep into his sea of consciousness, looking for the source of his element. His mana took the element from the source, which he should utilize to create the pocket dimension.

    He arrived deep within his sea and found the power source, which never existed before he awakened. It was a ck cube, the size of a head, rotating silently and releasing the darkness that changed his mana.

    ¡®A cube?¡¯ Niki looked at it with curiosity. ¡®Can this be a dice that symbolizes my ability to control probability?¡¯

    He got the ability to manipte probability after he became half-awakened when he transmigrated from the future. This corrtion led him to believe that the power to control fate and the system were part of his bloodline awakening.

    Niki decided to leave the deduction part forter and grabbed hold of the cube in front of him. His darkness became easier to control as soon as he did.

    ¡®Gather.¡¯

    Nikimanded, and the darkness began to condense in the void, creating a space in the shape of a cube. The dark cloud turned into boundaries that determined the form of his pocket dimension, consuming his mana rapidly in the process.

    ¡®Oh damn, this is too much.¡¯ Niki panicked and decreased the space of his dimension. He kept shrinking it until it was stable to keep existing without his support.

    [Congrattions! You have created a pocket dimension.]

    [New System Entry: Pocket Dimension (tiny).]

    [Pocket Dimension (tiny): a small pocket dimension created using Dark Mana. You can allow things to leave the dimension automatically or manually.]

    [Dimension Stats.]

    [Dimension Items.]

    Niki felt a twinge of pain as he read the word ¡®tiny¡¯ as if the system was belittling him. He grumbled as he left his Dantian and looked at the dimension stats.

    He looked at the Riders still patrolling and felt lucky that Sergio managed to shut his mouth. He clicked on the Dimension Stats, and a list appeared.

    [Size: 343 cubicmeters.]

    [Life: 12 hours.]

    [Elements: Dark.]

    [Authorized: None.]

    Niki understood the gist of it except for thest part. After reading through the system¡¯s description, he realized the authorized meant the number of people who can leave his dimension or enter it when they¡¯re near him. He clicked on the list and found it to be empty.

    ¡®I need to make this ce habitable first.¡¯ Niki realized and controlled the dimension to allow air to flow in and out automatically. He didn¡¯t want to send Sergio to his death when he ces him inside.

    Niki jumped and grabbed the bars of the cage before kicking the door open. The guards were startled by the sudden sound, and the rm rang in the n grounds.

    ¡°The cage has opened! Someone is there, hurry! Call in reinforcement! Ride your vultures!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sergio. Don¡¯t resist what I¡¯m about to do.¡±

    ¡°Boss, are you going to leave her here?¡± Sergio was still crouching beside her while looking at Niki judgmentally.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take her along for now.¡± Niki sighed at the naivety of his friend, but this was the reason that Niki trusted him to begin with. This headstrong personality of his was the reason that Niki knew he wouldn¡¯t betray him.

    ¡°Thank you, boss. I knew that you were a good person.¡± Sergio carried Ruxi and walked toward Niki with a bright smile.

    ¡°You¡¯re too dumb, don¡¯t trust my words so easily. What if I decided to kill her now?¡± Niki was annoyed.

    ¡°If that happens, I¡¯ll learn how to trust the right ones. Before that happens, I don¡¯t n on doubting everyone as you do, boss.¡± Sergio handed Niki the archer as thetter looked at him with aplex gaze.

    ¡®Well, that¡¯s how I thought of people before they kept breaking my trust.¡¯

    Niki controlled his pocket dimension and got Ruxi inside. He turned to Sergio, who was staring at him with wide eyes. Niki grabbed his wrist and warned.

    ¡°Don¡¯t resist. You will be in a dark space for a while with the mute, but don¡¯t panic.¡± Niki instructed. ¡°That ce is safe.¡±

    Then, Sergio went into his pocket dimension as well. When Niki closed his eyes, he saw the two people inside of his dimension.

    ¡®This looks like my own little world.¡¯

 Chapter 74: Fleeing Countless Vultures

    Niki saw that even in his dimension, Sergio rushed toward Ruxi to help her. He hated that his friend was growing attached to this archer because he still couldn¡¯t trust her.

    The fact that she refused to leave his side even though she could run away using her skill made Niki convinced she was after something. Giving people the benefit of the doubt was not his style, not anymore.

    Sergio¡¯s impression of him might change because of his actions, but it was better than waking up one day regretting that you ever trusted someone.

    Niki heard the p of wings and knew that it was time to flee. The bells on the vultures loudly rang as Niki grabbed one of the vials that Sergio created. It was called Mana-Restore, and it can restore the mana in the body up to three times.

    After that, the toxicity of the potion will poison you.

    ¡®Only a genius alchemist can create this at such a young age.¡¯ Niki drank the potion and felt his mana replenish. He can never learn how to create this potion without investing time into alchemy.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone on top of the cage!¡± A Rider shouted and rode his vulture.

    Before Niki could run, countless vultures swarmed in the sky above him, cutting away every path of escape. Niki grinned to reveal his sharp teeth as he pped his hands.

    The mana in his body turned into darkness after it touched the cube, and it exploded from between his hands like gas. The dark cloud blinded every vulture as they began to screech. Some of them fell on the ground, and others mmed into Alias before falling.

    Niki climbed the chains of the cage and jumped toward Alias. As soon as he touched the ship, it disappeared and appeared in his subspace.

    He began to fall, but the darkness cushioned the impact, allowing Niki to roll on the and sprint in the direction of the n¡¯s gates.

    He didn¡¯t use his stealth just yet, because he knew that a chase would soon ensue. He would use his mana at that time to remain hidden until he finds a chance to flee.

    ¡°After him!¡±

    The Riders rode behind him, and a vulture tried to sink its talons into Niki¡¯s skin. At that moment, Niki disappeared and appeared a short distance away.

    As soon as another Rider tried to attack him, Niki repeated his actions. His stealth led to chaos among the Riders as they lost their target every few seconds.

    Niki heard a mighty cry of a vulture and looked up to see a chief appear in the sky. Her hair was locked in dreadlocks beside her, just like the ones the other chief had. The two stared at each other before the neer raised his ck spear.

    ¡®Does she think I can¡¯t dodge?¡¯ Niki was surprised that the chief tried to snip him from such a distance. However, the actual reason was uncovered moments afterward.

    The ck spear had a red feather at the end of it. As soon as it left the chief¡¯s hand, the feather exploded and turned into a me. The explosion was strong and orientated that it propelled the spear toward Niki at an unprecedented speed.

    His perception was the only reason Niki could follow the spear¡¯s trajectory, but he had no way of dodging it in time. Since his system said that his stealth only prevented others from seeing him, he knew no escape from attacks directed his way.

    ¡®Let¡¯s test your powers.¡¯

    Niki raised both hands, which were now pale white after his awakening, and watched the dark pool in front of them. The spear¡¯s tip struck the darkness but couldn¡¯t go beyond that point.

    However, Niki didn¡¯t want to waste his mana. He tightened his fists, making the darkness explode. The explosion of the darkness made the spear spin and flew toward its owner.

    The chief¡¯s vulture pped its wings and soared upward, allowing its Rider to snatch her spear in time. However, when she tried attacking again, Niki was nowhere to be seen.

    ***

    Niki¡¯s feet carried him faster than they ever had in this lifetime. The increase in stats was a delight, but the fact that he didn¡¯t get to enjoy the difference against these opponents grounded him to earth.

    He was still weak.

    The bright sun warmed his skin as he left his stealth. He has left the n¡¯s grounds using his stealth before any Elder can catch him.

    All that left was to find a ce to hide and then a ce to fix Alias. After that, Niki can leave this mess and get his first skill. He was already an F-rank in terms of stats. All that he needed was a skill.

    He could hear the shouts of Riders and the cries of their vulture from within the forest. Niki ran without looking back, hoping that he would get a fair distance away before needing to use his stealth.

    His mana began regenerating, but he felt the wind change behind him. He used his stealth and rolled on the ground, only to see a vulture swoop down.

    He realized it was the leader-to-be chief, which he had left on the pirate¡¯s ship. The chief looked around with a frown after he lost sight of Niki.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where you are, but I will find you. I¡¯ll take revenge for myrades that you devoured and prove that I¡¯m not a coward.¡±

    ¡®I never said that you were, but suit yourself.¡¯

    Niki ran in the direction of the mountains under his stealth instead of chatting. If he remembers correctly, there was a mountain range where ¡®that¡¯ race lived.

    They should be able to fix his ship or at least have materials that he could steal. After all, they weren¡¯t exactly known for sharing their, which was why bullets were expensive.

    ¡®They say the dwarves possess the best fastest flying cores.¡¯ Niki grinned as his lone figure cut across the forest beneath countless flying vultures.

 Chapter 75: Worst in Humanity

    [Warning: Pocket Dimension will copse in an hour if you don¡¯t fortify it.]

    A notification arrived as soon as Niki went inside the cave, leaving his stealth. His mana was bottomed out, but he fled sessfully.

    ¡®What?¡¯ Niki frowned. He checked the Life of his dimension and realized it was indeed one hour, even though it has only been 6 hours since he escaped the Vultra n. ¡®System, why did its life decrease?¡¯

    [The life depends on what lives inside the pocket dimension. Living Beings, enchanted items, and anything that has mana require more energy to maintain.]

    Niki sighed, but it was alright. No more vultures were roaming outside. He waved his hand, and Sergio and Yuxi appeared inside the cave.

    ¡°AH!¡± Sergio was startled. ¡°We¡¯re out!¡±

    ¡°You could¡¯ve left anytime,¡± Niki said as he walked toward the two. ¡°Are you alright?¡± He asked Sergio, hoping there were no side effects of entering the dark dimension.

    ¡°Bossman!¡± Sergio grinned and nodded. ¡°I am. Luckily, Yuxi is well as well.¡±

    ¡°Luckily, yeah.¡± Niki grimaced. He looked at Yuxi, who was ring at him with frightened eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to kill you anymore.¡±

    ¡°You should have never tried to begin with, Boss.¡± Sergio sighed. ¡°I had to spend the past six hours making sure that she didn¡¯t get brain damage.¡±

    ¡°I had my reasons. I still have them; the only difference is that you trust this girl. I won¡¯t kill her as long as you do. I don¡¯t want her to be a martyr.¡±

    ¡°Bossman, bossman, bossman.¡± Sergio grinned at him. ¡°So, you care about me this much? Let¡¯s hug!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡±

    ¡°Hehe,¡± Sergio didn¡¯t hug him but still smiled sweetly. ¡°Whatever your reasons are, I¡¯m sure that we can talk it out instead of choking each other.¡±

    Niki stared at Sergio¡¯s happy expression. He hated such characters: the bright ones. Lilith made sure to reveal such people¡¯s true nature in front of him. She made him hate everyone other than her by showing him the worst in humanity.

    ¡®However, there was an exception to that.¡¯

    Niki stood up against Lilith for the first time because of Sergio. Niki had no other friends but the alchemist. That¡¯s why Lilith wanted to prove that Sergio was selfish.

    ¡®That¡¯s why she gave the King the n of using Sergio. Sergio refused, proving Lilith wrong. In the end, Sergio was banished because of me.¡¯

    That¡¯s why Niki would never hurt Sergio, not in this lifetime, not in the next. It was also the reason that Sergio was the only person he trusted.

    ¡°I have a question for you.¡± Niki turned to Sergio, not trying to test him but to see if there was another answer than the one that he had. ¡°I wanted to kill the archer because she tried threatening me into allowing her to stay.¡±

    ¡°Yea?¡± Sergio tilted his head.

    ¡°However, she doesn¡¯t need me. She can use her skill, the same one that she used before, to flee from the n on her own. She¡¯ll even have a higher chance of escaping. She must have some ulterior motives. Right?¡±

    ¡°Boss¡­¡± Sergio blinked. ¡°We¡¯re the only people she knows in this ce. I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m scared shitless. She¡¯s the same. I have you as a friend, and she has me as a friend, and you have us as friends. It¡¯s only natural that we stick together.¡±

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Niki furrowed his brows as he nced at the archer. She looked at him with a frown before slowly nodding.

    ¡®Why would I threaten you if I wanted to harm you? I was just trying to stay.¡¯ She gestured. ¡®I didn¡¯t think you would¡­¡¯

    She gestured before grabbing her bruised neck. Her face turned into a pained expression, which made Niki¡¯s stomach turn.

    ¡®She still reminds me of him.¡¯

    ¡°Do you want to be mute forever?¡± Niki asked the archer, making her confused. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you tried curing it?¡±

    ¡®I¡¯m trying to¡­¡¯ She gestured, her small fingers dancing in front of her as they paused and hesitated.

    ¡°The quicker that we get you healed, the better,¡± Niki said before turning to leave the cave. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for trying to kill you.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I told you he was a good person,¡± Sergio whispered to Yuxi as Niki left the cave.

    ¡®I¡¯m not, you fucking idiot.¡¯ Niki thought to himself as he entered his stealth with what recovered his mana and hurried toward the nearestke.

    After he made sure that no one was around, Niki took off the goggles and the hood. He crouched beside theke and began cleaning himself from the blood.

    He got to see the horns for the first time in the water. They were as long as his index finger and matt ck. His ears were longer, dropping to the sides.

    Niki¡¯s appearance was threatening at best and outright scary at worst with his horns, teeth, and crimson eyes. Whoever sees him will know that there¡¯s no way he was a human.

    ¡®I need to hide the horns and the ears.¡¯ Niki took out a ck silk fabric from Alias and began wrapping it around his horns and ears. The clothing lifted his hair upward while strands dropped to the sides of the headband.

    All that was left were his eyes and teeth. As long as he doesn¡¯t try showing them, others won¡¯t notice them, hopefully. His eyes can also be passed as some gene mutation, although their color was ominous.

    ¡®Wearing a mask will draw attention while also making people suspicious. It¡¯s best to show them the human-looking parts and make them deduce the rest.¡¯ Niki decided. ¡®Now, let¡¯s check the system.¡¯

    If he remembers correctly, he remembers the system mentioning something about evolving. However, he didn¡¯t have the time to sit down and see the changes.

    As Niki opened his system, he found that it was the same except for one button next to the title. It was an arrow pointing upward. Niki pressed it.

 Chapter 76: Bloodline Talent

    Niki pressed the arrow next to the words The Fa?e System. A new panel appeared in front of him with nothing but a few words.

    [Evolve.]

    [Requirements: 15 Fate Points.]

    ¡®This system is so greedy.¡¯ Niki felt scammed because 18 Fate Points were all he had after investing in his awakening. ¡®I still want to see what new things the system would have after it evolves.¡¯

    Niki pressed Evolve, and the fate he stole was consumed. There were no shy announcements or sparkling light, only a bar that appeared in front of Niki.

    [1%, 2%, 3%¡­]

    Niki felt a change within his Dantian and closed his eyes. He dived through the darkness to find the cube rotating. It kept spinning faster and faster the more he looked at it until cracks appeared on its sides, but the cube suddenly froze.

    [Evolution is underway.]

    [A choice needs to be made.]

    [You can choose one Bloodline Talent to unlock.]

    ¨C   [Stars of Travelers.]

    ¨C   [Hidden Fate.]

    ¨C   [The Luck Within.]

    ¨C   [Wise Choice.]

    [Warning: Each Bloodline Talent consumes different amounts of Fate Points and has varying cooldown periods before you can use them again.]

    Niki was confused, but the system didn¡¯t demand an immediate response. Thus, he decided to see what these ¡®talents¡¯ were before he made a choice.

    [Stars of Travelers: Use fate points to determine in which direction fate lies, regardless of it being fortune or misfortune.]

    ¡®Hm?¡¯ Niki¡¯s eyes widened. He didn¡¯t think that he can use fate in this manner. However, this didn¡¯t mean it would guide him to more fate points or treasures but might also spell disaster. ¡®But it can also help me avoid danger.¡¯

    [Hidden Fate: receive an alert when there¡¯s a treasure with high fate or a Fate Fragment nearby. Fate Points need to be invested beforehand, and each alert consumes a small amount of them.]

    ¡®Ah, this is getting more difficult to decide.¡¯ Niki craved this talent as well, but it also had a drawback that it might never be helpful to him. ¡®I already know enough shocking items.¡¯

    [The Luck Within: Obtain the Luck stat, increasing your base probability using fate points. The increase is permanent, but at a considerable cost.]

    ¡®WHY ARE THEY ALL SO GOOD?¡¯ Niki felt like he was being torn apart. ¡®And why are they all so vague? How many fate points do I need to use for each of them?¡¯

    [Wise Choice: Use Fate Points to know whether a decision would bring you benefit or harm in the near future.]

    ¡®This is so overpowered¡­¡¯ Niki¡¯s mouth gaped as he read the talent¡¯s description.

    Every one of these talents was so valuable for him: one for travel, another for scavenging, a stat for farming stats, and one that would resolve uncertainty. All of them were things he never thought were possible using Fate Points.

    ¡®This evolution was well worth it.¡¯ Niki took back what he said about the system scamming him. ¡®The only question is¡­ which one should I choose?¡¯

    They were all useful for different scenarios, but he can only choose one for now. Stars of Travelers might lead him to doom if he was greedy. Even though fortune was on the other side of danger, he didn¡¯t want to walk toward his demise.

    Hidden Fate was helpful if he ever goes into a market, as a simple trip might make him rich. However, that was all there is to it. He might end up with nothing, and he didn¡¯t exactly need this in the middle of the wilderness.

    ¡®The Luck Within¡­¡¯ This talent was the one Niki needed the most at the moment. If he can increase his base probability, then he would consume fewer Fate Points in the long run. The problem was that it needed many Fate Points, although he didn¡¯t exactly know how much.

    Wise Choice was the ideal talent for resolving the issue with Yuxi and Sergio, as he could just know if trusting Yuxi would harm him. However, that didn¡¯t help him be stronger, like The Luck Within did.

    It also made Niki question whether any choice he made using this was indeed his own or some higher deity¡¯s desire. He was sure now that his system was rted to his bloodlines, even though Dark Fae and Fate weren¡¯t precisely the same.

    Niki¡¯s finger hovered over the choices he had. He didn¡¯t need Hidden Fate or Stars of Travelers at the moment because the future has yet to change beyond recognition.

    The only two remaining talents were Wise Choice and The Luck Within. As Niki¡¯s finger hovered above the two, ready to choose one of them, his ears twitched as he heard a sound from behind him.

    ¡°You like sneaking up.¡±

    Niki turned to look at the archer, but her face was pale. She was breathing rapidly, pointing toward the cave.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Niki¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°Where is Sergio?¡±

    ¡®Sick.¡¯ She flinched when she saw his eyes but still gestured. Niki released her, darting toward the cave as fast he could.

    He was in the cave in an instant. As he walked in, he found Sergio lying on the ground while breathing heavily.

    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Niki frowned as he crouched beside him.

    ¡°Ah, Bossman. I don¡¯t know. My body is a mess, and I can¡¯t move anything.¡± Sergio opened one of his eyes as he winced in pain with a slight smile. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have eaten that berry; I knew it was bad news.¡±

    ¡®There¡¯s no way he can get poisoned from a berry.¡¯ Niki frowned heavily. Whatever caused this was something else, but what was it?

    ¡°Don¡¯t resist.¡± Niki pressed his hand on Sergio¡¯s dantian. As he was about to use his mana, something familiar pulsed from Sergio¡¯s body.

    ¡®This familiar feeling¡­¡¯ Niki¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®Why is my darkness within his body?¡¯

    Niki retracted his hand instantly, fearing he might harm Sergio any more than this. It was his darkness that ate away at Sergio¡¯s mana, wreaking havoc in his body.

    ¡®How did it get there?¡¯

 Chapter 77: Cure of Divinity

    Niki frowned as Yuxi entered the cave after him, panting. He turned toward the archer as realization dawned on him. ¡®Sergio treated her after I attacked her. That¡¯s when the darkness entered his body.¡¯

    His darkness had a certain quality: the Bane of Elements. Sergio wasn¡¯t a genius without reason. He had an inherent element called Harmony, the ultimate catalyst forbining elements; this was why his sess rate was higher than an average person.

    Since his darkness was harmful to elements, it was no wonder that Sergio ended up this way. If Niki¡¯s darkness stayed in his body, it would either harm his element or his life.

    Yuxi crouched beside him, looking worried. Niki sighed and stood up. She looked at him with confusion as she held Sergio¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Take care of him,¡± Niki said to her as he took out his Darkmoon Longbow.

    ¡®You?¡¯ She gestured with one hand.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that, not after this.¡± Niki took out his arrow and nocked it to his longbow. A bright light exploded from the arrow as the cave was washed by divinity.

    Niki could feel his existence repulse the power in the arrow. However, divinity was the only way he can eradicate his darkness without harming Sergio.

    Niki grabbed the arrow with his hand instead of released it. His skin began disintegrating as unimaginable pain spread through his body.

    ¡°Agh!¡± Niki let out a scream as he stabbed Sergio¡¯s leg with the arrow under Yuxi¡¯s frightened eyes. The divinity exploded in the cave as Niki¡¯s skin turned ck.

    As the light receded, Yuxi opened her eyes to find Sergio breathing normally, washed away by divinity. Niki, however, was gone.

    ***

    Niki smashed his head against a giant rock on top of the mountain. The rock split in half as his headband came off, but the pain was still tormenting him.

    He bit on his lips until they bled just to prevent himself from screaming. The divinity from the arrow was still destroying his body, and it felt like someone was burning away his very soul.

    The skin on his arm didn¡¯t recover, even after using the Blood Energy and the darkness. Niki looked at his hands before him, and they were filled with cracks and dead skin.

    ¡®Nothing is for free,¡¯ Niki let out augh as his crimson eyes turned into crescents, his teeth gnashing against each other. ¡®As much power as I obtained, I had to suffer.¡¯

    He knew that it would be a while before he cane near Sergio. The divinity worked as a blessing, and it enhanced the cells in the body. Thus, they would remain in Sergio¡¯s body for a while.

    Niki disappeared from the world and appeared above Alias in his pocket dimension. The darkness embraced him, and the pain began disappearing as he huffed on the deck.

    ¡®Dammit,¡¯ Niki breathed out as he calmed down. ¡®That hurt like hell.¡¯

    As he was resting, the dimension began growing unstable. ¡®It¡¯s nearing the end of its life.¡¯ Niki started to using his mana to fortify the space. After a while, Niki stopped and looked at the dimension¡¯s stats.

    [Life: 24 hours.]

    ¡®That should be enough.¡¯

    He stood up and left his pocket dimension, appearing beside the rock he smashed with his head. He picked up his ck headband and wrapped it around his horns and ears.

    Niki walked back to the cave, which made him nauseous. He found Sergio awake and Yuxi still by his side. Sergio was looking healthy, confused at what Yuxi was trying to tell him.

    ¡®He stabbed you with an arrow, then you were fine.¡¯

    ¡°Hm? That sign means food, right?¡± Sergio furrowed his brows, and realization dawned on him. ¡°Did bossman give me food that made me better? I knew it was that berry!¡± Yuxi shook her head, but Niki stepped forward to interrupt her.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Why are you eating random stuff?¡± Niki frowned.

    ¡°Bossman!¡± Sergio turned to him with a smile, but his eyes widened. ¡°I like the new aesthetic, but what happened to your eyes? Why are they suddenly red?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re fine.¡± Niki shooed him away. ¡°I ate something weird in the forest when I was nning how to rescue you.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, we¡¯re not that much different then. Should I get a headband too?¡± Sergio mumbled to himself as he pulled his blond hair back. ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡±

    ¡°Mm, yeah.¡± Niki nodded. ¡°Rest for now. We leave in an hour.¡±

    Before they could say anything, Niki left. He waited on top of the mountain, sitting on the rock he split, as he resumed his Evolution.

    ¡®I choose the Wise Choice talent.¡¯

    [Evolution isplete.]

    The cube in his dantian resumed spinning as a coin¡¯s symbol appeared on one of the sides. The cube stopped spinning as the darkness exploded and manifested into a coin in Niki¡¯s hand.

    Niki looked at the ck and white coin with interest. On one side of the coin was a heart symbol, while the other had a dagger. It was obvious what each side meant: benefit and harm.

    [Wise Choice: A Bloodline Talent manifesting as a coin. With each flip, the coin consumes 10 Fate Points to answer a question of yours. Cooldown: one day.]

    Niki looked at the coin in his hand with frustration. He didn¡¯t have 10 Fate Points, but he did have a question. After knowing that he would harm Sergio or anyone else with his darkness, he wasn¡¯t sure that he could stay with him.

    ¡®What if staying brings me harm? Or harms Sergio?¡¯ Niki wondered as he tightened his hand on the coin. It disappeared from the world and appeared beside the cube, floating as well.

    ¡°Bossman, we¡¯re ready!¡± Sergio walked toward Niki, who looked at him silently and nodded.

    ¡®I¡¯ll need to ask that question and see what to do about Sergio.¡¯ Niki stood up and began running in the direction of the dwarvennd. ¡®If it brings me harm, there¡¯s no other choice but to leave. That¡¯s the best for us.¡¯

    As much as he wanted to stay, there¡¯s nothing he could do if he needed to leave to avoid a future that harms both of them.

 Chapter 78: Catching a Dwarf

    Yuxi released her arrow and watched as it zoomed past the rabbit, making it run away. Then, like a snake, another arrow struck the fleeing rabbit as if it had eyes of its own.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a match to Bossman yet, Yuxi.¡± Sergio smiled as he looked at them from beyond his book.

    Yuxi pouted and turned toward the youth standing on top of the rock behind her. He wore simple clothes with a ck headband. The young man was staring at her with his crimson eyes, which still made him quite scary.

    ¡°You¡¯ve miscalcted.¡± Niki spat toward her as if she was the dumbest person he met. ¡°How did you miss the flow in mana from that tree?¡±

    She followed his pale hand, which had traces of ck skin, to see a tree in the distance that had currents of mana around it.

    ¡°It¡¯s called Breather for a reason; it generates random wind currents.¡± Niki pointed out again. ¡°Your stance is also too stiff as if you¡¯re mimicking a doll.¡±

    ¡°Calling her a doll, Boss knows how to flirt!¡± Sergio whistled from beyond his book. He hid his face in a hurry when Niki red at him.

    ¡°This is useless.¡± Niki sighed with exasperation. ¡°We need to find the Dwarves, not waste our time here teaching her how to shoot an arrow.¡±

    ¡°Come on, Boss. We¡¯ve been looking for several days now.¡± Sergio closed his book and jumped from the rock. ¡°We might as well enjoy a barbeque if we can¡¯t find them.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of nowhere with a broken ship. Do you think we have the time to enjoy ourselves?¡± Niki shook his head and left.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll teach you again.¡± Sergio turned to Yuxi and gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Let¡¯s pick up the score!¡±

    Yuxi smiled and nodded, but she didn¡¯t think he would. She turned toward the rabbit that he struck. It was almost 300 meters away, but he hit the rabbit¡¯s head and killed it.

    She was also an archer, a good one, but she wasn¡¯t as good as him. Yuxi frowned as she tried to adjust her stance and mimic his, but it was futile. Niki¡¯s stance was as rxed and free as a morning breeze, but hers was as rigid as a mountain.

    ¡®The academy never had such an archer before, but it doesn¡¯t even seem like archery is his main fighting style.¡¯

    He was a mystery,yered with more secrets. Every time Yuxi thought she was about to uncover something about him, a new side of him emerged. One of those sides almost killed her.

    Sergio picked up the rabbit and ran toward Niki to give him the camping set. Niki sighed and gave it to him, making Sergio grin and run toward a stream.

    Yuxi felt a bit jealous that he was so kind to Sergio but so cold toward her. She did sneak into his ship and threatened him, but was she that suspicious?

    ¡°Ah, bossman, how do you turn this into meat bs?¡± Sergio asked Niki with embarrassment.

    ¡°You were so eager to cook, but you¡¯re asking me now?¡± Niki¡¯s red eyes looked amused as he grabbed the rabbit and began gutting it.

    Yuxi watched as Niki taught Sergio how to gut the rabbit with a smile. Throughout the process, Niki ignored herpletely but made sure that Sergio learned the skill thoroughly.

    Sergio began to roast his meat after taking out a cauldron that he used to control the fire. Because he used premade spices, the aroma spread everywhere.

    ¡®This will attract some monsters.¡¯ Yuxi gestured in front of the two. Sergio looked confused and turned to Niki, who seemed to understand her meaning.

    She was upset that the one who understood signnguage best hated her, but he seemed caring enough to exin to Sergio.

    ¡°She says this might attract monsters.¡±

    Yuxi knew that he was exining to Sergio rather than helping her, but it was still a relief to see him acknowledge her presence.

    ¡°Ah? Should I turn it off?¡± Sergio panicked, but Niki shook his head. He pointed toward the edge of the trees where a transparent wall of darkness stood.

    ¡°I made sure that no aroma or smell escapes.¡±

    Yuxi stared at the wall of darkness and then back at Niki. In addition to this skill, which she has never seen before, she admired his readiness for everything.

    He seemed to be always a step ahead of everything.

    Sergioughed as he praised Niki again, but thetter didn¡¯t respond and took out his longbow. He studied it carefully as if looking for something within it.

    ***

    ¡®It¡¯s reacting to my darkness.¡¯ Niki realized as he looked at the Darkmoon Longbow in his hand. He did expect some changes to it, but it began absorbing his darkness every time he used it.

    He couldn¡¯t do it consciously but could only allow it to absorb the darkness at its own pace. As he was studying the longbow¡¯s woody structure, Sergio finished making food.

    ¡°Sergio¡¯s Roasted Rabbit!¡± The blond alchemist said with a victorious smile as he presented the roasted meat on a te.

    ¡®It¡¯s just a roasted rabbit, but I guess he doesn¡¯t need to feel down.¡¯ Niki thought as he decided to hide away his bow and eat. His ears twitched as he turned toward the upper part of the stream.

    ¡°Hm? Boss? Is something wrong?¡± Sergio turned toward stream as well after seeing Niki¡¯s actions. Niki didn¡¯t answer and kept walking toward the creek.

    ¡°There¡¯s something in the water,¡± Niki said as he took out the Unbreakable Vines ropes from Alias and handed one end to Sergio. ¡°Hold this.¡±

    Sergio ced the te down and ran toward Niki before grabbing the ropes. He held onto the rope as Niki jumped to the other side of the stream. He allowed the rope to sink into the water and waited.

    ¡°What now, boss?¡± Sergio shouted toward Niki as thetter kept looking at the water.

    ¡°Wait for my signal. Pull the rope when I tell you to.¡± Niki said as he squinted his eyes. ¡°Now!¡± He shouted after a while, and Sergio pulled on the rope.

    Niki, however, whipped the rope to create a circle that traveled toward Sergio. When Sergio pulled, the loop in the rope wrapped itself around an object.

    The two lifted the rope to reveal a short man with a giant nose and beard. It was tied with the vines by the waist, suspended midair.

    ¡°We caught ourselves a dwarf.¡± Niki grinned.

 Chapter 79: A Moving Corpse

    The dwarf soaked the stream¡¯s bank after they pulled him out of the water. Sergio rushed forward, taking out several vials from his pouch, looking more prepared than ever.

    ¡®Did he prepare after Yuxi¡¯s incident?¡¯ Niki felt sorry that he made the alchemist this worried, but it paid off to be ready.

    ¡°Bossman, hurry!¡± Sergio opened the dwarf¡¯s mouth and poured a potion. He then began pressing on the dwarf¡¯s chest in an attempt to save him.

    ¡°Hurry for what?¡± Niki jumped over the stream andnded next to Sergio. ¡°This dwarf is dead.¡±

    ¡°We can still make it.¡± Sergio took off the lid of another vial, but Niki grabbed his hand before the alchemist could pour it.

    ¡°You¡¯re wasting our resources over a corpse,¡± Niki said lightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t your notice? He wasn¡¯t floating. That means there¡¯s no air in his lung anymore. It has been a while since he died.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡± Sergio looked at the dwarf with an ufortable expression. ¡°Why did we take him out then?¡±

    ¡°We can get some clues as to why he died.¡± Niki let go of Sergio¡¯s arm, and the alchemist put away his potion sadly.

    ¡®I didn¡¯t know young Sergio was like this.¡¯

    It was the first time Niki noticed the difference between the two versions of Sergio that he knew. In his past life, the Sergio he met was also a good person, but not unrealistically good that he wanted to save everyone.

    ¡°Anyway, we need to¡­¡± Niki walked over toward the dwarf, but the corpse, which turned out to be not anymore, opened his eyes and gasped for air.

    ¡°He¡¯s alive!¡± Sergio shouted with surprise. ¡°Bossman, he¡¯s alive!¡± Niki could tell that Sergio was happy, but he was far from feeling the same.

    He held Sergio back before he rushed in to help the dwarf. The old-looking man began breathing heavily while clutching his chest.

    ¡°Where¡­ am I?¡± The dwarf asked with surprise. ¡°I thought that I drowned. Did you save me?¡±

    ¡°Old man, we thought you were dead!¡± Sergio said with surprise while still being held off by Niki¡¯s arm.

    ¡°I¡­ thought so as well. Heaven¡¯s mercy, I didn¡¯t think that I would survive. Thank you, thank you¡­!¡± The dwarf turned emotional, but Niki¡¯s eyes were cold.

    ¡°Interesting. This dwarf is moving.¡± Niki said while squinting his eyes.

    ¡°See, boss? I told you that we can still make it!¡± Sergio said with a grin. ¡°Hm? Boss? Why are you taking out your gun? Wait! Bossman! No!¡±

    Bang!

    The gunshot tore the peace of the forest instantly, and the bullet that Niki fired lodged into the dwarf¡¯s forehead. The dwarf¡¯s face looked shocked as he fell to the ground, lifeless.

    ¡°Bossman, what¡­¡± Sergio¡¯s face was pale, but it morphed into shock a moment afterward. ¡°The dwarf is¡­ moving again?¡±

    ¡°As I thought.¡± Niki walked over toward the dwarf, who tried to lift his body again. ¡°You¡¯re a moving corpse.¡± Niki grinned as he pulled the trigger again.

    Bang!

    The mana-infused bullet destroyed through the dwarf¡¯s skull and destroyed it, but the dwarf still tried to stand up. Niki sighed and waved his hand, making the darkness explode to surround the corpse.

    ¡°Bossman, what is¡­ a moving corpse?¡± Sergio blinked at Niki, who turned to look at him.

    ¡°It¡¯s an unusual sight, but it¡¯s not an undead,¡± Niki said to the frightened Sergio and Yuxi as his darkness consumed the dwarf. ¡°You can call it a puppet, a possessed body, a moving corpse, but the meaning is mostly the same.¡±

    ¡®Something is controlling his body?¡¯ Yuxi frowned and gestured.

    ¡°Yes, something or someone is controlling it,¡± Niki repeated and turned toward the dwarf. ¡°Whatever it is, it must be powerful.¡±

    The darkness returned to Niki¡¯s body after it attacked the dwarf. As the body appeared again, it didn¡¯t move again. Niki walked toward the body and crouched beside it.

    ¡°May your soul find rest now,¡± Niki muttered as he began looking through the dwarf¡¯s body. He found many random items like ores, a wet notebook, a screw, and a pocket pickaxe.

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s dead now, bossman?¡± Sergio strode forward with unease. ¡°Damn, I was trying to save this¡­ corpse? Am I going to get possessed?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This thing is what possessed it.¡± Niki raised the screw in the afternoon¡¯s sun, and it gleamed a golden color.

    ¡°A screw?¡± Sergio frowned as if he couldn¡¯t believe it.

    However, this was indeed what possessed the dwarf, which made things a lot more interesting for Niki. The screw looked normal, but Niki could feel spiritual residues that were connected to the body.

    His darkness managed to cut away that connection, allowing Niki to ¡®kill¡¯ the moving corpse. However, the screw was no trying to possess him.

    His head ached as the spiritual power within the screw tried seeping into his body. Niki frowned and used his darkness again to iste it.

    ¡°Bossman, be careful,¡± Sergio said with a frown. Niki nodded and ced the screw in his dimension. His darkness worked to iste the spiritual power from harming him, allowing Niki to make use of this clue.

    ¡®We lost our only hope of finding the dwarves.¡¯ Yuxi frowned and gestured to Niki as he stood up. He nced her way as he remembered that mutes are ignored unless someone is looking their way.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t lose anything; this corpse is more useful than a living dwarf.¡± Niki smiled, trying not to reveal his sharp teeth by grinning. ¡°After all, the dead can¡¯t lie.¡±

    ¡°Bossman, your evil side is showing again.¡± Sergio helplessly sighed as he strode toward the corpse. ¡°If it¡¯s a corpse, I know how to find some clues.¡±

    He took out an azure potion from his bag. Niki couldn¡¯t recognize it but had a hunch of what Sergio was trying to do. The alchemist took out his dagger, cut away a piece from the dwarf¡¯s meat, and ced it in the vial.

    ¡°Show me where you came from,¡± Sergio said with a focused expression as he infused mana into the potion. The potion lit up, and a trace of mana pointed in a specific direction upstream.

 Chapter 80: [Quest Initiated!]

    ¡°This way, bossman.¡± Sergio pointed with a grin. ¡°This potion will show us thest ces this dwarf has been. Hopefully, it will lead us to the rest of them.¡±

    ¡°You have interesting things up your sleeve.¡± Niki grinned and nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s follow the traces, but be careful. Whatever possessed this dwarf is a powerful one.¡±

    The two nodded in understanding, a wary expression on their faces. Niki approved of their attitude and walked toward the body to keep it in his pocket dimension. It might prove helpfulter on.

    ¡°Bossman! The food!¡± Sergio ran back and held up the te for them. Niki sighed and took a piece of the rabbit¡¯s meat, and resumed his walking.

    They ate as they walked upstream, with the azure vial still in Sergio¡¯s hand. They walked for almost an hour before they found their next clue.

    The traces pointed toward a meadow beside the stream. Some footprints were washed away by the rising water, but some signs still existed.

    ¡°The traces are showing a different direction now. I guess this ce is where the dwarf fell into the river.¡± Sergio said as the elemental lines began pointing toward the forest.

    ¡°Fell? I¡¯d say someone pushed him into the river.¡± Niki looked at the footsteps with a frown.

    ¡®They wanted the stream to carry the body away.¡¯ Yuxi gestured with a frown as she picked up the soil and sniffed it. ¡®Blood.¡¯

    ¡°What is she saying, boss?¡± Sergio crouched beside her.

    ¡°The scent of blood.¡± Niki nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I thought that there was a struggle before the body was dumped.¡±

    ¡°If someone wanted him dead, why didn¡¯t they bury him?¡±

    ¡°Dwarves live their whole lives in mountains and caves, close to the Earth Elementals.¡± Niki walked toward the meadow and crouched beside the footsteps. ¡°Burying a person in theirnds is an offense, and they can feel the change.¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s why they didn¡¯t bury him.¡± Sergio nodded in understanding.

    ¡°They burn their dead, but the culprit didn¡¯t do so for this one.¡± Niki frowned. ¡°It was an impulsive decision. The culprit might also be possessed, and the victim wasn¡¯t before he drowned. The possession only took ce afterward.¡±

    ¡°There are more moving corpses?¡± Sergio¡¯s body shivered. The scene of the dwarf moving despite his skull being cracked open was still fresh in his mind.

    ¡°It can be mind-control. Controlling a living being.¡± Niki turned toward the forest. ¡°We¡¯ve stumbled into something far more dangerous than I thought.¡±

    ¡°Should we run away? Maybe we can make it toward our destination on foot.¡± Sergio walked beside him, but Niki stepped away. He still felt nauseous if Sergio came too close to him.

    ¡°It would take six months on foot, and the ce we¡¯re going to isn¡¯t exactly on the ground. Furthermore, this ce is only safe because we¡¯re in thend of several ns. Do you think we¡¯ll be so lucky elsewhere?¡±

    ¡°A flying ind?¡± Sergio ignored his warning and turned ecstatic. ¡°Bossman! Why didn¡¯t you tell me? I always wanted to find a flying ind!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll change your mind when we reach there.¡± Niki¡¯s lips curved into a smile which made the alchemist shiver. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s why we can¡¯t leave the wilderness before we find the dwarves. Alias needs fixing, as it can¡¯t fly right now.¡±

    ¡°The elemental traces point this way.¡± Sergio pointed toward the dark forest.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you use the bloodied soil so that we can follow the culprit instead of retracing the victim?¡±

    ¡°I can try, but it might not prove sessful.¡± Sergio crouched and took a bit of the soil using a small spoon. He ced it into a different azure potion and injected his mana.

    ¡®He¡¯s probably the only one who can use this potion to its full potential.¡¯ Niki watched the Harmony Elementbine the sample into the potion.

    ¡°The traces are faint, but it¡¯s there. We can only get a general direction. Do you want us to follow the victim or the culprit?¡± Sergio turned toward Niki.

    [Choose a response in thirty seconds!]

    ¨C   [Follow the traces of the culprit!]

    ¨C   [Follow the traces of the victim!]

    ¨C   [Follow neither and leave.]

    ¡®If I weren¡¯t so broke, I would have used A Wise Choice.¡¯ Niki realized that he could use the talent this way. He can see if choosing any of the two would bring him harm or benefit. ¡®Each Bloodline Talent has its uses, it seems.¡¯

    ¡°Let¡¯s follow the traces of the victim.¡±

    [Quest Initiated!]

    [Quest: Possessed Items.]

    [Quest Description]

    [You found a possessed item in the pockets of a dead dwarf. Find out the origins of this item and the entity that controlled the dwarf. Sharing the information with the dwarves can improve your rtionship.]

    [Reward: 30 Fate Point.]

    ¡®I see,¡¯ Niki smiled. ¡®If I picked the other choice, the quest would be to find the culprit who killed the dwarf. If my theory is correct, then both quests would lead me toward the dwarves.¡¯

    ¡°Why the victim, boss? I think we¡¯ll find the dwarves faster if we follow the culprit.¡± Sergio said, which was a valid point.

    ¡°We can never be sure who the culprit is, so it¡¯s dangerous to share information with anyone. Not revealing anything would make us suspicious, so it¡¯s easier to investigate where the victim came.¡±

    ¡°I see, alright then.¡± Sergio nodded and took out the victim¡¯s vial. The elemental traces pointed toward the dark forest, where nothing could be seen. ¡°I¡¯ll trust you, boss, but I¡¯m still scared shitless.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Niki smiled. ¡°Some things need to be done, though.¡± He told Sergio, who nodded. ¡°Are youing?¡± Niki turned toward Yuxi.

    ¡®Do you think I prefer staying here alone?¡¯ Yuxi gestured before smirking. ¡®Our lessons aren¡¯t over yet.¡¯

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s better that you stay mute,¡± Niki said and turned toward the forest. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±

    ¡°Boss, why so abrasive¡­¡± Sergio sighed and walked behind him. The three walked into the dark forest, which stole the light away as soon as they walked in.

    A green light shone from the trees,ing from small mushrooms that grew on their trunks. As the darkness surrounded them, Niki felt at home.

 Chapter 81: A Look of Disgust

    ¡°Why is it so dark inside this forest?¡± Sergio muttered beside him as he shivered. ¡°This is one godforsaken spot that even light abandoned.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re an alchemist. Shouldn¡¯t you be a little scientific?¡± Niki sighed as he looked at the trees. ¡°If I remember correctly, these trees are called Greedy Trees. They absorb all the light around them, so everything beside them is dark.¡±

    ¡°Woah,¡± Sergio looked around. ¡°Can I make a potion out of these?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a potion for everything, the exception being the undiscovered ones.¡± Niki smiled as he used the words that Sergio told him before in his past life.

    ¡°Bossman, do you also read Alchemy4U?¡± Sergio grabbed him in excitement, and Niki gritted his teeth.

    ¡°Yeah, I saw you reading it. Let go of me now.¡± Niki said and saw Sergio¡¯s expression freeze before turning awkward.

    ¡°That¡¯s true. I should gather some ingredients since we¡¯re here.¡± Sergio said as he walked toward a tree. Niki followed him with his eyes before taking out his gun.

    Niki fired while infusing the darkness into his shot. He felt the recoil of the bullet, but there was no sound nor sight of it. An air pressure passed by Sergio and struck the ground beside the tree.

    There was the sound of tearing flesh, which made Sergio¡¯s body freeze. He turned toward Niki slowly as he pointed toward the tree.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I killed it.¡± Niki said to him with a smile.

    Sergio nodded and gathered some leaves from the tree. He filled a bag, which Niki stored into Alias before the group resumed walking.

    The traces took them deep into the forest, but they disappeared after a while. Sergio tried taking off another piece of flesh, but there was no use.

    ¡°Let¡¯s try this.¡±

    Niki raised his hand, and the screw appeared, floating inside his darkness. He moved his dark mana and ced the screw inside the potion, and it lit up like the morning sun.

    ¡°Such powerful elemental traces¡­¡± Sergio¡¯s expression couldn¡¯t hide his awe as he looked into the vial. ¡°The traces are pointing¡­ downward?¡±

    Sergio looked toward the ground, where the elemental traces were going disappearing. Niki frowned as he looked around and then downward.

    ¡°A dungeon. This dwarf went into a dungeon and ended up taking out this screw, which possessed him and the people with him. The possessed people ended up killing the dwarf, who wasn¡¯t possessed before his death. How does that sound?¡± Niki turned toward the two.

    ¡®Why did they kill him?¡¯ Yuxi gestured with a frown.

    ¡°I think they saw something inside the dungeon, which he wanted to report to the dwarves,¡± Sergio said with a pondering face. ¡°However, the entity didn¡¯t want himself to be known.¡±

    ¡°Sounds usible. Now, we need to prove it.¡± Niki nodded and closed his eyes. ¡°Back away, as far as you can.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Sergio was confused, but Yuxi held his arm and pulled him away. The two stood far away from him as Niki raised his arms. He stood in the middle of the forest as the darkness left his body.

    Like fumes, the darkness surrounded him until Niki¡¯s body could no longer be seen. It connected to the darkness of the forest, allowing him to sense the surrounding.

    ¡°Found it.¡± Niki opened his eyes but found nothing but darkness around him. ¡°Come back.¡± The darkness returned into his body, revealing the two people who stood a distance away.

    ¡°Damn Boss, I don¡¯t want to hurt your feelings, but that power of yours is creepy.¡± Sergio shivered.

    Niki couldn¡¯t understand what he meant as it was entirely different from what he felt. The darkness was the only ce he felt safe. His awakening brought about this change.

    Showing Sergio his darkness was fine. However, Niki couldn¡¯t trust Yuxi, even if Sergio trusted her. That¡¯s why when they get out of this ce, he¡¯ll have to do something about her.

    Yuxi shivered when Niki¡¯s eyes nced her way. The way they glowed in the darkness made him look like a monster rather than a human.

    ¡°I found the entrance, but I think I should go in alone,¡± Niki said to them. ¡°Dungeons are different from the real world. The monsters inside are stronger, and you need to be at least an F-ranker with a skill.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more dangerous if you go in alone. I can pass as an F-rank in terms of mana.¡± Sergio said with a frown. ¡°I even have a skill.¡±

    ¡°Analytic Eyes?¡± Niki smiled at Sergio, who tried to fool him.

    ¡°Ah, no¡­¡± Sergio was taken aback before heposed himself. He tried to lie so that Niki would allow him to join, but he failed miserably.

    ¡°Trust me on this one,¡± Niki said as he walked over toward the two. ¡°I need you two to do something else in the meantime.¡±

    ***

    Niki looked at the cave that went down with a frown. He could feel that the being who possessed the dwarves was in this cave, lying in wait. However, it won¡¯t be easy to find the entity behind this.

    ¡®This dungeon is odd.¡¯

    Niki¡¯s instincts tingled. He wanted to know if going in was wise, but he was still a poor man with no Fate Points. The talent, Wise Choice, mighte more in handy than Niki thought before.

    He walked into the cave after making sure that Sergio and Yuxi weren¡¯t following him. There were two reasons that he sent them away. One of them was for safety, and the other was because he wanted to use his full strength.

    The look of disgust that they had toward his darkness could never leave his mind. Niki knew that they didn¡¯t feel this way toward him but toward the element itself.

    However, it was the same for Niki. His darkness was him the moment he awakened. Their reaction made him sure that he could never reveal his actual race to ordinary people.

    He reached the end of the cave, where a circr doory. The door had several cores lining it as if they were gems to decorate it. A mana pulse made Niki¡¯s clothes flutter.

 Chapter 82: Fate Omphalos

    Niki touched the door, and the cores on it lit up like stars. As he waited for the dungeon to open, a message arrived from his system.

    [You are entering a Fate Omphalos. The Fa?e System received a buff.]

    [Fate Omphalos: The Machinery Workshop.]

    [Omphalos Rank: F.]

    [Omphalos Saturation: Low.]

    [Fate Buff Duration: 12 Hours.]

    ¡°Omphalos?¡± Niki frowned at the umon word. It usually refers to ¡®the center or gathering of something,¡¯ but he was sure that it was used in ancient times as ¡®a focal point of earth.¡¯

    Niki was sure of one thing: a Fate Omphalos was a dungeon. However, the system receiving a buff was outside of his expectations.

    He avoided going into dungeons before because they were too dangerous with his stats. Now that he was stronger, Niki could manage using his knowledge and gun.

    ¡®System, what are these things?¡¯ Niki asked, and just like the usual with new functions, the system gave him a first-time tutorial.

    [Fate Omphalos: A ce where Fate gathers, by either natural or artificial means. The system receives a time-limited buff in Fate Omphaloi, halving the Fate Points consumed.]

    [Omphalos Rank: The more Fate in an Omphalos, the higher the rank will be. The higher the rank, the longer the buff remains.]

    [Omphalos Saturation: The state of an Omphalos capacity to gather Fate. If the saturation is Low, then the Omphalos can grow significantly. If the saturation is Max, then the Omphalos has reached its limits.]

    [Fate Buff Duration: The time the buff takes effect after you enter the Omphalos for the first time. After the time ends, the Fate Points consumption returns to normal.]

    ¡®Halving?¡¯ Niki¡¯s eyes turned round. He let go of the door before the dungeon opened.

    He had 0 Fate Points after using the Holy Powers on Sergio to make use of this buff. ¡®It¡¯s a first-time buff only, but the concept is tempting. That means if I want to change a probability for half the points, I can make use of the Fate in a dungeon.

    He wanted to look for Fate Points, but the fastest way possible was to kill someone with a high fate value. His system registered characters and their Fate meter if they were relevant to him, but it didn¡¯t do so for strangers.

    ¡®Plus, I can¡¯t kill innocent people. Unless they are viins, how would mindlessly killing make me any different than Dark Beings?¡¯

    The knights would hunt him down and kill him if he started killing left and right. He didn¡¯t want to inflict the pain he received on innocents just because he can.

    ¡°If I can finish the quest in less than 12 hours, I can make use of the buff.¡± Niki decided he can only go for this route. ¡°Let¡¯s go dungeon diving.¡±

    [You have entered a Fate Omphalos. The System received a buff.]

    A light split the runic door in front of him into two as Niki felt a powerful force pull him inside. His body disappeared, and the travel toward the dungeon began.

    ***

    When Niki opened his eyes, he found himself standing on top of a metallic tform. The surface was smooth, and it was connected to other metallic tforms by several chains.

    They ran in an arc as far as the eyes can see, surrounding a giant metallic ck tower. Niki raised his head to look at the structure with a frown.

    ¡®This environment¡­¡¯

    He had some expectations since he found the screw. However, the magnitude of this novel proved that the system was correct. This dungeon can grow into something stronger than an F-rank.

    ¡®It¡¯s good that I found it early, but these sounds¡­¡¯

    They were the sounds of gears rotating, their cogs clutching to each other. As Niki heard them, the first monster in the dungeon appeared.

    With a set of jets on different parts of its body, the machinery flew between the tforms. Niki watched as it flew from one tform to the other, patrolling the space.

    He walked toward the edge of the tform and found that rageful waves were below him. If he fell, getting out of the waves will be a challenge itself.

    ¡°Intruder¡­ Intruder¡­¡±

    The machinery sensed his existence and its eyes turned from yellow to red. Having the head of a human and a barrel for a body, it flew toward him as scythes and guns appeared from its body.

    ¡°Why did it have to be machinery?¡± Nik grumbled with dissatisfaction. ¡°How do I test eating the souls of monsters if it¡¯s an inanimate monster?¡±

    He wanted to see if he can sate his curse by eating the souls of monsters. The system stated it needed to be a Living Soul, but he didn¡¯t know if monsters had souls like humans or if they were considered a ¡®Living¡¯ by the Curse of The Banished.

    ¡°Intruder¡­ Elimination Protocol began.¡± The machine stopped in front of the tform, making use of its flying advantage.

    Niki, however, didn¡¯t suffer a disadvantage with his gun. Picking a long-distance battle against a gunman was unwise, but it was a programmed machine.

    His darkness covered his arm like living armor before seeping into his gun. Aiming with his crimson eyes, Niki could see the tiniest of gaps in the machinery.

    His bullet left the muzzle, but there was no evidence of it other than the recoil of his gun. The machine couldn¡¯t detect what struck it until the bullet tore through its gaps.

    ¡°Damage¡­ Cause undetected. Damage¡­¡±

    The machine aimed its gun at Niki, but he used his stealth and disappeared. He fired several shots, aiming at the machine¡¯s gaps until its weapons began falling left and right.

    The machine tried looking for him, but it could only fire everywhere. One of the attacks almost struck Niki, forcing him to jump from the tform and run on the chains.

    As he did, the bullets never ceased raining on the machine. Its jets were destroyed, making it sway in the air before crashing toward the tform behind him.

    There was a pause before the machine exploded.

 Chapter 83: Mysterious Set

    The explosion pushed Niki back, almost making him fall toward the crashing waves. He held into the chains lest he falls until the explosion passed.

    After that, he climbed up and walked toward the machinery. It has broken into pieces after the self-destruction: a brutal mechanism to imnt.

    This machinery¡¯s creator didn¡¯t want any of his works to fall into the hands of others. Niki walked toward the machine as a system notification rang.

    [The machine dropped a reward. Do you want to keep it in your pocket dimension?]

    [Mysterious Cog: this is a piece of unknown machinery. It appears to be a part of arger set. Gathering the materials might prove fruitful.]

    ¡®A cog?¡¯ Niki frowned. ¡®This dungeon¡¯s rewards are rather peculiar.¡¯

    Dungeons usually reward crystals with the same drop rate as the outside but without the usual stat-relevance. It was a randomized reward based on the dungeon you¡¯re exploring.

    However, there were no stats crystals for this one. As Niki looked at the palm-sized cog, he can feel the same spiritual presence that possessed the dwarf.

    ¡®The dwarf must have been in this dungeon.¡¯ Niki put away the cog into his pocket dimension, where the darkness prevented it from trying to possess him.

    He looked at the infinite tforms surrounding the tower, wondering how he can reach the giant structure. There was no other choice but to go forward and look on a different tform.

    Niki ran on top of the chains. He could see that the metallic tforms were floating, so there was indeed no hope for him if he fell.

    He jumped from the chains andnded on the tform. Rumbling noises of cogs turning appeared as soon as Niki arrived. A door on the ground slid to reveal the head of a giant machine.

    The machine rose in front of Niki, and it was twice his size. He looked at it with interest as his darkness exploded from beneath his feet like mes.

    ¡°Is this a stage-arrangement dungeon?¡±

    This kind of dungeons was easier for solo-adventurers, as mobs won¡¯t surround them. However, the monsters were usually stronger individually.

    ¡°Can you win against what you can¡¯t see?¡± Niki grinned, baring his sharp teeth at the machine. ¡°Can you win against the darkness?¡±

    He waved his hand, and a wave of darkness rose in the air, rushing toward the giant machine. Its eyes lit up as it detected Niki¡¯s mana.

    ¡°Unknown Element detected. Warning¡­¡±

    Before it could finish its report, the darkness crashed into it. Niki¡¯s dark mana seeped through every gap of the machine, clinging to its core and mana-cords, destroying every element in its path.

    ¡°Self-destruction protocol has begun.¡± The machine dered as Niki waved his darkness again, surrounding its core. The explosion urred, but his dark mana ate away the mes before it could destroy the machine.

    ¡°Ho¡­¡± Sweat rolled down his face as the machine fell to the ground. The battle might have been short, but it was because Niki wanted to preserve the parts. ¡°As if I¡¯d let you.¡±

    He walked toward the machine as a te of metal appeared. It was another reward, and his system notified him again.

    [The machine dropped a reward. Do you want to keep it in your pocket dimension?]

    [Mysterious te: this is a piece of unknown machinery. It appears to be a part of arger set. Gathering the materials might prove fruitful.]

    ¡®Another part of machinery?¡¯ Niki grumbled as he looked at the piece of golden metal. It floated above the machinery after he defeated it. Just like before, it had traces of spiritual powers.

    ¡°This fucker is persistent.¡± Niki scowled as he ced the machinery into his darkness, isting it again. ¡°Let¡¯s see you possess people now.¡±

    Niki began studying the machinery. It was a giant humanoid machine coated in gray armor. As he looked around the parts, he was sure that it was a part of the ancient civilization.

    ¡°The Omphalos Saturation is low, so this dungeon shouldn¡¯t have been here for a long time.¡± Niki¡¯s stomach turned at this. With a wave of his hand, he kept the machine inside his pocket dimension. ¡°I should get to the bottom of this.¡±

    Niki raced on top of the chains andnded on the next tform, prompting another machine to appear. There was no dy before he disappeared from the world.

    As if fighting an invisible foe, the machine began retreating as dents appeared on its armor. When the attacks pierced the armor to create a hole, they focused on the spot until the core appeared.

    Niki didn¡¯t stop running, and his dagger appeared in his hand. He infused the darkness into it and jumped tond on the machine¡¯s body, stabbing its core with all of his strength.

    If it were before his stats doubled, he would have never been able to pierce the core. However, now, he had the strength to do so. The bright core was dyed ck as his mana exploded inside.

    [The machine dropped a reward. Do you want to keep it in your pocket dimension?]

    ¡°Yes,¡± Niki rushed forward without stopping to look at the reward. He was sure it was another piece of machinery. Two machines appeared when he reached the next tform.

    ***

    Lined side by side on Alias¡¯s deck, the parts varied in every shape and form. There were gears, tes of different shapes, screws, sses, chords, and frames.

    ¡°What do I do with these?¡± Niki exasperatedly sighed as he sat between ten destroyed machines with a pale face. He had to fight against ten of these machines at once, making him run around like a madman.

    He had almost twenty parts now, and they looked as if they fight together. However, he had no idea how to assemble them, nor did he know whether there were missing materials.

    ¡°The entity behind this dungeon deserves a beating.¡± Niki grimaced. ¡°I had to run around without receiving any crystals.¡± If it weren¡¯t for the fate points, Niki would have left the dungeon long ago.

    ¡°Wait, where is the Return Stone?¡± Niki halted his steps as he realized that he was here for hours, but no Return Stone dropped. ¡°How do I leave this ce?¡±

 Chapter 84: Key Blueprint

    Certain things defined a dungeon, one of them being the Return Stone. Usually, it would drop from the first monster killed or from the first group if the monsters were many. It would allow an adventure to leave the dungeon at any time.

    ¡®There was no such thing.¡¯

    He destroyed many machines, but there was no such thing as a Return Stone falling from them. It was odd when only a cog appeared from the first machine, but he dismissed it as an anomaly.

    ¡®If anomalies repeat themselves, then I don¡¯t know the rules. The question is: how do I return?¡¯

    He still hasn¡¯t finished his quest, which included finding the entity that possessed the dwarf. He looked at the destroyed machine and sighed.

    ¡°Who created you lot?¡±

    He suspected the creator of these machines to be the being who possessed the dwarves. Niki stood up and decided that he can only go forward.

    Since he kept traveling from one tform to the next, Niki saw a giant statue on one of them. However, there was a tform separating him from the statue.

    He took out one of Sergio¡¯s Mana Restore potions and drank it. There weren¡¯t many left, only one. His mana began regenerating, and Niki ran toward the next tform.

    This time, there was only a single machine on the giant tform. However, Niki looked like an ant in front of it. It was several meters tall and looked like a small mountain.

    When Nikinded on the tform, it lit up with myriad lights and began to move. The tform split into smaller pieces that rose, dived, slid to the side, or turned upside down.

    ¡°Woah,¡±

    Niki almost lost his footing. As he stabilized himself, the machine began its attack. Machine guns appeared on its shoulders and started spinning.

    ¡°Give me a moment to stand, man¡­¡±

    Niki sprinted away as the bullets began raining behind him. The trail they left was one of destruction, and they gave him no chance to flee.

    He jumped into the stealth dimension to lose the machine. However, it seemed to predict his movements. The bullets followed Niki as he climbed the raised piece of the tform, hoping to dodge the bullets.

    One of the bulletsnded on his body, breaking his stealth and making him grunt. He pulled himself up to climb the tform as the machine¡¯s rockets arrived.

    Theynded on the tform, creating a series of explosions. mes engulfed the tform, with Niki at the center. His darkness rose to his call and surrounded him like a cocoon, protecting him from the fire.

    Stealth, Bane, and Pocket Dimension. These were the three characters of his Dark Element. The second one showed its might against the mes and protected Niki from the explosion.

    However, the explosion¡¯s force made him expand mana to prevent it from pushing him off the tform. When the mes died down, only smoke that obstructed his sight remained.

    His ears twitched.

    Niki¡¯s eyes snapped open as a bright light appeared from behind the smoke. The smoke cleared when the beam was fired from the machine¡¯s head toward Niki.

    The darkness struck the ground while covering his left side. The force propelled him to the right, allowing him to dodge the beam of destruction in time.

    ¡°TSSSS!¡±

    The beam destroyed his darkness as the heat reached unprecedented levels. Niki felt pain in his dantian as the cube began spinning to create more darkness, consuming his mana.

    He went into stealth as he rolled to the side. Niki sprinted and jumped as arge explosion destroyed the tform behind him despite his wound bleeding a lot.

    This amount of power made Niki greedy. If he can find a flying core for Alias in this ce, he might have one of the fastest ships in the world.

    Hended on a different tform and rolled on it before darting toward the machine. He took out his gun and infused it with darkness before firing at the legs of the machine, hoping to make it fall off the central tform.

    ¡°Ding! Ding! Ding!¡±

    The sound of his bullets striking the giant machine¡¯s legs rang loudly, but that was the only evidence that they even existed. Infusing the shots with darkness gave Niki the ability to hide his attacks, making them impossible to dodge.

    However, his darkness was the bane of elements, but that didn¡¯t enhance the physical damage of his bullets. It did make them more effective, as the machine had an earth barrier around them.

    The Earth Element had the strongest barriers, so the creator utilized it to his advantage. However, it was futile in front of Niki¡¯s bullets.

    The machine was intelligent, as it predicted his location from the direction the bullets came. It began shooting bullets his way while he rushed to get closer.

    Compared to humans, the machine¡¯s shooting technique was rtively simple, and its attacks could be dodged as long as one kept looking at the machine guns.

    Niki dodged its attack and jumped from one tform to the other until he reached the central one. With his stealth, the machine couldn¡¯t see him.

    Niki took out his Darkmoon Longbow and infused it with mana. He pulled the bow¡¯s string as hard as he could while infusing the arrow with all of his darkness.

    The arrow turnedrger as the darkness weaved itself around it. Niki felt the bow grow bigger as it drank his darkness, increasing the destruction it could fire. He released the arrow, and the power sent him sliding to the edge.

    The arrow pierced the machine in the chest before exploding. The darkness engulfed the machine and seeped into its tiniest gap until the giant looked like a mountain of coal.

    ¡°Unknown element has reached the core¡­ self-destruction protocol¡­¡±

    The machine¡¯s voice stopped before it could finish, and it fell to the ground. The tform shook and the impact, making Niki almost fall off.

    [The machine dropped a reward. Do you want to keep it in your pocket dimension?]

    [Key Blueprint: a blueprint to assemble a key.]

 Chapter 85: Missing Parts

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Niki frowned at his system¡¯s description. ¡°Can I at least know what it unlocks?¡± The system¡¯s exnation was as vague as it could be. However, all he got was a blueprint.

    He took out the machine he kept in his pocket dimension and reced it with the giant one he just took down. However, the dimension was too small, so Niki began expanding it using mana.

    [Size: 1728 cubic meters.]

    It was barely enough for Niki to ce the giant machine inside, but he doubted it would work anymore. It was, nheless, fantastic to have.

    Niki looked at the scroll in front of him. He picked it up and strolled toward the statue. It was the statue of an armored man holding a pair of blunderbusses.

    The base of the statue had a missing structure, which was the shape of an irregr sphere. Seeing this, Niki took out the blueprint and opened it.

    ¡®I see, so the key goes in here.¡¯

    He looked at the statue and raised his head to look at the tower. There were slits in the shape of a rectangle on its surface. Niki guessed that this was a bridge that descends when you insert the key.

    As he looked at the blueprint, he found that it had sixty-six parts. Niki, however, only had sixty-two of them. There were four missing parts that he didn¡¯t have, causing Niki a headache.

    ¡®Are there other machines?¡¯

    Keeping the blueprint safe in his pocket dimension, Niki ran toward the unexplored tforms. However, even after running back to the statue, he didn¡¯t encounter any machines.

    ¡®There are four parts that were taken out of the dungeon. I guess the ones who took them out were the dwarves, but how did they get out?¡¯

    Until now, Niki didn¡¯t see a Return Stone. Sitting on the ground in a lotus position, Niki tried to think of a way out. Forget about a Return Stone. There was nothing but metal and the ocean.

    ¡®Do you leave by jumping into the ocean?¡¯

    There was not a chance of that being the case. Peculiar dungeons who tested the courage and that bullshit were rare, Niki knew. An exasperated sigh left his mouth.

    ¡®Why do you have to make this so difficult?¡¯ Niki looked at the statue, who he assumed to be the creator of these machines. ¡®Wait¡­¡¯

    Niki realized that there was something else other than metal and water in this stone. He shook his head and med hisck of imagination as he stood up.

    ¡®It¡¯s not exactly a Return Stone, but it is a stone, in the end.¡¯ He walked toward the statue and ced his hand on it. A voice appeared in his mind, asking him if he wanted to leave the dungeon.

    ¡®Yes.¡¯

    His body began disappearing, and the world turned darker. After he left the dungeon, he appeared again in front of the door underground.

    ¡®Now, I need to find those dwarves to open the tower.¡¯ Niki walked out of the cave as thoughts filled his mind. ¡®How did the dwarves leave the dungeon, though? The only way to reach the statue is by defeating the machines.¡¯

    As he reached the edge of the cave, Niki felt the presence of someone waiting outside. He sniffed the familiar smell of herbs as a smile took his face.

    ¡°Where is the mute?¡± Niki asked as he walked toward Sergio, hiding behind a tree, waiting for him to leave the dungeon.

    ¡°Bossman! You¡¯re alive!¡± Sergio ran toward him from behind the trees. ¡°Ah, Yuxi is right over here, though?¡±

    Niki¡¯s smile disappeared as he heard this. He turned to look behind the tree and found Yuxi standing there, leaning on it. His suspicion of her only grew stronger.

    ¡®She can still escape my perception, even after my stats doubled.¡¯ Niki squinted his eyes as dark thoughts emerged from his mind. He couldn¡¯t help it even after he promised Sergio, but Niki can never rest easy when he knew this mute could kill him anytime.

    Niki can¡¯t trust a person based on their character but on whether they can hurt him or not. He can never allow a stranger who can kill him to stay next to Niki. The case was different for people who he trusts already, like Sergio.

    ¡°Are you alright, Bossman? Your eyes look scary.¡± Sergio blinked and said, making Niki snap out of his daze.

    ¡°I am, just a bit tired.¡± Niki turned away before they can tell what he was thinking. ¡°Did you gather the materials?¡±

    ¡°Yes! Roots and leaves of Greedy Trees! They are so dark, Bossman. It looks as if I¡¯m holding a ball of darkness.¡±

    Sergio took out a leaf and held it up. As he said, it looked as if he was holding a ball of darkness. However, the leaf returned to normal once he stopped supplying mana to it.

    ¡°They aren¡¯t that useful unless someone wants to hide at night. However, if we create a paint out of this, we might be able to hide Alias in the sky.¡± Niki smiled.

    ¡®Does that mean we¡¯re flying soon?¡¯ Yuxi looked surprised.

    Niki looked at her silently before turning and leaving. The thought of her traveling with them didn¡¯t sit well with him, but he promised Sergio that he wouldn¡¯t do anything to her.

    ¡®I might be cynical and edgy, but I¡¯m not breaking a promise to my friends.¡¯

    ¡°Bossman! Where are you going?¡± Sergio looked at Yuxi before running after Niki. The archer was confused but followed nheless.

    ¡°We¡¯re looking for the dwarves.¡±

    ¡°To fix Alias?¡±

    ¡°That, and to retrieve a few items. But, it seems that in the end, we still need to find the possessed dwarves.¡±

    Niki began sprinting slow enough for Sergio to keep up. Unfortunately, the alchemist¡¯s stats were lower than Niki¡¯s as he only focused on mana. ncing back, Niki saw that the archer was following them with ease.

    Their search was more focused this time, as there were only two ways to reach the dungeon through the forest. So, the group followed the trail that they didn¡¯te from until they left the dark area and appeared in a valley.

    ¡°Bossman, I don¡¯t think the dwarves would appreciate a group entering theirnds at night,¡± Sergio said as he looked at the darkening sky. Niki nodded in agreement as he stopped.

    ¡°Let¡¯s camp.¡± Niki waved his hand, making the darkness appeared from below to teleport them. He noticed their difort when they entered the pocket dimension.

    ¡°Bossman, what¡¯s that?¡± Sergio gasped as he ran toward the railing, admiring the giant machine.

 Chapter 86: Dwarves

    Like a kid who saw a toy, Sergio looked so excited that he almost jumped from the railing. However, the infinite darkness beneath them made him think twice before doing so.

    ¡°It something I found in the dungeon,¡± Niki said as he turned off the lights on Alias. ¡°Let¡¯s have some light in here.¡± He waved his hand and allowed something other than air into his pocket dimension, which was light.

    ¡°Woah!¡± Sergio watched as the sky, which was ck until now, turned into a light shade of red. Niki smiled as he also enjoyed the new look of his pocket dimension.

    Even though it was constructed by darkness, his dimension was a space in essence. The light came in from Niki¡¯s location in the real world, so the setting sun was the reason for the red sky.

    Niki used the darkness of the outside as a portal to get air and light in. His pocket dimension wasn¡¯t inside his body but inside of darkness. That¡¯s why Niki could enter it and leave it as he wished.

    ¡°This machine is so big,¡± Sergio muttered in amazement. ¡°Bossman, can it work? Why are there so many gaps into it?¡±

    ¡®Well, that¡¯s because of my darkness.¡¯ Niki almostughed, but he didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Forget about the machine. We need to sleep now. We¡¯re leaving at the first ray of dawn.¡± Niki opened the hatchway and jumped into the room.

    ¡°Ah, bossman! You should sleep in the captain¡¯s cab!¡±

    ¡°Let the mute use it. She¡¯s a girl and has her needs.¡± Niki said, even though he was only doing it because he didn¡¯t trust her. Sergio, however, was convinced of the excuse Niki gave.

    Sergio went into the room as well, sleeping on the upper bunk. As heid in his bed, Niki couldn¡¯t remember thest time he felt so safe.

    A dimension of his own.

    His darkness left his body without Sergio noticing and went upstairs. They surrounded the captain¡¯s cab as they began to create a wall in his space.

    As he was locking the mute archer inside the cab, Niki realized that the way he created his space was too simple. He could divide it into a separate room, making it a proper house.

    After he finished creating the walls around the cab, Niki finally fell asleep. His fatigue from clearing the dungeon pulled him into unconsciousness in a matter of seconds.

    ***

    The dwarves took hold of the ore mines, making theirnds near mountains or underground structures. With their strong affinity to the Earth element, the dwarves were natural welders of metals.

    As the group left the forest and entered the mountain range, they could feel that they were trespassing. Metallic monuments lined the trails that Niki and co took as if reminding them that going any further would prove dangerous.

    ¡®Why are dwarves so feared?¡¯ Yuxi gestured as Niki was crouching beside a small metallic statue. Sergio seemed to understand her question and turned to look at Niki with equal curiosity.

    ¡°They are called Master of Firearms and the Inventors of Gunpowder. It ismonly believed that the dwarves designed the first gun in ancient times, which humans replicatedter on. Until now, dwarves have blueprints of unorthodox weapons that can split iron with a touch and evaporatekes in one shot.¡±

    Niki stood up as he picked up the doll. The monument had ominous green beady eyes, which shone brighter when Niki raised it.

    ¡°This is going to explode,¡± Niki stated calmly as the two were looking at him. They blinked their eyes as cracks appeared on the monuments, and it began to shake.

    ¡°Bossman! Throw it away!¡±

    Niki tossed the monument in the air before jumping behind it. As it descended with mesing out of its cracks, Niki scissor kicked it midair and sent it flying toward the hill beside the trail.

    The monument exploded when it collided with the hill, obliterating the ground in an instant. The explosion shook the area as Nikinded beside the unsteady Sergio and Yuxi.

    ¡°Nice one, boss!¡± Sergio wiped off his sweat with a smile. ¡°However, that was so close. Who¡¯s the idiot who leaves such a doll in the middle of the forest.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that it¡¯s the idiot behind you.¡± Niki dusted himself as he stood up. ¡°I knew you guys wouldn¡¯te out unless the ground was destroyed.¡±

    ¡°Who are you talking to¡­ Woah!¡± Sergio jumped away when he saw the head of a dwarfe out of the bushes behind him. The dwarf was half of Sergio¡¯s height with a robust body. However, he wasn¡¯t alone.

    The dwarves came out one by one from the forest and the mountain with their signature giant noses, surrounding the three intruders. Each one of them held a firearm, whether they were males or females.

    ¡°Bossman, I think we¡¯re in trouble.¡± Sergio and Yuxi backed away until they were beside Niki, who looked at the dwarves with a smile.

    ¡°What brings ya lots here?¡± The dwarf who appeared beside Sergio asked with a gruff voice. He wore a leather jacket that had many pockets with dusty trousers. Each of the dwarves wore a headband, making Niki feel like he belongs.

    ¡°Our ship needs fixing, so we came here to look for the dwarves, the masters of their craft,¡± Niki said with an unwavering voice despite the countless guns ready to shred him to pieces.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t your handymen, leave or suffer.¡± The dwarf spat.

    ¡°I have something to offer in return.¡± Niki raised his hand, and the blueprint appeared. ¡°This seems to be the blueprint of a key. I don¡¯t know what key it is, but I found it beside the stream.¡±

    ¡°A blueprint?¡± The dwarves¡¯ eyes gleamed with interest while their leader frowned. ¡°What does this key do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a craftsman to know.¡± Niki shook his head. ¡°However, the key consists of sixty-six parts.¡±

    ¡°Leader, can it be¡­¡± One of the dwarves stepped up and said with hesitation. The leader seemed suspicious as he looked at Niki.

 Chapter 87: Gunmaster

    ¡°Very well, human.¡± The leader nodded. ¡°This will be an equivalent exchange. Give us that blueprint and bring the ship to us. We¡¯ll fix it for you once we have the materials.¡±

    ¡®Does he think I¡¯m a fool?¡¯ Niki smiled as he saw through the dwarf¡¯s scheme. Bringing the ship to them while it needed repairing was the same as asking Niki to go and never return.

    ¡°Great!¡± Niki replied with a bright expression, holding himself back from grinning. Thest thing he wanted was for the dwarves to notice his teeth.

    The leader smiled as if he was a brilliant schemer. He looked confused when Niki walked toward a clearing beside them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the blueprint once you finish repairing it!¡±

    From the shadows on the ground came out Alias, looking as if it rose from the dead. The dwarves retreated in fear as the ship surfaced.

    ¡°How did you do that?¡± The leader asked with sharp eyes, looking at Niki as if he was a demon.

    ¡°An enchanted item!¡± Niki lied, but they can never tell. The leader looked shocked as he nced again at Niki, wanting to see through his background.

    ¡°Are you from an enchantment family?¡± The leader asked, looking apprehensive. Niki simply smiled without replying. The leader looked at the ship and nodded.

    ¡°Carry it back! We¡¯re returning to the vige!¡± The leader raised his arm toward Alias.

    ¡°Aye, Master!¡±

    The dwarves walked in unison toward Alias, passing by the panicked Sergio and Yuxi. Each dwarf grabbed a part of the ship before they shouted and raised it.

    ¡°One! Two! Three!¡±

    The dwarf in the lead began shouting, and with each yell, the dwarves took a step forward. Sergio stumbled toward Niki as they watched the ship leave.

    ¡°Bossman, can we trust them?¡±

    ¡°The dwarves might be doubtful of others, but they aren¡¯t the type to scam others.¡±

    ¡°For someone as cynical as you are, bossman trusts stereotypes too much,¡± Sergio said with a hint of unease, which Niki understood.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like we have a different way of fixing Alias, right?¡± Niki shrugged. ¡°The dwarves don¡¯t need the ship. Plus, seeing me take it out of thin air, I doubt they would think of anything funny.¡±

    Niki said with a smile as his eyes followed the dwarves. The group then followed after them, walking around the mountains until they arrived at arge monument, as big as a small house.

    The monument was of a dwarf with a long beard that fell to his knees. The craftsmanship was exotic, every detail being incredibly vivid and realistic.

    Niki saw the Master Dwarf walked toward the statue and ced his hands on it. After injecting it with mana, the statue¡¯s eyes shone as it began to shift.

    There was a rumbling sound as the statue moved to reveal a staircase. Sergio and Yuxi looked mystified by the existence of such a ce in the middle of the forest, but Niki felt it was only natural for the dwarves to live underground.

    ¡°Where are they taking the ship?¡± Sergio turned to see the dwarves carrying the ship away.

    ¡°There is a special dock,¡± The Master Dwarf came to exin. ¡°We¡¯ll fix the ship there. Now, blueprint.¡±

    ¡°Not a chance, dwarf.¡± Niki talked to him the same way the dwarf talked to Niki. ¡°No upfront payments.¡±

    ¡°Guh.¡± The dwarf scowled with a frown. ¡°Fine, you can either stay here or enter our vige as guests.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be going in.¡± Niki descended the staircase before the others objected. After all, the dwarves had all sorts of machinery, making them a treasure trove.

    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll be living with them for a while.¡± Sergio turned to Yuxi and shrugged.

    Yuxi sighed and looked at the underground passageway with unease. Sergio followed after Niki, and she remained with the dwarves, who looked at her with wariness.

    At the end of the stairs, there was arge hall lit up by fluorescent bulbs. Even with the limited light, Niki could see the vige. The first thing that greeted their eyes was the many storage rooms filled with machines.

    ¡°This looks like an underground military post,¡± Sergio mumbled as they walked behind the dwarves.

    ¡°Even the military doesn¡¯t have this many machines.¡± Niki sighed in greed. ¡°How many days would the repairing need?¡± He asked the Master Dwarf.

    ¡°Three, at most.¡± He said while ncing at Niki. ¡°During this time, don¡¯t wander around the vige.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but I want to see your Gunmaster,¡± Niki said, making the dwarf scowl at him, but Niki was unwavering.

    ¡°Fine!¡± The Master huffed and waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll take you there now, and you can find the wayter.¡±

    ¡®They are even willing to let me meet their Gunmaster?¡¯ Niki squinted his eyes as the dwarf led the way. Their attitude could only mean that the blueprint was this important to them.

    ¡®They are looking for the blueprint of a key, it seems. I wonder if the dwarves know about the dungeon.¡¯

    The Master Dwarf took them to the Gunmaster, who had a pavilion of their own. The ceiling had an opening with sunlighting through them.

    He found many mirrors lining the opening as he looked up: a mechanism to allow sunlight in without using windows. They walked in and found the ce to be filled with nts.

    ¡°I thought a Gunmaster¡¯s abode wouldn¡¯t have a lot of¡­ greenery?¡± Sergio muttered as he breathed in the fresh air. Niki felt the same.

    The group walked in to find a table with empty tes on them. The Master Dwarf sat down and gestured for the others to sit as well.

    ¡°Ding!¡±

    The Master rang a bell on the table, and the doors of the pavilion opened. Machines rolled out carrying tes of food, and they filled the table instantly.

    Sergio, Niki, and Yuxi had faces that screamed ¡®what the hell is going on?¡¯ while the Master Dwarf simply sighed.

    ¡°She¡¯s always so extra.¡±

    Niki heard the master mutter as the doors of the pavilion were thrown open. Walking out was a girl wearing nothing but a skirt and bondages around her chest.

    ¡®A human?¡¯ Niki was surprised.

 Chapter 88: Techs Master Lex

    ¡°Wee, guests!¡± The girl with an eyepatch on walked toward them slowly. She was their age, but it seems she was trying to act otherwise. In her hand was a Tabaco pipe she inhaled from, creating a cloud of smoke above her. ¡°I am¡­ cough! Cough!¡±

    The four looked at the girl having a coughing fit until her face was red. It was clear to all that she wasn¡¯t used to smoking, but she was determined to pull off the scene.

    ¡°I am¡­¡± She inhaled from the pipe again, and she began coughing until her face was blue.

    ¡°Boss, I think this girl will choke to death before we get to hear her name,¡± Sergio whispered beside Niki, who had the same worry.

    ¡®Why is she trying so hard?¡¯

    Niki looked at the girl as she adjusted her posture again and inhaled from the pipe again. This time, she didn¡¯t cough, but it seems as if she was holding herself back.

    ¡°My name is Lex!¡± She said, with bloodshot watery eyes. ¡°I am the Gunmaster of Ferro Fort! Wee to my abode, travelers!¡±

    ¡°I guess she knows of our arrival?¡± Sergio blinked. ¡°This can¡¯t be her usual behavior?¡±

    ¡°Good to meet you, Gunmaster Lex.¡± Niki stood up and ced his hand on his heart in a salute. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of your great skills from afar!¡±

    ¡°???¡±

    ¡®???¡¯

    Yuxi and Sergio looked at each other with shock. For Niki to show such respect and ttery toward someone was an anomaly in itself.

    ¡°Ah?¡± Lex seemed shaken by Niki¡¯s reaction. However, she straightened her back andughed heartily. ¡°Oh, haha! I guess my reputation proceeds me.¡± She said with a smug expression.

    Niki could feel the Master Dwarf ring at him for manipting Lex, but he didn¡¯t care. The moment he recognized the pipe, Niki figured out the identity of this person.

    Gunmaster Lex, Techs Master Lex, and Lex the Clumsy were all nicknames she earned in her past life. She was a traveling mechanic who built a flying forteter in the apocalypse.

    Lex¡¯s bizarre fascination with pipes and smoke made her an unforgettable character. Even in his past life, Lex was one of the few renowned Gunmasters in the apocalypse.

    His intentions weren¡¯t to manipte her, but Niki respected this person because of an incident in the past. When the King died during the second wave of the apocalypse, mayhem ensued, and the people of the Rosia Kingdom had to flee.

    Gunmaster Lex allowed the refugees she came across to live on her flying fort, saving thousands of lives. Lilith ran Niki¡¯s division at that time, but she decided to establish a stronghold elsewhere instead of helping people.

    ¡°Have a seat, good traveler!¡± Lex said with a grin to Niki. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect one of my guests to be so lovely!¡±

    ¡°Someone called Boss lovely?¡± Sergio¡¯s hands shook as he touched his forehead, face pale. ¡°I¡­ need to rest for a while. It¡¯s too shocking.¡±

    Niki red at the alchemist as he sat down. Yuxi looked at him with anger, as if she wasmenting the difference in treatment. However, he didn¡¯t mind her and simply sat down to eat as Lex sat beside him.

    ¡°It seems you wanted to see me?¡± Lex grinned at him. It was the first time that Niki came in close contact with her in both lives, making him surprised that she wore an eyepatch even now.

    She held her amber hair in a pun, with several strands messily falling to the side. Her eyepatch was ck, and it covered her right eye. Her other eye, light violet, was bloodshot from the smoke.

    ¡°I heard of the Great Master Lex being in these parts, never thought I would meet you so fast.¡±

    Niki said with a smile, entertaining the Gunmaster. Since she seemed gullible, he didn¡¯t mind leaving a good impression of himself.

    Until now, he was surrounded by people from Rohan, the same people who made his life a living hell before. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t want to build good connections with them because he can never bring himself to forgive them.

    Another person that would be importantter on was Valkyrie, but Niki could never work with her after knowing that she was the one who ruined his life.

    As for revenge against Valkyrie for using him and discarding him in his past life, Niki knew that he would have to wait until he grew stronger. He had to bottle down the hate and ignore thinking about it.

    ¡°Come on, take it out!¡± Lex said with an excited expression as she looked at Niki¡¯s waist.

    ¡°Take what out?¡± Sergio dropped the fork with a gaping expression.

    ¡°My gun,¡± Niki said, but he saw Sergio tremble. He frowned at the alchemist who grabbed his arm.

    ¡°Bossman, it¡¯s inappropriate to do such stuff here!¡± Sergio shouted as if he was the defender of chastity and purity. Niki pped his hand away with a frown.

    ¡°Why are you such a pervert?¡± Niki berated. ¡°I told you she wants my gun.¡± He took out his pistol and handed it over to Lex.

    Sergio paused before falling back into his chair with a cough of embarrassment. Niki was speechless how the alchemist mistook his words for¡­ that.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve taken good care of this baby, even though it doesn¡¯t have much to show.¡± Lex took the gun with a gentle expression. She ran her finger on the gun¡¯s parts as if she could tell every battle that it went through.

    ¡°I¡¯ve bought this from a fence, so it isn¡¯t much, but I make do with it.¡±

    ¡°Do you want an upgrade?¡± Lex asked with a smile. ¡°I can increase its firepower and add a few gadgets. That is if you want to keep being a gunman.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Niki asked with confusion.

    ¡°Guns are dying, and everyone knows that. Mana, elements, and skills favor cold weapons.¡± Lex shook her head with a sad expression as if she was mourning a dying era.

 Chapter 89: Heavenly Strings

    ¡°Does that mean boss has to let go of his gun?¡± Sergio said with slight panic, even though Niki was rtively calm. ¡°But he loves his gun!¡±

    ¡°Have you heard of Martial Arts?¡± Lex ced the pipe in her mouth before taking out a piece of fabric and started to clean Niki¡¯s gun.

    ¡°Also known as Celestial Arts.¡± Niki¡¯s lips curved into a thin, cold smile. Yuxi¡¯s body trembled as she happened to be sitting in front of him, and she was the only one who saw his eyes: bitter and resentful.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s an umon name for them, but yes.¡± Lex pondered as she held the gun with both hands, looking at it sadly. ¡°Guns are seen as weapons of mortals, and there are no heavenly strings to use.¡±

    ¡°Heavenly strings are epiphanies obtained through training using weapons, allowing the user to wield heaven¡¯s authority. Guns, however, have no such thing no matter how much you train.¡± Master Dwarf seemed to be interested as he added.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen boss¡¯s marksmanship. It¡¯s unbeatable!¡± Sergio protested, and to Niki¡¯s amazement, Yuxi nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Gunman, it seems your friends trust you greatly.¡± Lex¡¯s lips curved into a smile. ¡°How about a little battle to see who¡¯s the better gunman?¡±

    ¡°Gunmaster also uses guns?¡± Sergio was surprised.

    ¡°Among many others,¡± Lex said with a smile. ¡°How about it?¡± She gave a childish grin.

    Niki couldn¡¯t see why he would do this just for fun. However, it was also a chance for him to extort her since he wasn¡¯t exactly rich at the moment.

    ¡°What do I get if I win?¡± Niki asked with the hint of a smile.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Lex seemed hesitant now.

    ¡°How about the pipe?¡±

    ¡°Never!¡± Lex pped the table, making the dishes jump in the air before falling on the table. As luck would have it, a bit of soup sshed on Niki¡¯s face. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    Lex tried whipping away the soup from Niki¡¯s face, but she had used the same fabric to clean the gun. As a result, the soot and gunpowder remnants smudged Niki¡¯s face further, making it ck.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Lex stood up hurriedly and tried to step toward Niki, but she tripped over her chair and fell toward him.

    As she was about to fall into Niki¡¯s embrace, his hand reached out like a snake and held her by the face, stopping her fall.

    ¡°Gunmaster, please, have a seat,¡± Niki said, his face ck ¨C quite literally. The Gunmaster¡¯s mouth looked like a clover because of Niki¡¯s grip, and she nodded.

    ¡®They didn¡¯t call her Lex the Clumsy for no reason.¡¯ Niki wiped away the smudges on his face with his sleeve as he let go of Lex.

    ¡°I see that your pipe is off-limits,¡± Niki said after whipping his face clean, at least, he tried. ¡°How about upgrading my gun for free?¡±

    ¡°Fine by me!¡± Lex sat down as if nothing happened, even though red finger marks were still on her cheeks. ¡°However, if you lose, you¡¯ll have to be my test subject!¡±

    ¡°Test subject?¡± Niki frowned, his crimson eyes narrowing into slits. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°I want to finish an iplete Martial Art,¡± Lex said as she rubbed her cheeks with difort. ¡°I need someone to practice it so that I can analyze it andplete the next moves.¡±

    ¡°Does it involve guns?¡± Niki asked with slight eagerness, making hispanions shocked.

    ¡°No,¡± Lex shook her head sadly. ¡°It¡¯s a cold-weapon Martial Art.¡±

    ¡°Then I refuse.¡± Niki shook his head and leaned back in his chair. It seems his refusal was a surprise to everyone, including Sergio.

    ¡°Bossman, why do you hate Martial Arts so much?¡± Sergio asked with interest. The Gunmaster was also looking at him with suspicion for hating the Martial Arts so much.

    ¡°I can¡¯t sense heavenly strings.¡± He admitted, grumbling. ¡°Even the easiest, most obvious, andmonest heavenly strings are things I can never hope to touch.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve tried wielding the heavenly strings before?¡± Master Dwarf asked with shock and fear. Niki could see that even Lex had the same expression.

    ¡®Uh, maybe I¡¯ve created a misunderstanding.¡¯

    Niki knew that he couldn¡¯t use heavenly strings because of his past life, but these people didn¡¯t know that. Anyone who tried wielding the heavenly strings at such a young age must be an heir of a prominent n or family.

    ¡°You must have been through a lot¡­¡± Lex held his hand with both of her hands, making Niki flinch and try pulling it away. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, this art doesn¡¯t use the heavenly strings.¡± She said with sparkling eyes. ¡°Rather, you are the perfect test subject!¡±

    ***

    ¡°Bossman, what did the girl mean by saying that?¡± Sergio asked as they followed the Gunmaster toward the shooting range.

    ¡°The Martial Art?¡±

    ¡°No! You know what I mean!¡±

    ¡°Sigh,¡± Niki sighed before turning toward the two, who were looking at him with concern. ¡°Heavenly Strings training isn¡¯t something normal people can endure. Anyone can master the strings, but normal people would have to bleed for it.¡±

    ¡°Bossman, then why did you have to¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just forget about.¡± Niki waved his hand in dismissal, but he could feel Sergio¡¯s and Yuxi¡¯s concern. It made him nauseous.

    ¡®An art that doesn¡¯t use heavenly strings.¡¯ Niki was intrigued by the concept, but he knew it was dangerous to practice an iplete art. One mishap and you might end up losing your life.

    He still agreed to it, as he didn¡¯t think he would lose against Lex. He was 27 when he died, giving him a ten-year head start against the Gunmaster.

    They followed the Gunmaster and the Master Dwarf until they reached arge field underground. The area had many targets and many signs of previous explosions.

    They walked toward the center of the field until Lex stopped walking. However, there was nothing around them except destroyed targets and gates.

    ¡°Come out, little birdies!¡± Lex pped her hands as countless buzzing sounds came from all around them. Small metallic creatures flooded into the field, filling the sky above them.

 Chapter 90: Celestial Eye

    ¡°These little cuties will be our test today,¡± Lex said with a wide smile. They have a particr skill that makes them the bane of average gunmen.¡± Lex said as a pistol appeared in her hand, but it was nothing like the one Niki used.

    Even though she called them birdies, the creatures looked more like butterflies than birds. Each had a pair of metallic wings that pped unceasingly.

    Bang!

    The gunshot echoed through the field as the bullet traveled to one of the small metallic butterflies. As the shot got close, the butterfly seemed to sense it and darted away, making it miss by a hairbreadth.

    ¡°They sense air change around them and dodge ordingly. Wind Butterflies.¡± Niki nodded in amazement, but Lex scowled at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t give them weird names!¡± She said before holstering her gun. ¡°We get five minutes. Whoever manages to strike more butterflies will be the winner.¡± Lex said with a thin smile.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Sergio looked confused. ¡°How would you strike it if they can dodge?¡±

    ¡°Calction,¡± Niki answered as he turned toward Lex. ¡°As expected from a Gunmaster, this will indeed weed out most of the average gunmen.¡±

    ¡°Are you chickening out?¡± Lex asked with smugness.

    Niki squinted his eyes at her, trying to see through her act. He knew that Lex was a mechanic, not a gunman, so this made no sense. Even in his past life, he never heard of Lex using a gun.

    ¡®What¡¯s the worst that can happen?¡¯

    Niki believed that even if he loses, he can find a way to preserve his life while practicing the Celestial Art. He nodded to Lex and saw a grin blossom on her face.

    ¡°The countdown starts in 10 seconds! Take out your babe!¡± Lex said as she took out her gun and pointed toward the sky. ¡°Master, please keep track of time!¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± The Master Dwarf sighed and took out a pocket watch. He began counting down from ten as Niki took out his gun as well.

    ¡°Bossman, good luck!¡± Sergio said, and Yuxi bobbed her head in agreement. Smiling at them, Niki took out his gun and pointed it at the Wind Butterflies as well.

    ¡°5! 4! 3! 2!¡± The Master Dwarf counted and shouted ¡®one¡¯ before clicking on his pocket watch, and the timer began.

    Niki¡¯s finger touched the trigger and pulled, making the bullet zoom through the air one of the flying devices. The device dodged as expected, but that was why Niki fired twice at the same time.

    The second bullet struck the creature, and Lex whistled in approval. However, her firepower was stronger, and the shot made the Wind Butterflies scatter.

    Her bullets followed after the Wind Butterflies, arriving at the same time that the creature dodged to that spot. Niki¡¯s eyes went wide at such calction.

    ¡®She can tell where each of Wind Butterflies will dodge to?¡¯ Niki found the concept unbelievable, but the number of butterflies she struck was increasing by the minute.

    10, 20, 30¡­

    By the time she reached 40 butterflies, Niki was still at 18. It was then that he knew he was being scammed. He sensed a trace of elemental manaing out of Lex¡¯s body. This observation made him realize that she was using a skill or an item to calcte.

    ¡®If that¡¯s the case, then don¡¯t me me for using this.¡¯

    He infused his gun and bullets with darkness, hiding them with his stealth. The shots kept leaving his muzzle, but there were no traces of it doing so until it struck the unaware bullet.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Lex paused as she saw the butterflies fall one by one in front of Niki without resistance. ¡°You can¡¯t hide your bullets! That¡¯s cheating!¡±

    Even though she grumbled, she keptpeting. Niki tied with her at 56 before his record shot past her to reach sixty. After that, Lex begangging because she needed to calcte before firing while Niki simply aimed.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m not holding back!¡± Lex bit her lower lip and grabbed her eyepatch.

    ¡°Lex!¡± Master Dwarf shouted with a frown, but the Gunmaster didn¡¯t listen to him and took off the eyepatch.

    ¡®What the hell is this light?¡¯ Niki squinted his eyes when a blinding golden light spread through the field. As the light died down, he could see a golden me on the Gunmaster¡¯s eye.

    ¡°Cheating?¡± Niki was baffled. ¡°You are outright mocking me at this point.¡± He could have never guessed that Lex had such an ace up her sleeve.

    Celestial Eye.

    If a heavenly string can allow a person into the secrets of a weapon, then a Celestial Eye allowed a person to see a part of the world¡¯s truth.

    ¡®Is it a future-seeing eye?¡¯ Niki tried to guess, but his bullets never ceased. ¡®No, her ability to create machinery should be a side-effect of her Celestial Eye. Therefore, it must be a calcting eye.¡¯

    The ability to see the calctions of the physical world in numbers: the length of an item, its melting point, the speed of a moving object.

    If a person can see these stats of objects, it would be only a matter of time before pulling a miracle¡ªa miracle like creating a flying forte.

    ¡®I¡¯m not going to lose.¡¯

    Niki refused to lose, especially against a gift from the heavens. He kept pulling the trigger and firing as fast as his gun allowed him. By spreading his mana to sense the butterflies, Niki managed to keep up against Lex.

    120¡­ 125¡­

    They fired as if their lives depended on it. The smell of gunpowder filled the field as magazines fell to the ground one by one.

    Niki shot his 149th target at the same time Lex struck down her 153rd butterfly. They changed magazines at the same time as the Master Dwarf shouted.

    ¡°Five seconds left!¡±

    The words became the announcement of the final sprint between the two. Niki used the Limit-Break as his mana infused to his eyes, enhancing them. Blood tears dropped from them as his sight expanded and the world slowed.

    There was nothing but gunshots in the field as the two kept firing. One had a me on her eye, as the other had blood dripping from both of them. None of the two backed away.

    With four seconds left, Niki struck down three, the same case for Lex. When there were only three seconds left, each of Niki¡¯s bullets struck two butterflies simultaneously, striking them the moment they intersected.

    Lex, however, seemed to have the world around her little finger as she struck at empty air, only for a butterfly to fly there and get struck down.

    As there were only two seconds left, a crack appeared on Niki¡¯s muzzle. He squinted his eyes but still pulled the trigger, only for his weapon to burst to pieces.

 Chapter 91: Dark Weapon

    Thest two seconds passed with unceasing gunshots as Niki looked at the blood leaking out of his hand. A metallic shard from his gun lodged itself into his palm. The shooting ceased.

    ¡°It¡¯s my win, even if you lost because of your gun.¡± Lex blew at her gun without looking at him.

    ¡°Cover that eye.¡± Niki stopped watching the blood leak out and turned toward her. Her eye shouldn¡¯t see through his hidden Fae features, but he still felt uneasy by its existence.

    ¡°Ah, I understand,¡± Lex said sadly and pulled down her eyepatch to cover the golden me. She seemed unoffended by Niki¡¯s words, treating it as the norm. ¡°I still won.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Niki sighed and crouched to pick up the broken pieces of his gun. ¡°I lost for being poor.¡± He mocked himself.

    He could have chosen to buy a better gun, but he would need to register at the Gunmen League for that. If he did, the school would be notified, and things will getplicated.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your gun,¡± Lex walked toward him and picked up the pieces as well. ¡°But this is another reason that you should stop using it.¡±

    ¡°And use what, exactly?¡± Niki took out the shard and scowled at the Gunmaster.

    ¡°I¡¯m d you asked.¡± Lex grinned at him. ¡°Let me show you the weapon of your dreams.¡±

    ***

    ¡°How is your hand, bossman?¡± Sergio asked as hey on the bed. They were given a pavilion in the underground fort, where they waited for Lex to bring the weapon.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Niki traced the slight edge of the scar on his palm with a frown. ¡°The age of guns is ending indeed.¡±

    He knew this fact from his past life. After the Worldwide Dungeon Break, guns will be obsolete and rare. Against the countless monsters that came out of dungeons, even machine guns can only hold them back at best.

    ¡®Necromancy.¡¯

    Niki craved ruling over the dead to let them fight on his behalf. But until he is strong enough to conquer Val¡¯s trial, that would be nothing but a pipe dream.

    He knew that necromancy and guns couldn¡¯t fit together. His enemies would try to kill the summoner, him, to get rid of the undead. At that time, a close-range battle would show the deficit of his gun.

    ¡®Archery?¡¯ Yuxi gestured toward him, suggesting choosing a different long-range battle style. However, Niki shook his head.

    ¡°Archery is helpful to learn but doesn¡¯t reward much in the long run.¡±

    Except for the Archery God, no one can take on a horde of monsters with a bow. Niki would still use the Darkmoon Longbow and his gun, but he knew that he needed to learn something else.

    ¡°Cough, cough!¡±

    Coughing sounds came from outside, and Yuxi stood up to open the door. They found Lex standing outside, holding arge wooden case with a pipe in her hand.

    ¡°I see that you were expecting me,¡± Lex said with a bloodshot eye and a smirk.

    Niki sighed when he realized he lost against this person. However, he can never hope to match a Celestial Eye in the calction.

    ¡°Is that the weapon?¡± Niki asked with interest. For some reason, the case drew him in, as if calling for him to open it.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lex said with a smile as she walked in and ced the case on the table. ¡°This is my family¡¯s heirloom.¡± She said with pride.

    ¡°And you are giving it to me?¡± Niki frowned with suspicion.

    ¡°I can¡¯t use it,¡± Lex said with a sad smile as her hand traced the case before retracting it. ¡°I wanted to give you a replica of the design before I saw your invisible bullets.¡±

    ¡°Is it something normal people can¡¯t use?¡± Sergio asked before hurrying to exin. ¡°Not that I mean boss isn¡¯t normal or anything!¡±

    ¡°Haha,¡± Lexughed heartily. ¡°It is indeed something normal people can¡¯t even touch.¡±

    ¡°How about you just open the case?¡± Niki sighed.

    ¡°No need to rush, hehe,¡± Lex said as she grabbed the lid. ¡°Back away, everyone. Things might get a little scary!¡±

    She pulled the lid open as soon as she finished her words. Niki¡¯s eyes widened when darkness exploded from within the box. Sergio shrieked before falling to the ground as the shadow tongues tried reaching out toward the present people.

    ¡®A weapon of darkness?¡¯

    Niki jumped from his chair as he looked at the case. He realized why he felt that familiar feeling: darkness. As he stepped toward it, Lex raised her hand.

    ¡°This weapon is a cursed item.¡± She said with a frown. ¡°The only reason I¡¯m giving you the chance to use it is because of thepatibility I saw between the two of you. However, the risk is..¡±

    Niki guessed it was another ability of the Celestial Eye. Lex could see if a weapon waspatible with a person, and she was right.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Niki nodded toward her. A cursed item was, as the name implied, an item that would harm the user. However, Niki knew that his darkness was harmful to ordinary people.

    ¡°Then, please be my test subject.¡± Lex gave a crazy grin of a mad scientist. ¡°Let¡¯s create the first Abyssal Art together.¡±

    ¡®She¡¯s crazy.¡¯ Niki couldn¡¯t hide his shock as he looked at Lex, who was grinning while looking at the case. ¡®But I like it.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t know what an Abyssal Art entitled, but losing thepetition against Lex might not be bad after all. He walked toward the case and looked inside.

    The darkness was ruthless and relentless, almost attacking Niki as he got close to it. The case that held it within must be created from a divine tree, as no regr wood could survive such a monster.

    ¡®This weapon feels alive¡­¡¯

    Like a hungry beast that wanted to devour everything, the weapon tried to reach out for everything around it. Niki answered its calls and reached out as the darkness entered his body.

 Chapter 92: Demonic Spirit

    The darkness rushed toward his hand and entered his body. Then, as if it was trying to destroy him, it traveled toward his Dantian. However, Niki¡¯s dark mana was there to wee it.

    ¡®Caught you,¡¯ Niki grinned as he touched the edge of the weapon as the darkness began to dissipate like smoke. The shape of the de go revealed, and Niki held his breath.

    As dark as night, the weapon was entirely ck. It was a curved de with a ck engraved handle. When Niki thought that was all, he saw a chain at the bast of the handle.

    ¡®This is¡­¡¯ He traced the chain, which was several meters, all the way to the other side. ¡®Twin des?¡¯

    As all of the darkness entered his body, the case had nothing but the two weapons linked by a chain inside it. Niki retracted his hand as he realized what type of weapon it was.

    Twin scimitars.

    ¡°This chain connects these scimitars. That¡¯s all I know about them.¡± Lex said as she covered her nose. ¡°But you¡­ managed to touch it?¡± She asked with a fearful expression.

    ¡°The darkness entered his body. Is boss going to be alright?¡± Sergio asked as he held into several healing potions, ready to rush to Niki¡¯s aid.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Niki said before he felt a stabbing pain in his heart. At the same time, darkness exploded from the weapons as an aura of destruction gushed out, pushing everyone away.

    ¡°Who dares breaks my seal?¡± A voice boomed in Niki¡¯s mind as the des floated in the air. Sergio and Yuxi fell to the ground, unconscious.

    ¡°Are you the one living inside the scimitars?¡± Niki asked as he clutched his chest with sweat rolling down his face.

    ¡°Impudent mortal.¡± The voice rebuked. ¡°I am the demonic spirit sealed in these des. Are you the one who wishes to use me?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Niki nodded with a pained expression, not expecting this spirit to make things easier for him. After a slight pause, the darkness manifested into a demonic being above it.

    ¡°My name is Rivan,¡± The demonic being said. ¡°If you wish to use my powers, you will have to be worthy of them.¡±

    ¡°A demonic spirit?¡± Lex muttered beside him, her face pale. ¡°Haha, a demonic weapon for the Abyssal Art!¡± Sheughed heartily with a grin. The demonic spirit turned to her with a nk expression.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Rivan asked Niki, who simply shrugged. ¡°Poor girl, she must have a rotten head.¡±

    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Lex¡¯s face froze.

    ¡°How do I prove worthy?¡± Niki frowned. This demonic spirit had a vague shape, but its actions looked too human.

    ¡°Easy. Don¡¯t die.¡± Rivan grinned as it rushed toward Niki, entering his chest. ¡°If you do, I¡¯ll devour your soul.¡± It said within his mind as Niki¡¯s mind got dragged into the darkness.

    ***

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    Rivan looked round the dark sea of consciousness. It couldn¡¯t believe this was the Inner Sea of a human. It was darker than any of the demonic spirits it knew.

    ¡°Well, what happened to you devouring my soul?¡±

    Rivan turned to look at the human standing behind it. Inside the sea of consciousness, it could see the ¡®human¡¯ standing there leisurely.

    ¡°You are no human.¡± Rivan red at the dark being with caution. ¡°You are¡­¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter what I am.¡± The young man in front of it grinned. ¡°You entered this ce, so don¡¯t expect to leave easily.¡±

    As he said that, he raised his hand, and a ck cube appeared above it. The moment it saw the cube, Rivan began trembling in fear.

    ¡°Why¡­ How can your wretched race still exist?¡± Rivan roared in wrath as its darkness exploded. However, the cube ate it away easily. The more darkness it used, the bigger the cube became. Its powers no longer belonged to it inside the body of this creature.

    ¡°How¡­ no¡­¡±

    ¡°I believe that this weapon can¡¯t exist without a spirit.¡± The Dark Being in front of it grinned, its crimson eyes turning into crescent moons. ¡°Are you going to submit, or are you going to perish?¡± Rivan¡¯s body shook because it knew that this creature would never allow it to live.

    It thought that the time finally arrived to be released from its seal, but it had to encounter a member of that race. Rivan would have med its rotten luck, but that would be idiotic. Luck was their ything.

    ¡®I need to flee.¡¯ Rivan turned around and began running away madly. It tried breaking free from the sea of consciousness, but it was futile.

    ***

    The moment that the spirit entered his body, it pulled Niki into his sea of consciousness. When he arrived, he noticed one thing: his cube was eating the darkness away.

    Furthermore, the cube was growing bigger after it ate away the darkness. That¡¯s why Niki decided to devour the spirit instead. His primal instincts kicked as he watched the spirit flee, making him chase after it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what happens when I devour a spirit.¡± Niki grinned and opened his mouth, his sharp teeth protruding. He bit on the demonic spirit as his eyes snapped open.

    ¡°No!¡± Rivan screamed as Niki devoured the darkness. ¡°Please, let me go! I¡¯ll never tell anyone that you still exist! Please, AAHHH!¡±

    It tried begging more, but Niki devoured it whole. Unlike the heavenly feeling of eating humans, Niki felt as if there was a lump in his throat.

    ¡®Maybe I overdid it¡­¡¯ Niki¡¯s eyes snapped open as the darkness exploded from within his body, filling his body. He began to lose consciousness as there was nothing but darkness.

    ***

    ¡°Bossman!¡±

    Niki opened his eyes when he heard Sergio¡¯s voice calling out for him. He could see Sergio and Lex staring at him with concerned expressions.

    ¡°He¡¯s awake!¡± Lex looked relieved as she backed away.

    Niki jumped up and touched the headband on his head, but it was still there. He sighed in relief and turned to look at Sergio and the rest.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

 Chapter 93: Testing

    ¡°You fainted after the demonic spirit entered your body,¡± Lex said with slight worry. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would wake up¡­¡± She was still talking when Sergio grabbed her shoulder with a rageful expression.

    ¡°What do you think you are doing?!¡± The alchemist roared in her face, making the Gunmaster flinch. The skin on her shoulder turned blue under Sergio¡¯s powerful grip. ¡°You gave him such knowing it would harm him?!¡±

    Even Niki was taken aback by Sergio¡¯s wrath. The alchemist was gentler than a priest usually, and he would always seek out harmless means.

    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t think there was a demonic spirit in the weapons¡­¡± Lex stuttered under Sergio¡¯s cold eyes. He gritted his teeth together as his grip tightened.

    ¡°Calm down, Sergio.¡± Niki appeared beside him and patted his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m not hurt in any way.¡±

    ¡°Still,¡± Sergio spat. ¡°She gave you that item knowing that it would harm you. What if you never woke up again?¡± Niki¡¯s heart warmed by seeing how much Sergio cared about him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t n on dying. How about you let go of her? She¡¯s about to bleed out.¡±

    Sergio flinched when he heard that and released his grip on the Gunmaster. Retreating away from the two with a pained expression, the Gunmaster rubbed her shoulder as she red at them.

    ¡°You lost to me, and I told you it could be dangerous,¡± Lex said with a frown. ¡°If he dares to touch me again, I¡¯ll retaliate.¡±

    ¡°Bring it on.¡± Sergio spat as he gripped his sleeve, taking out three ck vials. Niki¡¯s eyes widened as he hurried to hold him back.

    ¡°Are you nning on burying us here?¡± Niki whispered, knowing full well what these vials were. They were thetest product of Sergio¡¯s madness. ¡°Everyone should just shut up and calm down. I said I was fine.¡±

    The two red at each other and turned away angrily. Niki sighed and released Sergio before turning to look around. They were still in their pavilion, and there was no darkness.

    [You have devoured a Demonic Spirit.]

    [10 Mana Stats have been absorbed.]

    [You stole fate. As a result, you obtained 20 Fate Points.]

    Niki found this notification, and he was overjoyed. He finally obtained fate points, and the increase in mana was a bonus. However, a red notification came right after to dampen his mood.

    [The demonic energy strengthened the Curse of The Banished. You need to devour a Living Soul within the next 8 Hours, 23m.]

    Niki knew that he should have a day or so left, but he hoped it would be enough to find the ¡®possessed dwarf¡¯ and devour him. Even though there were more than 8 hours left, Niki could feel the ¡®hunger¡¯ already.

    ¡°Bossman, are you alright?¡± Sergio walked up to him when he saw Niki¡¯s frown. ¡°Is it the demonic spirit?¡±

    ¡°No, I think I ate something bad.¡± Niki shook his head. This time, he indeed ate something bad for him, even if it strengthened his mana.

    ¡®Does this mean that the stronger my darkness is, the stronger the curse would be?¡¯

    This curse will be troublesome, as Niki would have to devour more souls every time he gets stronger. It would be hard to prevent himself from getting addicted to the feeling of soul-devouring.

    ¡°Does that mean¡­ you can use the weapon now?¡± Lex asked excitedly, missing Sergio¡¯s darkening expression entirely.

    ¡°Are you crazy? That weapon is cursed!¡± Sergio red at her before turning to Niki. ¡°Bossman, I think we need to leave.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll use it,¡± Niki replied to the Gunmaster. ¡°Sergio, I told you that I¡¯m fine. Furthermore, I lost.¡±

    ¡°You lost because of your gun. If it didn¡¯t break, you would have won.¡± Sergio said with a scowl.

    ¡°Even so, a loss is a loss,¡± Niki said as he walked toward the case. However, Yuxi grabbed his arm to stop him.

    ¡®He is right.¡¯ She gestured. ¡®I know that power is tempting, but you might end up dead.¡¯

    ¡°You talk as if you are worried about me.¡± Niki frowned as he nced at her hand, which was grabbing his wrist. ¡°Let go.¡±

    ¡°Bossman, she¡¯s just worried, just like me.¡± Sergio appeased.

    ¡°I know, man, I know.¡± Niki flicked his arm and broke free from Yuxi¡¯s grip. ¡°But I¡¯m not a fool.¡± He said as he walked up to the case and picked up the weapon.

    ¡°This¡­¡± Lex muttered in shock when there was no reaction.

    ¡°The spirit said that I need to prove myself worthy, and I did,¡± Niki said as he looked at the ck scimitar and the chain attached to it. He picked up the other half of the weapon while the chains slid out of the case.

    ¡°How can you fight with that?¡± Sergio asked with surprise. ¡°It looks so annoying to use.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t know anything about it.¡± Lex scowled and turned toward Niki. ¡°We need to go on a little test.¡±

    ***

    The sun was setting when the four left the underground forte under the disapproving gazes of Master Dwarf. Niki found it weird that the dwarf treated Lex so protectively.

    ¡°He¡¯s kind of like my adoptive father,¡± Lex answered without much thought. ¡°I was raised by the dwarves ever since I was six years old.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the weapon was a family heirloom?¡± Niki asked.

    ¡°It was until they were exterminated,¡± Lex said, and Sergio and Yuxi looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

    ¡°What was the reason for their extermination?¡± Niki asked as he sat down in Lex¡¯s mobile vehicle. It was an ugly piece of metal with gigantic tires that could transverse the forest easily.

    ¡°This case,¡± Lex said as she patted the wooden case. ¡°They either craved it or feared it, but they had no qualms about killing us to obtain it.¡±

    ¡°Your family protected something so dangerous, a demonic spirit. Why?¡±

    ¡°I was too young to know, so I thought that the reason was toplete the art. However. learning that the weapon had a demonic spirit, I suspect my family was sealing it.¡±

    Hearing her words, Niki didn¡¯t ask anymore. The background of Gunmaster Lex was vague in his past life as well, but no one cared. There were many families out there that didn¡¯t survive the onught of time.

    The vehicle roared to life as Lex pressed some buttons. After letting out a cloud of smoke, the tires began rolling, and they were moving through the underground road.

    The red light of the sky greeted them at the end, and the vehicle jumped into the forest and began traversing it. They looked for a monster until they found a group of wandering goblins.

    ¡°Time to test out your new weapons.¡± Lex turned off the vehicle and turned toward Niki. ¡°Using the weapon is a different matter than simply touching it. Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡± Niki never came across a Dark Weapon before, making this an unexpected find. These kinds of weapons were called Cursed Items, and most of them were sealed, so not even Lilith dared to touch them.

    He removed the lid, and the dark energy still surrounded the weapons. Picking them up, Niki could feel his darkness resonate with the item.

    Niki jumped from the vehicle, and the chains fell to the ground. Looking at them silently, Niki infused the weapon with his darkness. Suddenly, the chains started getting shorter under everyone¡¯s astonished eyes.

    ¡°The length can be adjusted?¡± Lex asked with great interest as she jumped after Niki. She held her eyepatch and was about to remove it when Niki scowled at her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t remove it.¡± Niki red at her. Lex paused her actions and nodded toward him. He didn¡¯t care if she misunderstood his reasons as discrimination. He simply didn¡¯t want to be seen by the Celestial Eye.

    ¡®What kind of thing would appear when she looks at me?¡¯ Niki wondered as he threw the scimitar away while grabbing hold of the chains.

    The chain slid across his arm as the weapon flew toward a tree in front of him. With a flick of his hand, the scimitar shed the tree in half, and it fell with a loud sound.

    ¡°Gi?¡± The goblins turned his way as Niki used his darkness to shorten the chains, bringing the weapon back into his hand.

    ¡°Sharp,¡± Niki was amazed that simple touch was able to sh the tree in half neatly. The goblins ran his way with their axes and shields. ¡°Let¡¯s see how well it does againstrge mobs.¡±

    Niki held the chain and began spinning the scimitar around him. It spun fast enough to appear as arge disk beside him. The scimitars flew across the air as Niki swung at the goblins, starting the bloodshed.

    The moment that the weapon came in contact with the defenseless goblin, it tore it apart before shing the one beside it. The goblins screamed as blood gushed out everywhere.

    The fastest goblin and the one farthest away managed to roll forward, and the scimitar missed it. The goblin ran toward Niki, who was still holding the other scimitar.

    Niki took a step back while his left hand held the chain. He threw the other scimitar at the goblin, piercing its head cleanly.

 Chapter 94: A New Member?

    As the forest fell into an eerie silence, Niki stood amid the corpses of the goblins. No crystals were dropped, and he walked back toward his group.

    ¡°What do you think?¡± Lex asked, looking as if she was holding herself back from snatching the des from Niki¡¯s hands.

    ¡°They are¡­ difficult to use,¡± Niki said with a frown.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I have the iplete art,¡± Lex said as she turned on the engine of the vehicle, making it roar to life. ¡°Do you want to keep using it?¡±

    ¡°So, I can refuse?¡± Niki asked with amusement, but Lex nodded thoughtfully, her pipe bobbing up and down.

    ¡°This is mypromise. Your gun was the reason you lost, making my win iplete as well. Since my family was only sealing the weapon, the art must be their way of controlling the darkness.¡±

    Niki¡¯s eyes gleamed when he heard this. An Art that would help him utilize the darkness better? That was pie falling from the sky, one he wouldn¡¯t refuse.

    ¡°If I agree, do I have to stay here?¡± Niki asked with a frown, but Lex shook her head with a smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time that I leave the Ferro Fort.¡±

    ***

    Niki needed to find the possessed dwarf in almost seven hours. For that, he would have to lure the entity to retrieve the blueprint.

    ¡®The crux of the problem is why would the entity wants to possess people?¡¯

    That¡¯s why Niki took out one of the cogs and held it within his hand, waiting for the spiritual entity to try and control him. After a while of holding the cog on his bed, he began hearing voices.

    ¡®Go to the dungeon¡­ gather the parts¡­ go back¡­ go back! Go back! Go back! Take people! Go back! Find the key!¡¯

    ¡°Damn, someone is desperate.¡± Niki threw the cog on the bed as he tried to shake the thoughts away. ¡°Normal people would fall into a trance the moment they touch it.¡±

    ¡°So, this what possessed the dwarf?¡± Sergio looked at it with fear. ¡°So scary.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you trying to grab it?¡± Niki pped his hand away, but the alchemist seemed unaware of his actions. ¡°This thing attracts people unconsciously.¡± Niki realized.

    ¡°Put it away, boss!¡± Sergio jumped off the bed and pointed at it with fear.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Niki ced it away. ¡°We still need to find the possessed dwarves. But I don¡¯t think we need to do anything.¡±

    ¡®Why?¡¯ Yuxi asked while sitting on the chair with her legs crossed.

    ¡°Judging from the sounds I heard, there¡¯s no way that the person holding this will be sane.¡± Niki smiled. ¡°They must be nning on how to get the blueprint as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°They areing for us?¡± Sergio looked around, taking out his vials. ¡°We need to prepare. Let¡¯s set up traps!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Niki shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s time to make use of the dwarf¡¯s corpse.¡± He said as he disappeared.

    He ran in the dark dimension and left the pavilion. Some dwarves were monitoring them, but Niki ran past them without them noticing.

    He reached the storage area where many machines were kept, close to the door. He had to wait until the door opened as some dwarves brought in games.

    Niki slipped outside and waved his hand, leaving the corpse of the dwarf that he had. He snuck back in as the statue began closing before running back toward his pavilion.

    The process didn¡¯t take more than ten minutes.

    ¡°Hm? You¡¯re back?¡±

    ¡°Keep the fact that I was away hidden from Lex,¡± Niki said as he sat back. ¡°The mayhem will begin now.¡± He said with an evil smile.

    ¡°Bossman, can it be that you¡¯re a viin?¡± Sergio asked with a hint of unease as he held his bag of potions.

    ¡®He tried to kill me, what do you think?¡¯ Yuxi gestured with a speechless face.

    ¡°Ah, that was because he¡¯s cautious.¡± Sergio frowned as he pondered. ¡°Boss isn¡¯t an evil person. Without him, I would have rotted in that workshop!¡±

    ¡®He¡¯s just using to get potions.¡¯ Yuxi gestured, making Sergio grow ufortable.

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m still here.¡± Niki turned toward the mute. ¡°Don¡¯t make me strangle you again. As for you,¡± He turned toward Sergio. ¡°Think for yourself about the people you choose to be friends with, don¡¯t ask others.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay.¡± Sergio shrunk back. ¡°But you just said we are friends.¡±

    ***

    There were five hours left before the curse activates, and the dwarves found the body. The tension could be felt in the air as Niki sat in a rxed manner.

    ¡°You guys are here.¡± Lex walked into their pavilion with a frown. ¡°Good, that¡¯s good.¡± She sighed in relief.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Niki asked with a frown.

    ¡°One of the missing dwarves returned,¡± Lex said with a scary face.

    ¡°That¡¯s good news, then!¡± Sergio said with surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t know there was a missing dwarf!¡±

    Niki didn¡¯t know if Sergio was naturally a good actor or just an airhead. Lex shook her head with a sigh.

    ¡°He returned dead.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Sergio blinked. ¡°Dead people can¡¯t walk, though¡­¡±

    ¡®Yup, he¡¯s an airhead.¡¯ Niki almost burst outughing, but he held himself back. Having Sergio was a blessing because he could make people trust him.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Lex was stumped for words, feeling as if whatever she says will be misinterpreted by the alchemist. ¡°We found a dead dwarf at the entrance. He¡¯s one of the missing people.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s odd.¡± Niki frowned. ¡°Can it be that he died at the entrance, or did someone ce his body there?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know, but the dwarves ced him in one of the storage rooms for now. I just want you to stay here until we can leave. Otherwise, fingers will be pointed.¡±

    ¡°No one said you coulde with us.¡± Sergio scowled at her, but Lex simply turned toward Niki with a smile.

    ¡°If you want the art, you¡¯ll have to allow me.¡± She told Niki as he felt a headache from his growing crew. An alchemist, an archer, and a Gunmaster.

    ¡®It¡¯s time to use the Bloodline Talent, Wise Choice.¡¯

 Chapter 95: Her Ghost

    Niki told Lex that he will have to think about it for now, and the Gunmaster gave him the time he needed to do so. It was indeed a difficult decision to make since Niki trusted only Sergio from the three.

    Until now, he didn¡¯t trust Yuxi at all. He knew better than letting appearances deceive him, so he was prepared for the day her act slips and he finds out her true intentions.

    She might not harm them now, but that doesn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t hurt them in the future. Niki was sure that Sergio would never do such a thing, but was that the case for the archer?

    As long as Niki didn¡¯t know the answer to that, he still wouldn¡¯t trust her. Of course, Sergio might see him as too cynical, and the archer might hate him, but some things had to be done.

    He waited until Lex left before he went into his room in the pavilion, telling the others he was tired. Niki took off his headband after being alone at longst and making sure that he wasn¡¯t monitored.

    His ck horns and long ears ached from being wrapped in the silk for so long. Niki even found that the fabric was a bit wet because of his sweat.

    This was a temporary solution, but not an ideal one. His headband mighte off in a fight, or he might go unconscious like earlier. At that time, others might see him, and things will never be the same.

    ¡®Maybe I can find a cursed item that neveres off.¡¯

    Niki ominously thought as he stretched. He reached out to his ears and pinched their long ends, and it felt good to move them finally.

    ¡®Hm?¡¯

    He could move them at will, unlike his previous human ears. Niki rotated his long ears, and he could see them in the mirror. It wasical but also a reminder of things never being the same.

    He raised his hand and the coin manifested: a heart and a dagger, benefit or harm.

    [Do you wish to use Wish Choice talent for 10 Fate Points?]

    ¡®Yes,¡¯ Niki answered, and instructions appeared.

    [Ask a question before flipping the coin. The result of the coin will be the answer to your question, either benefit or harm. The dagger refers to harm, while the heart refers to benefit. The cooldown of the coin is one day.]

    Niki paused as he had two questions at the moment. One of them was whether to use Lex¡¯s art and whether to keep traveling with Sergio.

    There was a third question, though. Would Niki leave Sergio if he knew that he would harm him? He wasn¡¯t in denial; he knew that he relied on Sergio for more than just potions.

    Sergio was the exception. Someone who passed the test Lilith ced him in, proving everything that Lilith said people were not: loyal, good, beloving, and selfless.

    The alchemist was the only time that Lilith was wrong, and Niki needed to know that she can be mistaken.

    ¡°You are wrong. Sergio is using you too.¡±

    Niki¡¯s body tensed up as Lilith¡¯s voice whispered into his ear, and he let go of the coin. Her hand caressed his chin as she floated beside him. He knew this was only a fragment of imagination that he sealed away, but it frightened him just the same.

    ¡°You¡¯re a mistake. That¡¯s why you were abandoned. That¡¯s why no one tried to help you. No one wants to be with you. So, why are you still alive?¡±

    The words that she used to tell him before killing him repeated themselves in his mind, threatening to break him. Niki covered his eyes with both hands.

    ¡®You are not real.¡¯

    ¡®You are not real.¡¯

    ¡®You are not real.¡¯

    He repeated the words like a mantra, almost praying them. Lilith¡¯s words began to fade as he repeated the mantra until they disappeared. When he opened his eyes, she was gone.

    Letting go of the breath he held, Niki¡¯s hands fell listlessly beside him. The memories resurfaced like a demon from hell, but he bottled them down. He knew that reliving them will break him more than he already was.

    ¡°Should I ept Lex¡¯s offer?¡± Niki manifested the coin again as he asked. He flipped it, and blinding light shone from it before it stopping moving in front of him.

    ¡®A heart.¡¯

    ***

    It was the darkest hour of the night. The dwarf¡¯s corpse was scheduled to be burned in the morning at the first sign of dawn. That was the ritual.

    However, a figure snuck into the room where the corpse was kept without anyone noticing. With trembling hands, the figure began searching the corpse.

    ¡°Where is it? It was with him before he fell into the stream!¡± The figure began growing restless as it felt the darkness surround it.

    ¡°Are you looking for this?¡±

    A cog appeared in front of the figure as a voice asked it. Like a crazed beast, the figure bounced toward the cog, which disappeared again.

    Spears of darkness struck the figure as someone walked out of thin air. Niki looked at the dwarf in front of him, which was dying by his attack.

    ¡®This is foolish.¡¯ Niki knew that killing the dwarf now would implicate them. The Master Dwarf knew that Niki had a ¡®storage¡¯ item.

    However, Niki could feel it: the hunger to devour. His skin was getting itchy as if it was about to peel off if he didn¡¯t sate the curse. A void was slowly forming inside of him that couldn¡¯t be filled with anything but a soul.

    The dwarf looked at him in fear as Niki¡¯s teeth grew sharper and longer. He grabbed the dwarf¡¯s head in one swift motion and snapped it to the side, breaking his neck.

    Niki opened his mouth as the corpse fell lifelessly to the ground, and he began devouring the ethereal energying out of the dwarf. Then, as the soul began to fill the void inside of him, sating the curse, Niki¡¯s mind had a single thought.

    ¡®Am I devouring souls because I sold mine?¡¯

 Chapter 96: Souls Mechanic

    [You have devoured a Living Soul. The curse has been sated. Time until remaining: 44 h, 44m, 44s.]

    [You have stolen Fate. As a result, you obtained 10 Fate Points.]

    ¡®This is a hard lesson.¡¯ Niki looked at the dwarf with a snapped neck in front of him. ¡®Control the curse before it controls you.¡¯ He crouched beside the dwarf and took out the chord.

    This item might have possessed the dwarf he just killed, but he was innocent. Unlike the moving corpse, this dwarf was alive. Niki kept away the chord, and with this, he only needs three more parts.

    ¡®The only problem is¡­ they will notice the disappearance of the dwarf soon. At that time, the only suspects will be us.¡¯ Niki stood up.

    It would take a few hours before they notice the disappearance of one of the dwarves. Before that, Niki would have to think of a way to divert the suspicion away from his group.

    He used the cover of the night and returned to his pavilion, which the dwarves were still monitoring. As he walked in, he saw that their main hall was empty. Sergio and Yuxi must be sleeping. However, someone was in his room.

    ¡°Where have you been?¡± Lex asked with a frown when Niki walked into his room. ¡°I wanted to give you the first move of the art, but you weren¡¯t here.¡±

    ¡°¡­ I was taking a walk.¡±

    ¡°And your walks include leaving stealthily?¡± Lex squinted her eyes as her she held the pipe in hand. ¡°The dwarves outside said that you were inside, or so they thought. I didn¡¯t deny it.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s because¡­¡±

    ¡°Since I n on leaving this ce, I don¡¯t see why I should help them,¡± Lex said coldly.

    ¡°I thought the dwarves were like your family?¡± Niki asked with interest.

    ¡°I can¡¯t be family with people who look down on me. I¡¯m a human, and they are dwarves. That can never change. We¡¯re not in a fairy tale where they would ept me with open arms.¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°Take me with you, and I won¡¯t tell them about this,¡± Lex said with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you were doing outside, and that¡¯s fine by me.¡±

    ¡°Threatening me is unwise.¡± Niki¡¯s eyes sharpened as his killing intent was unleashed. Like a bloodthirsty beast, his aura gushed out and suffocated the Gunmaster.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a threat but a token of friendship that proves I keep secrets well.¡± Lex traced her lip with her hand in a zipping motion.

    Niki frowned, but he already had his answer. His bloodline talent made him capable of choosing things he was previously uncertain about. He held back his killing intent and nodded.

    ¡°I understand, but I need you to help me.¡± He said as he took out the cog. ¡°I want you to look at this with the Celestial Eye.¡±

    Niki ced it on the table and retreated. Lex frowned and took off her eyepatch, and the me appeared again. Her eyes widened as she looked at the cog.

    ¡°Traces of spiritual energy¡­¡±

    ¡°I was the one who found the dwarf¡¯s corpse,¡± Niki told Lex, and she flinched as she turned toward him. However, he was gone. ¡°Cover your eye first.¡± She did as he asked, and Niki emerged from the darkness.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± She asked once she covered her eye. ¡°You found the dwarf¡¯s corpse outside?¡±

    ¡°No, I found it in the river. You can ask Sergio, but the dwarf was a moving corpse. It had this cog on him.¡±

    ¡°A moving corpse¡­¡± Lex frowned and pondered. ¡°Does that mean the others¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I need you to tell me who was with the dwarf before he went missing. Those people are probably the culprits, and they must be possessed. Did you see what the cog has?¡±

    ¡°A sliver of spiritual energy,¡± Lex said with a frown. ¡°There¡¯s something inside this cog, and it looks like something I saw.¡±

    ¡°Something you saw?¡± Niki¡¯s eyes gleamed.

    ¡°A few dwarves brought back these items, and they were indeed treasures as their craftsmanship was modeled using an ancient technique. The dwarves were looking for the inheritance of someone called Souls Mechanic.¡±

    ¡°Souls Mechanic?¡± Niki frowned.

    ¡°The mechanic who gave his machines souls of their own, edging ever so closely to the secret of immortality,¡± Lex said with a shake of her hand. ¡°I thought it was simply a legend. The dwarves were looking for his technique for years.¡±

    ¡®Does that mean this Souls Mechanic is the entity possessing the people? Is he trying to lure them into his abode?¡¯

    [Questpleted!]

    [Reward: 30 Fate Points!]

    [A new quest has been initiated!]

    [Quest: Souls Mechanic.]

    [Description: You find out that an entity known as Souls Mechanic is plotting something. The entity is trying to lure people into its dungeon, but why?]

    [Goal: Steal Fate from the Souls Mechanic by foiling his n.]

    [Reward: New Bloodline Talent.]

    Niki received a message from his system, and he furrowed his brows. His only thought was: that¡¯s it? He finished the quest this quickly just because he decided to ask Lex?

    ¡®Was I just a fool?¡¯ Niki inwardly sighed as he massaged his temples. ¡®I could have finished the quest by asking around, but I was too on edge to trust anyone.¡¯

    Well, he could never ask the dwarves, as they might kill him for the possessed parts. However, Lex was different, as it seems that she didn¡¯t like the dwarves a lot. Looking at the young girl in front of him, Niki sighed and nodded.

    ¡®A new bloodline talent.¡¯ Nikimented that he could only choose one of them before, but a new one presented itself.

    ¡°Help me find the possessed dwarves, and we wrap up this matter.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean¡­ you¡¯ll be using the Abyssal Art and allow me toe along?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Niki nodded. ¡°A condition foring with me would be this: never look at me with that eye.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Lex asked as she adjusted her eyepatch and looked at him with confusion. ¡°Others feel naked if I look at them. Is that what¡¯s bothering you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind being seen naked,¡± Niki was speechless. ¡°I just don¡¯t think you¡¯ll like what you see.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay.¡± Lex squinted her eyes at him and nodded. Niki knew that she misunderstood him as insecure about his body, but he didn¡¯t mind as long as she refrained from looking at him.

    ***

    ¡°Why are we attending as well?¡± Sergio asked with a yawn. ¡°It¡¯s not like we knew the dwarf.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more about respect to the dead,¡± Niki answered while following Lex toward the Forge. ¡°They believe burning their fallen leaves a part of their souls inside the weapons they create.¡±

    ¡®That¡¯s cool.¡¯ Yuxi gestured, and Niki agreed.

    Humans just buried their dead, without caring how they would end up, and moved on. There was only a wheel moving forward, and if you turn to look back, the wheel crushes you.

    ¡°The Forge is on a deeper level,¡± Lex said as if she was their guide. ¡°It¡¯s quite hot in there, as that fire burns since ancient times.¡±

    ¡°The dwarves are known for using ancient fire in their craft. The weapons they create are one with heaven and earth.¡± Niki added.

    They were going to the funeral of the dwarf who died. The reason behind his death has yet to be known, as the dwarves who were with him simply said he disappeared.

    When they reached the forge, all of the dwarves looked at them with disapproval. Ever since the appearance of the corpse, the dwarves looked at them with wary expressions.

    ¡°Well, at least there¡¯s someone more unpopr than me now,¡± Lex jokingly said when she felt the hostility of the dwarves.

    ¡°We gathered today because of the loss of a precious member, Gwain.¡± Master Dwarf said with a sad expression. There was an opening in the ground beside him. ¡°Let¡¯s hope he finds a better ce to rest in mes.¡±

    As he said that, two dwarves pushed a small shrine with the corpse of the dwarf, which had ores lying beside it, and threw it into the mes. The mes roared as the shrine burned into nothingness in front of their eyes.

    As the mes burned, Lex nudged Niki and pointed in a particr direction. There was a group of three dwarves with a red-head old dwarf in the lead.

    ¡®Those are the culprits.¡¯ Niki realized. ¡®Now, I need to find a way to take the parts from them and assemble the key.¡¯

    He would have to do that before running away from Ferro Fort. The dwarves couldn¡¯t be convinced that he did it for their good, but he didn¡¯t care. As long as he finishes his quest and gets his ship, everything will be alright.

    As for how the dwarves saw him? Niki couldn¡¯t care less. Even Lex agreed that they were delusional for pursuing immortality.

    The ritual ended, and they dispersed. Niki returned toward the pavilion with the rest before nning out their escape from the fort.

 Chapter 97: Lexs Fate

    ¡°Whatever you find is yours,¡± Lex said as the four sat around the table. ¡°Thus, when the four dwarves returned with the mysterious parts, no one tried to take them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why no one knew that they were possessed. We guess that the dead dwarf wanted to warn the fort about the items, but he was killed, and the item managed to take hold of his body.¡± Niki nodded.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lex affirmed. ¡°The dwarves who returned said that they might have found the inheritance and that we should get prepared to go there.¡±

    ¡°When is this happening?¡± Sergio asked, and Lex took out her watch.

    ¡°Today at noon,¡± Lex said with a frown. ¡°However, based on what you told me, there¡¯s no exit for the dungeon.¡±

    ¡°I think that there are two exits, the statue and being possessed,¡± Niki answered. ¡°These dwarves are trying to take the people into the dungeon for a reason.¡±

    ¡°It depends on the goal of the Souls Mechanic,¡± Lex said with a frown. ¡°We need to stop the dwarves from going there.¡±

    ¡°No need, we only need to take the possessed parts,¡± Niki said with a smile. ¡°After that, we need to stop the Souls Mechanic from seeding.¡±

    ¡°What does it have to do with us?¡± Sergio frowned. ¡°Bossman, I don¡¯t understand a lot about these things, but we are only after our ship. Give them the blueprint, and we¡¯ll have it.¡±

    Sergio was right. He didn¡¯t need to get involved. They can just take his ship and be done with it. The bloodline talent will be lost, but he can always find another quest.

    He was a Fate Stealer. That¡¯s why his system gave him quests that would allow him to steal fate. The system didn¡¯t try to make him a viin, nor did it try to make him a hero. Instead, it was a cold, calcting machine that guided him to stealing fate.

    The system, however, wasn¡¯t omnipotent, nor did Niki need to listen to it. He could abandon the quest, and nothing will change. However, would that be the best choice?

    The Souls Mechanic was possessing people to invite others into his dungeon. Whatever his goal was, it was nothing peaceful. The dungeon was growing stronger by the day, and it was growing more dangerous.

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Niki nodded. ¡°But I want to know what the Souls Mechanic is aiming for. The existence of the dungeon is dangerous for the world.¡±

    Dungeons weren¡¯t separate spaces only, but a time bomb that waited to explode. Niki knew that more dungeons would appear after the first Dungeon Break, and humans won¡¯t be able to cope with it.

    ¡®Wait, why am I wondering about the truth while I know what¡¯s going to happen in the future?¡¯

    It urred to him that he wasn¡¯t thinking about this enough. Everything changed after he left Rohan. So, he didn¡¯t try connecting the dots with his past life.

    ¡®Was there anyone known as Souls Mechanic?¡¯

    There was no such thing. The most dazzling mechanic was the person who built a flying fort next to him. There was another rumor about Lex¡¯s fort: it had a mind of its own.

    ¡®Souls Mechanic¡­¡¯ Niki repeated in his mind until it all clicked together. The existence of dwarves here was known in the Rosia Kingdom, but Niki doesn¡¯t remember hearing about them in his past life. ¡®They were exterminated by none other than the Souls Mechanic.¡¯

    Niki got himself into a bloody mess, for sure. The Souls Mechanic existed in his past life, but as who? He wondered as he looked at Lex. Did the Souls Mechanic live in his past life as Lex, or did Lex defeat the Souls Mechanic?

    ¡°Is something on my face?¡± Lex asked with puzzlement. Niki, however, didn¡¯t say anything and shook his head.

    The weight of the parts in his pocket dimension was suddenly too burdening. He wasn¡¯t only stealing the fate of the Souls Mechanic by foiling his ns, but stealing Lex¡¯s fate of bing an exceptional Gunmaster.

    ¡®The number of lives I would have indirectly killed¡­¡¯

    Lex was the person who saved thousands of lives. If Niki prevented her from growing into that person, all of those lives might be lost because of him.

    ¡°Lex,¡± Niki turned toward the Gunmaster. ¡°Don¡¯t you covet the technique of the Souls Mechanic?¡±

    ¡°Not really, no.¡± Lex shook her head. ¡°I might have considered it if you weren¡¯t around, but I don¡¯t care a lot about it now.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Niki¡¯s stomach turned.

    ¡°My only interest in creating a machine that has a soul would be to use the Abyssal des.¡± She nced at the case on the table. ¡°A machine might handle the bacsh of the energy. I don¡¯t care about that anymore.¡±

    ¡°Why do you want someone to use the Abyssal des?¡± Niki felt uneasy.

    ¡°Because that¡¯s the only way to find the people who killed my family,¡± Lex said with unexpected coldness. ¡°They wanted these des, so they muste for them if the weapons appear to the world.¡±

    ¡°Then what?¡± Sergio barked. ¡°Boss will be the one using them. So you n on leaving him in your mess?¡±

    ¡°My guns are enough to kill those bastards,¡± Lex said with a frown. However, Niki shook his head.

    ¡°I fear that won¡¯t be the case.¡± Niki looked at the des with a sudden epiphany. Lex and Niki might not be that different, after all. The person who irreversibly wounded them might turn out to be the same: Lilith.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I think you need to grow stronger. And I know how that can be achieved.¡± Niki stood up and walked toward her. Then, waving his hand at the table, the sixty-three parts appeared.

    ¡°Are these the possessed items?¡± Lex asked with shock, and Niki nodded.

    ¡°Lex, I think the Souls Mechanic Inheritance is fated to be yours,¡± Niki said, his face bespeaking how serious he was. ¡°If we don¡¯t handle this, all of the dwarves will die.¡±

 Chapter 98: Herlem

    Herlem returned to his pavilion with his two followers. As soon as they were alone, he gnashed their teeth against each other in rage. Like a madman, he mmed his fist on the table, bringing it to the floor.

    ¡°How did his corpse appear here?!¡± Herlem bellowed, veins bulging on his face.

    ¡°The stream doesn¡¯t end here,¡± One of the other two muttered, and Herlem felt the urge to punch him in the face.

    ¡°Thank you for stating the obvious!¡± Herlem huffed, breathing out nothing but wrath. ¡°We need to find the two parts. Where is that bastard?¡±

    That bastard should be here by now, but he was gone for some reason. Herlem didn¡¯t feel the spiritual energy of the cog in the funeral so that only mean that the dwarf¡¯s corpse was looted.

    ¡®But who could have looted it?¡¯ Herlem wondered. ¡®Can there be someone else who knows that the items were possessed?¡¯

    It must be that group with the ship. They were the only suspect, so there was no one else who can know about it. Can it be that the fool he sent was killed and looted already by the outsiders?

    ¡°We need to find the other parts. Let¡¯s go ahead and rush the Master about the dungeon exploration.¡± Herlem decided, and the two fools nodded. Herlem sighed.

    He liked Gwain, which he drowned in the stream, but that guy wanted to tell the dwarves about the items being possessed. This would foil Herlem¡¯s n as the Souls Mechanic.

    That¡¯s right; he was the Souls Mechanic the moment he obtained the parts. As for the fools next to him, he was only possessing them to make use of them.

    ¡®Gather people,e back, and assemble the key!¡¯

    The voice repeated in his head. ¡®Gather people!¡¯ It demanded, and Herlem felt the urge to go outside now. It couldn¡¯t be exined with logic because he was a new person.

    Herlem knew this was a treasure. Even if the voice drove him insane, it also promised a single thing. To live as an immortal, inside the machines they so dearly loved, as the Souls Mechanic!

    This was the dream of the dwarves since the beginning of time. Herlem¡¯s will became one with the Souls Mechanic¡¯s for this single desire.

    Knock. Knock, knock. Knock.

    ¡®Hm?¡¯ Herlem turned toward the door of the pavilion. Herlem nodded at one of the other two, and the dwarf opened the door to reveal a figure.

    ¡°Hello, honest gentlemen. I found something lying on the ground. Can it be yours?¡±

    Herlem noticed that the speaker was one of the three human visitors. It was the blond guy apanying the guy with the headband. Herlem hated how good this guy looked.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Herlem asked with an uneasy frown. The youth gave a smile and took out something from his pocket, wrapped in a piece of ck fabric. It was a familiar chord with traces of spiritual power.

    Herlem¡¯s eyes widened, as did the eyes of the others. Before any of them could say anything, the youth continued speaking.

    ¡°What? It¡¯s not yours?¡± The blond guy frowned. ¡°Fine, I guess I¡¯ll give it to the Master.¡± The youth said before walking away from their pavilion.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡± The two dwarves shouted and ran after him. Herlem, however, sensed that something was odd.

    ¡°Stop, fools!¡± Herlem shouted, but he felt as his voice was silenced. Then, suddenly, he noticed the darkness that was surrounding him. As he tried to run away, the door closed with a bang.

    ¡°Not so fast.¡± Someone appeared from behind the wall out of thin air. It was the guy with the headband, but it was gray now instead of ck. ¡°Let¡¯s have a little chat.¡±

    ¡°What do you want, human?¡± Herlem backed away, but the darkness creeped him out.

    ¡°I want the item that possesses you.¡± The headband guy revealed with a grin showing off his sharp teeth. Herlem felt his body turn cold.

    ¡®I was found out! How? Who is this person?¡¯

    No one should know about the Souls Mechanic possessing people. He shouldn¡¯t be found out, but this person seemed to know of the item he had.

    ¡°As I expected, you were the one to find the missing item.¡± Herlem grinned crazily. ¡°Don¡¯t expect that my inheritance ends here! Even if this puppet falls, another will rise!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± The guy with the headband nodded. ¡°It¡¯s annoying that Lex asked me not to kill you, but I guess this kindness is also why I need to help her.¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Die, parasite.¡±

    The darkness exploded around Herlem, isting him from the world. Even though he was the Souls Mechanic, an entity who survived for centuries, yet he never felt so creeped out by someone else.

    ***

    On the other side, Sergio stopped running while panting. He was back in his pavilion, closely followed by the two dwarves. Yuxi gave him a thumbs up in encouragement.

    ¡°Without your arrows, I would have never managed to outrun them,¡± Sergio said and gave her a thumbs-up back. ¡°Well, close your nose.¡±

    Sergio took out two vials from his pouch and poured them at the entrance. As he did so, he made sure to close his nose with a mask he used to treat poisonous herbs.

    He walked back and waited for the dwarves to arrive, and they did as Sergio expected. They breathed in the sleeping potion he created earlier, but they were fully awake.

    ¡°I guess possessed people are more resilient.¡± Sergio was surprised that they were still awake. After all, the potion he made was equivalent to a sedative.

    The dwarves, however, weren¡¯t fully sober. They stumbled clumsily toward the two, but they were still capable of fighting.

    ¡®I¡¯ll protect you.¡¯ Yuxi stepped forward with her bow and stood in front of Sergio. As he saw how brave she was, Sergio was again convinced she was a good person.

    ¡®Why does boss mistrust her?¡¯ Sergio wondered. ¡®I never felt like he doesn¡¯t trust me since the time we met. With others, however, it feels like he¡¯s incapable of trust as a whole.¡¯

 Chapter 99: Kaboom!

    Niki looked at the unconscious dwarf in front of him and crouched beside him. He rummaged through his pockets until he found the possessed item, a small watch. The spiritual power on its was several times stronger than the rest.

    ¡°This must be the first item?¡± Niki guessed. If he were the Souls Mechanic, he would have the strongest item drop first.

    After putting the watch into his subspace, Niki stood up and left the pavilion. He entered his dark dimension and ran back toward the others.

    He heard the whistle of an arrow as his food stepped into the pavilion. The headless arrow flew across the pavilion and struck the stumbling dwarf while the other ran forward.

    As the dwarf reached Sergio and Yuxi, a long chain appeared between them and wrapped around the dwarf. The dwarf screamed in pain as the chains oozed darkness that tried to devour the poor man.

    ¡°You don¡¯t need this anymore.¡± Niki appeared beside him and took out the item from his pocket. After losing the item, the dwarf began convulsing before passing out.

    ¡°As strong as ever, boss!¡± Sergio gave him a thumbs-up. Niki smiled and shook his head.

    ¡°We¡¯re fighting against craftsmen; they¡¯re not trained for battle.¡± Niki knew that the dwarves were barely an F-rank. Until he gets his skill and reaches 100 Points in a single stat, then he will be an F-rank.

    Yuxi walked over toward the other dwarf struggling to stand after inhaling the potion and getting shot by her arrow. She took out a ck piece of fabric that Niki gave her and pocketed the item.

    Niki walked toward her and opened his palm. Yuxi looked at the screw silently before handing it to him. Squinting his eyes, Niki threw the screw into his pocket dimension as his mind wandered in thoughts.

    ¡°Do you think Lex managed to fix the ship?¡± Sergio walked toward them with his mask covering his face. The mask was weird, as it looked like a hooked beak of a bird strapped with leather.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be as good as the dwarves themselves, but it will do,¡± Niki said as he looked at the unconscious dwarves. ¡°We can¡¯t convince the dwarves that their dream would possess them.¡±

    ¡°They will hate Lex and dere her a traitor,¡± Sergio said with an ufortable expression.

    ¡®I thought you hated her.¡¯ Yuxi gestured with a mocking smile.

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Sergio scratched his head as Niki looked at him silently.

    ¡®He¡¯s too empathetic.¡¯ Of course, Niki knew this already, but he was beginning to notice that it might pose a problem. Furthermore, it might be pathological to be this kind. ¡®Maybe I should take him to a doctor that would make him more selfish.¡¯

    As Niki thought of things he found usible while others might question their logic, Lex ran into the pavilion. She came in with sweat rolling down her face and her pipe strapped to her forearm.

    ¡°We need to run away, now!¡± She said, panting and trying to gather her breath. ¡°They check the workshop every hour. If they see the ship ready tounch, we¡¯ll be stopped. We have thirty minutes left!¡±

    ¡®She fixed a core in less than thirty minutes?¡¯ Niki was surprised. They wouldn¡¯t have been able to know the guard¡¯s schedule without Lex¡¯s help.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Niki nodded as he nced at Sergio. However, he took out a health potion and handed it to Lex without being told.

    The Gunmaster was surprised but had no time to question. She drank the potion, and her fatigue lessened enough for the four to go outside.

    The dwarves outside were nowhere to be seen, as Lex made up an excuse that the Master Dwarf wanted to see them a while ago. The four ran through the fort for a few minutes before they came across patrolling dwarves.

    The group slowed down their pace into walking as the dwarves looked at them warily. res brimming with tension were shot between the two groups until the dwarves sensed something was amiss.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± The dwarves blocked their paths. ¡°The Master instructed that you remain in your pavilion. Please return.¡±

    ¡°We took permission from the Master to overlook the ship¡¯s progress.¡± Lex lied.

    ¡°Very well.¡± The dwarf hesitated and nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll apany you then.¡±

    Sergio nced nervously at Niki, who was rtively calm. As they walked with the dwarves behind them, time began ticking. Since the workshop was on the deeper parts of the fort, they wouldn¡¯t reach it in less than thirty minutes of walking.

    Niki slowed down his pace until he was thest person walking in front of the dwarves. Lex shot him with aplex gaze as if asking him not to hurt them.

    ¡®We¡¯re making them an enemy, to begin with. We might as well give them a reason to hate us.¡¯ Niki sighed but didn¡¯t n on killing the dwarves.

    His Darkmoon Longbow appeared, and he infused it immediately with the effect of Blinding Light before shooting it. His darkness exploded to shield them from the light as the dwarves shouted because of the light.

    ¡°Run!¡±

    Niki shouted, and the group sprinted. Even though he was the fastest in the group, Niki remained in the back. After a while, a siren was set off in the whole fort.

    ¡°Warning, Code Five. Warning, Code Five.¡±

    An announcement rang in their ears as the gates began to close. Whoever saw them ran after them, and by the time they made it to the workshop, there was a whole group of guards following after them.

    ¡°That¡¯s the gate!¡± Lex pointed at the locked gate in front of them. However, there was no way they could get in after the gates began to shut down.

    ¡°Kaboom!¡± Sergio shouted as he waved his hand, and three vials made an arch in the air before they struck the metallic gate.

    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s too many¡­¡± Niki tried to stop him, but he was toote.

    BOOM!

 Chapter 100: Is This What You Fear?

    The Ferro Fort shook, causing dust to fall from the ceiling as it threatened to copse. Niki could see nothing from the dust and smoke of the explosion. The heat of the st scorched his skin, but his fingers had frostbites.

    ¡°Damn, Sergio,¡± Niki muttered under his breath as he lowered his arm. The other three were sprawled on the ground, and even the dwarves couldn¡¯t steady themselves.

    From behind the dust cloud came a bright light. When everything settled, a significant gap was torn in the fortified wall. Traces of frost and mes could be seen on it.

    ¡°I did say kaboom, but¡­ cough.¡± Sergio tried to stand up from the ground with his face covered in soot. There were burn marks on his arms and legs.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about thister.¡± Niki helped him stand as he looked at the other two, who were rtively doing better. ¡°We need to hurry up. Hopefully, Sergio didn¡¯t destroy the ship again.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t destroy itst time¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up, your potion did.¡± Niki helped the alchemist as he limped toward the door. There were shouts behind them of the swarming dwarves, and Lex took out her gun and fired several shots in the air.

    They ran into the workshop and found Alias in front of them. It was steadily floating as it did before. As they approached it, dwarves swarmed into the workshop.

    ¡°Stop moving!¡± Master Dwarf was in the lead of his armed squad. ¡°Otherwise, we¡¯ll shoot!¡±

    Hearing those words, Niki and the others froze. The sight of a hundred dwarves carrying guns was still fresh in their minds. They turned to see themselves surrounded by countless firearms, ready to shred them.

    ¡°What is the meaning of this, Lex?¡± Master Dwarf red at her. ¡°How could you¡­ betray us like this?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saving you, not betraying,¡± Lex said. ¡°The inheritance you seek is a cursed one.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why you attacked some of us and took the items they brought?¡± Master Dwarf looked saddened. ¡°Our ancestors dictated that we find the inheritance, no matter the consequences.¡±

    ¡°Your ancestors, not mine,¡± Lex said with a frown, gritting her teeth. ¡°You will thank meter.¡± She said as she took out her gun.

    ¡°What, you are going to fight against a hundred guns with one?¡± Master Dwarf shook his head. ¡°Surrender, and I¡¯ll make sure you are spared.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Gunmaster, Lex.¡± She said with pride, but Niki felt as if she was holding back her sobs. ¡°My weapons are unmatched!¡±

    She pulled the trigger toward the dwarves, but nothing came out of the muzzle. Instead, like spreading its wings, two tes opened on each side out of the gun. Most of the dwarves screamed in pain as they fell to their knees.

    ¡°A directed sonic attack?¡± Master Dwarf covered his ears with pained expressions as they bled. Yet, even with his betrayed expression, he looked amazed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Lex apologized and turned to Niki. ¡°Let¡¯s leave!¡± She said, and Niki nodded in response. He carried Sergio and jumped over the ship as the other two climbed into it.

    The workshop had a dock connected to it, which Lex had opened beforehand for their sail. As soon as she boarded Alias, she ran toward the core room, and the ship began to move.

    Niki took out a health potion from Sergio¡¯s pouch and made him drink it. After that, the alchemist rested as his wounds began to heal.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, boss. The moment I try to be reliable, I rely on you.¡± Sergio said as he coughed. In addition to being the closest to the explosion, he was also the weakest one in the group. Thus, he was hurt the most.

    ¡°Shut up, idiot. That¡¯s how we do things. You rely on me, and I rely on you.¡± Niki said with a frown. ¡°Now, just rest as I take care of the rest.¡±

    Niki stood up and walked toward the railings. Jumping on them, he looked at the dwarves aiming their guns at Alias, hoping to bring it down. He spread his arms as he looked down on them.

    ¡°You shall not pass.¡±

    His darkness exploded like a hungry fog until it blocked the ship. The dwarves pulled their triggers, and bullets rained on his darkness.

    The moment a bullet touched his darkness, it disappeared as it entered his pocket dimension. However, their inertia and destructiveness were still there. So, every time a bullet entered his pocket dimension, it made space unstable as it struck the walls.

    As hundreds of bullets struck the walls of his pocket dimension, Niki felt that it was threatening to break. The damage was directly transmitted toward the ck cube in his sea of consciousness.

    ¡°Cough,¡± The blood leaked from his mouth and nose as his eyes turned entirely red. However, he didn¡¯t stop using his darkness until Alias entered the tunnel and the bullets of the dwarves struck the walls.

    As it finally ended, Niki could do nothing but fall back on the deck. Hey next to Sergio as blood leaked from his nose and eyes. His mana rushed to fix the damage to his pocket dimension and sea of consciousness, but the process felt like a hundred knives striking his naval.

    The blood trailed down toward his neck and his cheeks. Niki watched the light on the ceiling turn brighter by the second as he waited for his body to recover.

    Someone appeared in front of him with her short brown hair and calm eyes. Yuxi crouched beside him and looked at him as he bled. She raised her hand and touched his headband, making Niki¡¯s eyes turn scary as he red at her.

    His darkness was about to explode, but she retracted her hand from the headband and grabbed his neck instead.

    ¡®Is this what you fear?¡¯ She mouthed the words, but Niki could understand them. Her small hand wrapped itself around his neck.

    ¡®I have the opportunity now, but am I going to do it?¡¯ She asked as she let go of her hand and stood up. She walked toward Sergio¡¯s pouch and took out a health potion before making Niki drink it.

 Chapter 101: A Single Push

    As the clear blue sky became their new ceiling, Niki began to regain movement. Without the potion that Yuxi gave him, he would have taken a bit more time. He touched his neck where she grabbed him, her words still fresh in his mind.

    ¡®Is this what you fear?¡¯

    It was. Niki hated that he was in a position where she could do that for him, even to prove that she wouldn¡¯t hurt him. Yuxi gave him the potion when he couldn¡¯t move, but it sat in his stomach like disgusting sewage water.

    ¡®Maybe I should be grateful, but I¡¯m fucking not.¡¯ Nik retracted his hand and turned toward the mute archer, grabbing her bow and standing beside the railings.

    He stood up and hobbled toward her. His darkness muffled his steps until he was right behind her, his hands raised. All he could think of was this:

    ¡®A single push and I can rest easy¡­¡¯

    His body moved without thinking as if he was in a trance. Niki took a single step forward and shoved the archer into the railings before pushing her off the ship.

    Yuxi turned with shock as she looked at him, her brown hair fluttering in the wind. Niki watched as she fell to the ground while dread filled her eyes. The fear he saw within them made him snap out of his senses, but she was gone.

    ¡®I pushed her¡­¡¯ Niki looked at his hands, which had blood on them. As he closed his eyes, wishing that this wasn¡¯t real, his wishes were fulfilled.

    ¡°Wake up!¡± Pain stung his cheeks as he snapped his eyes open. He was lying on the ship, and Lex¡¯s face filled his view. She grabbed his cor and pulled him up, pointing at the sky.

    ¡°We need your help!¡± A giant ship was a distance away behind them, and Yuxi was looking at it beside the railing.

    ¡®It was a dream?¡¯ Niki blinked as he looked at Yuxi standing there, alive and on the ship. Now that he thought about it, how can there be blood on his hand just from pushing her?

    ¡°I said, we need to run! Do your thing!¡± His other cheek stung as Lex pped him again, trying to snap him out of his daze.

    ¡°Thing?¡±

    ¡°How did you hide the bullets?¡± Lex asked with urgency. ¡°Use that, but on the ship!¡±

    ¡°Just because I can¡­¡±

    ¡°This ship is a giant bullet. Just hide it!¡± Lex pulled him up and threw him toward the railings. ¡°Mute girl, give me a three Mana Restore from the alchemist¡¯s bag!¡±

    Before Niki could say anything, Lex made him drink the three potions, and his mana was restored instantly. However, the potency of the potions didn¡¯t fade even as his mana reached its peak.

    Some people thought this method would increase their mana, but theyter found that it would only hurt your energy pathways.

    ¡°Go, go, go!¡±

    Niki raised his hand as his mana turned into darkness and exploded. His dark mana covered the ship and began to conceal it, decreasing tremendously before being refilled by the potions.

    He became the filter of darkness until the ship disappeared and slipped into the dark dimension. Niki knew that such a grand show was bound to bring him troubleter on, as others might use him of being a Dark Being instead of a human.

    Not that he was a human.

    However, the alternative was being shot by the dwarves. Between a possibility and a certainty, Niki would rather bet on the former.

    As his darkness concealed the ship, his mana was almost gone, but it was still regenerating faster than usual. Niki maintained the stealth as Alias drew away from the dwarves under Lex¡¯s steering.

    The dwarves couldn¡¯t shoot down an aircraft they couldn¡¯t see. As Alias flew away, Niki slumped back on the floor. He breathed heavily on the deck with a sweaty face as Lex came out of the core room with a triumphant smile.

    ¡°Good job, everyone!¡±

    ¡°Good job trying to kill me indeed,¡± Niki spat as he felt the headband get soaked with sweat. He grabbed the railing and tried to stand up, looking at the archer beside him, who was looking at him with a concerned face.

    ¡®Don¡¯t give me that face when I dream of killing you,¡¯ Niki felt sick all of a sudden and wanted to be alone.

    ¡°Well, it was either that or us getting buried with the ship,¡± Lex shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s your call, captain!¡± She said with a grin.

    ¡°How is Sergio?¡± Niki turned toward the alchemist, who was snoring amid the crisis. Despite being sprawled on his face, Sergio¡¯s burns looked a lot better than earlier.

    ¡°He¡¯s better, I think? I didn¡¯t have a lot of time to check on him between flying the ship and making sure that we aren¡¯t blown to smithereens.¡± Lex said with a helpless shrug.

    ¡°Steer the ship toward the west,¡± Niki said as he wobbled toward Sergio. Crouching beside him, Niki heard his bones crackle. ¡°Ugh.¡±

    He pulled Sergio toward the room below. Opening the hatchway, Niki turned to re at the archer. After seeing his gestures for her to help him. Yuxi came forward and carried Sergio with him.

    They managed to bring Sergio down to the bunk and threw him on the bed. Niki shooed the archer away, and she left. He walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

    The headband he wore unrolled on the sink as Niki looked at his reflection in the mirror. An ugly creature covered with dried-up blood all over his face and neck.

    His two horns and ears breathed the fresh air after being wrapped up for so long. The two ck horns ached as he touched them. The fact that he could feel anything from them disturbed him.

    Niki cleaned his body and wiped away the blood before taking a new headband, a grey one, and wrapping it around his head. Then, after going back into the room and making sure Sergio was recovering, Niki fell asleep on the bed.

 Chapter 102: Assembling The Key

    The ship stopped moving, and it woke him up. It waste at night when Niki opened his eyes, which he could deduce from the ck window.

    He rose from the bed and stretched before climbing up the deck. The infinite stars above them looked as if it was painted by a divine being, beautiful and ever-stretching.

    ¡°It makes you feel small, aye?¡±

    Niki turned and found Lex standing on the deck. She was holding her Tabaco pipe in hand as it silently burned, the smoke drifting in the wind.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± Niki looked around with a frown. He allowed himself to sleep like that. It was a mistake on his part to be so unaware.

    ¡°In the location that you told me about, captain!¡± Lex said with a smile as she walked over. ¡°Are you alright now? I¡¯m sorry about dragging you like that.¡±

    ¡°It had to be done. Did we lose them?¡±

    ¡°Yes, your abilitysted long enough for us to run away,¡± Lex said as her face turned to unease. ¡°I must say that the darkness you used is nothing less than¡­¡±

    ¡°Creepy?¡± Niki smirked. Lex looked awkward but nodded anyway. ¡°That¡¯s what you asked for.¡± He walked toward the railings and looked around. The dungeon should be at the base of the mountain.

    ¡°We can¡¯t bring the alchemist along,¡± Lex said as she tapped the railings with her pipe, allowing the ash to drift into the wind. ¡°He would have to stay here with the archer.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by no?¡± Lex blinked. ¡°You want to bring him into a dungeon? Are you mad?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving him with the archer,¡± Niki said as he turned and walked toward the crates. ¡°I want another gun.¡±

    ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°To use it as a toothpick. What else can I use it for?¡± Niki said with sarcasm which Lex didn¡¯t appreciate.

    ¡°I told you, cold weapons are¡­¡±

    ¡°The future. I know.¡± Niki knew that better than anyone. After the world falls apart, monsters that the world never saw the likes of before would appear. Shooting bullets at those monsters were akin to tickling them, even with the many buffs that you can add.

    ¡°It¡¯s a simple equation. The firepower of weapons can never catch up to the Strength stat humans can attain.¡± Lex said as she walked to stand beside him.

    ¡°I¡¯m still the mostfortable with a gun in my holster,¡± Niki said as he stretched out his arm. Lex sighed, walked toward a different crate full of her items, and took out a gun simr to Niki¡¯s weapon.

    A grin of delight bloomed on his face as he took the gun and felt its weight in his hand. He nodded in thanks to the Gunmaster and slipped the weapon into its rightful ce.

    ¡°Let¡¯s descend,¡± Niki said, and Lex nodded, going into the core room. Even though Niki knew how to steer a ship, Lex was leagues above him in terms of control and smoothness.

    The ship began descending to the base of the mountain. In the meantime, Niki took out the bullets from his pocket dimension that the dwarves fired and began reconstructing the space.

    It was unstable since yesterday, and it would break down if he didn¡¯t supply it with mana. So after spending half of his mana on it, the pocket dimension¡¯s life was extended by another day.

    ¡®It should be enough until we¡¯re done with the inheritance.¡¯ Niki thought as the ship approached the ground. The ship stopped moving a few meters from the ground. Lex came out from the core room with her gun in hand, ready for battle.

    ¡°Both you get off,¡± Niki said to the archer and the Gunmaster. They nodded and walked toward the room below the deck. ¡°No, leave Sergio here.¡±

    ¡°What? Alone and bedridden?¡± Lex frowned.

    ¡°Just get off,¡± Niki frowned, and the Gunmaster turned to Yuxi, seeking out her opinion. Yuxi nodded, and the two jumped off. Niki touched the floor and closed his eyes. Alias, along with Sergio, disappeared.

    Niki fell to the ground after the ship disappeared andnded in front of Yuxi and Lex. The two looked at him with dazed expressions, which he chose to ignore.

    ¡°The dungeon is over there,¡± Niki walked toward the deeper parts of the forest where no light existed. He could feel the two get unnerved by the darkness which he adored. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Nothing is jumping out of the bushes.¡±

    They reached the dungeon under Niki¡¯s guidance. The two girls looked at each other then turned to Niki. Sensing their unease, Niki smiled lightly.

    ¡°Do you trust me?¡±

    ¡°Not really,¡± Lex shrugged, and Yuxi shook her head. Their response made Niki nod in approval.

    ¡°Good, that¡¯s how it should be.¡± Niki nodded. ¡°I wish that idiot learns a bit of cynicism from you guys.¡±

    ¡®You are its greatest master.¡¯ Yuxi gestured, and Niki straightened his back with pride. ¡®It¡¯s not apliment!¡¯ She huffed.

    ¡°Enough chitchat,¡± Niki took out the blueprint and the parts. ¡°I need your help to assemble this key.¡± He said with hands of darkness as he picked up the pieces.

    ¡°How about I do it myself?¡± Lex asked with a bit of greed.

    ¡°Is that the Souls Mechanic talking, or you?¡± Niki nced and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m the only one who can do it. Just help me read the blueprint.¡±

    He handed her the blueprint, and Lex began guiding him through the steps to assemble the key. Then, piece by piece, the key started to take shape under their eyes.

    When Niki inserted thest part, the small watch, the key looked like three-quarters of a sphere with cogs and screws everywhere. It gave out a low hum as it glowed. But, before it did anything more than that, Niki ced it in his pocket dimension.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go dungeon diving,¡± Niki said with a grin and grabbed the dungeon¡¯s entrance. The other two nced at each other and touched it as well. Then, the three of them disappeared.

 Chapter 103 - A Partial Mask

    The three of them appeared in front of the statue, without the machines which Niki had already taken down. Yuxi and Lex looked around the tower and the tform.

    Niki took out the key and ced it in the statue, and the eyes of the Souls Mechanic lit up. The sculpture began to move and aimed its gun toward the sky.??

    "I took care of the machines for you two, so I''ll leave the rest for you guys," Niki said as the statue pulled the trigger, shooting toward the sky.

    The two looked at Niki with a frown before looking at the shot in the sky. It was like a shooting star that exploded in the sky before falling toward the tform.

    Each part of the shot struck a tform, making it start to move. The tforms began to line up between their tform and the tower. Then, the star in the sky descended toward the building and struck its highest points.

    "What is going on?" Lex frowned as the gears began to shift in the tower and the gate parted open.

    "The Souls Mechanic is inviting us in," Niki said with a grin. "Lex, prepare yourself. I''m clueless here. You are the mechanic."

    "Do you mean..."

    "Use your eye," Niki said with a sigh. "Just don''t look at me."

    Lex looked at him and nodded. The three walked atop the bridge until they reached the entrance of the tower. The moment Niki set foot inside, the ground lit up with his step as the origin and lines darted everywhere.

    The circr hall had a pir in the middle of it. Lex turned toward Niki, who nodded before she walked toward the pir. She took off her eyepatch, and the me appeared around her eye.

    The Celestial Eye analyzed all. Lines, numbers, and diagrams appeared on the pir when the Gunmaster touched it. They moved around the pir rapidly, with various circles appearing beneath them.

    A wall of light appeared around the pir, isting Lex inside. She could no longer hear or talk to them until she calctes the inputs given to her.

    ''What are these?''

    Yuxi pulled on Niki''s sleeve and gestured. Niki flicked his arm away and nced at her with a frown.

    "You should have seen some of them in Rohan Academy," Niki said, but the archer shook her head. "They are equations, questions, and calctions."

    ''Why here?''

    "It''s a test for Lex from the Souls Mechanic." Niki turned toward the Gunmaster. "She might end up being possessed, though."

    Yuxi''s eyes widened as she tried to rush forward and prevent Lex. Niki, however, grabbed her arm and flung her back. Shended on her rear as she looked at Niki with confusion.

    "Don''t interfere with her fate." Niki red at her. "She can do this. If she fails, I''ll simply kill her."

    "Ahh," Yuxi''s face turned into a terrified expression. She tried to stand up, but Niki already had his gun in hand. He aimed it at her.

    "The only reason that I told you about this was to test you," Niki said with a grin. "What are you going to do now, mute archer?" Yuxi looked at him with fear and then looked at the muzzle.

    ''Why do you act this way?'' She raised her trembling hand and gestured. ''She''s a good person.''

    "You think you have the duty of saving everyone as if they need saving. You are the truly arrogant person for thinking others can''t fend for themselves. Lex will win using her efforts. If you truly care about her instead of your petty self-esteem, sit back and watch."

    Niki lowered his gun and slid it back into the holster. He stood to the side and waited. This time, the archer didn''t try to run forward and simply watched from behind.

    Lex''s hand darted from one ce to the other, solving calctions and questions instantly. She flicked her finger, writing a string of numbers before the diagram disappeared.

    Niki could never pull such a thing off. He wasn''t the brightest in school and calctions, even with his advanced intelligence state. The reason was simple: he hated studying, despite knowing how important it was.

    The diagram and numbers began growing fewer. Sweat rolled down Lex''s face as her limits were tested one time after the other. However, she never folded. The calctions that needed several hours to finish were done with the flick of a finger.

    Theplexity increased by arge margin that even Niki couldn''t keep up. At the start, he could make out what the question is. Now, it was beyond him.

    The me on Lex''s eyes increased in intensity until it exploded. A celestial presence descended as a partial golden mask covered Lex''s eye. She was waving her hand so quickly that it left afterimages.

    "She can materialize the Celestial Eye?" Niki''s eyes constricted as he unconsciously gripped his gun. The divine presence made him feel nauseous and threatened, even though it was less disgusting than holy powers.

    The pir began cracking as Lex continued to solve the calctions at breathtaking speed. Light shone from within the cracks before exploding as Lex drew the final line.

    The Gunmaster retreated as the pir began breaking. With a deafening sound, the pir split into many pieces that fell apart under the eyes of the free.

    The white barrier around Lex disappeared as well, and it gathered into what appeared from within the pir. A fist-size crystal floated on top of a small stand. The spiritual energy that was countless times stronger than the one in the parts resided within the crystal.

    "A soul?" Lex was surprised as her celestial eye looked at the crystal. The partial mask began cracking until it disintegrated into pieces.

    She lowered her eyepatch and turned to Niki with confusion. Her ck hair stuck to her tanned skin because of the sweat it poured out. Niki turned from her toward the crystal in the middle.

    "Careful!" Niki darted forward as ethereal energy exploded from within the crystal. It formed a figure that rushed toward the unaware Lex.

 Chapter 104 - Souls Mechanic

    Niki aimed at the figure instantly, shooting several bullets, which he infused with his mana. They reached the soul as it was a few inches away from Lex.

    The bullets didn''t kill it or make it dissipate, but it did disturb its presence long enough for Niki to pull the Gunmaster back. It gave a shrill scream and grewrger, and its features became more prominent.??

    "Yo, Souls Mechanic," Niki bared its teeth as his crimson eyes glowed eerily in the darkness. "Do you think it''s wise for you to fight us as a soul?"

    Souls need bodies for a reason, and bodies need souls. Each of them was weak on its own. The ethereal entity in front of them wavered in hesitation.

    "Why are you all still..."

    "Not possessed?" Niki smirked. "Your little n to possess others annoyed me, so I made sure to pick up every single item that I found. All sixty-six of them."

    "You?" The Souls Mechanic''s aura turned menacing, and the tension rose in the hall. "You dare stand in the way of my reincarnation? With your puny strength?"

    "I think you misunderstand who the predator is here." Niki took a step forward as his jaws gaped to reveal his long teeth. His crimson eyes made the Soul Mechanic''s soul shiver. "However, someone else needs to take the stage."

    Niki retracted his aura and took a step back. He turned toward Lex and nodded her way. The Gunmaster loaded her gun as the me around her eyepatch began leaking out.

    "I got this," Lex said before darting forward. She removed her eyepatch, and the me exploded again, but her eye didn''t materialize like before.

    "I never thought my vessel would be one holding a Celestial Eye!" The Souls Mechanicughed heartily with glee. "We are fated to be one!"

    "Just shut up." Niki fired a bullet embedded with darkness, which went through the soul''s head. "You ther too much, second-rate viin."

    "Second-rate?" The head reformed itself. "How dare you, I was a member of the greatest pirates ever to exist!"

    ''He''s mad about the second-rate thing?'' Niki was amused, but he didn''t care about the Souls Mechanic''s backstory and simply fired again. Lex did the same, and the onught began, but the Mechanic didn''t stand idly.

    The tower rumbled as doors spat out new machines that rushed forward to attack them. Yuxi grabbed her bow and blended into the background, striking at the machines from afar. As for Niki, he became Lex''s shield.

    "I''ll hold the machines back as you take care of the mechanic!"

    He was behind Lex in an instant and turned to strike the ground. Darkness rose from the ground as if a giant monster opened its maw, blocking the advancement of the machines.

    The machines fired their bullets and their energy beams at him, making Niki''s darkness gets torn apart. However, it was enough to hold back the enemies as Lex fired at the soul.

    "Foolish mortal," The Souls Mechanic''s soul grewrger as spiritual spears began folding into themselves above his arm. He waved his arm like an ancient god bringing down destruction.

    The Celestial Eye saw it all. Lex rolled on the ground and then jumped to the side, the spears missing her by a hairbreadth. She aimed her gun and fired while crouching, disturbing the soul attacking her.

    The Souls Mechanic raised both of its hands and gathered his spiritual power. It exploded and struck the ceiling but didn''t destroy it. Instead, the tower lit up from the inside as it began to fold into itself, creating a giant gap.

    Countless guns appeared on the walls as flying machines began pouring in through the gap. Lex looked at all of them with her Celestial Eye as her grip tightened around the gun.

    "Don''t underestimate us, mortals," Lex grinned as she aimed her guns. "Sometimes, we might surprise you."

    As she said that, a volley of bullets left her muzzle. She took out another gun and began firing as well. Each bullet struck a machine''s weak point -¨C an essential cord, a loose te, or a gap between the cogs ¨C and they fell to the ground like one after the other.

    "Impossible..." The Souls Mechanic muttered in shock. "Processing this amount of information is beyond your capacity!"

    "Test me, bootlicker." Lex licked her lips. Her shoots were unceasing. The soul wavered as its machines fell to the ground., turning toward the rest which Niki had taken down using his darkness.

    "How..." It tried to understand how these bunch can be so strong. "Each of these machines is at the F-rank. So it shouldn''t be...."

    "A growing dungeon. If we have found this dungeon in a year, or even less, it would have been an S-rank dungeon." Niki grinned. "You can me the gods for this dogshit luck of yours."

    "I won''t allow you to destroy my n!" The Souls Mechanic roared. "Even if it means reincarnating as a machine, I will kill you all."

    He flew toward the biggest machine, which Lex took down and dived straight into it. The machine''s eyes lit up as it floated again, the torn wire reconnecting itself. Guns appeared on its shoulders as its mouth gave a hollowugh.

    "You will die today, mortals. My soul can enhance...."

    "Goddamn, finally." Niki took out the vials from his pocket dimension. "It was such a chore to wait for this moment."

    "What are those?" The Souls Mechanic looked at it with disdain. "Don''t think that yourme potions can save you!" Its voice came out hoarse as if gear produced it.

    "Let''s see about that. Retreat behind me!" Niki shouted, and the two girls ran behind him in response. He threw the five vials he had procured from Sergio and pped the ground to construct a wall of darkness.

    "See you on the other side of oblivion, Souls Mechanic." Niki grinned as the vials broke in front of the machine. The ice and fire energy sted against each other, exploding and destroying everything in its path.

 Chapter 105 - A Powerful Entity

    The darkness enveloped the three as the explosion shook the tower. Their ears buzzed because of the st as they felt the ground beneath them shake. When everything finally settled, Niki''s darkness retracted toward his body.

    Even though it was the bane of elements, it wasn''t an infinite pit that can absorb everything. The explosion force still made him expand a considerable amount of mana, even though the elements were absorbed. ??

    "This is a weapon of mass destruction," Lex muttered as she shielded her eyes. Niki couldn''t help but agree, amazed at the capabilities of his bedridden friend.

    Sergio might not be the strongest or the brightest, but he was the most genius person Niki knew. In the future, he would be feared for his unorthodox potions that could rival Defiers.

    The smoke left the tower through the gap, and their vision began clearing up. The ce looked like a scene from hell, where ice and fire energies caused sparks to fly everywhere, small explosions still urring.

    The explosion obliterated the machines, and the Souls Mechanic had several limbs missing. The lights on its head were ominously flickering while itid on the ground after losing its ability to fly.

    "I..."

    His hoarse voice was now weak and distant, seeming to be on the verge of copse.

    "I just wanted... live one more time... yet you..." His voicemented the world for not working the way he wanted. "What have I ever done to you..."

    "You''ve tried possessing us." Niki spat. "Don''t act as if you are the victim. You had thising the moment you considered yourself more important than others."

    "But... don''t you do the same?" His voice came out of the broken machine. Niki was silent until the lights flickered out. "I curse you, monster. I curse you for... eternity... revenge... I will... have..."

    His voice faded as the lights went outpletely. Niki stood there silently as a crystal appeared above the machine. He read the system''s notification that dered the end of his quest.

    [Quest Completed. You can choose a new Bloodline Talent.]

    [You stole Fate. As a result, you obtained 20 Fate Points.]

    [A powerful entity noticed your presence. Beware.]

    ''What?'' Niki paused as he saw thest messages. He red at thest line with apprehension. ''A powerful entity noticed me? Who?''

    Niki felt creeped out. However, it wasn''t the time to be wary about such a thing. As long as he wasn''t facing any danger at the moment, he could think about itter.

    "It''s a Knowledge Crystal. It should contain the knowledge of the Souls Mechanic. So go ahead and grab it, go on." Niki turned toward Lex.

    "Don''t you covet it?"

    "I''m clueless about mechanics." Niki shook his head. "Taking this knowledge is like giving a knife to a limbless person. I can''t make use of it."

    "His knowledge and techniques are... evil," Lex said with a frown as she covered her eye. "I think it should be destroyed. Souls shouldn''t be tampered with."

    "Are you an idiot?" Niki snapped his head toward her. "Only living beings can be good or evil. Techniques are just a tool. You can use them for good or for evil. It''s up to you."

    "I can give them to Master as an apology," Lex said as she walked toward the crystal. Niki was stunned when he heard that, but she was walking toward the crystal anyway.

    "Wait... what?"

    "The dwarves want this, so I''m giving it to them. It''s a way to free myself from their debt. If we told them about the dungeon before, they would have been possessed, right? But now it''s different."

    Lex didn''t hesitate or waver in any way. She simply walked toward the crystal, reaching out to grab it. However, a gunshot sound rang in the hall.

    "I thought about giving you the technique, but I changed my mind." The smoke left Niki''s gun as he red at her. The bullet lodged itself in front of her. "It seems despite hating each other, you and Sergio have the same kind of idiocy."

    "What are you trying to do?" Lex turned to Niki.

    "I''m not letting you give the crystal to the dwarves. Not in a million fucking years." Niki spat.

    He never calcted for such idiocy. In his past life, the dwarves were killed by the Souls Mechanic. The only survivor was Lex herself. That''s why she was the one who ended up with the Souls Mechanic knowledge.

    "I thought you said this was my fate. I get to decide what to do with it." Lex said with a frown. She reached out to her gun, but Niki fired at it, striking it away.

    "Some people are too much of an idiot to be given a choice." Niki sighed. He thought about the countless people who would die without Lex''s fortress.

    Niki might be a cold-blooded, cynical, and ruthless bastard. However, he never wished to harm innocents who don''t threaten him. He refused to be a carrier of suffering. Humans needed to survive to overthrow Celestia.

    "You are either dying here," Niki said with cold eyes. "Or you learn the knowledge."

    "Why do you want me to learn it that badly?" Lex frowned. "Can it be that you are... possessed?"

    "That''s usible." Niki grinned as he felt Yuxi take a step away from him. "If you use your skill, I''m killing her." Niki threatened the archer.

    "You are not going to deny it?" Lex squinted her eyes. "Are you... the Souls Mechanic?" She seemed to be convinced of her hypothesis.

    "Denying it? That''s the same as admitting it." Niki smiled. "I''m not that pathetic mechanic. I only know that you need to be the one inheriting the knowledge, not the dwarves."

    The dwarves were known for their selfish attitude toward the other races. They might have their reasons, but it didn''t change the fact that they refused to help humans.

    "I refuse," Lex said with a frown. "As much as I dislike them, the dwarves gave me a home. They deserve the knowledge they seek."

 Chapter 106 - A Carrier Of Suffering

    "Alright," Niki suddenly grinned and lowered his gun. "I was only trying to test your character, and you passed." He said as he walked toward the crystal.

    "...test?" Lex looked at him with suspicion. Niki took the Knowledge Crystal and presented it to her before she could say anything.??

    "A test," Niki nodded. "You can give the crystal to anyone you want." He said with a sweet smile.

    "Thank you for understanding." Lex sighed and took the crystal. "I thought you were..." Before she could finish, Niki grabbed her hand and squeezed it. The crystal broke in Lex''s hand, and light exploded from it.

    "You are still too trusting, Gunmaster Lex." Niki grinned as her eyes widened. The light dived into her head as she staggered backward.

    His darkness exploded and blocked the iing arrow. Niki turned toward the mute archer who was ring at him hatefully.

    ''You just want to see the world burn, don''t you?'' She gestured.

    "It''s the opposite," Niki said to her with a grin. "This is one of the few times that I''m the good person here. Lex is a good person. Only she can be the one to make use of the knowledge to help others."

    ''You care about others now? You simply want to destroy her rtionship with the dwarves.''

    "Coteral damage." Niki shrugged. "It''s essential for her growth, believe me."

    ''That''s how you see it.'' Yuxi gestured as she turned toward Lex. ''You only seek to be stronger, not caring if it destroyed your rtionship with others beyond fixing.''

    "For a mute, you talk too much." Niki sneered and turned toward the Gunmaster, who was still assimting the knowledge. "She should be done."

    Yuxi snorted and turned toward Lex, watching her every movement. The Gunmaster seemed in a daze as she kept muttering iprehensible things. After she finally snapped out of it, her eye sparkled with interest.

    "This is beyond belief..." Lex vaguely stated, making the two observers confused. "The techniques he used can not only give souls to machines but control them remotely..."

    "That sounds convenient. For example, if you want to fly a ship or a fort without having to steer it yourself."

    "Ah?" Lex looked confused before she looked down on her palm and back at Niki. "What have you done to me?!" Her eyes widened in panic.

    "What are you talking about? You crushed the crystal yourself after agreeing that you are the best person to make use of the knowledge."

    "I... did...?" Lex held her head in confusion. "No! You''re lying!"

    "Tsk didn''t think you would remember." Niki clicked his tongue as he turned back. "The past is in the past now. You either suck it up or make another enemy."

    "You ruined my only chance to make up with the dwarves!"

    "You don''t need them anymore. So why does it matter?" Niki said with confusion as he turned to look at the Gunmaster.

    Lex flinched when she saw how genuinely confused Niki looked. She took a step back, looking at Niki with dread that she never felt before.

    "Who, for heaven''s sake, robbed you of your empathy?"

    The fear in her voice wasn''t directed at Niki''s merciless behavior, his twisted ideals, or his methods. Instead, it was hisck of empathy.

    Niki stared silently at her. Finally, a thin smile broke on his face, and he turned around without saying anything and left the tower. The Gunmasterposed herself and ran after him.

    "If you are like this, I don''t want to travel with you!" Lex said when she reached the statue. Yuxi was right behind her, and the two red at him.

    "I have the weapons, so are you sure?" Niki smiled as he touched the statue. "Believe me, Gunmaster. You will thank meter for what I did, even if the dwarves resent you now."

    His body disappeared from the dungeon and reappeared outside. As he left the underground cave, Lex and Yuxi left the dungeon and followed after him.

    They stopped behind Niki, who halted his steps. The dwarves were a distance away from the entrance, standing with their lights on.

    "Lex?" Master Dwarf asked with surprise. "You survived the... inheritance? Did you obtain it?"

    "I... did..."

    "And she used it, even though you guys wanted it," Niki interjected.

    "No! I wanted to give it to you!" Lex objected. "However, he made me..."

    "You took the inheritance?!" Harlem roared from the crowd; his rage was overflowing. It seems he was the one who guided the dwarves toward the dungeon. "You selfish bastard! After all, we did for you. Is this how you repay us?"

    "This is why humans should never be trusted. I knew she was an ungrateful wench! We should have left her to die!" Then, another one of the possessed dwarves chimed in.

    "These are your people. They jumped on you with usations, showing their real feelings about you, the moment that you were against them. They didn''t even care enough to question my words or give you the benefit of the doubt." Niki said with a grin as Lex''s body shook.

    The Gunmaster looked at the dwarves who were ring at her, and her body shrank back. The words Niki said were the truth, no matter how badly she wished they were not.

    "Lex, did you truly take the inheritance?" Master Dwarf asked with hesitation, his brows furrowed. Lex looked at him with shaken eyes before she gritted her teeth.

    "Whatever I say or do here, I''m the viin here." Lex gritted her teeth. "You are a devil," She spat at Niki. "But it seems these people aren''t that much different."

    "I am a devil who speaks the truth," Niki said before a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu overtook him. The words he just said sounded familiar, and her ghost appeared beside him again. It never went away; it was always there.

    ''I am a devil who speaks the truth,''

    This phrase was one she used to say to him after proving how corrupted others were. He said that he refuses to be a carrier of suffering, but what was he doing now?

    He was doing to Lex what Lilith did to him.

    ''I''m a hypocrite.''

 Chapter 107 - A Darker Era

    The feeling of a sword piercing his heart returned to him as he remembered the time he spent working under Lilith. It took him countless years to realize that the person, who he thought of as the sole person to care about him, was breaking him.

    "Did I break you, or did I break your shell?" ??

    Lilith whispered in his ear as the scenery seemed to freeze. Lex''s face was full of sadness, Yuxi looked around them warily, and the dwarves were shouting at them. Everything was frozen in space.

    Lilith took small steps away from him before turning to face him. Her face was a blur as if Niki''s mind refused to see her again. However, he could tell that she was grinning.

    "Did I change you, or did I simply reveal what you truly are?"

    "I''m not like you," Niki gritted his teeth. "I don''t enjoy breaking people, nor do I seek their misery."

    "But you do, dear, you do. Why do you think I chose you?" She walked closer to him and stood a few steps away. "You don''t want to be the only paranoid, broken, and miserable one. That''s why you became a carrier of suffering, to make sure that others are just like you."

    "I am..."

    "A nobody unless you are with me," she continued her sentence with a grin, and Niki felt himself shrink. The world was getting vast, and he was turning small, unable to keep up. "That''s why you will seek me, not for revenge, but to be more than just a nobody."

    "I will indeed find you, but it will be to kill you. No, to make you suffer. I will have my revenge for what you did," Niki said, almost shouting, but the lump in his throat prevented him from doing so.

    "I see," Lilith grinned and took a step back. "This revenge of yours is your only way to prove that you are more than a nobody."

    "Shut up!"

    His rage tore down his fear and the illusion of her existence. Niki''s roar made the shouting of the dwarves cease, and the darkness in his voice made the crowd fearful.

    Niki snapped out of it and held his forehead. Fatigue and pain flooded through his body like a wave, making him suddenly dizzy. Yuxi stood beside him, looking worried as she tried to stabilize him.

    ''Weren''t you the one threatening me a few days ago?'' Niki red at her and pped away her reaching hand. He turned to Lex and the dwarves, whose rtionship was beyond saving now.

    Even if they forgive her, they would demand the inheritance, which Lex would believe to be the only reason they forgave her. ''She''s better off without them.''

    Lex would prove herself one of the greatest mechanics in the apocalypse and environment, which renders people hopeless and stagger their growth.

    "Are you done shouting at each other?" Niki''s eyelids felt heavy, and dark circles appeared beneath his crimson red eyes. The dwarves and the gun master seemed taken aback by the coldness of his voice, and he didn''t wait for their response. "She has the inheritance now. The only to get it is by killing her. What is your choice, dwarves?"

    Niki''s words fell with a heavy impact on the dwarves, who fell into hesitation after being faced with such a choice. His words were correct. They can get the inheritance by killing Lex.

    "Do you see their expressions?" Niki turned toward Lex. He didn''t want to break her belief about people, but this was the reality. "I''m leaving the choice to you."

    As he said so, Niki spread his arms, and the darkness revealed his ship, Alias. He jumped on its deck in front of the dwarves, who aimed their guns at the vessel.

    "Choose, Gunmaster!" Niki shouted. "You are eithering with me or staying with these dwarves!"

    "Do you think you can run away?" Herlem fired his gun without waiting for Lex''s answer. A fireball struck the hull of the ship, but the darkness worked to negate it. "No damage?" The dwarf muttered in shock.

    ''I have revealed too much, and I''ve gone out of my way for too long,'' Niki realized that he was wasting his time here. He needed to get to the Legendary Skill as soon as possible and attempt Val''s Selection.

    "This is thest time I''m asking you, Lex," Niki red at her. "Are youing with me, or are you staying?"

    The dwarves wanted to shoot again, but Master Dwarf raised his hand. He gave aplicated sigh as he looked at Lex. There were regret, fear, and determination.

    "I''ve raised you like my own daughter, but I couldn''t shield you from the hate we had toward humans. The debt I had toward your father should be fulfilled by now, and I''m leaving the choice to you. Whatever you decided, it shall be,"

    "Are you insane?!" Herlem roared before his head exploded. The headless body fell on the ground under the fearful eyes of the crowd.

    Master Dwarf lowered his gun with a bloodlust aura that threatened to suffocate the crowd. Niki''s eyes squinted as he realized that this old dwarf was more than appeared to the eye.

    "You killed him?" One of the dwarves backed away.

    "His mind has been corrupted, and he dared to disrespect me. I''ll kill any of you who question my decision," Master Dwarf lowered his gun and turned toward Lex. "Choose, child."

    Lex looked at the old dwarf with tears pooling in her eyes. She turned to look at the headless body of Herlem, who was possessed not long ago.

    Niki knew the look she had on her face. She realized that staying with the dwarf would simply tear them apart. After a shake of her head, the Gunmaster jumped on the ship.

    "Farewell, father," Lex bit her lower lip as tears spilled down her eyes. "I''ll never forget the kindness you showed me. Let''s go, devil."

    Then, Alias flew away from the crowd, taking away their dreams and hopes of immortality.

    ***

    "And Lex decided toe with us?" Sergio muttered with a daze as he held his head. "I slept through a dungeon dive, a battle against a crazy soul, and an emotional farewell? Did anyone record the show?"

    "Shut up. I want to sleep." Niki slept on the bed beside him. "I knew the mute would find a way into the ship without me realizing."

    "I''m amazed that you aren''t trying to kill her again because she sneaked in," the blonde alchemist nced at the archer and then back at Niki. "Is it true that you ruined the rtionship between Lex and the dwarves?"

    "It is," his arm shielded his eyes from the crowd as he replied. Sergio looked at him silently before nodding.

    "Do you regret it?" Sergio stood up as he took off his bandages. This time, Niki removed his arms and looked at his friend.

    "No," Niki replied, and he could feel the mute archer re at him. Why was this group so full of morals while he was not?

    "Do you know something we don''t?" Sergio asked, and Niki nodded after a brief silence. "Then I believe in you,"

    The trust Sergio ced in him made Niki panic because he could never return such feelings. The truth was that as much as he liked Sergio and trusted him, he didn''t want to stay with him.

    Niki stood up and climbed out of the room, leaving the two alone. He found the Gunmaster sitting on the railings of the ship, gazing at the stars.

    "I''m sorry," Niki stood behind her and watched her shoulders flinch. "I believe that you are better off without them, but I shouldn''t have tried to break you like that."

    "Why do you talk as if you know everything?" Lex said with a tired voice, and Niki couldn''t see her face. "It makes me sick," she didn''t hold back. "You make me sick."

    "We''ll walk away from each other when this journey is over," he said as he pocketed his hands. "I''ll only visit you once in a while for the Abyssal Art."

    "That would be for the better," Lex nodded and turned toward him. Her eyes were red as she continued. "I don''t want you to rob me of more things," she said with a scowl.

    "I don''t want to rob anyone too," he lowered his head to meet her eyes. "That''s why I want you to take care of Sergio. He''s a fool, a helpless romantic who can only see the good in people."

    "And what about you?" Lex was confused. "I thought you wanted to be with your friend."

    "The only one I trust and care about is Sergio. However, I''m too broken, and I don''t want to break him." Niki shook his head. He no longer needed to use A Wise Choice. Lilith''s ghost gave him his answer.

    "You are leaving him?" Lex asked, and Niki nodded. "And are you going to change?" Her eyes held expectations, and Niki turned to look at the starry night.

    "No," he could sense the disappointment Lex felt. "I need to be as I am because that''s the only way I can survive and get stronger."

    "Get stronger for what?" Lex''s voice was full of indignation, and she jumped off the railings. She grabbed his cor and looked him in the eyes. "What is it that you fear that you need to be like this?"

    Niki met her gaze, and he knew it instantly. Lex was a good person, one of the few. Even after what he did, she cared about him. However, the world doesn''t need good people. It needs powerful ones.

    "What is so important that you are leaving the person you trust the most for? Tell me," Lex asked again, tightening her fist around his cor.

    "A darker era,"

 Chapter 108 - Good Samaritan?

    Alil vige bathed in the sunlight of a new day, and farmers woke up early to tend to their fields. Despite being on the outer borders of the Rosia Kingdom, the vige was lively and rtively safe. It used to be a battlefield, but the citizens dreamt of a better future for thisnd.

    Woody''s Store was one of the few general stores that supplied the city with fresh supplies raging from dried veggies to chicken. Woody, the owner, was cleaning the hen house when a shadow passed over him.

    "A ship?"

    Woody realized that it was indeed a ship, but he couldn''t understand why it was turning upside down. Then, as he was getting more confused, Woody saw a figure fall from the ship.

    The figure iled his arms through the sky. Woody panicked and rushed toward the estimated location for its fall but had no idea what to do to save this person.

    ''If I had only practiced and hunted as my dad told me to...!'' Regret blossomed in Woody''s gentle heart. He realized that this moment might be the reason for his existence, but he had failed to prepare.

    The figurended in front of him before Woody''s feet could carry him. Woody fell to his knees as he closed his eyes to avoid seeing the terror of the scene before him.

    ''I need to give them a proper burial,'' the poor man realized, and he steeled his heart. He didn''t hear any screams after the full, so he hoped it was a painless death.

    "Cough, cough," as the dust cloud began settling, Woody realized that the person in front of him was alive. "Damn it, Sergio, you have finally turned insane."

    "A-are you alright, good sir?" Woody stood up hurriedly, but a young man walked out of the dust cloud before he could rush in to help.

    "Oh," the young man paused. His attire was quite simple, but it was too modern. He wore a pair of sweatpants and a hoody, and there was a grey headband covering his head. "Ah, yes, I''m fine. Can I know where this is?"

    "Alil Vige, good sir," Woody looked up and down at the young man, looking for any twisted limbs or bleeding wounds, but there was nothing.

    ''Heck, he isn''t even dusted!'' Woody couldn''t believe his eyes.

    "Alil..." the young man muttered as he pondered, seemingly trying to remember something. "Ah, the border vige that is going to..."

    The man wanted to say something but closed his mouth. It seems there was something on his mind, but Woody couldn''t force his mouth open or anything of that sort.

    "Are you truly okay, good sir? You fell off a ship!"

    "Dammit, the ship," the young man looked up and saw the ship readjusting its course in the sky as it flew away. "Dammit, Sergio, dammit. How is this solving anything?"

    "Good sir, if your ship is stolen, then you can seek out the three knights that are currently in the vige hall," Woody suggested, but the man simply shook his head.

    "This is nothing but a simple disagreement with my friend," the young man scratched his head. "Do you have a store or something?"

    "I do,"

    "Great, then you can help me with that. I want to buy some stuff from you,"

    "Ah, what about your ship?"

    "I don''t think it will be going far," the young man shrugged. "Let''s go into your store. I want to buy a few things," without caring about Woody''s response, the young man walked into the store.

    "Ding," the bell announced the entrance of a new customer to his store, and Woody hurried to keep up with the customer. He hurried to stand behind the counter as the customer studied his items.

    "Well, can you give me these items?"

    Woody didn''t know how the customer took a slip of paper out of thin air, but he was too preupied with reading the items to think about it. Then, after a few seconds, he realized that he had it all.

    "Right away, good sir!"

    Woody hurried to grab the supplies, carrying boxes from the storage room to the counter. As he was loading them, he noticed that the customer leaned on the wall quietly and waited for him.

    "Ding,"

    Woody heard the bell ring again while he was in the storage room. Fearing that the customer left without paying, he ced down the box of supplies and hurried to the counter.

    "Ah, sir knight!"

    "Greetings," the knight aloofly smiled as he nced to the side. "I saw a shadow through the window, so I thought you had another customer."

    "I..." Woody was about to say that there was indeed another customer, but he found the shop empty when he looked around. As he was trying to ponder if he was dreaming, the knight walked closer to the counter.

    "As a servant of his Majesty, we are here to ensure that Alil Vige is safe from the recent monster attacks. But, unfortunately, there is an increased tax for the dispatch, and every resident needs to pay."

    "An increased... tax?" Woody''s forehead began sweating, and his mouth dried. "Sir knight, please show kindness. The monsters'' attacks ced us in a horrible situation, deterring travelers and merchants alike. That''s why an increased tax is..."

    "Silence!" The knight''s roar shook the store, and his sword left its sheath instantly. The de''s tip rested on Woody''s neck, and the poor man''s body trembled. "Without His Majesty''s grace to dispatch us here, everyone in your vige would have turned into some monster''s snack. So pay your dues, peasant."

    "I... I... understand," Woody gulped, and the movement made the sword break his skin. A fine rivulet of blood fell to his neck. The knight withdrew his sword, and Woody hurried to collect the coins.

    After the knight left, Woody was left alone with nothing but abandoned boxes of supplies. The pouch he had in hand was light, almost empty, and it resonated with his crushed hopes of surviving this month.

    "What am I going to do?"

    "I''d advise you to leave this Vige and go to a bigger city. Even as a homeless, there''s less of a chance to get mugged by a knight or killed by a monster," a voice answered from the corner of the store, startling the owner.

    "Good sir! You are still here?" Woody wiped away his eyes. "What do you mean mugged? It was tax money, nothing else,"

    "The kingdom did not impose a protection tax, not yet," the young man walked closer to the counter. "If you stay here, they will just milk you dry,"

    "I have no other ce to go, sir," Woody shook his head before rushing into the storage room to finish loading the supplies. "These are all of them!"

    "Good, here you go," the young man threw a gold coin over, and it was almost double the price he needed to pay.

    "Ah, Ick the silvers to give you back... I think I can ask a few friends; can you wait?" Woody began looking in his pouch.

    "No need, keep the change," the young man shook his head. "As for those knights, they won''t bother you anymore."

    "What do you mean, good sir..." Woody looked up, but the young man was gone, and so were all the crates. As if everything else was a figment of his imagination, only the gold coin remained in his hand. "Thank you, Good Samaritan..." Woody clenched the gold with tearful eyes, not knowing of the ominous fate awaiting the knights.

    ***

    "Damn it, Sergio, damn it," Niki grumbled as he walked through the shadows of Alil Vige. Everything went south when Sergio confronted him about Niki''s intentions to leave him.

    The alchemist didn''t agree to it and cried that he would brew more potions. Naturally, Niki refused as that wasn''t the issue, and the blonde alchemist decided that since Niki would leave after this journey is over, everything would be fine as long as he does not.

    "What kind of logic is that, Sergio!" Niki was furious, but he knew that his friend wasn''t the most logical person alive. Alias couldn''t have gone far, as no matter what, Sergio wouldn''t abandon him.

    There were two issues: first was the supplies, as Sergio and Niki didn''t ount for two more people apanying them, and then there was his Curse of The Banished. Niki needed to buy more rations and clean water and devour humans to keep the curse inactive.

    "I solved one of the issues," Niki muttered as he hid in the shadow of a tree, gazing at the knight walking away from Woody''s Store after robbing him. "And it seems I have found my next meal," he bared his sharp teeth at the unaware knight.

    Despite being called Knights, some of these people weren''t far from being bandits in the name of the king. They weren''t satisfied with their ie and chose to extort money out of simple people.

 Chapter 109 - New Talent: Dark Echo

    The knight walked from one resident to the other, extorting whatever he could in the name of a protection tax. Niki couldn''t see how his actions were different from those of gangsters, taking away what little money people had.

    "Lead me to your nest," Niki locked on the knight as he walked in the dark dimension, unseen by anyone. The knight''s final stop was an inn where two others waited for him.

    "Did you collect the money?" one of the older knights asked as he gulped his cup. The innkeeper nced at them with unease, as if fearing they might turn on him at any moment.

    "Every penny," the knight who visited Woody''s Store grinned and ced down the pouch. "All we have to do now is to get rid of the monsters and get back to the border."

    ''Ah, they are border knights,'' Niki realized, and his mouth curled into a grin. There was one slight problem in crossing the border: The Detectors.

    These were Defiers who had a high intelligence stat and an adjacent skill to detect people illegally crossing the border. Niki could apply for a permit, but he had to be a merchant, military personal, or nobility to be approved.

    Ordinary people will be investigated if they want to visit the Bestial Kingdom where half-humans lived, as the war against the Bestial King was only seven years ago.

    ''However,'' a sly smile appeared on his face, ''these knights have a permit, making the detectors unwary of them if they do cross the border.''

    The knights were at the F-rank. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have been border knights, patrolling for F-rank monsters and below. Despite being an F-Rank himself, Niki couldn''t attack them head-on, as he hasn''t gotten used to his new weapon yet.

    "Then let''s dy any longer," the third knight was a bony man with thin hair. "We ought to finish the monsters and return to our post."

    "Always a boring character," the older knight sighed. "If you were a character in a book, you would die as soon as you appear."

    The other knights gave a heartyugh as the thin man hmphed angrily and drank his fill. Niki watched the irony from the shadows, as all these knights would be ones to die soon.

    It was midday when the three walked out of the inn, a bit tipsy. Niki made sure that he doesn''t get too close, as one can''t be too cautious. They walked toward the edge of the forest before going in, looking for the monsters'' nest.

    Niki could almost envision his n''s execution. First, he would wait for the three to find the nest and divide. If they stayed together, that was fine too, but it would be trickier. Then, he would use the opening revealed by their fight to strike their necks and devour them.

    ''It does not matter to me if these people were generally good or bad,'' Niki''s red eyes stared at them with apathy. ''They extorted people, and I need to devour them. They are rotten.''

    As his thoughts reached this ce, Niki remembered his reward from thetest quest. Unlike the time where his system evolved, this Bloodline Talent was not something he could choose. It was already chosen for him.

    [Dark Echo: this talent allows you to use your darkness to resonate with people''s inner hearts, where their darkest desires are. You can charm them using that desire to make them do your bidding. The duration depends on the action and mana used.]

    This was a different talent from the rest, as it used his Darkness instead of Fate. However, the emergence of this talent confused Niki greatly, as he couldn''t understand the difference between a skill and a talent anymore. However, his confusion was cut short when the system gave him the following message:

    [Please check your Overview Menu.]

    Niki realized that his stats menu has changed to ''Overview,'' and he decided to see what changed. He found four more rows in addition to his stats.

    [Rank F]

    [Fae Talent: A Wise Choice.]

    [Dark Talent: Dark Echo.]

    [Skill: N/A]

    At that time, Niki had to rub his eyes twice to make sure he didn''t see things. He could tell that ''Rank F'' was his current strength. It wasmon knowledge that you can only have one skill at every rank, but he somehow has three slots?

    There was Fae, Dark, and Skill. Assuming thest one refers to the skills ordinary people were after, the first two were exclusive to his bloodline: Dark Fae.

    ''Should I try it?'' Niki wondered as he looked at the knights. It was undoubtedly the best opportunity to try it, but he wasn''t sure if it would give away his location. ''Well, if ites down to it, I can just hide again.''

    The darkness swirled around his feet and crawled on the ground. It avoided the sun and walked the shadows as it inched toward the thin, bald man. Then, like a parasite, a piece of darknesstched itself to his shadow, dissolving into it.

    Niki squinted his eyes as the dark desire of the man became known to him: greed. He looked at the pouch on the older knight''s wrist, and an evil smile yed on his lips.

    "That money is yours, all yours, if you kill these two," the darkness transmitted Niki''s whispers as the greed within the man''s heart, no matter how small it was, spread like a gue.

    The man stopped moving and shook his head, and Niki wondered if he had failed. However, like an echo, his darkness resonated with the man''s greed, multiplying it.

    "Money," the knight muttered, startling his two friends. They turned to the man with confusion as he stood there silently.

    "Are you alright, Henry?" the older knight asked with unease. There was something in Henry''s eyes that unnerved whoever met them.

    "I..." the man named Henry shook his head again. "I''m alright," he said with a smile that crept hispanions, but they didn''tment further and chose to continue on their search.

    Niki followed them silently as he watched Henry, whose greed has been temporarily increased by the darkness. However, it seems Niki would need to give a more direct order for the knight to act immediately.

    ''It seems he retained his judgment instead of turning into a mindless puppet. Dark Echo allows me to use people''s dark desires to make them do things for me, but they wouldn''t turn into blind followers.''

    This was fine as well, as Mind Maniption was something only Grand Skill or higher could achieve. Niki didn''t know if his talents are upgradable like skills are or if they had the mastery, but he needed to experiment further.

    Henry''s eyes darted from one knight to the other as he walked behind them. An evil smile appeared on his face that Niki could see from afar.

    ''3/10,cking in ability and only derived by evil.'' Niki rated the evil smile with a shake of disapproval. At that moment, the extorting knight stopped as he sniffed.

    "Blood,"

    ''What are you, a dog?'' Niki looked around. The darkness made it hard for him to sense things, and he would have to leave his stealth to see if there was a scent of blood.

    "The nest is nearby," the older knight nodded as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. "Get ready for battle. The report said the monsters are a group of mischievous kobolds with the ability to change their color and blend into the surrounding."

    "How did these rats get here?" the knight who was sniffing pulled out his two daggers.

    "They are not rats, idiots," the older knight grumbled as he kept his hand on his hilt. "Dammit, Henry, snap out of whatever the fuck you are on. I won''t help you if they capture you!"

    The three knights stood back-to-back, each holding their weapons tightly. They stood alert as the wind hissed through the trees. Then, something moved from beyond the shadows of the trees, and it was enough to make them alert.

    "It''s time for a bloody show," Niki reached out toward the void and took out his weapons. The forest was growing dark around them, but Niki knew it was one of the kobolds'' abilities.

    The twin des appeared in his hand, each sharp enough to threaten to sh space. The chains linking them shortened, removing the need for him to watch his steps.

    Then, he saw it, a figure running past him toward the knights. Niki never thought the kobold would be this close to him, but he trusted his stealth would make him go unhindered.

    From within the dimming light emerged the monster, its scales bringing the only sheen in the forest. It used its sharp ws to attack the extorting knight as if the heavens knew he was the most deserving one of death.

    ng!

    The ws were deflected by the older knight''s sword, which returned to its sheath. Then, however, another one of the kobolds descended from above.

 Chapter 110 - What A Terrible Person

    As its ws were about to pierce the older knight''s arm, Henry was swift to send it flying with a strike. Niki knew that the man was plotting something due to his talent, but it seems Henry retained the ability to scheme.

    ''This is powerful,''

    As much as Niki wanted a mindless puppet, it was also fortunate that the target didn''t turn into a machine of senseless violence. Henry didn''t attack right away because he schemed to eliminate the kobold and me the monsters for the murder.

    "There are three of them," reported the extorting knight as he ran forward, shing at the kobold which the older knight deflected. The monster''s scales shimmered with light as there was a resounding ng, making blue blood ssh on the ground.

    The wounded monster retreated to its fallenrade before the two disappeared into the night. Niki looked around to find the kobold blocking the light and realized it must be on a high tree.

    "There," the older knight muttered as he ran toward the tree and began to run toward the top. Niki made a note of the knight''s skill before sneaking toward Henry and the extorting knight.

    "Where are they?" Henry walked cautiously toward the location of the two kobolds. The extorting knight sniffed again and pointed in a specific direction.

    As the two ran after the kobolds, Niki did the same. He also kept an eye on the older knight who reached the top of the tree and shed toward the kobold before the monster lunged itself toward him.

    Despite losing an arm, the monster took a firm grip of the knight''s shoulder and tore through his chainmail. The two fell toward the ground amid their struggle.

    Turning back to look at the older knight''s fate, Niki realized that he used his skill to lessen the impact of the fall. However, a person''s skill was their secret and must not be revealed at any cost.

    "If you ever had to reveal your cards, make sure that no one lives to tell of them," Lilith once told him, but Niki knew she would kill without a real reason anyway.

    Henry and the other knight closed in on the kobolds, and they attacked from each side. A mirage of a de appeared as the extorting knight struck, and the sh passed through the kobold''s ws to strike its neck.

    As itsrade fell to its death, the other kobold tried to run away. However, Henry was quick to use his skill as well, and a blinding light tore through the monster''s neck.

    "Phew, these monsters are quite annoying," the knight said to Henry as he walked to pick up the loot. Beautiful red and purple crystals floated above the monsters'' bodies, and the extorting knight greedily walked to pick them up.

    ''Hm? Is he someone important?''

    There was no reason for Niki to feel as such other than the man''s attitude, as it was a rule that loot should be divided before it was picked up unless there was an abnormal situation. This knight didn''t care about Henry proved that he had a reason to do so, and Niki hoped that no problems woulde after this.

    As the knight bent to pick up the crystal, Henry appeared behind him with a grin. The bewitched man grabbed his hilt, and there was a sh of light before the extorting knight''s blood gushed out like a fountain.

    "You..." the knight muttered before he fell to his death, his blood pooling beneath his cold corpse. Henry beganughing as he stabbed the body again, again, and again.

    "Where is your father to save you now, huh? Hahaha! Take this! Fucking leech!" the stabbing continued as Niki walked toward Henry with his stealth.

    "You''ve done well, my puppet," Niki appeared beside the knight, the de resting on his neck. "I hope you enjoyed your darkest desires before your death,"

    "No..." the knight''s eyes were shaking as he looked at the corpse in front of him. "I didn''t do this!" he shouted hysterically, and Niki ended his life.

    ''Odd, did he snap out of the bewitchment the moment he listened to his dark desires?''

    Niki stood in the middle of the forest as the light was beginning to return. After he picked up the loot, he went ahead to have his meal. Then, like a monster, he unhinged his jaw to devour the souls of the two knights, and euphoria flooded through his mind.

    [You have devoured a Living Soul. The curse has been sated. Time remaining: 78 h, 19m, 21s.]

    [You have devoured a Living Soul. The curse has been sated. Time remaining: 135h, 59m, 09s.]

    As if the throbbing and itching parasite in his heart calmed down, Niki finally felt at ease. The corpses around him were a living reminder that he was far from a human, not anymore.

    ''Curse of the Banished,'' Niki thought it was a befitting title of his current state. There was no room for him among humans, and this curse left him in the middle of nowhere with nothing but unfulfilled dreams modeled as corpses.

    "Who are you?"

    A voice broke his reverie, and Niki turned to see the older knight looking at him warily. There was a wound on his shoulder, but it seemed to do little to hinder his movement.

    "You killed them?" instead of rage, the knight looked at him with apathy. "For someone foolish enough to against the knights is a first."

    Niki didn''t say anything and simply disappeared. The older knight smirked and shook his head with disapproval before turning around and bolting.

    Seeing the man who talked big moments ago run as fast as the wind, Niki couldn''t say he was surprised. Most knights weren''t exactly passionate about their job, and only a few were loyal to the kingdom.

    The dark dimension, his hideout, paved the path for him to chase after the knight. The middle-aged knight couldn''t see him, and he was growing desperate.

    The knight suddenly turned and shed with his sword, sending a mana attack toward Niki. This was not a skill but a property of the knight''s mana. Niki had to slide on his knees to avoid the attack''s range because that would break his stealth.

    The knight resumed running, and he dived deeper into the forest. As he ran after him, Niki began noticing a couple of broken branches. His mind linked the dots, and the next scene confirmed his suspicion.

    "Help!" the older knight rushed to Alias, which was tied to a giant tree using a rope. The person sitting on the railing was none other than Yuxi, and she stared at the knight with suspicion. "There''s a murderer after me, and I need to use your ship!"

    The mute archer simply shook her head and picked up her bow. Yuxi nocked her arrow before aiming at the knight threateningly. However, the threat was of minimal effect with Yuxi''s small frame and youthful appearance.

    "Hand over your ship or except severe consequences, child!" the knight roared, his features morphing into ones of desperation and utter wrath. The archer flinched, but she didn''t hesitate to release her arrow, and it traveled to strike the knight.

    The knight used his skill again, and a small force field deflected the arrow away. As Niki arrived behind him, he realized that this man could use force in any way he wanted. However, the archer''s actions earned his approval, as she didn''t shy away from danger to protect their ship.

    As the knight began running on the tree''s trunk to get to Alias, a resounding shot reverberated throughout the forest to strike him down. The mes surrounded the knight, who screamed and fell to the ground.

    Lex blew away the smoke of her gun as she stood on the railings. Then, choosing to ignore the knight screaming with pain, she turned to the shaking archer.

    "Are you okay?" muttered the Gunmaster, and Yuxi nodded in response.

    Niki nced at the knight, who had a giant wound in his chest. As expected of a Gunmaster, her weapons were fearsome. Niki retreated away and chose to leave the scene after making sure that the knight breathed hisst.

    After that, Niki returned to the corpses of the knights and monsters, throwing them into his pocket dimension to leave no evidence. Then, he used his darkness to take care of any remaining blood, doing the same for the three kobolds.

    Taking out water from within his pocket dimension, Niki washed up and ensured there was no scent of blood on him. Then, he walked toward Alias, acting as if he was simply looking for them.

    "What happened here?" Niki asked the gathering three, who flinched at his voice. They jumped to hide the body of the knight from Niki''s eyes, but it was useless. "You idiots killed a knight?"

    "He was trying to take the ship," Lex said with disdain. "I''ve met knights before, and they all want to rob you."

    "For you to kill a human so easily," Niki shook his head. "What a terrible person you are, Gunmaster."

 Chapter 111 - To Everyone But Himself

    Niki turned to Sergio, who has recovered from his wounds. The alchemist fidgeted as he was red at by Niki for the stunt he pulled. His eyes darted from one ce to the other and back toward Alias.

    "You think that hindering me would make us inseparable?" a sigh escaped his mouth as he looked at Sergio exasperatedly. "It might dy our travels, but not forever."

    Sergio turned to look at him silently before leaving the group and going into the forest. Yuxi wanted to follow him, but Niki blocked her path with his arm.

    "He might encounter monsters," Lex muttered as she took a step forward. "Sergio isn''t a fighter like the rest of us. Someone needs to protect him,"

    "I know," Niki stared at his departing friend, knowing what Sergio was going to do, and disappeared into nothingness. "I''ll protect him."

    Niki followed after the alchemist through the forest, walking a few steps behind him. Then, the alchemist stopped in the middle of nowhere and struck the tree with his fist.

    The tree shook, and the leaves descended atop the young man''s trembling shoulders. Niki stood behind him, knowing that only he can see this, as no one else knew the other and darker side of the alchemist.

    "They keep leaving," the alchemist gnashed his teeth against each other before looking behind him. Then, he ran deeper into the forest, far deeper than he should have. Monsters approached, but Niki''s darkness worked to scare them away.

    The alchemist crawled into a groove he found, and Niki saw it all. Then, thinking that no one was watching, the alchemist took a dagger and revealed his arm. Niki sat in front of the groove, not looking away from his friend.

    The inner of Sergio''s forearm was unblemished and pale, only having a few white streaks that ran horizontally, ones that looked like stretch marks. Then, using the dagger, Niki''s dearest friend proceeded to cut himself, and his blood spilled.

    Niki didn''t look away still. Sergio''s face eased as he leaned back and allowed the blood to drain as if it would take away the thoughts with it. The blood ran unceasingly for a good minute before it stopped to leave a wound. Then, he cut his arm again.

    ''A friend would have rushed in to stop him,'' Niki thought to himself. ''Yuxi would have held his hand and cried for him to stop. Lex would have beat some sense into him,'' his eyes didn''t look away from Sergio, who was sitting in the middle of the forest and harming himself. ''But I know better.''

    The good alchemist''s self-harm wasn''t one of his crazy experiments, nor was it a momentarily desire to punish himself. Instead, it was an issue with roots dating as old as his childhood, specifically his mother.

    ''I can''t change him,'' Niki knew because he tried before. ''No one can change him, and no one can change me,'' tears gathered in his eyes. ''He is kind to everyone but himself.''

    ***

    The archer''s gaze was bothersome, but Niki ignored it as he sat on the railing with a foot swinging in the sky. Then, from within the trees came out his friend, and the two stared at each other.

    Niki knew that if the alchemist hid the traces well using a healing potion. The beginning of his alchemy might have been that: a way to conceal his tendencies.

    The alchemist climbed into the ship and didn''t say anything, going straight into the captain''s room. Niki closed his eyes as the aroma of herbs drifted from the windows.

    "Let''s sail," he muttered to Lex, who descended toward the core room. The bodies of the knights have been cleaned, their permits were with them, and there was nothing else to hold them back from going to the flying ind.

    It was the beginning of the end, and Niki didn''t know how things would end. However, he knew that he and Sergio shouldn''t stay together.

    From the knights, he obtained a total of thirty fate points. He raised his hand, and the ck and white coin appeared atop it. The question was obvious. The coin flipped in the air before a blinding light shone from it. When itnded in his hand, Niki got his answer.

    A dagger.

    As much as he wished otherwise, his talent confirmed the truth he needed to hear. He turned to look at the lightsing from within the cabin, and he knew that even if his friend didn''t ept what''s going to happen, it was necessary.

    Their ship sailed silently across the fog, and the archer returned toward the deck. Niki stared at the wall of light in front of them. He was standing on the figurehead as he watched the border approach. After this point, there would be wilderness until they reach the Bestial Kingdom.

    His darkness exploded to cover the ship and hide it. This consumed arge portion of his mana, but it was necessary. The talisman-like permit appeared in his hand, and there was only one of them. So Niki had to act that he only obtained it from the knight Lex killed by sheer luck, not design.

    They passed through the barrier, and the permit gave a bright light as it buzzed. After that, the barrier and the talisman resonated, and the ship passed by without triggering the rm.

    "We left the Rosia Kingdom," Niki turned to look behind him to the ce that made him suffer for years. "Herees the end," as he said that, he met Sergio''s eyes. The alchemist was standing by the door of the cabin, dusted and looking numb.

    In the long run, his choice might be the wrong one, but it was better than making Sergio get attached to him now. Niki hurt him once before, and there''s no telling if he wouldn''t do it again.

    Niki turned to look at the horizon and saw the twilight behind it. As the night sky greeted their arrival to the wilderness, something else did as well. A deep grunt that shook their cores came from above them, and Niki turned to see the night sky shift and twist.

    "Shh," Niki warned the others, who have all gathered on the deck, as he looked up. As they followed his gaze, they realized that the night''s stars were stolen, reced by infinite darkness that shifted.

    Niki realized that the only reason they are still alive is because of his stealth hiding them. Otherwise, this... creature would have obliterated them.

    "A leviathan," Niki raised his hand toward the Gunmaster. "Stop the ship, now," he said in a low voice. Lex backed away before bolting toward the core room.

    Alias came to a stop as the leviathan pped its giant wings across the night sky, and the group managed to catch a glimpse of its ashen skin in the moonlight. As it passed above them, the only thing keeping death away was their stealth.

    Inparison to it, the group found themselves frighteningly small, as if they were in the presence of something on a different scale. The leviathan was an ancient monster that could only be chanced upon in the wilderness. If it were not for its indifferent nature, kingdoms would have been obliterated.

    The giant monster flew away from them, and they regained their breath. Niki still looked at the distance, seeing the direction that the giant monster took.

    Whatever its destination was, there would be nothing but destruction in the end. He tried to remember if there were any sightings of the giant monster at this point in the timeline, but he didn''t know everything.

    Alias resumed its journey, and Niki had to take out the map he had. Taking Alil Vige as a reference point, Niki drew their path from there. He took out apass and asked Lex to sail in that direction.

    "All we have to do is wait," Niki said with a smile as he looked at the empty spot on the map. The ind where the Legendary Skill waited for him has not been discovered yet, and it was only through sheer luck that he managed to find its location.

    "I guess we aren''t far off from our separation, boss," Sergio walked to stand beside him, and Niki turned up to see the alchemist has regained his cheerfulness. "It was a short, long ride, but we had fun,"

    "We did," Niki nodded. "We''ll always be brothers, no matter how far life takes us."

    "I''ll keep sending you potions," Sergio scratched his nose embarrassingly. Niki nodded with a smile, and the alchemist rushed in to hug him.

    His body wanted to throw the alchemist away or dodge, but Niki held himself back. They broke their embrace with a pat on the back, and Sergio apologized.

    "I''m sorry for throwing you off the ship,"

    "You should fucking be, but at least we got our supplies," Niki grumbled, but he saw the weary smile of his friend. Sergio nodded and turned to go back into his cabin.

    "He''s acting differently," Lex stood beside Niki, and thetter nodded in response. Then, he turned toward the mute archer and stared at her without saying anything.

    ''Do you want me to talk to him?'' Yuxi gestured, and to his great reluctance, Niki nodded. The mute nodded and went into the cabin as well.

    "For the first time since we met, it feels like you''re doing the right thing," the Gunmaster said before she took out a scroll from within her robes. "Now, it''s time to learn the Abyssal Art."

 Chapter 112 - Bringer Of Chaos

    "Abyssal Arts are simr to Celestial Arts, but the only difference is that they don''t use on Heavenly Strings. Otherwise, the concept is the same. You reach toward the Abyssal Laws and use them in your fighting, resonating with the abyss."

    "You are simply copying the definition of Celestial Arts," Niki shrugged at the Gunmaster, who froze at his words. "But you also don''t know what Abyssal Laws do or how to apply this art in the same way as martial strength."

    "Well, if you are so knowledgeable, then you can learn it yourself," Lex threw over an ancient scroll wrapped in a leather cover toward him and caught it. The moment that he did, Niki felt a pulse that resonated with his darkness.

    "Is it... alive?" he muttered as the scroll seemed to stuck to his hand. The Gunmaster seemed confused by his question, and Niki had to shake his head to break the trance.

    "Stop saying weird things and read it," the Gunmaster urged him, and Niki stared at her silently.

    "Why do you want me to learn it again?"

    "I told you," Lex frowned. "It''s my dream to study the art that my family left behind. If this could be achieved, then the potential it has for normal people is..."

    "Cut the bullshit short," Niki looked at the scroll. "We both know that your family was hiding this from whoever murdered them. So why would you want to study this art? For themon good? You are not that selfless."

    "..."

    The Gunmaster stared at him silently before shaking her head. Then, she looked at the cab where Sergio and Yuxi were talking and turned back to him.

    "You already know the truth," she said to Niki.

    "A bait to lure whoever killed your family out," he smiled as he turned back to the scroll. "If I use this art, then they are bound toe after me. At that time, you can find out who they are."

    "Are you going to refuse now?"

    "Isn''t it convenient?" Niki ignored her question. "The bait you set up is a vile person, someone who can only hurt the people around him. There won''t be any guilt behind it, and that''s why you allowed me to ruin your rtionship with the dwarves."

    "Even if it''s true, can you deny that you are a vile person?" Lex smiled at him, her tanned skin reflecting the light of theirmps. "You might as well y your role," the Gunmaster seemed unwavering of her position.

    "No, I don''t mind if you used me because our goals align," Niki smiled, but his words confused Lex. "I just hate people trying to fool me, and I hate those who act like angels when they are just the same as others."

    "I''m not the same," Lex refused. "I''m not hurting anyone. I''ll kill them before they do you any harm, and I would never..."

    "Despite saying that, you wanted to use me as bait," Niki infused his darkness into the scroll. "And sometimes, the fish takes the bait, but would you care to save it?"

    A ck lotus exploded from the scroll, and it flew away from Niki''s hand. The flower seemed to have a pulse of its own, and it circled Niki. Weirdly, Niki could feel itmunicating with him.

    "If Celestial Arts bring order, then Abyssal Arts must bring chaos." Niki raised his hand to touched the lotus. "Abyssal Art: Bringer of Chaos."

    As he muttered the name, his darkness rushed out from within his body into the lotus. The violent energy of chaos pushed the Gunmaster back, and she squinted her eyes.

    "I was right," she muttered with a shaken expression. "You are the only one who can use this Art."

    "You have disgraced your family, Foolish Gunmaster," Niki''s voice, colder and darker than ever before, came from within the darkness. "Don''t you realize that whoever can use this art must be the one your family feared?"

    "I don''t care if you are the devil or god himself," the Gunmaster shielded her face with her arm. "As long as I take revenge for what''s mine, then all things are disposable."

    "And you call me vile," a hand reached out from within the darkness, and it had a lotus embedded to it. A weapon materialized in hand, and the ck edge looked like the darkest moon. "Yet you are not different, consumed by vengeance."

    The darkness disappeared, and there was nothing left of it but ck petals that surrounded Niki. On his forehead appeared the symbol of a ck lotus that disappeared afterward.

    "The road of vengeance is a lonely one," Niki muttered as he looked at the lotus on the back of his hand. "I wish that you return from it before it consumes you."

    "Is this the Art?" the Gunmaster looked at the petals with confusion. "I thought it would be more destructive, a bringer of chaos."

    "A befitting name of it," Niki smiled, a gloomy smile as he heard the screams of a thousand agonies. "I thought so as well, but it seems chaos is calmer than reality."

    "That doesn''t make sense," Lex shook her head. "You said its name was Bringer of Chaos, but this Art is..."

    "The darkness is never chaotic," Niki walked toward the edge of the railing. "As still as water, it exists unhindered. Chaos is a result," he raised his hand, and the petals exploded to rush toward the space beside the ship. As he clenched his hand, the petals exploded into a storm of ck destruction that pushed Alias to the side.

    "Such power," Gunmasterughed incredulously. "I may have as well handed you a weapon of mass destruction. But, instead, I handed such a weapon to a viin."

    Niki ignored Lex, who seemed to have a bit of her mind as he looked at the lotus on his hand. It was his connection to the abyss, and Niki feels as if his darkness loved it. Yet, it was another step away from his past self, and the abyss was a ce filled with hate.

    Elements were coveted more than skills, even though thetter were more powerful. The elements of your mana made it flexible, and everything they did resulted from mana calling out for the world.

    On the other hand, Skills was a creation, a trade of mana to obtain a result. Some skills had no rtion elements, and they were simply abnormal effects on the world.

    Elements were bringers of everyday phenomena, like the condensation of wind into des, and Skills were abnormal effects on the world.

    His darkness was the same, but its effects were unexplored by the world because whatever used it was killed. Niki''spanions might not be Eradicators of Heresy, but it was still dangerous for Niki to stay with them.

    It won''t be long before those believers obtain power and start eradicating all those they deemed filthy. He might be safe now, but the world was nearing the threshold of normalcy.

    "Tell me about it," Lex said beside him, and her hand was shaking as it reached out to Niki. His red irises made her body tremble as he stared at her, but she didn''t back away. "Tell me what my family has been hiding all this time."

    "Don''t go insane, gun master," Niki pped away her hand, and she flinched. "Your family was guarding an Abyssal Art, and nothing less a bringer of chaos. Yet, you chose to forsake that duty to avenge them."

    As he finished his words, Lex clenched her fist. She grabbed him by the cor and pulled him toward her, and he could see the abnormality in her eyes. It was at that time that Niki realized that something was wrong.

    "Shut up, vermin!" she spat in rage. "I didn''t choose the wrong thing! Everything I did is for the sole reason to take revenge. I don''t care what those bastards think, as long as I..."

    Before she could finish her words, Niki kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying away. The Gunmaster crashed into the crates, and the sound made the other two rush out of the cab. Sergio and Yuxi looked around and saw the ck petals around Niki and then turned toward the coughing Lex.

    Blood dyed the wooden floors every time Lex coughed. Niki took slow but steady steps toward her, and he crouched down to look at her face.

    "Your mind has been poisoned," he stared at her with interest and saw the darkness in her eyes. It seems the simple act of witnessing his usage of the Abyssal Art amplified the darkness in her heart. "I never thought that a Celestial Eye holder would allow darkness to take over him. Use your eye, and you should be just fine."

    Lex stared at him with fear, but her eye began glowing beneath her eye patch. Then, as the divine energy flooded into her body, Niki''s darkness was eradicated, allowing the Gunmaster to regain sanity.

 Chapter 113 - Absolutes

    The incident on the ship was resolved after Lex regained her sanity, but it told Niki of another reason he was walking a lonely path. For him, the darkness felt like a home, but that wasn''t the case for others.

    The dark energy invaded their hearts and pulled out their darkest fears and ws, rooting them in their mind. A touch with the explosion of his darkness made Lex''s mind grow unstable.

    Niki knew this wasn''t a typical event but one induced by the Abyssal Art awakening. However, it made him more contaminating to the people around him, and he could see the fear in Yuxi''s eyes as she helped the Gunmaster stand.

    "There are more and more reasons for us to separate, huh?" Sergio stood beside him and sighed. Then, against Niki''s wishes, the alchemist grabbed his shoulder in reassurance. "Don''t worry, boss! If it''s only this issue, then there must be a potion to solve it!"

    Niki could tell that the alchemist was genuine, but he pulled away as he shook his head. The alchemist''s arm froze midair as he slowly lowered it.

    "I don''t n on changing, nor am I nning on running away," Niki said to him with a frown. "This darkness is a part of me, and I''m not nning on treating it like a disease."

    "I didn''t mean..." Sergio shook his head before going silent. "I understand," he gave a nod as he walked toward the two girls. "Then I guess the end is near."

    "It is," Niki stared at the stars above him, and he could tell they were approaching the forgotten ind. Finally, their journey ising to an end.

    ***

    Three dayster, Niki spent sitting on top of the mast, shed by without the group realizing. He nced down at the three people having their meal as they chatted about the battle they fought earlier.

    "One of the birds stole a vial from my hand. Luckily it was an explosive one!" Sergio said with augh. "I guess he was just tired of living, poor fe," he sighed.

    "It''s a better n than just standing there to be blown into nothingness," Lex smiled before she gulped down her soup. Then, Yuxi and Sergio began talking in signnguage.

    They invited him to eat with them, but Niki refused. It wasn''t that he was edgy, but he simply had no appetite after using the Abyssal Art. However, there was a different kind of hunger awaiting him.

    It scared him that the only way for him to be satisfied was to devour humans, but it wasn''t as disturbing as it first was. There was only the dread of being a time bomb for hispanions, as he might devour them if he didn''t find another human soon.

    There were still two days left before he needs to the curse festers, so he hoped that he would be done with the ind by then. Niki looked at the map again, and he could tell that they were close.

    "Here, Boss!" A te appeared beside him on the watchtower, and Niki simply sighed and ced the map away. Sergio gave a bright smile as he held the te of handpicked delicacies for him. "I''m sure that you must be hungry after that show!"

    Sergio was referring to Niki''s power obliterated the flying monsters, making the group shiver in fear. The Abyssal Art utilized his mana''s bane of elements to destroy the world''s phenomena and structure, bringing chaos.

    Arts made mana more specialized, and they were one of the few things that depended on a person''s hard work and understanding to grow powerful.

    "I''m not hungry," Niki shook his head, but the disappointment on the blonde young man''s face made him sigh and take the te. "I''ll try to eat it."

    "Hehe, you won''t be disappointed!"

    After he said so, Sergio jumped down to have another lesson about signnguage with Yuxi. Lex sat on the side, tweaking with a few machines she created. As for Niki, he stared at the food before cing a veggie in his mouth.

    It was delicious, but it also made him feel like throwing up. There was something wrong with his stomach, and he could tell that he was changing. This change began after the awakening of his bloodline, but it was increasing by the day.

    ''Am I no longer human?'' Niki turned to see Sergio stealing nces at him to make sure he was enjoying the food. Then, after a sigh, Niki began eating without the food reaching his stomach.

    In the corner of his pocket dimension, the bites began to appear. It was a deceptive move toward his friend, but Niki didn''t want to make him worry, as they must have noticed he wasn''t eating for the past few days.

    As he expected, Sergio grew cheerful after Niki finished the meal. He felt sorry that he wasn''t as genuine as his friend, but they were never meant to be the same.

    Then, he saw the edge ofnd from within the clouds. Of course, anyone who saw it would dismiss it as simply a shadow, but Niki knew that there must be a flying ind somewhere around.

    "Gunmaster," he didn''t say her name. "Fly us higher than before, as high as you can," Niki said after he jumped down tond in the middle of the deck.

    "Aye, aye, captain."

    Lex went into the core room, and Alias began to rise higher than before. Unfortunately, the ship started growing unstable the higher they rose, and mana currents left marks on the hull. However, Lex''s control was precise, and it made sure the ship didn''t topple.

    As the clouds clouded their view, Niki could feel the presence of condensed mana in front of them. He squinted his eyes as Alias rose more, but an ominous feeling overtook his heart.

    "Slower!"

    Alias began to slow down, and they rose higher without advancing. Slowly, they were leaving the clouds until Niki saw what gave him the ominous feeling.

    A barrier appeared in front of the group, and clouds surrounded it. As Niki saw it, a feeling of despair bloomed in his heart. There was no mention about this barrier being in this ce, and if he as he guessed it to be, then his efforts would be for naught.

    "What do I do next?"

    Lex came out and asked him, but Niki didn''t know where to go from here. He looked at the barrier stretching into the distance, revealing no gaps whatsoever.

    "Let''s try to destroy it," Niki suggested, wanting to see if it was indeed as he guessed. Lex nodded and walked toward one of her crates, taking out a giant gun that looked like a portable cannon.

    "You better cover your ears," Lex said as she took out a helmet and wore it, surrounding her head. She carried the gun toward the edge of the railing and aimed at the barrier.

    The rest of them retreated away from the gun as she began to load it with mana crystals. Then, she pulled a few triggers, and the temperature started to rise. Lex took a firm hold of the gun as she looked at the barrier from beyond her helmet.

    "3, 2, 1..." she counted down slowly. "Fire!"

    A trigger was pulled, and a weapon was fired. The light blinded the group''s vision as Alias was pushed far away from the barrier. Niki saw the shot leave the gun as the deafening sound shook their core and feared that it wouldn''t break the barrier.

    The mana explosion tore through the clouds, creating a tunnel through them. It reached the barrier in an instant, but it felt as it moved ever so slowly.

    ''If this doesn''t work out, then this barrier is one constructed by that skill.''

    A couple of skills shook the world to its core, and they were all of the Legendary Tier. They were called Absolutes because they cared not about strength nor rank as long as their conditions were met.

    The conditions were bizarre and had nothing to do with the user''s mana, which is why they were manifestations of omnipotence. Whoever used these skills could contend against higher ranks and might even emerge victoriously.

    This was what Niki needed: a power that could help him until he grows powerful. However, he knew he was weak, and he could only use preparations to win against the powerful.

    ''Yet now,'' Niki watched the mana st strike the barrier, and a giant explosion urred. ''It seems the property that I seek is the one hindering me the most.''

    The explosion began to disappear, and the three walked toward the railing to see the result of such destruction. However, against all expectations and power, the barrier stood firm without a hint of a crack.

    ''At least it''s true,'' Niki thought to himself as he grabbed the railings. ''Whoever has this skill can be called The Invincible. The name is befitting,'' he remembered the name of the skill he desired.

    Absolute Shield.

 Chapter 114 - A Stand Off

    The ces he wished to visit were all fraught with danger, and the things he wants to obtain are all in dangerous areas. That''s why he wanted this shield: to be able to walk into ces and survive long enough to steal their treasures.

    There was also the fact he aspired to rule over the dead. It was known to all that for mages, close-range attacks were the most effective. That''s why if he had this shield, he would cover his weaknesses.

    Absolute Shield is what made that man known as The Invincible because no one could ever break it, but the condition the skill had was so consuming that most thought of it as an ill investment.

    The condition was money.

    As Niki looked at the barrier which survived Lex''s most destructive attack, he realized that it must belong to the skill itself. As much helplessness he felt, there were also expectations.

    "This is impossible," Lex removed her helmet to get a better look at the barrier. "It didn''t even shake, and there were no disturbances; Just what kind of ce is this?"

    ''A manifestation of absoluteness,'' Niki knew better than anyone. However, he couldn''t stay in awe for long because he had to find a way to break the barrier. ''Bringer of Chaos might be enough.''

    He wanted Lex to attack first because there was no match to weapons in physical damage and destructiveness. However, it might be better if he used his darkness because it was the bane of elements.

    "Lex, go to the core room and fly us straight into the barrier," as he said as much, Niki''s weapons appeared in his hands.

    "Straight into the barrier?" Lex was surprised, and so were the other two. "Have you seen how strong that barrier is? We will simply crash into it, and the ship won''t survive!"

    "Trust me," as he asked for trust, the ck lotus bloomed on his hand. "I have confidence, but I just need momentum."

    "Just jump down from above. Gravity will be your momentum." Lex shook her head. Niki understood her worry, but there was no way his speed would be the same falling as it is with Alias.

    The core that the dwarves gave them was one of the best, and it was usually used on bigger ships. Coupled with Alias''s small size, his vessel might be one of the fastest out there.

    "I trust Boss," Sergio said to the Gunmaster. "If he says that he can do it, then he can."

    "I don''t care about your bromance," she scowled. "I''m not risking my life only to pay for his overconfidence."

    Yuxi seemed to have a simr mind, and Niki nodded in understanding. If they wanted to be like that, then he would just drop them off.

    "I guess it''s time to split," Niki told the group. "Let''s descend for you to get off."

    "In the middle of the wilderness?" Lex squinted her eyes, and her gun was pointing at Niki before he could answer. "I think the fuck not."

    "It seems you have revealed your true face," Niki grinned. "Are you trying to take over my ship?"

    "We are in a godforsaken ce, and you want to leave us here, so I don''t think it''s your ship anymore," The Gunmaster was resolute. "You are making me choose either possible death or certain death."

    "Then it''s better to go with possible death, no?" Niki grinned as he pointed his weapons at her. "You''ve seen what the art you gave me can do, and this is the price of your selfishness."

    The tension rose as the two red at each other. The other two didn''t know what to do, and the deck was quiet until Sergio walked to step in between them.

    "You are both acting unreasonably," Sergio shook his head as he stood in the middle of the deck. "Do you think boss can give up what he traveled half a month for?" he asked the Gunmaster.

    "Yes, if it means that I get to survive," Lex didn''t tter.

    "And Boss, you can''t ask them to board off in the middle of nowhere. That''s the same as telling them to wait for their deaths," Sergio said to Niki.

    "You forget something, Sergio," Niki grinned. "I don''t care if these two died or not. If they want to go against me, then I don''t even mind killing them myself."

    Niki had to obtain this skill, no matter the cost. All of his ns depended on him acquiring this legendary skill, and he would dly kill these two as a price.

    "You two are unbelievable," Sergio shook his head as he sighed. "Two assholes who are at each other throats simply because they can. What happened to diplomacy and discussions?"

    "You will change your mind about those in a few years because people can neverpromise," Niki said with a smile. "I didn''t wish to harm you because you''re a good person," Niki told the Gunmaster. "But maybe that''s the reason I have to do so."

    "Save it, viin," Lex''s eye gave a glowing golden and divine light as she aimed her gun. "You did nothing but harm since the first time we met."

    Niki frowned because this dumb asshole didn''t understand that he knew the future. He has saved those dwarves from imminent death, and he gave her the inheritance because it would save a lot more people.

    If she only knew what he knew, she might thank him. However, even if she looked back years from now, she will only look at the good things as a side-effect of his unexined viiny.

    "I guess it''s better that you die," Niki''s darkness exploded, and petals filled the deck, floating gently beside the group. "If you think that you can beat me, then you better back away and retain your life."

    "Both of you are un-FUCKING-believable," Sergio opened his pouch and poured out a dozen or so explosive potions into the deck. "Put away your guns and help me pack these into a bomb."

    It was one of the few times they saw the alchemist angry, and Niki nced at Lex, and thetter did the same. Then, finally, they ced their weapons away because there was indeed no harm in trying.

    "We''ll line these potions together and drop them from the sky into the barrier. I created quite a few earlier, and give me a few hours to use the rest of the materials and create more."

    Sergio acted swiftly and found them a bag of supplies to fill it up with these explosive potions. These bombs were one of a kind, and Sergio was the only alchemist genius enough to create them.

    The tension defused, and Lex went down to have the ship rise higher. However, the mana currents threatened to rip Alias apart, so they had to stop.

    ''The ship will be caught in the explosion,'' Yuxi looked down and gestured to them.

    "I''ll protect it," Niki said as he looked at his friend working in the cab. "He was always the wiser of us two," he said as memories surfaced.

    There were times were Niki left Lilith''s fortress to spy on other Lords. At those time, he would go with Sergio to foreignnds because of his ''alchemy.''

    Sergio would be one of the most desires retainers of Lords because of his countless bizarre and valuable potions. That''s why he received numerousmissions from powerful people despite them being wary of outsiders.

    Niki would apany the alchemist as his assistant, which was the source of his shallow knowledge of alchemy. Unfortunately, at some times, they would find themselves either in a pinch or at the hands of an unreasonable Lord.

    When Niki suggested creating chaos and massacres to cause a diversion, Sergio would either woo the Lord''s wife or charm the guards for them to escape.

    Hours went by as they waited for the alchemist. Finally, after a few hours, there was an explosion in the cab, and Niki rushed in to find smoke and frost filling the room.

    The alchemist was coughing on the ground with his hands bleeding again. Niki rushed toward him and used his Blood Energy to heal him.

    "What happened?" Niki asked with worry, and the alchemist simply waved his hand.

    "I overstepped my limits, sorry," Sergio said with a smile before standing up. "Get out, Boss. I can''t focus with you around."

    Niki looked at his friend, who resumed his work. He could tell that the materials on the table were stronger than the ones he usually used, and it was enough for him to make a guess.

    ''He is trying to create a stronger potion for me.''

    Sergio knew how important this skill was for Niki, and he was willing to get hurt to help him. However, this realization left Niki at a loss, and a dark thought surfaced in his mind.

    ''Am I being manipted?'' he hated himself for even thinking this, but this was the mindset that Lilith carved into his very bones. A cynical, twisted, and untrusting mindset.

 Chapter 115 - A Final Act

    Niki tightened the straps around the bag and stood up. The rest were with Sergio, ensuring he was okay after overworking himself for the past three hours.

    As he lifted the bag, Niki could roughly tell how many potions were in it. If even this couldn''t destroy the barrier, Niki might not be able to obtain this skill.

    Without another word or dy, he carried the bag toward the railing. But unfortunately, the barrier was directly below them, obstructing their view of the flying ind. As he ced the bag on the railing, Niki wondered how that man broke through this ce.

    There might not be an answer, and it might be rtively simple. The man would obtain the skillter than now, and so there was a strong possibility that the skill''s resources might be depleted by then.

    "Break for me," Niki pushed down the bag as his darkness exploded right after to shield the ship. The silence was almost driving them crazy as they watched the bag free-fall toward the barrier.

    There was a pause when it finally arrived as the impact destroyed the vials separating the fire and ice energy. Then, there was a spark of both blue and red, and then there was a disaster.

    Niki''s heart tightened as the explosion began, and the light came faster than the loud sound it caused. Fire and ice swirled around each other before their destruction of one another obliterated the surrounding.

    BOOM!

    The ship shook under the impact of the explosion, and it almost toppled. Niki''s darkness spread to negate the impact, but there was no way for it to prevent the ship from being pushed far away into the mana currents.

    Then came Lex''s turn, and she navigated the ship to stabilize it. Niki''s darkness worked to protect the core and the person controlling it until the ship stabilized.

    "Not yet!" Sergio shouted as he peeked from beyond his forearm. Then, a second explosion arrived, stronger than the one before it. As they witnessed the destruction caused by the alchemist and countless resources, the group wondered what uses could such a weapon bring.

    The second explosion threw everyone off their feet, and the ship leaned to the side. They had to grab onto the railings lest they are thrown toward their demise.

    The storm of frost and fire passed slowly, and the group waited for its end. Finally, after everything settled, Alias began to steady itself again and descend.

    Niki stood up and tottered toward the railings to get a better look. But, unfortunately, the smoke and frost prevented them from seeing anything, and when it settled, there was a giant gap within the barrier.

    "We... seeded?" Niki muttered before a grin overtook his face. Then, as Sergio got close and saw the result of his efforts, Niki hugged the alchemist with joy. "You did it, you crazy bastard!"

    "Ouch, ouch!" Sergio screamed, but he wasughing as well. Then, as Niki broke their embrace, he stared at the barrier with a relieved expression.

    He didn''t worry about the fact that the barrier was destroyed, as it was an Absolute. As long as Niki provides it with more money and resources, the shield would never break.

    "You finally got what you wanted," Lex''s voice came from behind them. "I guess you can alwayspromise without losing anything."

    "Hehe, I told you so," Sergioughed as he looked at the archer and Gunmaster. "Now, we can help Boss..."

    Sergio was about to finish his words when a deep growl resonated within the barrier, followed by countless others that shook the group''s souls. It made them look at the ind to see a myriad of colors shining within the darkness.

    "You want us to go there?" Lex pointed with a trembling finger. "I''m sorry, Sergio. As much of a nice guy you are, I can''t help this guy for your sake. I don''t think you can risk your life here as well."

    "I came all the way here, I..." Sergio refused to back down, and it warmed Niki''s heart. However, he knew he couldn''t keep using the alchemist.

    "She is right," Niki looked into the abyss beyond the barrier and saw it slowly regenerate itself. "I can''t drag you along anymore."

    "What are you talking about, Boss?" Sergio looked at him with confusion. "We said we would go back together. Furthermore, how can we leave you here?"

    "You can, and you will," Niki jumped over the railing and looked at his friend. "I''m sorry, Sergio, but this is where we part."

    "No, it is not," Sergio shook his head. "You brought me here, and now you want to leave? That''s selfish."

    The group looked shocked that Sergio called out Niki for his actions. The alchemist never did anything like that before, so his words came as a surprise.

    "I know it is, but it''s less selfish than taking you down there," Niki said with a smile. "I dragged you all this way here only to realize that all this time, I was the greatest danger to you. You''ve found friends along the way that would take care of you out of the goodness of their hearts, not because you can make potions for them."

    "We both know that it''s more than that," Sergio red at him. "I won''t let you act as if that was the sole reason for our friendship."

    "We haven''t known each other for long," Niki said with a smile. "You can leave without me. Use my ship to go back to Rohan. You will find gold in your bag, so use those to start selling your potions. You will be fine without me."

    "Even if we don''t go down there with you, we can wait for you here," Sergio said, and Niki realized that he needed to y his part. It wasn''t that his friend didn''t want to leave but instead couldn''t bring himself to do it.

    "Ah, you are so annoying," Niki sighed. "Just get the fuck out of my face already. I no longer need you; don''t you get it? You''ve yed your role nicely until now, and I yed mine. Just because I acted like your friend, it doesn''t mean that I am."

    "You are lying," Sergio''s eyes shook.

    "Oh, Sergio, you get attached so easily. You think your belief in people is out of the goodness of your heart, but that''s wrong. You need people to like you so that they stay. You are nothing but a pathetic person who fears being abandoned..."

    Whoosh!

    An arrow flew across the deck, full of unbridled and rageful mana. The arrow disappeared mid-flight and reappeared in front of Niki''s chest as he was saying his piece.

    Niki raised his hand and used his darkness to block it. However, the mana the arrow had made his darkness sizzle and it pierced through it, tearing down his flesh. The arrow finally stopped when it reached his chest, only an inch from prating it.

    "You bastard of a mute," Niki grinned crazily, and his sharp teeth shimmer in the light. "I should have killed you the day you sneaked into my ship."

    Yuxi stared at him with hate as her mana grew out of hand. Niki knew the expression she made. It was one of endless hate because someone hurt someone dear to you.

    ''Leave and nevere back,'' the archer mouthed at him as her brown hair danced upward because of her mana. ''You are unworthy of being his friend.''

    As she finished her piece, she nocked another arrow to fire it at Niki. From behind the girl emerged a phantom of a divine spirit which spread its hands. The circle behind the spirit shone to cast energy into the arrow, hiding it from existence.

    "Another ve of Celestia," Niki heartilyughed as he took out the arrow from his hand. The blood gushed out of his hand unceasingly as the wound began to spread despite his blood energy trying to heal it. "Not killing you earlier was my biggest mistake!"

    "Boss!" Sergio panicked as he rushed forward, but Niki simply threw the arrow toward him. The arrow pierced the tile in front of the alchemist, stopping him in his tracks.

    "Keep away, pathetic alchemist," Niki scowled as he grabbed his wound. His Abyssal Art bloomed a lotus on his arm, and it fought the divine energy within the injury.

    The smell of burning flesh spread around the ship as the next arrow prepared tounch. Niki''s rage and hate toward the archer weren''t for show but something he couldn''t control.

    However, in the deepest corner of his heart, Niki was relieved. He was relieved that Sergio obtained different friends in this lifetime other than him. Friends powerful enough to save his life from ruins, unlike how he failed before.

    Sergio was about to jump in front of Yuxi to stop her, but the Gunmaster rushed in to tackle him down. The arrow left the bow and flew toward Niki, whose weapon appeared in his hand.

    "No!" Sergio shouted as the darkness collided with the arrow, causing an explosion that tore the wooden tiles of the ship.

    The darkness grew more prominent in front of the archer, and she saw a face within it that made her body tremble. The face grew to devour everything in its path, but it suddenly stopped and began to retreat.

    Her arrow pierced through the darkness, and a blinding light overtook the ship. As the light began to disappear, Niki was gone.

    Sergio pushed the Gunmaster away and rushed toward the railings. Niki turned to face the alchemist as he fell, and their eyes met for onest time.

    ''This is for the better,'' Niki thought as he fell through the gap in the barrier into the abyss of countless monsters.

 Chapter 116 - Black Desert

    Niki didn''t know for how long he fell, as the ind''s darkness seemed to distort his perception of time. However, after he fell through the barrier, it regenerated itself.

    The wound on his hand was still sizzling from the divine energy that invaded his body. The fact that the mute was another beloved of Celestia didn''t surprise Niki, as everyone he hated was the same.

    However, it was his greater grief that he was the reason for her awakening. Or rather, his act to get Sergio to move on was what triggered the mute into awakening her powers.

    The words he said to hurt his dearest friend still lingered in his mind. However, there was an indisputable truth that even if Niki said them to make Sergio move on, he still didn''t lie.

    Sergio was his friend, but it''s not like the alchemist knew him enough to consider him as one. However, Sergio attached to him after one month together said everything about the alchemist''s need for people.

    ''I wish that you grow from this, Sergio,'' Niki thought as his darkness coated him like a cocoon. Then, hended on the rough ground before he began to roll down some sort of cliff.

    As his vision and perception were obstructed, Niki didn''t know where he was heading. Furthermore, even if he wasn''t protecting himself with his darkness, the ind wasn''t exactly full of sunshine.

    His falling finally came to a pause, and so did the pain of the impact that apanied it. Then, like a butterfly emerging, his cocoon broke down to reveal the wounded Niki.

    "Dammit," Niki grabbed his hand that was reeking of divinity. "What have I done to feel this kind of pain?" it was more than he could handle, but there was nothing to make it stop.

    The pain wasn''t physical. It was spiritual. His existence as a Dark Fae made him rtively weak against divine powers.

    "And for some fucking reason, every person I meet seems to be a holder of such divinity."

    Not all gods were good, and not all of them were evil, but it seems that both of them were a bane to his existence. Moreover, judging from the Curse of The Banished, it seems Celestia loathed his race itself.

    ''There must be ways to counter this divinity, and one such way might be the Absolute Shield,'' this fact made him even more desperate to gain the Legendary Skill.

    As Niki tried to look at the surrounding, he found himself at the base of a dune. What he fell on top of was ck sand that seemed to make up most of the ind. There was not a soul in sight, and this knowledge made him both relieved and cautious.

    "I guess this is another obstacle I need to ovee," Niki sighed. "Just get healed already," he looked at his darkness fighting thest of divinity out of his hand. When it was finally over, the pain stabbing through his heart finally subsided. "Hah," he sighed.

    The wound began to heal ever so slowly, but unavoidable damage would stay there forever. Niki tried closing his hand, and it made him wince.

    "I need to get going," a sense of urgency overtook him. His perception of time was distorted in this ce, so it was better to get this over with quickly.

    As Skills were a manifestation of power, it was almost a certainty that monsters were nearby. However, the strength of the monsters and the environment would be dependent on timing and luck.

    "Maybe I should tweak luck into surviving in this godforsaken ce," Niki looked at his fate points, which were 31. This was after he absorbed the two knights and used the A Wise Choice.

    However, such a general way to change his luck was beyond manipting the probability of a single event, but a multitude of infinite ones. So if he ever gets another choice for his next Bloodline Talent, it would be to have a luck stat.

    Niki started climbing the dune again to get a better look at the ind. But, unfortunately, after blocking the explosion and fighting against the mute, Niki''s mana was almost drained out, making even climbing difficult.

    After he climbed the dune, he looked at the surroundings, and as he expected, it was an endless wastnd. The ck deserted stretched far into the distance until he couldn''t see anymore. There was an ominous sounding behind him that bugged him. When he turned to look at the source, he couldn''t see anything.

    Lightning shed in the sky, and then came the thunder. It was then that Niki realized what the sound was. It was an iing sand storm. If it indeed reached him, things will turn quite ugly.

    His legs were moving before his mind reached a decision, and Niki ran away from the storm. Fortunately, it seems that monsters knew wiser than to stay in this ck desert, so Niki didn''te across any of them as he ran.

    The storm rumbled as it approached, rolling faster than Niki could run away. But, unfortunately, his fifty-something stats in agility didn''t exactly make him the fastest man alive.

    The air currents threatened to lift and drag him into the storm, only for the wind and sand to shred his body. It was at that moment that his darkness regenerated enough for him to hide in his pocket dimension.

    Niki disappeared from his spot and appeared inside his dimension, and he fell to his knees. He couldn''t tell for how long the storm would take to pass, but at least, he was safe until his mana runs out again.

    The pocket dimension needed mana to stay stable, and it was nearing the end of its lifetime. But, since he was inside a separate space, Niki couldn''t regenerate mana from the world like he usually did.

    "Let''s hope I outstay the storm," Nikiid down on his back as he waited. The silence of the pocket dimension was enough for him to hear the blood pumping through his vessels, and it seemed to amplify the silence for some reason.

    Memories that he tried to seal resurfaced in his mind, ones that made him the viin to whoever met him. However, he knew that his return here had a purpose, and it might be more than just revenge.

    The hours stretched until the dimension grew unstable. Even if he was in the heart of the storm, Niki needed to leave before he vomits up everything he kept in this space.

    After he reappeared in the world, the dimension resumed its stability. Luckily, the storm has passed, but it changed the surrounding.

    "Awooo,"

    There was a howl from behind him, and Niki turned to look at the sand fox that has appeared. It was a tiny monster made of sand, but it was far from being friendly.

    Niki''s eyes turned bloodshot as ck petals appeared around him. The petals then rushed toward the fox, destroying it. Then, Niki coughed blood. Niki had to milk the mana in his cells to use that attack, which came at a cost.

    "Such a pathetic state I found myself in," he helplessly smiled as he took out his bag of potions. However, Sergio didn''t give him any more mana-regenerating potions, not that it was healthy to use them often.

    Niki had to wait while hoping that no monsters appear. He closed his eyes as he sat in the middle of countless dunes to focus on recovering.

    "Where the abyss begins, the divine ends. When the abyss appears, the undead will devour the world. Those who befriend the abyss will be eaten by it. And if you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."

    Niki recited the words engraved in his mind as the darkness reeked into him, attracting more darkness. The petals created more petals, and they regenerated his mana.

    Martial Arts helped ordinary people regenerate mana and strain the heavenly strings for power. But, for those abandoned by Celestia like Niki, there was no ce for them other than the abyss.

    The art regenerated his mana, and Niki opened his eyes. As he stood up, he removed the headband that hid his features. His ck hair surrounded his ears, but it was nowhere near enough to conceal their pointy ends.

    It was always a refreshing feeling when Niki allowed his ears to stretch. His sharp teeth turned into a grin as his thirst for power reced the loneliness from before.

    "Absolute Shield," Niki grinned. "You are mine!"

    His journey through the desert began as Niki rushed forward. As he traveled depending on the direction of the strongest mana, monsters began to appear.

    Giant monsters that inhabited the sand revealed themselves to attack him, but Niki''s twin scimitars shed them in half. The moment his des touched the monsters'' bodies, they destroyed them using his art.

    The golem, the scorpion, the giant sand foxes, and the fifty-year-old worms all fell for his des. However, the desert seemed to be endless.

 Chapter 117 - A Child Of Light

    On an ind so far away from civilization, the bodies of countless monsters were stacked in a desert. Niki sat on top of the corpses as he kept absorbing their stats while eating meat bread.

    After consuming a lot of his mana, Niki found that his appetite returned. Of course, there is also the possibility that he lost his appetite because of leaving Sergio, but he didn''t know. He was just d that there was still a human part of him.

    "Well, to eat on top of corpses is a weird definition of being human," Nikiughed to himself. "However, humans are nothing but cruel."

    As he debated which direction to take next, Niki heard a sound from within the giant worm beneath him. It was a grumbling sound, and he realized that the gases were trying to leave the corpse.

    "Okay, time to leave," Niki stood up as he didn''t want to stay here as the corpse dposes. His stats have seen quite the increase since he fell into this ind, and they now looked like this:

    [Vitality: 62]

    -     [Blood Energy: 15.]

    [Strength: 65]

    [Agility: 59]

    [Intelligence: 53]

    [Mana: 70]

    [Rank F]

    [Fae Talent: A Wise Choice.]

    [Dark Talent: Dark Echo.]

    [Skill: N/A]

    The staggering of his intelligence bothered him because very few monsters dropped these crystals on the ind, but Niki, this was a habit from the past. After all, he wasn''t only a gunman now but a multi-weapon user.

    Overall, his stats increased nicely, but it came at the cost of his Fate Points which has dwindled into a miser 14. His Fate Points never seem to be enough, no matter what he does.

    He thought his act of letting go of Sergio would grant him a few Fate Points, but it did not. The event of Sergio and himing to this ind didn''t happen in the past, so it wasn''t any impactful or ''fate stealing.''

    As he walked away from the corpses, Niki fell into a sense of urgency. He needed to obtain more points before the world changes beyond what he knew. But, of course, that was far in the future, as some things like the war were destined to happen.

    As he resumed his search of the skill, a giant monster rushed toward him from within a dune. However, Niki was quite prepared, and he used his stealth and dodged.

    It was a Sand Foxman, a monster that was a realm above Niki''s rank. This monster was of the E-rank, and it wasn''t something that the previous Niki could handle.

    Niki walked around the fox as he took out his weapons. As he left his stealth, his petals followed his weapon as it struck the monster. The Foxman grabbed his weapon with its w as its bared its teeth. However, when they touched the sand, the petals exploded with darkness, and the monster''s arm scattered into the wind.

    "Awooo!"

    The monster howled as it rushed forward, duplicating in the process. Niki noticed that its duplicates were also missing an arm, which amused him greatly.

    As he slipped back into the shadows, Niki waited for the monster to expand its mana using the skill before he struck again, taking out another limb.

    The method was a bit underhanded, but it was the most effective. After repeating the process and taking out one limb after the other, the Foxman died.

    "Hm?" Niki didn''t think that it would drop something because he didn''t use any Fate Points. However, what it dropped wasn''t a Stats or Skill Crystal, but a piece of glowing talisman.

    Niki could feel a powering from within the piece of paper. After he grabbed it, the light of the enchantment written on it glowed.

    "There missing words," Niki realized as he saw that the enchantment was cut off as if someone ripped the talisman to pieces. "But what do you do?"

    Despite asking it, Niki knew that it had something to do with the skill. So he kept the paper away as he looked around the desert for any other monsters.

    Everything here existed because of the skill ''Absolute Shield,'' and it made sense that this talisman piece would somehow lead Niki to it. However, a single Foxman was at the E-rank, so what about the others?

    "Power chooses us, and not the other way around."

    This is amon phrase between Defiers, as it signified that only those worthy of power could obtain it. Thus, the skill would not be a crystal waiting to be picked up, but a power that you need to pass obstacles to get.

    Most attributed this fact to the world being fair. However, Niki didn''t understand how that was fair, as only the powerful can grow more powerful.

    "There is also luck," Niki muttered as he traversed the desert, looking for his next kill. "That was the absolute fairness of the world. Everyone has an equal chance of obtaining stats, of obtaining skills, of obtaining power. The more you try, the more you can receive. However, there''s an exception to that rule."

    As he was keeping himselfpany by mulling over such idealistic thoughts, Niki found another bizarre thing in the middle of the desert.

    The ck desert was indeed an expanse of wastnd. However, there was a pir of light that was a few meters tall, hiding between a few dunes.

    "What is that?" Niki wondered to himself as he walked forward. "Can it be a trap?"

    Even if it was, Niki had to go forward and see what it is. It was better than staying in this abyss forever, after all. At the moment, any change was a good one.

    As Niki got close to the pir of light, the light escaped from it and touched his body. Then, the light washed over his body without harming it, scanning Niki''s body in the process.

    "Ah, an assessment of strength," Niki was surprised. "I guess that''s how the man obtained the skill despite being weak."

    After the light finished scanning his body, the pir of light shone brighter, and it shot out a beam toward the sky. The darkness was dispelled for a fraction of a second before a ripple spread over the ind.

    Then, the light died down anticlimactically. Niki looked around and found that nothing changed about him. However, there was something about the ind.

    It felt less dangerous, but there was a nauseous feeling about it. Then, as he thought that things might turn for the worse, it did. A shard split from the pir in front of him before morphing into a child.

    The child of light stood there harmlessly, and it stared at Niki innocently. However, if there were one creature that Niki feared, it would be children. Something was terrifying about a child appearing in the middle of the desert.

    "What are you?" Niki took out his weapon as he looked around, waiting for the child to reveal its true colors. Instead, however, there was a sense of familiarity as Niki looked at the child.

    "I am..." the child looked around nkly before staring back at Niki. "I am you."

    "Okay, that''s enough for me to kill you." Niki was creeped out as it is, and he didn''t want to apany a monster disguised as a child.

    "You think that I''m a monster, but what if I''m not?" the child spoke to him coldly.

    As he said those words, Niki paused. He was about to attack because he was convinced that this creature was a monster, but what if it was someone trapped within the pir?

    ''If he is indeed a child and I killed him...'' Niki lowered his weapon. ''Not even I can do that,'' he shook his head. There were limits to how ruthless can be before they turn into a mindless killing machine.

    "I''m d that my future self has some heart left," the child said with a smile that uneased him. "Furthermore, if you kill me, you won''t obtain the skill."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "I was created by the skill to test you, and you need to protect me as you collect the talisman. I may be a manifestation of your mind, but that doesn''t make me any less real than you are."

    "Wait, you said ''future self'' earlier. Does that mean that you are me as a kid?" Niki frowned as he stared at the child''s features. As he came to that conclusion, he began to recognize that dark and cold face.

    "I told you; I am you," the child repeated, and Niki could now tell that this was indeed how he looked like as a child. Of course, it was a vague memory after two decades, but this was indeed how he looked like as a kid.

    "And if I can protect you until I gather all the talismans?"

    "Then you will obtain the skill of protection, Absolute Shield," his younger version smiled as he walked toward Niki. "I can see that you are no longer human, so I will look like this when I''m older?"

    "I never knew I was this annoying," Niki sighed.

 Chapter 118 - I Am Annoying

    "I know you think I''m annoying. I can hear you!" Younger Niki protested. "Also, call me Niko."

    "I never liked being called Niko," Niki scowled.

    "Hehe, I know," Niko smiled as he jumped and began running away. "Make sure to protect me!"

    "What the hell?" Niki blinked before running after the kid and dragging him back. "Where are you going?"

    "I want to y," Niko said. "And you need to protect me as I do," he grinned.

    "If we are truly the same, then why make things difficult for me?" Niki sighed as he held the kid by the shoulder lest he runs away. "You should want me to obtain the skill as much as I do," he said sadly.

    "You are already looking for a way to cheat your way through?" Niko smiled. "I am not getting fooled by your act. Furthermore, I hate you."

    Niki had the urge to beat his younger version up. There was no way that he was this childish and this much different from now. He was always quiet, and it made the orphanage servants beat him up less.

    As he thought of those times, he felt the kid tremble in his hand. Niki stared at him silently as the kid closed his eyes. It made Niki let go, and the kid didn''t disappear this time.

    "Can you know what I''m thinking about?" Niki asked, and the kid nodded. "I see," Niki nodded as he looked at the scared younger self.

    Chaos Orphanage wasn''t a lot different from the rest. Raising many kids without installing fear in them was quite the task, so none achieve it. If any of them misbehaved or got out of line, they would be beaten up.

    Niki and his mute friend, Shon, often snuck away from the orphanage to avoid being beaten up. First, however, they had to beg for money to appease the orphanage''s priest. Otherwise, even whipping wasn''t out of the question.

    ''Ironically, we would get beaten up by angry adults for asking for money,'' Niki tried to dispel the thoughts when his younger self began trembling. But then, he thought about the incident.

    "No!" Niko suddenly shouted as he red at Niki. "He isn''t going to die!"

    Then, the kid ran away. Niki didn''t chase after him this time and simply stared at the infinite darkness as if trying to remember the face of his first friend.

    That memory was gone.

    ***

    The scimitar shed across the desert before flying back into Niki''s hand. The scorpion fell to the ground in front of Niko, who was trembling in fear.

    "You acted quite arrogantly earlier, but now you are just shaking," Niki walked to stand beside the child. "What are you going to do next? Find another monster?"

    "Anything other than staying close to you," Niko said with a hateful expression. "I grew up to be a liar!"

    "I didn''t say anything. You already know what happened in the past," Niki sighed. "He will..."

    "Aaaa! I''m not listening!"

    "What are you, a kid?"

    Niki was annoyed before he noticed that the scorpion dropped another talisman piece. He took out the one he had from before, and the two fused, forming arger piece but in no wayplete.

    It seems that he had to kill monsters while protecting his younger self to obtain the talisman. But then, he didn''t know what to do. Furthermore, his younger self didn''t seem stable enough for him to question.

    "Is it true?" Niko asked as he lowered his hands from his head. Niki turned to him and nodded. Then, the kid sniffed as if he was about to cry. "But why?"

    "There isn''t always a reason. Sometimes things happen because the world is cruel," Niki said as he looked into the distance to see monsters popping out from beneath the sand.

    "I..."

    "Shut up. I got over it a long time ago. So, you don''t matter," Niki took out his Darkmoon Longbow as the sand gathered to form a giant ck serpent. "What the hell is wrong with this ce?"

    The bow was the ideal choice here because he couldn''t leave ''Niko'' alone. However, he didn''t expect a reaction between his Darkmoon Longbow and the ck lotus in his hand.

    Suddenly, the petals exploded and began covering the bow. Then, as if they were growing the weapon a new skin, the petals started merging with it.

    [You have evolved the Darkmoon Longbow to Tier 2!]

    [Darkmoon Long (Tier 2): A sealed weapon created by an ancient being for his son. The materials used were the sealed Darkmoon Tree, and the existence of this bow made the heavens wrathful.]

    [Magical Properties: this item has a 30% of giving the arrows random magical property. If the arrow is infused with an effect, there is a 50% chance that the result is offensive.]

    ''Then, there''s a 15% chance for an offensive effect,'' Niki was surprised by the unexpected harmony between his bow and the Abyssal Art. It might be because both were meant to go against the heavens.

    An enemy of your enemy is your friend, it seems. This change was timely, and Niki nocked his arrow and aimed at the giant serpent. It gave a hiss that either resembled san or a serpent''s, but Niki had no way of knowing.

    The arrow was released, and there was a glow of light as it struck the serpent. Then, light covered the serpent''s body as the effect took ce.

    "Why is it," Niki was confused, "growing bigger?"

    The serpent gathered more sand around it as the light seemed to make it stronger. The realization that he has just buffed his enemy made Niki almost spit out blood.

    Grabbing the child, Niki ran away. The wise choice would be waiting until the effect wears off before he could fight this monster. Niko tried resisting, but Niki didn''t care and took the child and fled.

    "Ah, let me go!"

    "If you don''t shut up, I''ll kick your ass myself," Niki threatened. "Fuck this skill if it means putting up with someone like you!"

    "I am you!"

    "I guess I''m fucking annoying then!"

    The two bickered as they ran away, and the serpent came crashing down like a wave. It opened its jaws wide to swallow them, but Niki jumped to roll down the dune as it dived in the sand as if it was water.

    There was a moment of quietness as the two rolled down, and Niki jumped to stand up the moment they stopped. However, there was no monster.

    "It can dive into the sand?" Niki looked down as he felt a weak vibrationing from below him. Then, the sand began to shift, which was his signal to get away from there.

    As he grabbed Niko and ran away, the serpent''s jaws appeared in the spot he was standing at earlier. The monster jumped out of the sand until it was dozens of meters tall before throwing itself after them.

    Nikiunched the kid into the sky as if he was hurling a ball, sending him rolling on top of the sand. He then turned to face the giant serpent as his ck scimitars appeared instead of his bow.

    Since this monster focused on him, Niki would return the favor and use everything he had to face it. But, of course, it was an E-rank monster that was a realm above him, but can a creature of sand stand against his Bringer of Chaos?

    He grabbed the des in reverse as he sent two upward shes of ck petals at the monster. The twin shes merged into a giant (X) sign that amplified one another.

    The Abyssal Strings he used struck the world and brought chaos to its order. Whatever elemental particles that met the chaos scattered, and it was what he needed to sh open this monster of sand.

    The serpent gave a screech as it suffered the attack, but it tried to strike Niki nheless. Then, as the giant wave of sand came crashing down with the power of several hundreds of tons behind it, Niki disappeared.

    Niko stood up and looked at the impact of the fearsome battle, expecting itself to dissipate after his older self was killed. Instead, however, a crack suddenly appeared in space, and Niki emerged, huffing.

    "Damn this skill and damn this annoying child," Niki grumbled as he grabbed the three pieces of talisman that appeared in front of him. "At least give me some stats instead of these papers!"

    It seems the wave of light that washed over the ind not only created a replica of himself but reced the stats crystals of monsters with these pieces.

    Niki won''t be mad as long as there was a reward from this, and it was the skill to stand firm against a thousand attacks. As he imagined himselfughing at an army that failed to take him down, a smirk appeared on his face.

    "You are full of delusions!" Niko cut away his reverie short as he ran away again. Niki suddenly felt like killing someone.

 Chapter 119 - Shon

    Niki looked around for the next monster as the kid struggled behind him. Looking back at his handiwork, Niki was quite proud. The squirming Niko struggled to untie the ropes that Niki used to restrain him but to no use.

    "Let me go! You won''t obtain the skill if you harm me!"

    "I''m not harming you; I''m simply tying you down," Niki said as he pulled on the end of the rope for Niko to walk after him.

    "I can''t believe I grew up to be a kidnapping monster with long horns and ears," Niko said with despair. "I refuse to grow up!"

    "We all did, so join the line," Niki looked for the next monster. "So, tell me what happens after I gather the talismans."

    "You give it to me, and I can open the door for you," Niko smirked with surging confidence. "However, I won''t do it," he said with an evil smile that mirrored Niki''s a lot.

    "No wonder Lex and Yuxi hated me," Niki sighed as he stopped and took out his des. "Then I guess you are useless, so might as well redo the trial."

    "No, wait!" Niko shouted as he saw the de approaching his neck. Niki stopped as the scimitar rested on the child''s skin. "If you kill me, you lose qualifications to get the skills forever. You failed to protect. There''s noing back!"

    "I''ll lose a skill, but you will lose a life," Niki grinned. "We are not on equal grounds, kiddo."

    "I can''t believe I''m you..." abhorred Niko as he looked at him. "We can give each other the things we need, or we can both lose," the kid offered as he stared into Niki''s eyes.

    "Aha," Niki squinted his eyes in interest. "And what do you want in return for the skill?"

    "I want you to turn a new leaf and be a good person," Niko said seriously.

    "Then I hope you are ready to die," Niki almostughed at how naive his younger self is. "I can never change. I''m incapable of it."

    "I don''t think that you are incapable but rather unwilling," the kid looked different all of a sudden, as if he was looking into Niki''s soul. "If you don''t agree, then we''ll have a different deal."

    "And what is that?"

    "I want you to find out how Shon died and who killed him," his younger self was unwavering this time. "If you also refuse, then you can kill me."

    "I don''t remember this matter meaning a lot to me," Niki frowned. "He left this world, and that was the end of it."

    "There are a lot of things that you chose to forget, lest they break your mind." Niko''s eyes began glowing white. "Let me show you what you chose to forget."

    Niki''s eyes stung as he tried to shield them from the light, which exploded from Niko''s body. When he regained his vision, he was looking at a wooden ceiling full of cobwebs.

    "What the hell..." muttered Niki as he was about to stand up, but a face suddenly appeared from beside him.

    ''Cursing is bad,'' gestured the young boy with silver hair. ''The priest is waking up soon. We need to run!'' After the mute gestured, he jumped out of bed and ran to the door.

    "W-wait!" Niki snapped out of it and rose from the bed. The silver head turned to face him with confusion. "Are you... Shon?"

    ''Who else could it be?'' Shon gestured with confusion. ''Sleepy idiot,'' he grinned as he mocked Niki before opening the door and looking outside.

    Niki stared at the young boy, who was barely ten. He had a hard time recognizing his face because it had been so long since hest saw it, but where was he now?

    ''Is Niko reminding me of Shon?'' wondered Niki as he climbed down. ''For what purposed?''

    Shon turned to face him and gestured for Niki to follow him. Then, as if he had rehearsed it countless times before, Shon led Niki outside the orphanage.

    The sunlight was warm, and the returning feelings of adventurous uncertainty returned to Niki. Shon''s hair looked as if it was sparkling in the light, and he could almost feel a holy presence from him.

    After he had seen a lot of the world, Niki realized that Shon''s appearance was far from ordinary. As if the gods''bined efforts were poured into chiseling his features, the boy looked otherworldly.

    ''Why are you daydreaming?'' Shon nudged him awake before pulling him into an alley. After that, the two traveled away from the orphanage until they reached the better parts of the city. Then, Shon took out a sack of proper clothes they had before the two changed.

    Niki remembered this n of theirs, and it was the most sessful one. He was the one who suggested it to make use of Shon''s beautiful face.

    The clothes they wore were rtively clean, but Niki''s clothes were a bit shabbier. The two would then act as if Shon was a lost noble kid and Niki was his servant before going into shops and buying things.

    Of course, the two wouldn''t pay. Instead, they would say that Shon''s family wouldpensate the shop before walking away haughtily. Most shops didn''t dare disrespect a son of nobility, so they simply waited for theirpensation or gave up on it.

    ''We are ready!'' Shon grinned as he showed off his clothes, and he indeed looked like the favorite son of heaven. His appearance was enough to grab the attention of a few people whenever they walked around.

    "Yes, young master," Niki yed along as Shon gave a grin before ying with his hair out of embarrassment. The two then walked into the first store, and they took a few flowers from there.

    After seeing how he looked, they didn''t even have to y the act, as the flowerdy gave them to Shon. Niki was amazed how much appearances could change a person, as most never spared a nce when Shon was wearing torn clothes.

    They went into a different store, where they sold the flowers under the pretext ''my mother bought me too many flowers, and I decided to sell a few.''

    It worked again.

    Of course, no one would give precious things, only what they could spare. Niki and Shon knew the limit to their act, and they kept their haughty attitude while ensuring that whatever they snatched wasn''t too valuable to offend a noble.

    "People are so shallow," Niki shook his head with regret. "As long as they see a pretty face, they suddenly turn generous."

    ''That works best for us,'' Shon counted the money in his hand, and it was enough for a good meal. ''Let''s go!''

    They knew better than chewing too much, and they always kept their acts small. Sometimes they begged, sometimes tricked, but would always stop when they had enough to eat and give to the priest.

    However, Niko didn''t show Niki this day without reason. It happened when the two were walking to the restaurant.

    "Wait there, little fe," someone grabbed Shon''s shoulder as they were walking down an alley. Niki suddenly lost control of his body, as if he was now seeing something that couldn''t be changed.

    Shon turned to the man with fright, and so did Niki. When he saw the man''s face, he found it to be familiar. It was a younger version of someone he knew.

    ''Scarman?''

    The man he had various encounters with, and one of Hyde''s manyckeys, was now standing in front of him. Niki could have never guessed that he met Scarman as a child, only to forget about it.

    "Let go of him!"

    Niki heard himself shout as his younger self took control. He saw his hand reach out to Shon to pull him away, but a kicknded on his side, which made him fly away and m into the wall.

    "Cough," the air was kicked out of his lungs as Niki fell to the ground. He watched as Scarman pped the struggling Shon, who could do nothing but emit indistinctive sounds as he tried to shout for him.

    "I saw what you walk out of the alley with different clothes, and here I thought I found myself a noble prize," Scarman said as he grabbed Shon by the neck and strangled him.

    Shon began kicking in the air as hisplexion turned blue. As Niki tried to stand up, he found himself to be trembling in fear. The fear took hold of his body and prevented him from moving.

    ''Move!'' Niki shouted in his mind for his younger self to do something, but he couldn''t move a finger. The fear was crushing him, and he saw that Shon''s struggle was getting weaker.

    ''Move!''

    ''Move!''

    Then, he moved, and Niki''s younger self ran forward to grab Scarman''s arm. He bit with all of his strength, but it was futile. Scarman threw Shon before punching Niki in the face, sending him flying again.

 Chapter 120 - Beginning Of The End

    The pain was real, despite this being a recreation of his memories rather than the real world. However, it was nothingpared to the pain of whates next.

    As he fell to the ground, Scarman was already in front of him. The giant mannded a kick in Niki''s stomach, and the pain made Niki scream until his voice was hoarse.

    "Scream all you want, kid," Scarman grinned as he grabbed Niki''s head. "No one can hear you," he gave a grin before striking him again. "Now, tell me where you hide your money."

    It seems that Scarman thought they were hoarding money judging by how much they took, but they indeed had none. Niki tried to tell him, but the crook didn''t believe him.

    As he saw like the outsider of his memories, Niki could see everything happening while wondering how did he forget the face of a man who tormented him this much?

    Yet, it was inevitable, as Scarman looked different. Niki couldn''t also dispute Niko''s im that some of his memories have been sealed away rather than forgotten.

    ''Did I forget Shon''s face because of this too? How much did I choose to forget because it hurt to remember?'' Niki couldn''t tell, but he hazily saw Shon stand up, coughing and rushing toward him.

    However, Scarman was ruthless and kicked the mute kid to m into the wall as well. Then, as if his patience was wearing thin, he took out a dagger and walked toward Niki.

    "It seems that you treasure this friend of yours," he said to Shon. "If you don''t want him to die, you better take out all of your money."

    Scarman seemed convinced that they were lying, which made the two kids despair about what to do. Shon gave a few gestured as the dagger rested on Niki''s neck, but Scarman was ignorant about signnguage.

    "I don''t care about what you have to say," Scarman pressed harder on Niki''s neck. "Give me the money, or I''ll kill this friend of yours."

    Tears streamed down Shon''s face as his eyes turned to Niki. Then, as if something snapped within him, his eyes changed, and they began glowing white. Then, his hair began burning as well. Light came out of his body as if he was an exploding star, and what made Niki uneasy was the singing.

    ''Where is this songing from?''

    It was as if a thousand sirens tried to guide the sailors to their demise, and it made Niki''s soul tremble. The light exploded from the mute, and it blinded everything in the alley.

    When Niki regained his vision, he was free. Scarman was leaning against the wall, muttering in shock as a giant scar appeared on his face.

    As he was confused about what happened when he couldn''t see the world, Shon rushed toward Niki and grabbed him. The bruised face of his friend greeted him before he was pulled away to the orphanage.

    The memory grew hazy, and it ended as Niki watched his friend''s back, memories flooding back to him.

    "This was the beginning of the end," Niko said as Niki opened his eyes. "The awakening of his powers was what led to Shon''s fate, and it was because of us."

    "I did nothing wrong," Niki shook his head. "I was a victim, and I tried to save him."

    "But he did it to save us," his younger self rebuked. "It seems you have also forgotten about the night of the incident," as the words fell on Niki''s ears, he felt a splitting headache all of a sudden.

    As if the memories demanded to be remembered, Niki''s mind was resisting against something he chose to forget. shbacks of that night returned to him, and so did the feelings of fear and loss.

    "I know how to find the truth," Niki muttered as he remembered how Scarman got his scar. He also noticed that the tattoo of a crow was also there, which means that Scarman reported what happened to Hyde.

    "It must be him," Niko nodded. "At least, he has something to do with it. You need to ask him directly about it."

    "Would it change the fact that Shon is dead?" Niki shook his head. "There''s too much risk. Hyde isn''t someone I can handle at my current strength."

    "But can you deny the possibility that Shon hasn''t died?" Niko walked closer to him as the rope loosened. "If you promise that you find out the truth, then I''ll help you get the skill."

    "You are a manifestation of the skill itself. So, why would you care about Shon or anything that has to do with me?"

    "The heavenly strings bind me," Niko replied. "Celestia prevents me from intervening with fate, but that''s different for you. You are the master of fate, and I am a son of the world. So, I can''t stand idle as my world gets destroyed."

    ***

    As the giant dragon devoured Niki, his darkness exploded to destroy it from the inside. Despite being made of ck sand, it was still a dragon of great might. As the Bringer of Chaos struck toward the being''s core, it disintegrated to sand.

    Niki went into his pocket dimension until the dragon was dead before going out. The dragon was gone, and there was only his younger version walking toward it.

    "You are more powerful than you think," Niko came down from the dune to pick up the talisman. Then, after they had reached an agreement, the kid became rtively easygoing.

    "How many more monsters do I need to take down?" Niki huffed as he felt how drained his darkness was. The cube within him was spinning faster than ever to regenerate the darkness, but his art used it excessively to bring chaos.

    Like a tree with many branches, elements were connected. His darkness was how hemunicated to the abyss to bring another property to his mana: chaos.

    His chaos was still destroying the ce he attacked, and it looked like ck lightning that tore down the world''s harmony. The summoning of a stronger element consumed a lot of his darkness, but it was a lot stronger than before.

    "Hm, a few hundred monsters," Niko gazed at the horizon as he said casually. Niki looked at him, speechless at the numbers that he threw out.

    "I think I''ll be dead before I get the skill," Niki wasn''t talking sarcastically, as the monster earlier was almost of the D-rank. Even with his darkness being the Bane of Elements, a single mistake would cost him his life.

    "Well, half-dead is the requirement," the kid grinned as he handed him the piece of talisman. "You need to prove your desire for this skill, as it needs to see your determination to grow."

    "Symbiosis, huh?" Niki smiled as he fused the talisman into the one that he had.

    "A spiritual symbiosis, yes."

    Skills wanted to grow stronger, exactly how humans did. Some people thought of the rtionship between the two as symbiosis, and each would work for the benefit of the other.

    Humans would seek ck crystals to evolve their skills and practice to increase their mastery, while skills would grant humans unparalleled powers. It was a cycle, in a way.

    That''s why most people thought of skills as spiritual beings with their desires to survive and their judgment to choose worthypanions. Hence, the phrase ''power chooses us.''

    "Is there a way to quicken the process?"

    "Well, there is, but I wouldn''t rmend it," Niko turned to him. "There is a ce with weak monsters that reward a piece each. If you clear it, then you can open the door."

    "Why wouldn''t you rmend such a ce then?" Niki knew that there was a catch.

    "Because there are hundreds of monsters there," Niko gave a grin. "They might be weak individually, but their number makes the matter suicidal venture."

    "It''s better than slowly killing me like this," Niki shook his head. "If I keep running around like this, I might run into a monster that''s a D-rank. At that time, it will be certain death."

    "That''s also another way to look at it," Niko nodded. "After all, I am a legendary skill, so it will be a bit upsetting if there wasn''t at least one A-rank monster here."

    "..." Niki looked at the manifestation of the skill silently, trying to see if he was lying. However, he couldn''t see through it. An A-rank monster was the same as a volcanic eruption for normal humans, a cmity like no other. If he does indeede across such a monster...

    [Character Niki Yaran has been deleted from the system.]

    He can imagine this notification popping up as he dies. The mere thought of it sent chills down his spine, as the words the system used whenever a registered character died were cruel; for some reason, being deleted was a lot worse than just saying that they died.

    "I guess you made up your mind," Niko pointed in the distance. "Let''s go to the Temple of The End."

 Chapter 121 - Against An Army

    Niki walked behind the kid who led him to the Temple, who seemed to have changed after Niki decided to find out what happened to Shon.

    ''However, Shon should be dead. I saw it with my own eyes, and it''s almost impossible that he is still alive. Why does this child... No, why do I want to look for him?''

    Shon didn''t appear in his past life, and Niki never met him. Even if he met him, Niki didn''t know if he would recognize someone he knew so long ago.

    ''But it''s hard not to notice someone as eye-catching as he is,'' Niki sighed. He had no choice but to agree to find out the truth in return for the skill. ''Maybe I can just forget about it after I get the skill.''

    "If you go back on your word, the skill will disappear," Niko reminded him that his thoughts can be read. "Don''t expect that you can lie to yourself."

    "You are a skill, not me."

    "I''m a skill with your memories."

    "Then why do you care about Shon?"

    "The heavenly strings..."

    "Fuck the heavenly strings. Tell me what you know."

    "All I can say is that you won''t regret looking for him," Niko grinned as he skipped forward. "He is your friend, not mine! You should be the one to care about him."

    "It has been so long. Why would I still care about his fate."

    "You''ve spent seven years together. This makes Shon like a family to you and the only person who stayed for that long without hurting you. I know that you think of him as your brother."

    Niki was silent at those words. Before he got epted into the academy, his life wasn''t easy, and it wasn''t easy after he enrolled. However, the only thing he always felt fortunate about was his mute friend.

    ''But did I think of him as a family?''

    Niki never cared about the thing called family, nor did he crave it. He knew nothing of his origins, nor did he feel like he needed to know anything. However, his seven years with Shon might have felt that way because he never knew how to always be with someone.

    ''Until they are gone,'' Niki reminded himself. ''And everyone leaves in the end. There''s no other way for things to end.''

    Perhaps it was the crueler fate to stay as the people you know disappear from your life. Niki epted that fact, and he never tried to seek out people he lost, not to mention dead ones.

    "We are here," Niko knew what he was thinking but simply chose to ignore it. Instead, he pointed at the distance where a giant white building looked like a domed hall with no walls. "The Temple of The End."

    "Why is it called that?"

    "Because regardless of whether you survive or not, it will be the end of this journey."

    "That''s not very reassuring," Niki took out his weapons.

    "Yet you seem confident just the same," Niko nced at him. "I''ll be apanying you into the temple."

    "To make things difficult for me?"

    "No, it seems you forgot the rules." Niko smiled. "You need to protect your younger self to obtain the skill."

    "This skill is an annoying one."

    "Then I guess it suits you well," Niko fired back. "Let''s go in unless you want to write a will for your kids."

    "Seeing how annoying you are, my belief that my genes shouldn''t be passed down got stronger."

    "That''s a cruel thing to say about yourself, but I guess you are always cruel to those you hate."

    "Just shut up already," Arthur walked toward the Temple with his weapons in hand. He''d rather be dead than listen to this kid talking for one more second. "Let''s go!"

    Niko followed after him after a shrug, and Niki stepped into the ashen tform of the temple. However, it was empty. As he was about to ask the kid about it, monsters began to emerge from the white marble.

    "Stone statues?" Niki looked at the marble forming into statues. Just from a nce, there was a dozen of them.

    "A shame to be destroyed," Niko sighed. "I''ve spent quite the time building this ce, so be grateful."

    ''This dogshit of a skill is getting on my nerves,'' Niki never thought that a legendary skill would have this amount of awareness. He knew that average skills were like pets that wanted to be fed, but this annoying skill was on another level.

    The stone statues looked like naked humans chiseled with thousands of hours of work. Each of them carried a long spear of white marble that seemed quite threatening. Furthermore, they were walking toward him in unison.

    "If you want the power to stand against an army, then you need to defend against one. This time, you''ll be my shield against enemies. If you seed, then I''ll be yours."

    "I hope you won''t talk as much when I get the skill," Niki grabbed both of his scimitars with a grin. The darkness gathered around his horns, and Niki realized that having them out seemed to enhance his ability to control darkness.

    They glimmer in the lighting from the ceiling as they summoned darkness for Niki to use. A ck petal appeared on his hand as his Abyssal Art sought out the abyssal strings.

    "A power that can destroy heavenly strings," Niko muttered with interest. "You are indeed one of a kind, Niki Yaran."

    Before Niki could reply, the first statue rushed forward to attack him. Niki side-stepped as he used both of his des to strike its head and abdomen, destroying it.

    In that split moment, Niki pulled his head back for a spear to graze his ck horn. There was a nking voice, and Niki saw the tip of the de crumble down while he barely felt a thing.

    Niki struck the statue before going into stealth and dodging from the two who appeared behind him. However, he couldn''t run away from his spot because right behind him was Niko, who was looking at the statues attacking him with a smirk.

    ''Crazy bastard,'' Niki rushed forward, and his des danced in the air to deflect the iing attacks. Then, the handles slipped from his hands for thetter to grab the chains.

    Niki whipped the chains, and the weapons disappeared. The petals followed after, and they brought destruction to whatever they touched.

    Ten statues fell in an instant to his des, but twenty more appeared. Thus, as he scanned the temple, he could see more than a hundred statues.

    "Protect me well, Niki~" the manifestation sang, and Niki had the urge to kick the kid toward the iing spears. However, his countless years in the army allowed him to tolerate insults and annoyance.

    He directed the infinite rage he felt within toward the statues. The rage toward his enemies, toward his life, and the world all gathered in his de, which deflected spears before destroying their wielder.

    Defiers tried to seek strength that defied the world. Celestial Arts allowed them to use the heavenly strings that joined the world together to manipte it. But Niki had to defy Celestia itself with his existence because he was never allowed to be a Defier.

    Niki roared as his darkness exploded from within him to repel the iing attacks before he rushed forward to strike the statues down. Dozens of lights appeared from the fallen statues, but the battle seemed endless.

    A spear struck his shoulder, and another grazed his cheek. His blood covered his body, but Niki didn''t stop attacking. The show of madness would strike fear into whoever saw it, and it drew an image that would make warriors'' blood boil.

    It drew the image of a single man against an army. The odds were against him, but he didn''t back down. The des danced in a blood bath of chaos as the statues rushed forward, dozens appearing every second.

    Niki struck down ten as another ten attacked him. His arms ached, and his breathing grew heavier. Flesh tore apart, blood spilled, and bones broke.

    There was nothing but the next monster to strike and the subsequent attack to evade in his eyes. Sometimes, he had to give up flesh for bones. Others, he had to ept a minor defeat to survive.

    "As heartless as you are," the manifestation muttered, but Niki didn''t listen. "And as destructive as you are, you can also protect."

    Countless talismans flew from the battlefield to gather on the child''s hand. They merged, growingrger every second. Every time Niki struck down an enemy, its talisman flew out tobine with the others.

    Niki lost count of how many he killed or how much time had passed. There was a singr focus in his mind: to destroy everything in his path. As a hundred spears came his way, Niki roared as the ck lotus appeared above him.

    He threw his weapons in the air before pulling the chains down. His hands struck the ground, and a shockwave destroyed everything in its path.

 Chapter 122 - Kill Her

    The marble floor shattered under the force of his attack. As the Abyssal Strings shook and danced to bring the destruction of the mortal world, everything in their path broke down into nothingness. The Bringer of Chaos lived true to its name once Niki witnessed the devastation it brought.

    "The might of an Abyssal Art," the manifestation of the skill with the giant talisman next to muttered. "It is no wonder that whoever sought such arts was killed by Celestia."

    Niki was breathing heavily, with no strength left in him to do anything. He fell to his knees as he took out thest piece of the talisman and grabbed it.

    "Here is your reward, and wee to the end of your journey."

    "Am I... getting the skill?" Niki wondered as the two pieces merged to form a giant circle. Then, the circle began to spin to create a sphere.

    "Not yet," Niko began to dissolve. "You will have to face thest challenge by yourself, after all."

    "You sick bastard, just give me the skill already!" Niki growled threateningly, but he coughed blood in the process. Niko simply grinned as half of its face disappeared, leaving only the mouth.

    "Don''t worry, this might be a challenge, but it''s also a reward. Just call it... tough love," as he finished the words, the sphere began sucking Niki into it.

    "Wait, what do you mean?!" Niki shouted, but the current was too powerful, and he got further and further away from the manifestation.

    "Now, now. You''ll have the time to be scared. This is thest goal: don''t break."

    Niki witnessed as the world turned into a spherical view as if he was staring at a crystal. Then, the images gathered before him into a dot and disappeared, leaving him traveling in space.

    "Dammit," Niki wiped away the blood with his sleeve as his crimson eyes shone brighter with his rising rage. "I knew an absolute skill would be difficult to obtain, but this is simply suicidal."

    As he was getting dragged through the infinite space, he suddenly mmed into hard ground. He coughed up blood again, and his Blood Energy could barely keep up to heal him.

    "Enough!" Niki mmed his fist on the ck floor, but there was nothing but darkness here. His mastery over darkness allowed him to see better than he could in the light.

    Then, he heard footsteps. Niki turned in that direction, and he could see a pair of legs from his location. As he slowly raised his head, the hair on his body stood up like a scared kitten.

    "Hello again, my dearest," the smile on her face was the same, a grin of absolute confidence and conviction. "Oh my, you have changed beyond recognition."

    Niki''s hands began shaking as he hurriedly looked at the ground. His heart was screaming of rage and revenge, but something seized his fear and amplified it.

    "Not a word of greeting?" she stopped walking and simply grinned at him. Her scarlet hair rested on her shoulders as her blue eyes red at him. "I guess I taught you too lightly."

    "Shut up!" Niki roared as he mmed the ground and began to stand up. When he looked at her again, her ears were longer than earlier as a sword appeared on her waist. "You aren''t real. This is a test."

    "Maybe, but don''t you think that you are seeing me a bit too much?" the Elven Princess twirled her hair around her finger. "Almost as if you still love me, but that''s impossible. After everything I did to you," she grinned. "My dearest can''t be this pathetic."

    Niki stood there rooted as he red at her, but scarlet energy now surrounded her. Her aura grew stronger, and it raised his fear as well.

    "Why are you here, Lilith?" Niki wanted to shout, but he retreated instead.

    "Didn''t you want to kill me?" she said as she unstrapped her sword before dropping it, and it sank into the darkness. "This is your chance. But, of course, I might be a fantasy, and I might be a reality. But regardless, this is your reward."

    Niki blinked, and the scenery changed. He was in a room covered in sheets. As he jumped, he began to recognize this ce. It was Lilith''s private room back at the fortress, and this memory was one of thest before everything went wrong.

    A knock came on the door, and Lilith opened the door. As his rage arrived, it disappeared along with his memories. Niki realized that whatever happened until now was a dream.

    "My dearest," Lilith walked toward him with a slight smile. "You saved me once again. How are your wounds?"

    The concern in her voice made him nauseous, but it disappeared just as fast as it came. Niki wanted to attack her, but he forgot why he would do such a thing. She was the person he loved the most in the world, and she knew it.

    "I don''t know," Niki grabbed his head as memories kept disappearing. However, he knew that she would hurt him. He knew what was going to happen a day from now. "I''m not hurt."

    "Then, I''m relieved," Lilith sat beside him and grabbed his hand. The warmth sent a jolt of ecstasy in his body as he suddenly calmed down. "The attack that you were struck with forged memories in your head to turn you against me, but none of them is true. They tried to turn you against me, but my dearest would never do such a thing."

    ''Forged memories?'' A sudden headache struck Niki''s head. ''So, everything was a lie? Lilith wouldn''t hurt me?''

    But at least, it made sense now. It didn''t make sense that she would hurt him like that. It was impossible. Now, he could finally rest assured that it was simply an attack to manipte him.

    "Are you alright now?" Lilith asked as she touched his forehead, and Niki blushed and nodded. "That''s good." She smiled and stood up from her spot. "There''s something I need of you, so can you follow me?"

    A sense of Deja Vu struck Niki, and he wanted it to end. It made him uneasy, as if he knew that whatever was going to happen would break him. He will be pushed down the path of no return.

    "Where is Sergio?" Niki asked, trying to break the unease.

    "Hm?" Lilith turned around with surprise. "Ah, the alchemist. I guess you haven''t given up on your lousy friendship with him. But, no worries, he is unharmed. Thest of my reports said that he is still living with the beastmen."

    "So, he isn''t dead?"

    A memory resurfaced again, one of the many of Lilith trying to break him. It was one where she told him of Sergio''s fate. But, he didn''t know about his situation all that time, and Niki never went to help him.

    "Why, do you think I''m lying?" Lilith grabbed his face with displeasure. "Are you doubting me, my dearest?"

    There was an edge to her voice that struck fear in his heart. Why would he ever dare doubt her? What was he even thinking?

    "No, I would never."

    "Good, now follow me without silly questions," Lilith let go of him and turned toward the door. Niki stood up, and he saw his reflection in the mirror.

    For some reason, he looked older than he remembered. As he shook his head, Niki saw his weapons on the bed beside him. His dagger and precious gun were there waiting for him, and Niki didn''t hesitate to grab them to follow after his Lord.

    The world narrowed down as he walked toward the door, and his body screamed for him to run. There was a memory that was trying to resurface, and it kept repeating the same world.

    ''Kill her.''

    ''Kill her.''

    ''Kill her.''

    The words filled his entire being, and there was nothing but those two words. However, Niki shook off the feeling. These must be the memories they forged within him. After all, Niki remembers being struck by that attack.

    Niki''s skin began to unpeel as he walked toward the door where she was staring at him. His flesh began to fall off, but he knew it was an illusion. All he had to do was to go toward the door, and everything would be alright.

    "What''s wrong, my dearest?"

    There was a gleam in Lilith''s eyes that made him scared, but he didn''t dare to show it. Niki gave his brightest smile as his flesh fell from his face the closer that he walked toward the door.

    ''If you don''t protect yourself, who would?''

    A voice talked to him. Niki paused as it was his own. Then, as he turned, he saw the figure of someone standing behind him. It was a youth with white hair and unparalleled beauty to him.

    ''Shon?''

    ''Protect yourself, Niki.'' It was his voice, but Shon''s face. Something screamed within him as Niki grabbed his dagger and attacked.

 Chapter 123 - Absolute Charge

    The dagger shed the air apart as it reached the scarlet hair of the princess, cutting right through it. However, it was blocked by red energy as it was an inch from her neck.

    "What are you doing?" she growled, and the fear grewrger. This time, however, Niki felt something having his back, so he pushed the fear aside.

    "What I should have done since the beginning, psychopathic bitch," Niki grinned as he tried pushing his dagger to stab her neck, but it was no use. This was one of the princess''s powers, and it made her unparallel in a close-range battle.

    As he defied her once again, Niki''s body began regenerating. His fallen flesh was being restored as a warm feeling spread on his back.

    "It seems you have grown a backbone, Niki," the princess red at him before turning to look behind him. "Is that who changed you to defy me?"

    "Shut up and die," Niki aimed his gun at her in an instant and fired, but the bullet couldn''t pierce through the elf''s defenses.

    "If that''s why you aren''t obedient, then I''ll make sure that I kill him," the princess gave a grin as her eyes held infinite killing intent. "The illusion is broken, but don''t think that you overcame my shadow."

    After she said that nonsense, the princess dissolved into nothingness, and Niki retracted his guns as the room began dissolving as well. He turned toward the person behind him, who held a smile now.

    "Are you alive?"

    "I am nothing but a figment of your imagination, as you have even reced my voice with yours," Shon replied in Niki''s voice. "It wasn''t me, but you who saved yourself. I am merely the person you wish to be saved by,"

    "Ah, yes. You are certainly me if you are this annoying," Niki sighed before he smiled. "And I''m guessing you are also the skill manifestation?"

    "Correct," Shon dissolved into a younger Niki, who grinned. "How did you like my gift?"

    "To relive a trauma?"

    "No!" Niko threw his hands up. "My reward is the chance to ovee your fear. How do you feel knowing that you stood up to the person who hurt you the most?"

    "I feel nothing."

    "Psychopath," Niko sighed before giving a grin. "Or a liar?"

    Niki didn''t say anything as he closed his eyes. Then, for some reason, it began to rain in this dark. As the droplets fell on his face, he felt at peace for the first time since he returned to the past.

    Ever since he became a follower of Lilith, a seed of rage sprouted in his heart. The more he lived in this world, the more his anger grew. He felt angry toward everything and everyone, and nothing seemed to lessen it.

    But now, despite not disappearing or growing milder, his rage took a colder form. If it was a burning fire before, it was now an ice shard that wanted to tear the world apart.

    "Cold and infinite rage," Niko sighed helplessly. "It seems you have a long way to go, but this is a good start. At least, you won''t burn yourself in the process."

    "Shut up and give me my skill," Niki opened his eyes with a smile. "If you give me another one of your rewards of tests, then I''m going to dedicate my life to destroying this skill."

    "Now, now," Niko took a step back with a twitching expression. "There are no more tests nor my handsome rewards. You''ve earned the right to use this skill. Therefore, how about you treat me a little better than this?"

    "I''d rather not," Niki walked toward Niko and grabbed toward the kid. In response, Niko''s body disappeared like smoke to reveal a single golden and transparent crystal with engravings on it.

    "Let''s break this world, Niki," a voice came from within the crystal before Niki tightened his grasp, breaking it. A stream of energy entered his body as Niki closed his eyes to feel a power taking root within his soul.

    [You have acquired a Legendary Skill, Absolute Shield.]

    [Absolute Shield: a legendary skill that prevents anything from harming the user, including physical attacks, elemental mana, or skills without hindering the user''s attacks. The skill can be charged using valuable items such as gold, elemental gems, mana crystals, or ores. The amount of acquired charge depends on the item.]

    [Absolute Charge: 10000.]

    The skill was quite simple, as all great things are. Niki could use valuable items to charge the shield, which would protect him against everything as long as he had enough Absolute Charge.

    At the moment, he had ten thousand damage, and that meant that if one hundred people with a strength stat of 100 attacked him, Niki''s shield wouldn''t break.

    The absurdity of this skilly in the fact that there was no limit to how much you could charge it. So, if a monster struck Niki with a million in its strength stat, he would survive as long as he prepared enough.

    "Absolute Cheat should be its name," Niki grinned excitedly. "However, it is indeed a gluttonous treasure that would turn a rich man penniless."

    Niki wasn''t worried about that, though. When dungeons start appearing in the world, he would be the first to clear them and obtain the treasures within them. Then, as long as he had enough resources, he would be invincible.

    "Of course, I shouldn''t forget my luck," Niki smiled as he thought of ways to start gathering money. Gambling, enchantments, and mining were one of the few things that could help him.

    However, all of this remained as ns only, as he had a few things to consider from now on. But, first, Niki needs to prepare for Val''s trial before it arrives, which would be in a couple of months.

    As long as he gets enough money before then, Niki would be safe against even Val himself. An image of an immortal necromancer appeared in his mind, and Niki almost lost himself to his excitement.

    The space began to twist before crumbling down. After it did, Niki began to freefall back toward the ind. He didn''t try to use his darkness this time but threw open his hand to raise a golden shield around him.

    Nikinded on the ground without any damage being transferred to his body. There was a giant crater beneath him, but the shield negated all force that would harm him.

    [Absolute Charge: 9982.]

    "Eighteen points already?" Niki sighed, but he knew he was not an omnipotent god just yet. At that moment, a monster appeared from within the sand, and Niki realized it was another Foxman.

    The monster roared and rushed forward to attack him, and Niki didn''t move. He wanted to test the skill he so desperately wanted, and the ws struck the barrier around him.

    [-90 damages!]

    The system reported to him, and Niki took out his de to strike. His attacks passed through the barrier, which kept a distance around him without hindering Niki. The des hit the monster, which screamed and attacked again.

    [-37 damages!]

    Niki''s shield held firm as he took a step back, making the monster''s attack lose a bit of its momentum. The process repeated itself, and the Foxman fell without being able to touch Niki.

    A crystal appeared from within the Foxman, and it was an F-rank crystal with white color. As Niki absorbed the mana stat, he wondered how strong he would grow into with this bugged skill.

    "However," Niki looked at the damage his shield could withstand, "I need to start making money. Lots of, lots of money."

    ***

    The pir of light was finally within his sight, and Niki almost excitedly shouted as he ran toward it. There was a simple fact about this ind: it was full of monsters.

    Even with his shield skill, Niki would be dead if he came across the A-rank monster that the skill mentioned. That''s why he looked for the ce that would reward him with another reward: the ind''s core.

    Flying inds were masses with a meteor piece embedded within, and there was a way to control it. However, the amount of mana needed to control such an ore was almost ten times what Niki could currently use, so he opted for the next thing: hiding the ind.

    As long as he was the only one who knew of its location, Niki wasn''t afraid about people finding it. That''s why he would wait until he was strong enough beforeing back to this undiscovered ind and seizing control of it.

    Of course, Niki knew that the reason inds were coveted by the powerful only was the countless monsters that would be on them. That''s why unless he can kill an A-rank monster, he couldn''t use this ind as a hideout.

    The pir of light connected to the ind''s core, and it was also connected to the skill before. When he touched it, he was about to move the ind toward its next hiding spot. After that, Niki would have to find a way back to Rohan.

 Chapter 124 - Unit 34

    A shadow cast itself over Rageful Mountains, but the people of the vige got used to it after a day or two. The world was full of bizarre things, so a giant cloud was the safest abnormality they could encounter.

    On an eventful morning, a visitor made his way into the vige. His cloaked attire and refusal to reveal his face passed as normalcy among the bestial folk, but it was his request that grabbed the bartender''s attention.

    "Are you here for our specialty milk?" the lizardman hissed with its yellow eyes scanning the ounder.

    "No," the man beneath the cloak shook his head and spoke the tongue of beasts. "I want to visit the recruitment camp for the King''s Army."

    "Ah," the lizardman nodded with pride. "Another brave protector of our kingdom! Cheers!" the bartender raised a ss, and the rest of the bar cheered in unison as they did the same.

    Furry people stood on different tables, and most of them were simply wolves standing on both legs: werewolves. They had a human form, but they were beasts.

    The outsider simply bowed in response, and the people let their guard down. As for the bartender, he heartily guided the man toward the camp, where all brave followers of the king trained.

    As he left the bar under the proud eyes of the beastmen, Niki wondered what would happen if they saw his skin. After all, the beastmen referred to humans as furless or ''those of skin'' for a reason.

    A big part of the beastmen had less obvious bestial traits, but they were all considered one kingdom in the eyes of many. The strength of the Bestial King squashed all resistance, and there was a stronger unity than that of Rosia Kingdom.

    Niki followed the directions of the bartender toward the camp. If he wanted to reach the border, the fastest way would be to join the army. But, of course, he couldn''t join the army of the enemy, as he would be used as a toothpick once found.

    The shadow that made the people uneasy was a side effect of hiding the ind between the mountains and disguising it as a foggy mountain peak. From there, Niki had to descend the mountain range and return to Rohan city, but he didn''t exactly have a ship to do so.

    Alias was gone after he obtained the legendary skill, and Niki felt relieved that Sergio wasn''t foolish enough to wait for him. Niki himself had no idea how much time he spent on the ind because his perception was distorted.

    "I have no idea what''s going to happen on our next meeting, but I hope Sergio moves on from our friendship," Niki muttered to himself after entering stealth.

    Despite the matter being a bit hurtful, Niki knew that he wasn''t the best person Sergio could have as a friend. After all, in his past life, Niki''s existence led the alchemist to a curler fate and worse situations.

    The chains of existence weighed heavily on his shoulder, a reminder that he couldn''t escape them. Even after awakening and obtaining the legendary skill, Niki still felt iparably weak.

    If he met Lilith now, she would devour him again. He wasn''t blinded by his rage toward the elven princess, as it took a calmer form after thest trial of the skill.

    The bestial vige wasn''t different from a human one, the same as most things except their race. It was of great irony that people loved to be different yet hated those who were different.

    As Niki reached the camp where the army recruits were, he could feel the heat of their training. Shouts filled his ears as Niki snuck into the base without being seen.

    There were officers of great power that rivaled D-rank at the very least, but they couldn''t sense Niki''s stealth. Maybe that was why Dark Beings were feared because they could be the invisible and whispering devils of the world.

    After looking around the camp, Niki finally found the Messengers. A unit specialized in deliveringmands and receiving them via various methods. Some used skills, others used letters and a few used pigeons.

    Niki waited in the dark as he looked at the back of a young beastwoman responsible for receiving requests. The girl had sharp features of cats, but she looked nothing more than a human with cat ears and nose.

    "Request for aid at the border, Unit #34!" the girl shouted as she took out a slip of papers and jotted down the request before hurrying off to give it to another werewolf. Niki followed after the soldier until he was in front of his officer, who approved the dispatch.

    Then, Niki went to look for the dispatched unit of recruits, and he found them preparing to set out. Finally, after half a day, they were done and decided to set off toward the border.

    Niki hid among the crates of supplies, and the carriage transported him toward the border. It would take a week or two until he reached his destination, but it was better than moving on foot.

    "Somehow, I feel nostalgic," Niki muttered as he listened to the shouts of soldiers, the nking armor, and the galloping mounts. The odor of sweat and soil merged to remind him of the harsh days in the army.

    However, the feeling disappeared as memories of how miserable he was resurfaced. Luke, the one he killed as soon as he returned, was one of those people who tormented him. As soon as Niki made anyrades in the army, Luke and Julian would step forward to ruin any connections.

    Julian was his captain in the army, and that just gave him the authority to turn Niki''s life into a living hell. Then, of course, it didn''t help that he made connections with Drunken-Stars Party after he obtained a Grand Skill, who were all great people in the kingdom.

    ''That''s how people are. They judge you for what you are worth and act ordingly,'' Niki leaned back on the carriage''s walls. He couldn''t sleep here because of how dangerous that would be, and he couldn''t sleep in his pocket dimension because the carriage would leave him behind.

    As hours went by, Niki''s awareness was jolted alert by the carriage stop. It seems the army was camping here for the night, and Niki re-entered his stealth again.

    The carriages curtains were pulled as soldiers began to unload the crates. The smell of roasted food filled the camp after a while, and songs were sung to praise the Bestial Kingdom. Some of them talked about glory. Others were of conquering.

    After the carriages were emptied, Niki could finally rest and take out a meal of his own to eat. Despite not being fresh, it was filling.

    The darkness grew stronger as the night descended. Soldiers slept in their tents as Niki was fully alert. At such times, it was a moment of false reprieve that would cost him his life. However, he also knew that the night was the ally of evil, and he was right.

    Niki left his carriage to wander around the camp in his stealth, and he found a group of werewolves sneaking out of their tents. They left their armor and headed toward another tent, which Niki could tell had a few female soldiers.

    The war was cruel, and it spared no one. As long as one could absorb crystals and use skills, they were taken from their homes to serve in the army. That was in the case they didn''t have any other upation.

    Luke was aware that Niki made an intimate friendship with a woman in the army, and he made sure that she suffered for it. That begone bastard had the same n as these three werewolves, which was to assault weaker soldiers.

    Niki didn''t have any sort of affection toward strangers, nor any sense of duty to protect them. Yet, his rage was enough to burn down everything that displeased them.

    His Dark Echo skill activated, and the shadows swirled like tongues to rush toward one of the three werewolves. Niki controlled him to use his skill, and it was that of mes.

    "What are you doing?!" one of the other werewolves red at hisrade, who had an absent and evil expression on his face. Then, before the three could enter the tent, the fire exploded from the puppet''s hands to light up the night and burned down a carriage.

    Chaos ensued, and Niki sat on top of a tree to avoid the soldiers bumping into him. He smiled as the camp was thrown into turmoil by the actions of these three, and everyone rushed to extinguish the fire.

    Then, the officer inmand of the unit came forward to investigate. The three werewolves were caught, and the location of the fire gave away their ns.

    As he heard their cries of pain from being disciplined, Niki felt quite refreshed. Maybe he doesn''t need sleep, after all.

 Chapter 125 - Sea Serpent

    After a few days, words spread among the soldiers about divine justice who punished anyone who hurt others. The soldiers who tried to assault their femalerades? They were punished because one of them lost control of his skill.

    The soldiers who bullied the weak? Unfortunate idents would befall them. Then, rumors spread around about a vengeful ghost that would whisper in the ears of others.

    Stories were made about the pitiful demise of this soldier, pushed by hisrades into killing himself. After a few days, none of the soldiers dared to mess around anymore.

    As for the culprit himself, Niki was enjoying himself immensely. There was something about messing with people that seemed to rx him, and he slept in his stealth peacefully.

    Although the draining mana would rm anyone in their sleep, Niki learned to deal with it. His body also adjusted to the time cycle of the army, so he woke up before they did.

    The trip toward the border was almost peaceful, if not for the giant beast in front of them. But, even for the Bestial Kingdom, the wilderness was dangerous for them. A testimony of that was the giant sea serpent that blocked their path over the bridge, giving them quite the headache.

    The fact this bridge was the only route toward the border that didn''t help, nor the fact that they carried essential supplies. As Niki admired the mighty monster, he overheard the conversation of the officer a distance away.

    "How did the Scouters mess this up?" the officer was a lion-man with a dignified expression. The soldier beside him stuttered and didn''t know how to reply, but the officer knew better than ming his soldiers. "Forget it. We need to find a way across the river."

    Niki''s train of thought was quite different as he looked at the monster in front of him. If this monster was willing to attack so many people, it must have a reason to do so.

    Lilith taught him that monsters weren''t always mindless. Sometimes they were either trying to survive or protect their kin. So the beast didn''t attack them as long as they didn''t try to cross the bridge, which stood steady against the monster''s attacks.

    ''I guess it''s thetter reason,'' Niki realized. ''What is it trying to protect? Its eggs or hatchlings?'' This was an opportunity to make some money, as both were valuable given the stats and skills that coulde out of such a legendary monster.

    The endeavor would be pretty risky if Niki were alone. However, how can he be alone with hisrades willing to risk their lives for him? As he turned toward the soldiers, Niki felt moved by their sacrifice, but he would ept it nheless.

    As for whether his actions were morally right, that would be hard to say. These people will be trying to cross the bridge regardless, and Niki was simply using that opportunity to obtain some loot. However, he was not arrogant enough to give up a ready-meal delivered to him.

    "A gift from the heavens cannot be rejected, even by one who hates the heavens. So I''ll take this aspensation for the times Celestia wronged me."

    Niki turned toward the army who was holding a strategical meeting. He walked unnoticed and stood hidden in the corner of the tent. If anyone knew of how powerful his stealth is, then he would be the world''s most coveted spy.

    "I believe we need to y the monster for us to pass," said one of the captains, who looked like a human with antennasand scales. Niki had no idea what species it was, to be quite honest.

    "And loss half of our men for a mistake by the scouts?" another woman who had snake-like features hissed. "You seem quite keen on this. Are you a human with a pair of sticks attached?"

    Niki almostughed at the usation, and the others didn''t hold themselves back. Instead, the antenna beastman red at the rest before the half-lion banged on the table.

    "Leave your petty grudges forter, idiots!" the lion roared, and it shook the camp. "We need to find a way across the bridge without losing any of our men!"

    "Sir, how about we use some of the enchanted items we are taking?" said a small-framed captain. "It is better that we lose a few items than they drown in the river."

    "usible," the lion seemed pleased. "We might get in trouble if we use them without permission, but it is the only way for us to make it before the attack."

    ''The attack?'' Niki frowned as he heard those words. An attack on the Bestial Kingdom in his first year of the academy? It can only be that battle.

    When he tried to cross the border, he came across Alil Vige. At that time, he identified the vige as the ce that would be wiped off the map after a battle, but he didn''t remember the details since he was studying.

    He only came across the news in passing, so he didn''t know what would happen. However, there was indeed the mention of a battle near the border, and an army of undead would rise from it.

    "Can this be another of Val''s fragments?"

    Niki has already found two such fragments, and acquiring them made the trial get brought to a closer date. In the beginning, Niki had five months. After the second fragment, the selection was brought closer by two months.

    There was a reason that his actions had such an impact on the date: he was stealing the fate of other candidates. There was a natural sequence of events, and Val seemed to have calcted the time for the candidates to find their fragments.

    Niki was the anomaly of this timeline, as he knew the future. If there was indeed a fragment in the Demise of Alil, then Niki wanted to obtain it.

    If he were lucky enough, he would bring the trial closer than The Lost Garden. His chances of emerging victoriously against those monsters blessed by Celestial were still slim, so Niki would be assured if he became a necromancer before that time.

    As his thoughts reached here, Niki found out that the meeting was being concluded. The magical items were prepared, and Niki thought about stealing some of them. However, they had aplex seal that only allowed certain people to use them, so he gave up the thought.

    The bridge was secured, and the serpent''s temper grew uneasy as it saw countless soldiers boarding the bridge. Niki stood on the riverbank as he waited for the monster to start attacking before he dived into its den.

    As the serpent gave a beastly roar and rose above the water, countless shimmering lights covered Unit 34. Then, finally, the battle against the monster began, and Niki crouched before he bolted forward to jump into the river.

    His feet ran across the meadow in the dark dimension until he jumped into the water, and there was a change of shadows as Niki dived underwater.

    Against his wishes, Niki couldn''t breathe in the dark dimension if he was underwater. So he held his breath and looked around, hoping that the powerful currents generated by the monster or the stream wouldn''t send him away.

    The twin scimitars appeared in his hand, and Nikiunched them toward the underwater rocks on the side. As he grabbed to the chains lest he drifts away, Niki looked at the body of the serpent sway in the water.

    With each move of the serpent, powerful underwater currents threatened to pull Niki toward his demise. After a struggle of searching, Niki finally saw an underwater cave beside the monster.

    ''Bingo,''

    Niki thought as he threw his other scimitar, and it cut across the water toward the lower parts of the river. The currents below were calmer, but the fight above broke Niki out of his stealth.

    As he appeared back into the world, the force from the battle struck him. Niki used his Absolute Shield and watched with growing anxiety as damage notifications appeared.

    [-50 DMG!]

    [-54 DMG!]

    [-32 DMG!]

    The impact of the battle was unpredictable, and it came every few seconds. However, his shield stood firm as Niki''s heart trembled at the ferociousness of the fight. The residue force of each monster''s attacks was equal to an F-ranker''s attack, which was absurd.

    However, Niki knew that he was in for a treasure. He dived toward the cave as his shield negated the impact of the currents. As he was a few meters away from the entrance, the sea serpent gave a violent roar as its scaled body began mming itself everywhere.

    Without his stealth, Niki was bound to be found out if he got so close. The monster threw its body in Niki''s direction, and his Absolute Shield took the attack''s damage.

    [-1029 DMG!]

    Boom!

    [-358 DMG!]

    Niki was sent toward the wall of the river, and he mmed to it. The attack and the impact from it each took a giant chunk of his Absolute Charge, but they brought him close to the entrance.

 Chapter 126 - A Friends Shadow

    There was a certain alienation when your eyes didn''t match what your body felt. As Niki saw the iing attack of the monster, he was prepared for the mind-breaking pain. Yet, it never came.

    The monster threw its body at Niki, and the resulting current was what sent him flying. There was no pain, and his golden shield brightly glowed as it absorbed insane amounts of damage.

    Niki crashed into the mossy rocks beside the cave, and there was no damage again. The sea serpent must have thought that its attack would crush the weak bug, but it would have never thought that underestimating Niki would be its biggest mistake.

    Without hesitation, Niki kicked the rocks to dive toward the entrance. The serpent gave another roar as it tried to attack again because it didn''t have the time to dive underwater.

    Niki slipped in before the serpent''s body mmed into him again, and it mmed into the entrance instead. The cave shook, and the pressure pushed Niki further inside.

    His chest was feeling tighter, and he knew he was low on time. However, as if a lightbulb lit up in his head, Niki remembered a particr setting he ced on his pocket dimension.

    ''There is air stored inside my pocket dimension,'' Niki remembered how he made his pocket dimension habitable. His darkness swirled into his mouth as it began providing air like a diving tube.

    Niki''s vision cleared as he began swimming deeper into the cave. However, his time was limited, as the sea serpent was bound to dive back into the water.

    True enough, Niki felt the currents change behind him. He slipped into his stealth and waited. Finally, the serpent''s eyes appeared, eerily blue and full of rage. However, it couldn''t spot Niki, making it confused.

    The serpent entered the cave head first. Its scales glimmered in the low lighting from the outside. Then, as it slithered its way into the deeper parts of the cave, Niki hid in a crack as he held his breath.

    The serpent was infinitely close to him, and it seems that it gave up on the battle above water. Niki kept still instead of trying to swim now, as he knew the monster was fully alert by his earlier presence.

    Luckily for him, there were no powerful currents in the cave that would drag him out of his stealth. Instead, the serpent''s nostrils red, and they released bubbles into the cave. Niki watched as its eerie eyes passed by him and went deeper into the cave.

    The serpent''s scaly body blocked his way, and Niki had to wait for it to move. Then, gentle voices came deeper from the cave, and Niki knew that the serpent was talking to its offspring.

    As he thought that his air might run out, the serpent began to retreat from the cave to resume its battle against the army above.

    As the bridge was quite long, it took a while for the unit to cross. Finally, depriving the army of their moment of happiness, the sea serpent screeched and jumped above the surface to fight against the intruders.

    Niki sighed as he swam out, looking both ways before he went deeper into the cave. The giant cave shook because of the battle above, but Niki wasn''t worried about being buried alive.

    Within the dark dimension, Niki swam toward the deeper parts of the cave. The water began getting shallower until he could see lights twinkling above him. Finally, Niki left the water and realized there was air in here, and breathing it in was a great sce for his lungs.

    The cave was lined with all kinds of gemstones, and they shone brightly to defeat the darkness. As Niki looked around, he fell in awe of the myriad of colors. Then, he began swimming toward the shore and enjoyed the feeling of the hard ground after he set foot on it.

    The mana in the cave was vibrant, and it made anyone feel reenergized the moment he entered it. Niki walked straight to one of the walls to pluck out a gem.

    As the gem came off after a bit of effort, Niki realized that these treasures could be used for enchantment. These gems were like lottery tickets that granted items different properties and substituted for skills most of the time.

    "This cave alone is worth thousands of golds," Niki knew as he looked around, but he knew that mining out these gems would be easier said than done. Moreover, Niki didn''t have the time to stand around.

    Niki began walking deeper into the cave to look for the offspring. Soon enough, he realized that this ce was too gigantic. It seems this was the permanent den of the serpent, as Niki could see deep tracks of slithering on the ground.

    "Where are you, young serpent?" Niki squinted his eyes as he looked around. Then, he began following the freshest tracks of the giant serpent while holding back on snatching the gems in the walls.

    There were priorities.

    Soon enough, Niki found arge bedrock at the end of the tracks. It was surrounded by walls from all sides and looked like a chamber dug inside the cave''s walls.

    The bedrock was dark, and there were no gems within to light it up. But, as Niki began feeling at home, he climbed the rocks to enter the chamber. There was a presence within.

    Although he couldn''t be seen, Niki''s instincts screamed at him that whatever here was dangerous. A sea serpent was a powerful monster whose offspring would be no less than an E-rank monster at birth.

    Of course, its growth would be quick to arrive to push it toward the B-rank. Those who lived in inds or beside the ocean would tame such monsters and breed them into national treasures.

    Niki sneaked in as he listened to the quiet breathing of the monster. As told by mana, the life force was weak, and Niki realized that this monster might not be in the best of health.

    As his eyes scanned the dark interior of the chamber, they fell on a single object in the middle. There was a giant cracked egg and a creature pping beside it.

    "Here you are," Niki looked at the monster, who looked like a more miniature replica than its parent. There was a mucus surrounding the sea serpent, who was as big as Niki himself. However, such a size suggests that the egg has just hatched.

    "Grrr," the monster growled as it looked around, and Niki saw that its eyes were still closed.

    As the previous soldier, ruthless killer, and tortured prisoner stood there, he began pondering what to do with this creature now that he found him.

    The giant parent will be returning soon, so Niki needed to decide. However, there were no options but three:

    The first was to kill this monster and take the stat crystals if they dropped. The second was to capture this monster and sell it somewhere else. The third was to take the gems and leave this monster alive.

    The first came from his habits, the second came from his needs, and the third came from his conscience. There was something about taking away a child from its parent, even if they were monsters, that uneased him.

    Niki fell into a dilemma before heughed and took out his weapons. This monster might be an E-rank, but the loot it would drop would be pretty bountiful given its potential to grow. There was no need to think, only a need to kill. As Niki took the first step, a voice called out for him.

    "Bossman!"

    Niki snapped his head back with surprise as the voice belonged to Sergio. However, there was no one inside the cave. Niki was confused as he turned around toward the monster and realized this was its doing.

    "A natural ability to affect those who wish you harm?" The antics of this sea serpent amused Niki. It seems that the natural ability came as a natural reaction to his killing intent, although the monster couldn''t see him.

    What bugged Niki is that this method worked, as his mind shifted ever so slightly when he remembered the alchemist. His friend would prevent him if he were here.

    The alchemist''s past was simr to this one, being separated from his parent at an early age. It left him scarred and broken for life, seeking self-harm to shut down his insecurities. However, Niki has decided to cut ties with the alchemist.

    ''But,'' Niki stared at his hand that was holding one of his weapons. ''I can''t bring myself to do it,'' he sighed as he turned back toward the monster. ''You bastard,'' he red at the young sea serpent. ''Your n worked.''

    As he lost the desire to kill the serpent''s offspring, Niki ced his weapons away and resumed thinking about his options. However, Sergio''s shadow was behind him, preventing him from doing what he thought was natural.

 Chapter 127 - Seven And Twelve

    The infant sea serpent managed to retain its life by reminding Niki of his friend, and maybe it didn''t do anything at all, but it was simply Niki awakening some sort of weird conscience.

    "Laughable," Niki shook his head as he sat in front of the serpent. "There''s no way that I have a conscience this strong," he said and pondered more. "However, it can be that I''ve seen the end of times."

    The natural hate between monsters and humans seemed trivial when invaders ughtered both. Furthermore, Niki didn''t know which side to favor anymore. After all, he wasn''t a human, but was he a monster?

    Niki decided it was time to choose, and he stood up. But, unfortunately, he lost a lot of his Absolute Charge to get here, and there was not any time left to dwell on this matter.

    ''You areing with me, and I''ll trade you for a good price.'' So Niki decided to beat up the sea serpent and ce him in his pocket dimension before stealing as many gems as he could before leaving.

    As he walked toward the monster, he paused because there was a change in mana behind him. Niki looked back with confusion toward the darkness of the cave, as there shouldn''t be anyone beside him.

    A portal opened in the middle of the cave, and Niki''s heart dropped. Then, as his fear came to a reality, someone walked out from within the portal. There were two people here, and Niki hated that he recognized them.

    "Who would have thought that the Bestial Army would be here?"

    The voice was slippery and high-pitched, and the speaker had a lisp. Niki frowned felt goosebumps as memories resurfaced in his mind. Then, after taking a step back, he heard another voice answer.

    "No harm is done," the voice was deep. "Rather, we are lucky that the monster is busy at the moment. I guess this is the heavens aiding our cause."

    "Spear me from your religious talks," the slippery voice scowled as it got closer to the chamber. "The Princess instructed that we make this matter swift, so no time for chitchat."

    "You think you know of her wishes better than I do, bloodsucker?"

    As the two bickered, Niki''s mind was racing. It has never urred to him that he would meet two of her people here. Furthermore, it was Seven and Twelve.

    ''Lilith wants this sea serpent?'' Niki nced back as he looked through his memories. ''This monster is the one she used to conquer the ind?''

    It all made sense now, but the coincidence was indeed unexpected. After all, how would he know that the sea serpent Lilith would raise would be none other than this one?

    It was all because of Eight''s secretive nature that Niki never got to meet the monsters she tamed. However, it mattered not anymore because he was in trouble.

    The rage he had toward Lilith didn''t mean he wanted to meet her as soon as possible because he was still far too weak to take revenge. Instead, if she indeed finds him, Niki''s fate would be worse than that of his previous life.

    His stealth was almost omnipotent, but it didn''t help that Seven''s element was light. So, as the man walked into the cave, it lit up like the brightest of days.

    A treasure hunt has turned into a deadly encounter within a few minutes. The light made the darkness sizzle, and it vanquished most of it. Niki hid in the shadow of the egg, which was the only ce left without light. Furthermore, he made sure to conceal his face using the mask he used in Rohan Ruins.

    ''They should be weaker,'' Niki knew that they can''t be as strong as he remembers, so this might be a chance to weaken Lilith''s generals. ''However, you can never estimate the strength of these monsters.''

    These people were the specially handpicked pets of the Elven Princess. Lilith spared no expense to stuff them with all sorts of treasures and strengthening items until she had countless monsters at her disposal.

    "There''s something here," Twelve''s voice hissed as Niki''s heart raced. He nced from behind the serpent''s egg and could see the two monsters after more than a year of parting.

    They were as terrifying as they used to be. Seven was a giant man with white hair and scarred eyes. As for Twelve, it was a big lizard that was the size of a human.

    The eyes of the lizard scanned the ce as it was the master of stealth. It seems to be preceptive of those like itself, and it disappeared.

    "I can''t see anything," muttered Seven.

    "You have no eyes..." came Twelve''s reply. "Something is hiding in this ce, but I don''t know where."

    As it said so, the lizard began looking around the chamber to search every nook and cranny. Niki held his breath in the dark dimension as he leaned on the serpent''s egg, which was wailing because of the blinding lighting out of Seven''s hands.

    Maintaining the stealth was getting increasingly more challenging because of the decreasing darkness. Even though Niki can use his darkness, it woulde at the cost of being found out, so it was counteractive.

    ''What should I do now?'' Niki wondered to himself. These people were at the very least at the D-rank and might even be C-rank already. However, ranks meant nothing to these freaks with abnormal skills and elements.

    Twelve''s forte was at hiding things and concealment, which was necessary to avoid being sensed by the giant sea serpent. As for Seven, he was one of the strongest pets that Lilith raised, an abnormality.

    ''Then I just need to do what they are trying to avoid,'' Niki thought to himself as his darkness left his hand and traveled toward the sea serpent.

    The monster''s natural ability activated, and it gave a screech that shook the heavens. There was, after all, nothing more destructive to living beings than darkness and chaos.

    "Something is there!" Seven shouted as the cave shook, and their cover was blown. The infant''s screech was mirrored by its parent, who dived back into the water and hurried toward the cave.

    "I know," a voice whispered beside Niki, and it made his heart clench. A reptile hand reached out to him and pulled him by the shadow, dragging him out of the darkness. "We found ourselves a rat."

    Niki was thrown on the chamber''s floor as the whole cave shook. Luckily, his face was concealed, so he avoided being seen by the two monsters.

    "Where was it hiding?" Seven frowned as he turned toward Niki, and Twelve appeared beside him.

    "You are not going to believe this," the lizard pointed at Niki with surprise. "This thing is a Dark Being. It was hiding in the darkness."

    "A dark being?" there was a rage in the man''s voice. "Are you an idiot? He is a beastman or a human." Seven looked at Niki, who was standing up slowly.

    "Call me an idiot all you want," the lizard shrugged as its tongue yed around. "However, you can''t deny that this creature was hiding in the darkness. Ah, My Princess will be so d when I bring this one back."

    "You were only able to find it because of my light, lizard," Seven scowled as he took a step toward Niki. "I''ll be the one to bring it back."

    Niki trembled as he heard their conversation. He couldn''t deny that Lilith would be d about obtaining a dark being. However, simply imagining the experiments, she would do on him made Niki willing to lose his life rather than allow them to take him.

    ''Why am I scared?'' Niki shook his head to dispel the thoughts. ''They can do nothing to me because I can always hide in the pocket dimension. However, this is my chance to hinder Lilith''s growth.''

    As his thoughts reached her, Niki''s darkness exploded, and the ck lotus appeared on top of him. The twin scimitars appeared in his hand, and the Abyssal Weapon absorbed the petals.

    "This creature can use an Abyssal Art?" Seven grew cautious. "To think that we would not only find a dark being but an art that the princess wants..."

    "Lucky!" Twelve shouted as he rushed forward to snatch Niki away, but his des yed a song of destruction. As the des danced in the air, the petals exploded to bring chaos to everything in their paths.

    "Careful!"

    Seven turned into a ray of light and appeared before the lizard to strike the darkness away. But, instead, two des of light appeared on his hands, and they collided with the destruction brought by the scimitars.

    Niki pulled back his des before he threw them in an arc from both sides at Seven. Then, as light exploded from the man''s body to push away the darkness, Niki was already standing in front of his body.

    ''This is the first payback,'' a lotus appeared on his hand as he punched the man''s abdomen, and the chamber shook under the destruction of darkness and light.

 Chapter 128 - A Nobilitys Carriage?

    As the element of chaos struck Seven''s abdomen, his fist sank a little before the light pushed him away, radiating a heat that vaporized sweat. Then, as the des of light struck at him, Niki''s shield blocked it without any effort.

    [-521 DMG!]

    Of course, the damage was insane. However, this man wasn''t the only one who could inflict damage more than his strength stats. As the chaotic energy infiltrated Seven''s body, he coughed up, and blood leaked out of his mouth.

    Niki reached out to the chains and pulled his weapons back. They flew in an arch of destruction directly toward the two people. However, Niki whipped out his chain and changed the target of one of the des.

    Before the two monstrous pets could stop him, his de struck the infant sea serpent, ending its life. It gave a dying scream as the blind sea serpent fell to its demise before the Abyssal Art.

    "No, no, no!"

    Twelve rushed toward the serpent, but it was dead. Niki''s de gave it no chance to resist, tearing it into two in a second. Even if this monster was of the E-rank, Niki''s darkness and Abyssal Art allowed him to bring destruction.

    "You bastard," the voice of Seven was rageful as he struck at Niki, striking him squarely in the chest. Niki''s shield stood strong, and he smirked in return as he attacked toward the man''s neck.

    The light prevented him from killing Seven, and Niki had to fall back. The cave began crumbling after the scream of the sea serpent which summoned its parent.

    The giant sea serpent rushed into the cave, slithering toward the group with rageful agony. When it witnessed the body of its child, torn apart and lifeless, the serpent''s body began giving a blinding searing light.

    The dragon gave a roar that shook the heavens, its intelligent eyes full of grief at the loss of its child. Twelve rushed toward Niki to grab him, but thetter disappeared from existence.

    There were only Seven and Twelve left in the chamber, and they had to suffer the wrath of the dragon. A heaven-shaking battle urred that shouldn''t have happened in Niki''s previous life, and he was the sole culprit for it.

    ***

    "They should be gone now, right?" Niki sat on top of the giant machine, studying his art and tending to his pocket dimension. It has been half a day since he slipped into his pocket dimension and waited for the two pets to suffer the wrath of the serpent.

    Niki could imagine Sergio shaking his head with disapproval as he sat beside him. However, Niki tried to exin that he had no other choice. If Lilith obtained the sea serpent, humanity would suffer a bigger blow than a moral one.

    As ast resort, Niki decided to stick to his methods and kill the monster, making sure it would never end up in the hands of the princess. Furthermore, this was the perfect trap for the two to suffer at the hands of the sea dragon.

    After he left his pocket dimension, Niki went directly into his stealth. At first nce, he wondered if he was somewhere else, but that couldn''t be.

    The chamber was ttened, and the cave was half destroyed. The space that Niki could stand in was barely as big as a small tunnel. As he looked around, there was no one there other than the sizzling mana of light.

    Niki walked out from between the rubble, and he could see that the ground had been dyed in blood. There were pieces of torn flesh everywhere, and all of them were either scorched or disfigured.

    However, the gems were left out. Instead, they were abandoned for a bigger prize. Niki made sure that no one was there before he began harvesting the ce.

    [Absolute Charge: 6968]

    As Niki picked up the gems and ced them in his dimension, he realized what a devastating battle it would have been if not for his Legendary Skill. First, however, he would need to recharge it because this was only the beginning of such adventures.

    The harvesting of gemssted for two hours, a precious time that he could have spent catching up with Unit 34. However, it was well worth it because, in these two hours, Niki gathered more money than he could have in years of his previous life.

    After that, Niki dived back into the water and swam to the riverbank. The water pooled beneath him as he breathed in the fresh air withbored breaths.

    "The army should have gone in that direction," Niki muttered within his dark dimension. "Should I follow them or travel alone?"

    There was bound to be heavy security at the border, one that Niki didn''t know if he could slip through. But, of course, if he had a ship, it would have been a different matter.

    After a few moments, Niki decided against following the unit and look for some smugglers instead. There were bound to be human smugglers who had their way into the Rosia Kingdom.

    ve merchants, too.

    The trade was sickening to whoever knew of it, but some things were simply a testimony of how corrupted humans were, and Niki wasn''t a human anymore to care.

    It seems as if every time he starts feeling like a human, his horns and ears make sure to remind him that he was not. Niki walked into the forest before he looked for the tallest tree to climb.

    While he ensured he was in stealth, Niki looked for a vantage point to look for the nearest settlement. After climbing a tall tree, he looked around the endless mountain ranges, forests, and rivers for anything that resembled a city.

    No matter how dangerous it was, there were bound to be cities near borders. After all, not only the army needed supplies, but merchants needed ces to rest.

    ''There are... none,'' Niki sighed as the terrain prevented him from seeing anything resembling civilization. However, as he kept looking around, a shadow passed over him in the sky.

    Niki snapped his neck upward to witness the loveliest of ships. It looked nothing different from an ordinary vessel, but it signified a nearby city as long as Niki followed them.

    The only problem was that Niki could never match its speed, so he had to make out its general direction to know which direction to take.

    After the ship disappeared, Niki began running after it. Niki had an easy journey despite the E-rank and above monsters since his stealth protected him from being spotted as long as nothing attacked him.

    After traveling without rest for a day, Niki finally saw another ship going in the same direction. His muscles ached, but he had to keep going.

    When he reached the top of a hill, Niki finally saw the city walls beside the border. He gave a tired sigh as he slumped down, resting before he began walking.

    After taking off his mask, Niki wore his headband and removed his cloak. Thest thing he needed at the moment was to be suspicious, especially if he was next to the border.

    Even if they were enemies, the two kingdoms kept their trade. But, of course, they made sure to exploit theck of natural resources in their rival''s kingdom.

    As long as it was near the border, humans could be seenmonly. Most of them were traders, merchants, or envoys. Niki finally found a trail that he followed toward a road.

    The moment he reached the road, a carriage appeared behind him. Niki turned back and saw a nobility''s carriage with several groups of knights surrounding it.

    They were human.

    They passed by him without slowing down. Niki was relieved that they didn''t try to ask questions, as they seemed to be in a hurry of their own.

    However, after he walked another few minutes, he found that the carriage had stopped, and so did the knights. Niki wanted to turn back and flee, but he knew that he had no reason to and that it would make the knights pursue him.

    The only problem was his inhuman features. Instead, if anyone knew of them, they would be able to tell that he was neither a human nor a beastman.

    Beastmen were half-human. So, they could be distinguished from other races. As for Niki himself, he looked like the portraits of demons from folk tales.

    He kept his pace steady and his bag thrown over his shoulder. A bagless traveler was no different from a fugitive. As he reached the knights, he simply nodded and passed by them.

    Niki passed by the carriage, hoping that whoever boarded it wouldn''t be a nosy person. However, against his greatest wishes, the window was thrown open, and two heads peeked from it.

    "Hello there," a feminine voice greeted him, and Niki turned to see two people staring at him with interest. "Are you a traveler?" the girl asked, and Niki knew he was screwed.

 Chapter 129 - War Is Coming

    If there was something that Niki hated about nobility, it was their curiosity toward everything. Their lives were so safe and without hardships that anything interests them, and that was true arrogance, in his opinion.

    "I am," Niki nodded in response to the question of young woman, under the eyes of what looked like a little brother.

    "As I expected," the woman covered her mouth. Niki frowned because he felt being judged, but he didn''t want the knights to attack him for disrespect.

    "May I be honored by your esteemed identity?" he said with a salute and could see the knight beside the carriage frown.

    "That is none of your business, traveler," the knight barked harshly, and Niki almost rolled his eyes.

    ''Who was the one to block my path?''

    Knights were idiots, the same as their master. However, it seems this young woman was less of an idiot, and she waved her knight off with a frown.

    "We were the ones to stop him. So it is only natural that we introduce ourselves."

    "Mydy, these are sensitive information. We promised your father that we would take care that no one knows of your arrival."

    A voice came from within the carriage, and it worked to convince her against introducing herself. Niki frowned as this drama was thest thing that he wanted.

    "I understand," the young woman looked saddened and nodded. "However, it is a long way toward the city. We should give him a ride, at least?"

    And just like that, Niki was invited into the carriage with the rest of them. Of course, he wanted to refuse, but he didn''t know if these nobles were easily offended or not. That''s why he ended up taking up their offer and was seated across from the young woman.

    The person who spoke to her earlier was a man in his thirties wearing a pair of silver sses. His hair was curled at the ends, and it reached his shoulder. The hair''s red shade made Niki remember a particr character from his past life, but he wasn''t sure.

    "Are you traveling across the Bestial Kingdom?" the young woman asked, and Niki turned back to her. If the man next to him was ''that'' person, then the one in front of him was the actual headache.

    The young woman covered her head with what looked like a turban, making Niki unable to see her hair. She wore a pair of red earrings that made a stark contrast with her blue eyes.

    ''She is indeed beautiful,'' Niki had to admit, even if he wasn''t attracted to her. However, the way she looked at him made Niki ufortable.

    "Yes, I am," Niki had no other choice but to y around. If he said he wasn''t a traveler, it was the same as saying he had other reasons to be here.

    "A human traveler in the Bestial Kingdom," the woman squinted her eyes. "This a first indeed. Aren''t you afraid of the bestial people?"

    "They are more afraid of us," Niki shrugged. "After all, we won the war seven years ago. They expect us to take revenge."

    "No one won that war," the woman shook her head. "Both kingdoms lost countless resources and lives. There is no victory in war."

    Niki stared silently at the woman, who seemed to have strong opinions about wars. Then, a single thought appeared in his head: is this person an idiot?

    ''Who the hell wants war?'' Niki inwardly sneered. ''War is either out of greed or circumstances, but in either case, there is a victor and a loser. If you say that there was no victor, how would those who gave up their lives for the kingdom feel?''

    Niki was never in that position because the kingdom did nothing but harm him. However, he knew countless others who gave up their lives for their people to survive.

    War wille banging on your door even if you try to hide. If everyone had a pacifist mindset like this woman, then the Rosia Kingdom would only bleed.

    And bleeding it did.

    "War is indeed a torturous experience for everyone, but it is inevitable," Niki shook his head. "If we refuse to acknowledge how necessary it is to prepare and sacrifice, then we will end up devoured."

    Niki was surprised when he saw the woman attentively listening to him, and he could feel the sses-man stare at him with interest.

    "You look young, almost as young as I am," the young woman nced at the man and turned back to Niki, changing the subject. "Why are you in the Bestial Kingdom?"

    "I''m training and hunting," Niki didn''t lie.

    "And how did you get here?"

    "My father was a merchant, but he perished a while ago. However, I didn''t want to inherit his trade, so I began training in the wilderness."

    "I''m sorry," the woman''s eyes looked down, and Niki could feel her sadness. He nodded silently and could feel the man beside him turned to him.

    When Niki turned to look at the man, he saw thetter grinning as if seeing through his lies. Niki didn''t give anything and simply turned away.

    "Tell me, traveler. If the Rosia Kingdom had a new ruler, would you want one who wages wars or one who avoids them?" the woman asked him, and Niki was almost sure about her identity now. However, he acted obliviously.

    "I want a ruler who prepares as if the war is happening tomorrow but insightful enough to avoid it. It does not matter what the ruler thinks, but what is best for the kingdom. If the war ising, what use does pacifist beliefs hold?"

    "Do you think that war ising?" the woman asked with her fist tightening. Niki was silent as he didn''t know if he should tell the truth.

    "I don''t only think so. I know that war ising. It will be a deadly one, and countless people will fall to its ws. Both Kingdoms will bleed until there is nothing else to bleed."

    "How do you know that?" the woman bit her lip, and Niki wondered if he should stop talking.

    "Because a new Bestial King will be born soon, and a new King of Roses will take the throne. This is the cycle of a hundred years, and it''s a far cry from being broken."

    His words made the carriage grow silent, as the words he said aren''t known to many. However, Niki knew that the person in front of him needed to hear this.

    At least, the war would be this devastating this way. That way, they might stand a chance against the invasions to follow. However, the woman didn''t say anything and looked at her hands silently.

    "You are fit to be a ruler more than many," the man beside him chuckled. "You have mastered the art of deceit and convincing. Yet here you are in god''s forsakennd. Do you want to follow me and see the end of the war toe?"

    "I just want to survive, sir," Niki shook his head. "And I wish that both kingdoms survive what is toe." He wasn''t talking about the war but the countless monsters and armies. "I''m the same as you," he turned toward the woman. "I wish the war never happens."

    "And is there a way that it does not?" the woman asked, and Niki had to think of all the possible scenarios. There was indeed one that would make the two kingdoms unite.

    "There is," Niki nodded, and hope lit up on the princess''s face. "If there was a powerful enemy that endangered both kingdoms, then they will unite against it."

    "Well said," the man beside him nodded with a smile and turned to Niki again. "I find it hard to believe that you are the son of a merchant," he said with a wide smile.

    "My father was a war strategist in his Majesty''s army," Niki answered without hesitation. "There are more than a few things that he wanted me to do, but being a soldier isn''t one of them."

    "A shame," the man smiled and leaned back. "Well, I appreciate the hard lesson you taught to my disciple. Maybe she will wake up from her daydream and ept reality."

    "Master, I''ll prove that my beliefs aren''t a dream but a reality that can be achieved," she said firmly before turning to Niki. "Thank you for being honest about your opinions. I know that these are untrusting times, but you chose to trust me with them."

    Niki simply nodded at her as they reached the border city. They weren''t stopped on the way into the city because of the carriage they were boarding.

    ''Well, this is fine too,'' Niki thought to himself as he realized that he could have never reached the city without being with these people. Furthermore, he received an unexpected harvest.

    [You have changed fate. As a result, you obtained 20 Fate Points.]

    [A new character has been registered.]

    [A new character has been registered.]

 Chapter 130 - A Monsters Grasp

    [Character name: Edward Ver Rosia.]

    [Fate Meter: +63.]

    [Rtionship: Neutral, Interest.]

    Niki read the first entry, and the confirmation of his doubt came like a crushing mountain. The man sitting next to him was none other than the king''s advisor and brother. He was known as one of the greatest minds in existence, a strategist who led the Rosia kingdom to victory.

    [Character Name: Maria Ver Rosia.]

    [Fate Meter: +65.]

    [Rtionship: Amiable.]

    As for the second character, Niki didn''t need to read the entry to know she was one of the king''s children, the personter to be known as Saint Maria.

    ''And here it is, the person with the biggest character development,'' Niki nced at the princess who was talking sweetly to the kid next to her. As he nced at the kid, he realized it must be the youngest prince, the one who would die in the coup.

    The curse of knowing the future is that even if he knew that this prince would die a horrific death, he didn''t know if he should change that fate. After all, even disregarding whether he could or not, there was no telling whether his actions would bring a worse fate.

    ''Well, that will be far into the future,'' Niki didn''t know how things would turn outter on. After all, he didn''t n on leaving the kingdom fall into the hands of Valkyrie.

    After all, she was the reason Niki suffered so much at the academy and the army. He has yet to know her motives or the ''origins'' that she spoke of, but he didn''t care. No matter what those reasons were, Niki would never forgive her.

    ''Nor do I n on letting her be a Lord of this domain,'' Niki resolved as the carriage came to a stop in a busy street. The yet-to-be Saint Maria was looking at the busy street with fascination.

    "I believe now is the time that we part ways," Niki said as he was about to stand up and get off. However, Princess Maria hurried to grab his arm.

    "Wait!" she held onto his forearm, and Niki almost yanked his arm away. However, she released it before he lost control. "I believe that someone who has seen both kingdoms and who knows this much is a great fit to prove that peace can be attained."

    "You want me to be evidence of peace?" Niki almostughed at her words. This was the first time he heard such a thing. In his past, he was one of Lilith''s generals, and his existence resonated with death. Yet, here it was, a moment where a saint believes of such.

    "Oh boy, she might not be capable of taking the mockery in your voice," Edward smiled as he adjusted his sses. "And are you going to erect a pedestal for him to tell of his lies¨C ahem, tales?"

    ''No need to act like it slipped, old monster,'' Niki rolled his eyes at the cunning fox. However, this man was on his side and would allow him to get out of the carriage faster.

    Saint Maria was disheartened, and she kept her head low, downcast at the rejection of her idea. Niki wanted to know how she thought it would y any differently.

    "However," Edward started, and Niki knew he was going to make an offer. "It would be best for both of us if you kept uspany until we reach the Rosia Kingdom. I''m sure that you have lost your father''s merchant permit, right?"

    Niki could almost see the man holding back hisughter. He had no idea how he saw through his lies, but that fact made this man extremely dangerous. Yet, Niki didn''t think he was scheming anything against him.

    ''Maybe a scheme to teach his disciple,'' Niki nced at the princess, whose expression grew brighter at the approval of her master.

    "I believe that someone with your insight and goals is fit to deliver a message of peace to the people. That''s why I want you to be my retainer and apany to convince the nobles that the Bestial Kingdom is no different than Rosia."

    "You are giving too much information, my foolish disciple," Edward sighed, thinking that Niki didn''t know his identity. "However, I also think that''s a lovely idea. At least, he would make sure that other nobles don''t fool you."

    Niki suddenly felt chills running down his spine. A retainer of Saint Maria? A messenger of peace? If this was some sick nightmare, Niki wanted it to end.

    ''What dogshit luck do I have to encounter this person here and for her to choose me as a retainer?''

    "Don''t look like you ate something nasty," Edward smirked cunningly. "You can still refuse. We aren''t forcing you to do anything. But, of course, I would be curious about your reasons and identity. That would be all, though."

    ''You scheming bastard,'' Niki knew he was being threatened. If this man truly set his eyes on him, Niki would have to flee the city and never return. No, he would need to never set foot in the Rosia Kingdom.

    Niki knew these two were good people, as he knew of their ns and characters. Furthermore, his system already had their fate meters as +63 and +65. So there was no doubt that they didn''t mean any harm, but Niki didn''t want to be with them.

    "I would have to refuse that offer, as much as it humbles me. I believe some people are a better fit for this role than I am, as I am nothing but a lowly peasant."

    "Your ability to reject people without making them feel offended is another covetable asset," Edward pondered before he turned toward Niki again. "I''ll also give you a monthly sry of one hundred golds. If you refuse, I''ll have to believe that you are a criminal of some sort."

    "Master!" Saint Maria was shocked by his words as the man stopped being implicit about his threats. Niki gritted his teeth as he let go of the handle before he sighed and smiled.

    "I have nothing to hide, Advisor Edward," Niki sat back down with the brightest smile as he looked at the man who raised his brows. "My father described you vividly, so I made my guesses, and your expression confirms them."

    "You are an interesting seedling," Edward grinned, showing his canines as he pointed at his disciple. "Do you know who she is, then?"

    "There is only one disciple of the greatest strategist to live," Niki ced his hand on his heart and bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Maria."

    "Oh," the princess seemed confused about how fast the events took a turn, but her master was only growing more interested in Niki.

    ''Everything to keep this person off my back,'' Niki thought that he would rather fool them first before he flees instead of turning into a nation-wide wanted criminal.

    And if things turned out to be quite risky, Niki could simply kill the strategist. Of course, he wasn''t afraid of his disciple, but this man was on another level of being cunning.

    "Bravo," the man with long red hair pped his hands, his white gloves making a dull sound as they struck each other. "Don''t worry, young one. I''m more interested in your abilities than your past."

    "The past of a humble peasant is rather boring for your tastes, great strategist," Niki shook his head humbly as he sat down.

    "You sound so respectful, but you hide half of your face," Edward nced at the headband that was covering Niki''s horns and ears. His eyes were darting everywhere, looking for every detail he could exploit.

    "I suffered an attack from a monster," Niki''s voice dropped an octave. "The attack disfigured my forehead and skull, and it isn''t something I want anyone to see. So please excuse my circumstances."

    "Master, you are too rude. Am I not doing the same?" Saint Maria ced her hand on the base of her neck in sympathy. The strategist almost rolled his eyes but stopped asking inappropriate questions.

    "Well then," Edward reached out for a handshake. "Please take care of my disciple," he said with a bright smile. Niki stared at the hand silently, wondering if he could still run away.

    ''I can just hide in my pocket dimension,'' Niki thought to himself, but the eerie blueness of the man''s eyes made him unsettled. This monster ended a war, and it would be an easy matter for him to be found out.

    Niki didn''t want to live away from cities for the rest of his life, so he shook the man''s hand. As he did, a red tattoo came out from the man''s hand and covered Niki''s forearm before disappearing.

    "Now, you can''t run away," Edward grinned at him as Niki simply smiled and nodded.

    "I had no greater wish than to serve this kingdom."

    ''I will gut you, fucking psychopath.''

    "There is no greater honor than serving her highness, and I had no ns of escaping."

    ''Now, I need to find a way to escape this monster''s grasp.''

 Chapter 131 - Vyxas Ritual

    The clothes he found on the chair were ones he never thought he would wear. After Niki stared silently at the clothes which made his stomach turn, he shifted his eyes toward the forearm, which had a hidden tracking mark.

    ''My darkness is the bane of elements,'' Niki thought to himself as possible ways out filled his mind. ''However, I can''t seem to erase the mark. I''m not sure if Edward Ver Rosia could tell if I removed the mark, too.''

    Nikimented how cruel his fate could be: to be the retainer of Saint Maria himself, the one person known as the Beloved Saint of Celestia. However, Niki knew that the fate of the royal family was intertwined with hardships and sufferings, so he didn''t want to get mixed up with them.

    Her powers have yet to be awakened, which exins why Niki didn''t turn to dust next to her. However, there will be a day when that happens, and the loathsome powers of Celestia will flow through her veins.

    They were in a mansion specially arranged for the envoy of the royal family, and they were here regarding a new peace treaty. The princess was one of the strongest advocates for a truce between the two kingdoms to avoid the iing war.

    Even though Niki was being forced into the world of nobility and rulers by Edward, Niki could also tell that this allowed him to see things better.

    When he was with Unit 34, he knew that they expected an attack on their border. However, they were so sure about it that it made Niki a bit suspicious.

    If the Rosia Kingdom nned onunching an attack, they wouldn''t do it while their princess was in the Bestial Kingdom as an envoy. So, the only exnation is that they would wait for the princess to return, or the attack would happen to retrieve the princess.

    Niki pondered the matter, and he realized that the second reason sounded more realistic. After all, they wouldn''t send an envoy of peace just to attack afterward.

    However, if the Bestial Kingdom somehow knew of Maria''s potential or how much Celestia loves her, they were sure tobel her as a threat. There was one way to handle threats: to eliminate them.

    ''The princess''s life is in danger,'' Niki realized without feeling any sense of urgency. That''s because he knew that the princess was going to survive. However, there was an anomaly now. It was Niki''s existence in this ce.

    As the fabric slid over his back and arms, Niki started buttoning the white shirt. Whether his existence would result in the princess''s death or not is not something he could decide.

    ''Maybe this is a blessing in disguise,'' Niki thought as he remembered the rise of the undead that would follow the battle. He can get another fragment before that timees, leaving only four pieces out of the seven.

    This was the best way to ensure that he got an advantage over the other contenders, who would undoubtedly be stronger than he was. Maybe he could exploit this to gain another fragment, and it brought a smile to Niki''s face.

    After he finished wearing his clothes, he disappeared from his spot and changed his headband into another color that suited the ck suit he wore. Then, he left his stealth and wore ck gloves.

    "I look like a butler," Niki looked in the mirror at his all-ck clothes, except for the white shirt, making a stark contrast with his crimson irises. The headband looked out of ce, but it wasn''t anything unusual, and they worked well to hide his horns and ears.

    A knock came on the door, and when Niki opened it, a servant was bowing to him. "Her highness is summoning you, sir," the maid said and kept her head low.

    "Can you guide me?" Niki asked, and the maidservant nodded before leading the way through the maze-like hallways of the mansion.

    They reached a study where Saint Maria was quietly reading a letter, her blue eyes arching slightly to reveal a worried expression. When Niki entered the room, Princess Maria shifted her attention to him.

    "Wee, Lyle," the princess called him by the fake name he gave them. It was a name of no insignificance, justmon enough to deter them from doing a background check on him.

    "You wanted to see me, mydy?" Niki saluted and bowed as he asked. When he lifted his head, he found the princess looking at him weirdly.

    "You fell into your role faster than a snake can change its skin," the princess said with a hint of awe and jealousy. "If I can only do the same," she sighed.

    "Not all roles are there to follow," Niki reassured. "Some roles needed to be broken, to be fulfilled."

    "What do you mean by that?" the princess gestured for him to sit. Niki obliged and sat with his back straight and his hands turned into fists on his jacket.

    "You aren''t going to be a ruler if you are the same as your father," Niki spread his hands in front of her. "A change in a ruler is what brings advancement for the kingdom. Your father gave out his wellbeing to stop the Bestial King seven years ago, but you don''t need to do the same."

    "Why are you so wise?" the princess sighed with a relieved smile. "But thank you, your words reassured me of my ways."

    "I believe that''s what Master Edward wanted me to do," Niki tried to glean some information from her. "I didn''t see him after we arrived at the mansion. Is he gone?"

    "My uncle is an entric man, and maybe that''s his best trait. He likes to wander around ces and look for useful things. Discarded items, hidden dungeons, or simply promising people like you."

    "I''m far from being promising, My Lady," Niki shook his head, seeing opportunity in the monster''s absence. "May I enquire about why..." he allowed his sentence to go unfinished.

    "We have already told you that we are here as an envoy of peace, but we aren''t the only nobles in this city. I''m proud to say that we arranged for a group of nobles to attend the Ritual of Vyxas, celebrating one of the gods worshiped in the Bestial Kingdom."

    As Niki listened to the princess announcing proudly, he realized this might be the reason for the assassination. The princess''s efforts to establish peace between the two kingdoms can reduce the nobles'' profits.

    ''The Bestial Kingdom might not even orchestrate the assassination,'' Niki thought to himself as the princess mentioned the details of glorifying Vyxas. ''It might be a ploy by the nobility of Rosia to keep the war going.''

    The more he knew about the world, the more he was convinced that humans would bring their doom upon them. The war against the Bestial Kingdom and the danger from the iing dungeons would give a perfect chance for the invaders.

    Of course, there were other nations in the continent that survived the war. Not even Lilith''s pets could bring them down, and Niki knew that best. After all, he was one of those who betrayed the human race to work for Lilith.

    "Before the ritual, I want to establish proper connections with the nobles. I want you to apany me to a party tomorrow, and it will be a good opportunity to introduce you as my retainer."

    "As you wish, mydy. However, I''m not sure that everyone is willing to establish those connections," Niki said with hesitation. "It is best to exert caution since we can''t trust people easily."

    "Master Edward didn''t pick you for bridging the gap between the two kingdoms," Maria sighed with regret. "I understand, but I''ll need you to visit the ritual site and find out more about it. Take this," Princess Maria offered a badge with the royal family''s seal on it.

    "Are you sure about giving it to me?" Niki was confused as he reached out to take it. This badge held a tremendous amount of authority.

    "I can destroy it whenever I want, so it''s fine," the princess smiled. "If you ever use it to harm innocents, you will be executed."

    The words were said so lightly that she made it like an everyday thing. Nevertheless, it was reassuring to Niki that she cared this much about civilians, so he took it with a smile.

    "I''ll visit the Vyxas Ritual and learn more about it," Niki stood up. "I''ll give you a report to aid you in the party tomorrow."

    "Thank you, Lyle," she said with gratitude. "I''m d that I found someone as capable as you are."

    ''You barely know me, foolish princess,'' Niki gratefully bowed as he thought before leaving the room.

    As he walked through the hallways, he looked at the badge.. Niki knew enough to make a report himself, but he wanted to visit the site of the holy ritual and see for himself.

 Chapter 132 - A Master Of Disguise

    The ritual would happen in a ''sacred ce'' far from the city, and Niki had to visit it beforehand. So, he left the mansion and looked around for a carriage that belonged to the royal family. Niki found a few waiting beside the stables.

    "Hey, I want a carriage to take me somewhere outside the city," Niki found a group of people working inside, either repairing their carriages or cleaning them.

    "These are carriages belong to the Rosian Royal Family, not your bestial race," one of the drivers sneered as he looked at Niki. "Even if you try to hide your head, I can tell you''re a beastman with a nce."

    "Calm down, detective of the century," Niki took out the badge and showed it to them. "I am a human, and I carry the badge of the royal family."

    "I.... have never seen you here," the man stared at the badge with wide eyes. "We''ll need to ask her highness for permission before we allow you to take one of the carriages."

    "Is that a part of the procedure?" Niki squinted his eyes. "Then, I guess this badge is useless."

    "That is..." the driver grew more hesitant about the matter until some old driver stepped forward. It was a hunched man with a beard and an ugly crooked nose.

    "I will take him," the old driver said before he started walking to his carriage. "He has the badge, after all. Do you want to be punished by her highness? Let''s go, good sir."

    Niki squinted his eyes at the man before following after him. The rest of the drivers didn''t say anything, but everyone knew that the princess was too kind to punish them severely. However, if Master Edward learned of their disrespect, he might even skin them alive.

    The carriage was quite luxurious, and it had a small sliding window that opened to the driver''s seat. As the carriage took the streets, Niki opened it and leaned back on the chair.

    "You found yourself quite the disguise, Master Edward. Are you also interested in the Vyxas Ritual?" Niki said as he looked at the driver with a smile.

    The hunched man didn''t reply but simply turned to look at Niki. His closed eyes parted to reveal the eerie blueness of Master Edward''s eyes. His mouth revealed a creepy smile.

    "You are sharper than I would have liked, boy," Master Edward''s voice came from the man, grumbling. As he said that, the man disappeared into red smoke that got into the carriage and manifested into Master Edward. "Don''t worry," he said as he cleaned his sses. "I''m controlling the horses using my mana."

    "You have quite the elements, Master Edward," Niki nced at the horses and saw red marks on them that kept them in line. "Why would a man, as busy as you, work as a driver?"

    "I have many upations and a lot of identities," Master Edward wore his sses and adjusted them. "I never thought that a tiny shrimp would see through one of them."

    "Her Highness told me about your hobbies, and I concluded the rest when you stepped up to help me. Are you also interested in the ritual?"

    "No, it''s a boring one. I just want to see what you are going to do without being watched, but you ruined that for me."

    "It won''t be any different," Niki said with a smile. "Are you still going to apany me to the ritual?"

    "I''m not that interested anymore," Master Edward yawned, and Niki almost showed his relief. "However, I''ll do it as a punishment for ruining my fun."

    Niki stared silently at the bored strategist before he let out a genuinely tired sigh. The strategist seemed pleased with his attitude and began whistling his happy tunes.

    "Answer a question of mine, Master Edward. If I stayed quiet when the princess asked me, would you have threatened me to stay?"

    "That''s such a rude thing to say. What would others think if they hear you?" Master Edward raised his hands in an innocent act. "I never threatened you. However, if you are mean convincing you to serve my disciple, then the answer is no."

    "No?"

    "I knew you were interesting the moment I saw you on the roadside because I could feel the residue of chaotic mana around you. You were fighting something powerful, and I suspect that it''s the sea serpent that was in a few days ago."

    "As a strategist, you should know that strength ismon, not a rarity."

    "You look seventeen," the king''s brother judged correctly once again. "If you were indeed that powerful, then you''d make a fine personal knight for my disciple. But then I got to see that you were more than stats," Edward smiled. "You are what my disciplecks."

    "And what am I?"

    "An embodiment of ruthlessness."

    ***

    After the carriage stopped, the horses didn''t even neigh. Instead, they stood still as if they were puppets, and maybe that was another face of a strategist: a puppeteer.

    Master Edward changed his clothes into a brown suit with a monocle on his eye. As he stared at the giant forest in front of them surrounded by high walls, the sunlight made his hair look on fire.

    Niki ignored the master and walked toward the gate that had giant armored bears protecting it. When he was near, the bears bared their fangs at him.

    "Who goes there?" a voice came from behind one giant bear, and a short figure emerged. Niki turned to see a beastman with dominant human traits, looking like a short young man with fangs and fur on the sides of his face.

    "I am the retainer of her highness, Princess Maria, Lyle," Niki took out his badge and showed it to the young man. After studying it closely, the man looked at him defiantly.

    "And?"

    "I''m here to learn about the ritual, answering to her highness''s wishes."

    "The sacred grounds are closed to outsiders until the day of the ritual, so return at once," the beastman red at Niki with his ears rising in a fight-or-flight response.

    "I have the master war strategist here with me," Niki revealed as soon as Master Edward was near them. The man in question blinked, and his identity made the beastmen tremble.

    "Edward Ver Rosia?" they retreated backward with fear as they red at the monster with the long ck and red hair. Edward looked at Niki with annoyance for revealing his identity.

    Even if he was famous, Edward was someone who worked from behind the scenes. The nearby kingdoms feared his cunning methods, but not all knew his appearance.

    "I am indeed at your service," Edward greeted them. "This youngster is indeed his highness''s retainer, and his words are the truth. Can I ask for your cooperation?"

    The beastman gulped and looked at the rest of the giant bears before gesturing for them to open the gates. Niki watched with a smile as the doors for the ritual were opened for them, and his expression seemed to annoy the master further.

    "Using me as a shortcut isn''t going to earn you point in my books," Edward looked at him with disgust. "At least try to use something smarter."

    "There is nothing smarter than winning without doing anything," Niki walked into the grounds under the eyes of the armored bears, and the beastman followed closely behind them as the doors closed.

    What was behind the door was a path in a forest. The trees on both sides were lush, and their branches intertwined with one another, letting nothing get through them. As Niki stepped into the sacred grounds, he could feel the power of Celestia.

    ''Oh, loathsome divinity, when are you going to disappear from this world?'' Niki thought to himself as he rubbed his nose. His expression was apathetic, even a bit at ease because he knew Master Edward noticed everything.

    "The Vyxas Ritual is an important annual ritual where we give offerings to the God of Protection, Vyxas. The offerings are meant to seek the god''s blessing to deter away monsters from our kingdom, and they have been ongoing for thousands of years."

    Niki was sickened by the deep devotion the beastman had for Vyxas, who was by no means the God of Protection. On the contrary, the ritual was meant to appease the god lest he wrecks thend with his wrath.

    "Interesting," Edward nodded as he looked around the forest. The young beastman looks at him with apprehension before walking a bit faster.

    They reached a white stairway that led them into a temple full of tress. The giant temple was filled with statues and sunlight, making it truly a sacred ce. The temple stretched wide, and there was a massive dome in the middle, with a tform beneath it.

    However, the statues made Niki creep out because he saw their eyes move toward him. It seems that he was the only one to feel rejected by this temple, as the others seemed unaffected. Then, Niki got a notification from his system.

 Chapter 133 - Temporal Divergence

    [The system has found a nearby fate fragment.]

    [A temporal transmigration of fate has been detected.]

    [Analyzing the phenomenon... 1%... 2%...]

    The system began analyzing without Niki''s approval, and it seemed that it would take a while before the system could exin.

    The temple was sacred indeed, and even the wildlife deterred away from defiling it. Niki looked around and watched the center of the temple where a pond was ced, surrounded by lush and green trees.

    "You seem to have realized something, or you are just lost," Master Edward plucked a flower, which made the beastman frown. Despite his apparent fear, the beastman took a step forward to stop him.

    "Master Edward," the beastman began. "This garden is a holy ce, and the act of destroying anything in it is a great sin. We have..."

    Before the beastman could continue, Master Edward snapped his fingers, and the rageful man stopped talking. Niki frowned as the beastman entered a trance without any signs of waking up.

    "Don''t worry, I just ced him in a dream," the strategist smelled the flower, and he seemed pleased as his lips curved upward.

    "Is that how you controlled the horses?"

    "Wouldn''t you want to lose yourself in a dream?"

    "Dreams have an ending, and the ending is always reality," Niki looked around for the fate fragment. "Can you construct your dreams?"

    "What if I can?" the master turned to him with a knowing smile. Niki has heard rumors before about the man''s skill, but he didn''t know if they were true.

    All one needs to be omnipotent is a legendary skill, and the rest can be any type of skill. For the man in front of him, there were countless rumors in his past life.

    "That would exin how you won the war," Niki looked at the man with fear. "If you can live every scenario in your sleep, wouldn''t you have already won by the first move?"

    "Your intellect makes me want to eat your brain," Master Edward was in front of him in an instant, a crazed look overtaking his face. When Niki tried to back away from the overreached hand, the glow in the man''s eyes prevented him from moving.

    The hand was about to grab his head, which would reveal his identity. Niki had no idea what got into the master to cause such a sudden craze, but he couldn''t have his race known.

    [Analysisplete.]

    [A Fate Vision: a cluster of fate energy transcended the temporal boundaries to appear. Activating the vision requires 10 Fate Points to see the events that would transpire here.]

    ''Activate,'' Niki ordered, and his fate points were consumed. A ck spark of lightning came from the pond in the middle before a rift opened, sucking everything into it. Master Edward paused and turned toward the crack with a frown.

    "What is this?"

    Niki felt freed from the grasp of the monster, and he retreated backward, trying to get as far as he could. But, unfortunately, his unlucky stars made him meet such a creepy man, and he would have to find a way to escape.

    However, while the man was busy looking at the Fate Vision with a wary expression, Niki realized that it would be hard to escape. On the other hand, finding Niki would be an easy feat if the man were indeed the master of dreams.

    "I don''t believe this is the work of Vyxas," Master Edward stood at the edge of the pond with a wary expression. "Not even the gods could cause an abnormality such as this one."

    "Maybe it''s a dungeon?" Niki acted ignorant for his good, not daring to reveal his knowledge about this rift.

    "No, that''s a different matter," Master Edward looked confused for the first time as if what happened wasn''t within his calctions.

    Niki studied the rift himself, and he could see something within it. He knew that as long as he approached it, the rift would take him into the future to see what would happen.

    However, what if someone else went into the future? What if Master Edward was the one to go into the rift? Would he also be the one to manipte fate into knowing?

    More than dreadful, Niki was curious about what was going to happen. As he was wondering what would happen next, the rift suddenly expanded.

    [A person with a high fate meter hase in contact with the vision. If this persones in contact with tempered fate, the original timeline will be lost beyond recovery, and the system will terminate the current temporal branch.]

    ''What the hell?'' Niki frowned when he read the words that didn''t sound like something from the real world¡ªterminating the current branch? Of course, Niki had no idea what that was, but he didn''t think of it favorably.

    "Master Edward, I think it''s best to leave this ce," Niki took a step forward, but the master shook his head. There was burning interest within his eyes, and it was crazier than the look he gave to Niki earlier.

    "There is something within the rift. I can see it," the strategist got into the pond and began walking toward the rift. Niki ran forward and tried to jump before him, but the rift pulled them both into the vision.

    As the two entered the other world, Niki received a dozen warnings that made it seem like the world was ending.

    [Warning! A divergence has urred!]

    [Warning! A divergence has urred!]

    [Warning! A divergence has urred!]

    [A temporal divergence has urred. If the divergence is more than 50%, a temporal breach will lead to termination.]

    [A temporal divergence has urred. If the divergence is more than 50%, a temporal breach will lead to termination.]

    ...

    The warnings filled his view as if the system was malfunctioning. Niki felt as if he was riding the clouds before hended. The ce hended was a carriage that had the princess in it.

    "Are you alright?" Saint Maria asked Niki, who was looking about frantically. Then, as if his vision was a screen, there was a massive number in the upper part.

    [DIVERGENCE: 11%]

    The words were in bold capitalized letters as if trying to highlight their importance. Niki tried to calm down and think about this matter. He was wearing different clothes, and the princess was wearing a simple dress.

    The divergence should be because he activated the vision to distract Master Edward from finding out his real identity: a dark being. However, the implications of his actions seemed to be graver than he initially thought.

    A temporal divergence, tempered fate, and branch termination weren''t things that sounded that should happen. Niki had no idea that his system was this sensitive about anyone but him tempering with fate.

    Maybe it wasn''t that life needed to be this way to proceed, but the system required some reference point to function. Master Edward was a monster in human skin, that if given a chance, would use his knowledge of a future event for his advantage.

    This concludes that Niki needed to prevent the master from finding out anything of importance. In other words, the divergence would ur if the strategist learns too much about the future.

    "Where are we going, princess?"

    "To the ritual. Are you still asleep?" Princess Maria frowned, and Niki ignored her question. He didn''t care about what happened now because it wasn''t real life.

    [DIVERGENCE: 12%]

    "I''m sorry, princess. I seem to be confused," Niki hurried to y his part when the divergence percentage increased. Then, he sighed in relief when the rate returned to 11%.

    The carriage left the city and went toward the ritual grounds. Countless flying ships arrived at the ritual ground, carrying guests from every nation.

    "Where is Master Edward?"

    "You were there when he said it would be boring to attend and that he is meeting an old friend," Princess Maria sighed. "He shouldn''t being to the ritual, even though I insisted."

    Niki wondered if this was the ordinary course of events. If Master Edward wasn''t going to attend, it means that this was the perfect chance to assassinate the princess. So, this must be what gathered fate, the princess''s assassination attempt.

    The only issue is that the princess should survive, but Niki couldn''t see how. If Master Edward was with her, no one could touch the princess. However, if he genuinely met an old friend, things might not be the same in this timeline.

    ''Who is this old friend?'' Niki wondered what changed things in this lifetime. ''If their existence meant that the princess would die, then they are the anomaly in this timeline.''

    As they drew closer to the ritual grounds, Niki realized the reason that a fate fragment had transcended the temporal line. The princess will die this time, and there will be no Saint Maria in the future.

    The world of the past was chaotic, but some things needed to stay. One of them was the princess in front of him.. If she died, this means that a disaster ising.

 Chapter 134 - For Peace

    Their carriage was one of the few arriving at the ritual, as most people used flying ships to get there. However, the princess had a weird belief that she needed to befriend everyone, and flying ruined that for her.

    Niki tried to think of ways to prevent Master Edward from learning about the assassination. However, the more he thought of it, the more confused he became.

    If Master Edward truly learned about the assassination, there was no doubt that he would save his disciple, restoring the original timeline. As for the consequences of him learning the future, Niki couldn''t even imagine.

    The war might even be brought closer since the strategist would use this chance to strike the Bestial Kingdom. As he sat in the carriage, Niki realized that there were so many different oues that he could not decide which one would be the right path.

    All he knew is that the divergence was caused by the existence of a high-fate character in his vision, or what the system called Manipted Fate. Since that was the case, Niki needed to prevent Master Edward from knowing the future.

    ''It is time to stall,'' Niki thought to himself as they got off the carriage, and he offered his hand to the princess. With a smile, she took his hand and descended the steps.

    The rest of the guests looked at her with a dazzled expression. Her hair, which she hid before, was following after her as she walked. Her hair was the color that you would only exist in fairy tales, a silver color that shimmered beneath the light of day.

    Niki followed after her as they dazzled the crowd. Then, to his surprise, Niki noticed that someone winked at him. It was a young man as old as he saw, but he didn''t know who he was.

    ''Or right, I''m in the future. So he must be someone I met at the party,'' Niki remembered, so he simply nodded in greeting.

    They walked into the ritual grounds, whichnterns had lighted up. The ritual will happen at sunset after thest rays of light leave this world.

    They reached the temple like before, and it was full of people from every corner of the world. The Bestial Kingdom was proud of the protector of thisnd. Thus, the ritual happened close to the border.

    Niki''s body had goosebumps when he saw how many people were there. These people were all faces that he was familiar with from his past life. What uneased him a little was that some of these people were Niki''s victims.

    As they walked closer to the pond, someone in a red cloak greeted them. He was a beastman with horns of a goat and a long beard, and he grabbed the princess''s hand to kiss it.

    "Greetings, Princess Maria," the priest kissed her hand, and his yellow eyes left Niki feeling disgusted. "We are delighted to have you here today,"

    "For peace," the princess smiled sweetly, and the priest nodded in response. When he turned to Niki, there was a moment of curiosity that died away quickly.

    Niki was truly confused by now, as he wondered how no one got to sense his horns. Of course, there were bound to be people with detecting abilities among the crowd, but they didn''t seem to notice.

    ''Wait, did future me find a way?'' Niki wondered as he tried to examine his headband. It was minute, but there were traces of enchantment on it.

    "Princess, I''ll follow your orders and talk to the crowd until the ritual. I''ll be back before it begins, is that alright?"

    "I''m d that you are taking your role seriously," the princess smiled before nodding. "Take your time," she said, even though she was ufortable by the priest''spany.

    However, Niki couldn''t care about her feelings given the circumstances, and he knew this was only an illusion that matched what was going to happen. So, as he turned and found some people to talk to, he picked the perfect timing to slip away from the temple.

    Niki walked out when he felt someone''s presence behind him. As he turned, he found the young man from earlier who had a childlike demeanor.

    "Lyle!" the young man called out behind him. "Are you sneaking out again?" he asked with expectations. "You weren''t thinking of leaving me, did you?"

    ''I don''t even know you,'' Niki thought to himself as he looked at the giant words in his top view. The divergence has reached 14% again, meaning Master Edward was starting to deviate from his original path.

    "You will have to excuse me," Niki said before hurrying to leave the temple. Then, as he thought he had left the man behind, he heard the pping of wings above him.

    When Niki looked up, he saw the same young man standing on top of a giant eagle. With a grin, he had the eagle block Niki''s path.

    "I think you need a ride?" the young man said, and Niki wondered again who the hell he was. After all, he was someone never seen before in his past life.

    However, looking at the giant eagle, which couldn''t be other than, at the very least, the work of a Grand-skill, Niki felt tempted. After pondering his options for a bit, he nodded and jumped to ride the eagle.

    "Haha, let''s fly!"

    As the eagle soared into the sky, Niki saw the divergence change into 20%, but he didn''t know if it was his actions or something else. The identity of the man before was nothing but a mystery.

    As the eagle rose higher, a green light surrounded its body to block the wind. Then, with the young man sitting in front of him, Niki had to grab into the eagle''s body lest he fell.

    "Are you going to the city? Did you forget something?" the young man asked, and Niki chose to be silent. He would have to find Master Edward somehow, but he didn''t know-how.

    ''Who is the old friend?'' Niki tried to guess, but it was futile. They reached the city in nothing but a few minutes, and Niki could have never made it this quickly without the young man.

    "Can you take me to the mansion?"

    "Princess''s Maria mansion?" the young man yapped with surprise with a blush on his face. "I don''t think it would be appropriate for me to be there," he said as he yed with his curly hair.

    Niki squinted his eyes at the young man, who seemed to have special feelings for the princess. However, he was no different from every noble kid out there, who shared the same crush.

    "I need to find Master Edward," Niki said again, and the young man simply nodded while ying with his bangs.

    The eagle drew an arc over the city as it turned toward the mansion,nding in one of its fields. The servants ran as the knights surrounded them, and Niki had to take out his badge before they attacked.

    "Sir Lyle," the knights retracted their weapons after they recognized him. The name sounded pleasant on his ears, and all of the knights seem to call him that as Princess Maria''s retainer. "I thought you apanied the princess?"

    "She sent me to look for Master Edward. Have you seen him?"

    "No, he disappeared since early morning. I couldn''t find him in his room, too," the knight shook his head. Niki looked around and began walking toward the stables.

    "Where are you going, Lyle?" the young man skipped behind him, and it seemed the knights didn''t recognize this person as well. However, the way he carried himself did not resemble a noble, but his clothes and appearance said otherwise.

    "Uh, I think I know how to find him," Niki absent-mindedly said as he looked through a couple of drivers in the stable. But, as he suspected, the old driver wasn''t here. "Excuse me, do you know where the old man is?"

    "Uh, he left early in the morning, I think," the driver who distrusted Niki a few days ago answered readily. "I was loading some carriages when I saw him leave in a certain direction. I can guide you!"

    Niki looked at him with suspicion as he thought that this man must have ulterior motives. However, he wasn''t even an F-ranker, so Niki allowed him to lead them.

    "Weren''t you looking for Master Edward?" muttered the young man as they boarded the carriage. "Wait, Master Edward is known as to disappear a lot. Can he be a shapeshifter?"

    Since they met, Niki had to take an extra nce at the young man for the first time. After all, one wouldn''t be so sharp without holding a particr intellect. The young man noticed his gaze and grinned in response.

    "Did you think I was nothing but a beautiful face?"

    "I didn''t even think you were a beautiful face," Niki said unconsciously, but the young manughed heartily.

    "Haha, I''m d that you are back to normal," said the young as he wiped away his tears.. "Now, let''s find Master Edward," he said with a mysterious grin, but Niki didn''t have the heart to him for his name.

 Chapter 135 - Old Friend

    The carriage drove them deep into the city, following the path that Master Edward, disguised as an old driver, took. However, they couldn''t know which routes he took, so they had to ask around.

    "A royal carriage?" the florist pondered as a blush covered her cheeks. The young man the reason behind that, as his charm seemed to bewitch the woman. "I think it went that way, and it smashed one of my pots."

    "Ah, I''m sorry for that," the young man sounded apologetic. "How about I make it up to you?" he tried to take out some money, but the florist was red-faced as she refused him.

    Their carriage followed the route she pointed at, and Niki spent the time looking at the young man as he racked his brain. However, he couldn''t match the face and features with anyone.

    ''Should I ask for his name?'' Niki wondered, but he didn''t want to mess the timeline any further. Master Edward was already out there, driving the divergence to 26%.

    "You didn''t tell me, Lyle," the young man turned to him. "Why are you looking for Master Edward?"

    "I need to prevent him from attending the ritual because he has a habit of disturbing ceremonies," Niki said without missing a beat. "Furthermore, did you see the one-horned Minotaur? That was the doing of Master Edward. If they meet, there will be no such thing as peace, and the princess will be devastated."

    Niki didn''t want to manipte the young man, but it was necessary to ensure that he helped him. In return, his face turned grave the mention of Princess Maria being sad.

    "I see," he said before spreading his arms. "Then I need to get serious."

    As he said so, his mana exploded to open a portal beside the carriage, from where the eagle came out. Then, the elemental mana spread everywhere from the summoned monster before he flew in the air.

    Niki looked through the carriage and could see the eagle making rounds around the city. But then, the eagle disappeared as the young man frowned.

    "There is a carriage leaving the city, and it has the emblem of the royal family," the young man said. "These horses are running as if their lives depended on them."

    "That''s him!" Niki almost jumped from his carriage. "We need to follow them!"

    "Then let''s abandon this carriage and ride my eagle once more," as he said that, the man threw the door open as he jumped tond on his eagle, which has magically been recalled. Niki followed suit and jumped on the eagle before they soared toward the sky.

    "Sir Lyle, take care!" the driver shouted as the two left him behind with a broken carriage''s door, which was the result of the young man''s uncontrolled strength.

    "Dammit, the wind is against us," Niki frowned as they soared above the city walls again, and the archers at the walls grew frightened by the majestic monster.

    "Let me help you," Niki used his darkness to hide them since nothing of this was real. However, as the darkness emerged, the divergence began elerating.

    "28... 29... 30!"

    As they hid from the archers of the city, the eagle soared high enough to escape their notice. His darkness retracted as the young man nced at him with an intrigued expression.

    "It''s better if you don''t ask," Niki said as he looked at the divergence meter not slowing down whatsoever. The young man shrugged before he turned toward the carriage.

    Because they were flying against the wind, it was hard to catch up. However, another explosion of mana from the eagle pushed them forward again, causing a sonic boom to go off.

    Niki had to grab the eagle''s wings tightly just to bnce himself. The young man was even more relentless than Niki, which was probably the power of a one-sided crush.

    They were on top of the carriage after a few minutes, and Niki got to see that red energy was controlling the horses as they raced toward the ritual grounds. With each maniac gallop of the creatures, the divergence increased.

    "We need to stop them!"

    "Then jump!" the young man grabbed his arm and jumped from the eagle, which dived straight down toward the carriage. Then, the eagle crashed to the horses without stopping as the two began free-falling from the sky.

    The young man used the wind for the two tond safely on the ground, descending as the carriage went off route and crashed to a nearby tree. Before the crash, two figures jumped out of the carriage.

    Niki and the young mannded tens of meters away from the two figures, but they could see that they were unharmed. The two in question were a man and a woman, and they were looking at Niki and the young man with interest.

    "Lyle?" Master Edward squinted his eyes at Niki. "And... young master," he said to the man. "What is the meaning of this attack? No, you were also pulled into this world," the strategist turned to Niki. "You know that this is the future."

    [DIVERGENCE: 47%]

    "I don''t know what you are talking about, but I thought you weren''t going to make it to the ritual. However, this friend of yours is..."

    At first, Niki couldn''t get a good look at Master Edward''s friend because she was looking at the carriage, but she turned around when she heard his words.

    The moment that their eyes met, Niki couldn''t speak anymore. His mind couldn''t process that she would be here, and his body couldn''t move either. He gulped as she stared into his eyes with interest but no recognition.

    "My friend?" Master Edward noticed the fear in Niki''s eyes when he looked at her, and his interest was increasing. "I met her when I woke up, and she agreed that we need to visit the ritual for answers."

    "She... believes you?"

    "Address me properly, young man," she said with a grin as she took a few steps forward, her short ck hair fluttering in the wind. "Do you know me?"

    "I do not," Niki shook his head as he reminded himself that this was a fate vision, but he couldn''t understand how Master Edward knew his tormentor, Lilith. "However, I ask that you go back to the city, both of you."

    "You are lying, Lyle," Master Edward had his crazy grin again. "You are a hundred years too young to be able to lie to me. Tell me, what do you know about this world? Why are we in the future at the time of the ritual?"

    Niki hated how sharp this strategist was. Nevertheless, he concluded that this phenomenon had something with the ritual as soon as he arrived at this vision, and he wanted to see why it happened.

    "Trust me, Master Edward," Niki began, but the divergence rose 48%, and it made him change what he wanted to say. "I just need you to stay here, for all of our sakes."

    Niki was sure that a termination of a branch wasn''t something any of them would want, but saying anything about that would make the divergence increase.

    His hair stood up as he felt the interest Lilith looked at him with, which made his heartbeat increase rapidly. If she takes an interest in him, she''ll turn him into one of her pets.

    ''No, this isn''t real life. Master Edward is the only anomaly here, and I just need this vision to end. There''s no way that the system will allow him to retain his memories in the vision as long as the divergence didn''t exceed 50%.''

    "Forget it," Master Edward turned back toward the ritual. "I will go there and see it for myself. You are nothing but a frozen chicken."

    As he said that, Master Edward sprinted toward the ritual. As the divergence reached 49%, the young man beside Niki took a step forward.

    "Wait, Master Edward," he simply called out, but the master obliged to stop. "I trust that Lyle has his reasons, so how about you listen to what he says?"

    Niki had no idea who this young man was and why he could ask such a thing from the king''s brother. However, Master Edward seemed to consider it before shaking his head.

    "You aren''t the same person as the young master, so I''ll have to decline."

    "Then, I have no choice but to stop you with force," the young man smiled. "I never thought that you would refuse a request of mine, so I''ll apologize for being disrespectful in advance."

    As he said these words, a pair of giant wings appeared behind the young man''s back. Niki stared with amazement as a crown of mana appeared on his head, and recognition dawned on him.

    However, Master Edward sprinted toward the ritual before the young man could say anything more, and thetter followed after him. The speed of the two was beyond what Niki could pick up, and he wanted to sprint after them.

    However, Lilith blocked his path.

 Chapter 136 - Between A Monster And A Demigod

    "Interesting," Lilith turned to him slowly after she watched the two disappear into the horizon. The way she looked at him was one that Niki recognized, and it made him feel sick. "You are scared of me," she said.

    "Why would I be?" Niki shrugged and turned to walk away. However, as expected, a giant wall appeared in front of him. It was a ck wall, but it was stronger than any steel. A sigh escaped his mouth as he turned back toward the grinning Lilith.

    "You don''t seem surprised by what you saw," Lilith said as she took measured steps toward him.

    Of course, Niki wouldn''t be surprised. This was one of Lilith''s most extraordinary authorities, Thaumaturgy. People were also fooled that it was one of the Absolute Skills, the ability to turn the impossible into possible and create objects out of energy.

    There were limits to this power of hers, but they weren''t things that the current Niki could exploit. Such powers could only be revered, never fought.

    "Everything is possible in this world," Niki turned toward Lilith, looking at her with aplex gaze. Her current appearance was the least he was used to, as this was a past identity of hers. However, he didn''t know how she knew the strategist, Edward Ver Rosia.

    "No wonder Ed never ceased talking about you," Lilith waved her hand as she stood a few meters away from him. Her long fingers shed space apart, and the cracks spread to corner Niki. "He asked me to help him, and you seem to have the mind of stopping him."

    She righteously said as if she was the protector against evil. Niki, however, knew that there was nothing but a sick fascination of him in her mind.

    This was a younger version of Lilith, but he didn''t think she was any different. For Elves who lived for hundreds of years, a few years difference didn''t equate much. Of course, she was more ruthless in a few years during the war, but she was still collecting her minions.

    "My only relief is that this is only a Vision, not real life. Otherwise, all of my ns would go awry," as he stepped back and eyed the cage that surrounded him, Niki thought to himself.

    Edward needed to be stopped, and he would have to get past Lilith to do that. The only opening that he could use was the ce behind the Elven Princess, a gap left open because she was the one standing in the way.

    ''Her confidence could be used against her,'' thought Niki as he dashed forward. Lilith''s eyes widened with surprise before she revealed her white teeth in a grin. Her hand reached out to seize him, appearing like a celestial giant in front of Niki.

    It was a difference between gods and mortals. However, mortals also have tricks up their sleeves. As he was inches away from being captured, Niki disappeared like smoke, and the Elven Princess grabbed nothing but empty air.

    The confusion in her face was thrilling to witness from his dark dimension, but it disappeared instantly. However, her reflexes were also abnormal, and she turned to attack the gap behind her.

    It took nothing but a second for Lilith to realize he was using the gap in her cage to flee and conclude that he was going for that opening.

    ''I know you too well and know how smart you are,'' Niki said as he watched the disguised elf sh apart empty air.

    A crushing pressure apanied the rage of the Elven Princess when she realized that she had struck empty air and that Niki had fooled her. The wounded pride of a ruler bled into the forest, shaking space itself.

    ''It''s time to flee,'' Niki tried going into his pocket dimension, but a message from the system foiled his ns.

    [This action will result in leaving the vision. Do you wish to continue?] ¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C¨C [Yes/No]

    Niki chose not to, grumbling inwardly that the system was too stupid even to ask. If he indeed left the Vision, he wouldn''t stop Edward from changing the timeline.

    However, the wrathful goddess in front of him was about to tear his flesh apart. The clouds gathered above them, stealing the sunlight and matching the mood of the woman in front of him.

    Her miracle power followed the will of its master, and the forest was stripped naked to find Niki. But, while he was in the dark dimension, he felt as he was being dragged out.

    "Merge," Lilith''s cold voice muttered as her hair flew in the wind, countless lines of lights appearing around her. Niki knew what toe was akin to the wrath of the heavens.

    The lines surrounded, and one of them disintegrated, releasing the first seal of her powers. Then, a celestial pressure descended on the forest, making the trees kneel.

    Niki expected her reaction, but the alternative was to be struck by her earlier attack. The dark dimension grew unstable, and Niki found himself getting pulled into the real world.

    Before his stealth got broken, Niki decided to run away for a short distance. At least, a meter away from this demigod would be an extra meter away from death.

    As he lifted his leg to run, his muscles screamed in pain, and his joints crackled. Niki gritted his teeth as he pushed against the pressure that wanted to crush him.

    Every step he took left a deep footprint in the ground, and he had but a few seconds before his stealth got broken by the sheer pressure of Lilith.

    This was the weakness of his stealth. It would be broken the moment Niki suffers an attack, and he would be thrown out. Maybe if he uses mana to fortify it, he wouldst a bit longer. However, the amount of mana that he needs to contend against Lilith would kill him.

    As he jumped forward and slid beneath a kneeling tree, the transition into the real world happened, and Niki felt as if someone had unmuted the world. The squeaking of trees as they bent, a touch away from breaking, filled his ears as he jumped to run away.

    "There you are," her voice has changed, and it held an overseeing apathy in it instead of the earlier rage. "You are Edward''s favorite toy. That''s why I won''t kill you. However, that doesn''t mean I don''t get to y with you too."

    The anger drowned, only a ripple manifesting as a cmity remains. Niki was rolling on the ground, feeling as if he was swimming in mercury. The trees gave way as Lilith walked toward him.

    Niki suddenly bolted as if the earlier struggle was nothing but an act. The ease he ran away with made Lilith pause before rushing after him. His back was covered in sweat as his view was filled with notifications from the system.

    [-1 DMG!]

    [-1 DMG!]

    [-1 DMG!]

    [-1 DMG!]

    ...

    The notifications were endless, and he couldn''t believe that just her presence after releasing the first seal was enough to harm him every moment. However, his Legendary skill worked well to protect him, and he began the chase after Master Edward and the young man.

    "Disrespectful," the divine judgment arrived full of wrath, and Niki could feel a singr point in his back, itching as if something had locked on it.

    When he nced back, a ck spear was about to pierce his back. His mouth curved upward as he jumped, allowing the spear to impale his back.

    Sparks flew as his barrier protected him against the attack, but the blood-red notification made him wish that he took the brunt of the attack with his body.

    [-4493 DMG!]

    His charge must have bottomed out with that attack, but its power was enough to send him flying toward the ritual grounds. Niki had to shield his eyes because of the mighty wind and only opened them when he reached the highest point.

    "If I took that attack, I would have turned into nothingness," Niki muttered as he began his descent, scanning the sky for signs of Master Edward.

    He felt awe when he discovered that the young man managed to stop Master Edward a fair distance from the ritual ground. However, it seems Master Edward has realized this wasn''t the real world and decided to use his full strength.

    "A demigod behind me," said Niki, "and a monster before me. No one is here to help me and stop the termination but myself," he unsheathed his twin scimitars, and the ck lotus bloomed above his hand. "Let me use what you taught me," as he turned to meet the soaring Lilith, Niki removed the limits using the technique she used him.

    His heart stopped beating for a second as mana gathered around it. Then, it contracted so powerfully to pump mana-filled blood through his body. Veins appeared on his arms as he shed at the iing Lilith using his Abyssal Art and Limit Break.

    "You..." her eyes shed with recognition, but she didn''t retract her attack.. The two attacks collided, and Niki''s proved that it was indeed the Bane of Elements.

 Chapter 137 - Orphans

    [Divergence: 49%]

    The notification was blood red in the center of the darkness. Niki opened his eyes, and he felt pain everywhere in his body. The branches danced in the breeze above him, unhindered.

    "You are mine," the voice, which felt like stabs in his ears, said. Niki flinched and jumped upward, looking in the direction of the source. Lilith met his gaze with a grin. "You are the dark being my generals met and the person who killed the serpent. You are no human."

    It was wishful thinking to believe he could contend against Lilith with his darkness alone. However, it was already a miracle that he survived. Her interest was piqued because of his darkness and Limit Break.

    "Is that why you are here?" Niki tried to stand up, but he found that his body was drained of mana and refused to listen to him.

    "I came to ask Edward if he knew anything about dark beings around here, but I never expected to catch you so quickly," she said and stood up, her long and sharp eyes curving into a smile. "You are joining my group."

    It was happening again, the same thing in his past life. Niki never thought that he would hear this a second time. However, the circumstances were different because he didn''t have to survive the sick game she orchestrated like before.

    ''How did I ever fall for someone like her?''

    Niki wondered as he looked at her. It was hard to call his feelings the word love because they were an obsession. Nothing mattered for him other than her, even after he learned of her ns against humanity. At that time, humankind gave him nothing but pain and hardships. He couldn''t have cared less about them.

    Then, it happened again. His belief that he knew someone, cared for them, and they cared back was broken again by the Elven Princess time after time. She wanted to break him.

    Niki ignored her and looked around. They were still in the forest, but half of it had been destroyed. He was lying in a crater with the princess sitting on its edge, looking down on him.

    "Looking for Edward?" she grinned.

    "What do you want from me?"

    "Other than payback for the damages?" Lilith shrugged as a dagger materialized in her hand. It was an identical copy of the one he used in his past life, given to him by the princess. "I want you to join me."

    "I need to attend to some business first," Niki said as he began to stand up. "After that, I will join you."

    "That easily? After risking your life to run away?" she asked with doubt and an unconvinced expression. "You will probably run away."

    "Can anyone run away from you or Master Edward?" Niki asked with a helpless shrug. "We aren''t meant to oppose monsters or gods."

    "Wise," she grinned, pleased with his words. "Is your business rted to Edward?" she asked, to which he nodded in affirmation. The Divergence was almost fifty, and he was sweating bullets.

    The unknown was terrifying. The termination could mean the end of his second chance at life, and he would truly be dead this time. It didn''t matter if Lilith knew everything about him because as long as he ended this vision, it didn''t matter. His system constructed this, and the only anomaly was Master Edward.

    "I wille for youter then," she grinned after gaining his approval. This was one of the inconsistent traits of the princess: she was unwilling to use force against those she desired. She could manipte them or coax them then, but it was beneath her to threaten them into being hers.

    Of course, that was only for those she wanted on her side. For anyone else, she might as well be the devil.

    Niki stood up and started walking toward the ritual grounds under Lilith''s sickening gaze. His body ached every time he moved it, and he discovered a new way to feel pain every step he walked.

    The percentage of the divergence was still 49%, hanging by a thread. He had no idea what stopped Master Edward from knowing the future yet, but he could only hope that it wouldst.

    The high walls appeared in his view, and he didn''t know for how long he walked. There were sounds of battle in front of him, and Lilith seemed to have retreated.

    "If I haven''t shown her my abilities, there would have been no way that she leaves me alone. This is her way of leaving a good impression so that I join her willingly and never betray her."

    Niki had to admit that she was suitable for leadership, but it was too bad that he could do everything to avoid her once this ordeal had passed. The knowledge that she was in this city and knew Master Edward could be considered the most valuable thing he got out of this vision.

    The assassination of the princess was secondary.

    The noisesing from ahead grew increasingly louder, and Niki began noticing how the ground shook. Then, finally, a shadow flew across the sky, and Niki squinted before he jumped to the side.

    A giant tree trunknded in his ce, rolling on the ground and destroying several others in its wake. Niki jumped up and started running forward as several more trunks fell from the sky.

    "Young master!"

    Master Edward''s voice came from ahead, and Niki brought his sprint to a halt, leaving trails on the ground. He entered his stealth and walked toward the two people, trying to glean the identity of the young man who was helping him.

    "Why are you doing this?" Master Edward seemed annoyed by the young man''s antics. Niki saw that they were still flying in the air, only that the young man had hundreds of trees flying behind him under the force of the wind.

    "My friend asked me to," the young man said with a smile. "I believe there is a reason that you are this desperate to visit the ritual and a reason why Lyle wants to stop you."

    "And you trust an outsider?" Master Edward seemed confused by the rtionship that the two of them shared.

    "I am also an outsider," the young man said with a grin as he raised his arm, stacking tens of trees together. "We orphans need to stick together."

    "I don''t believe this is the real world, and the answer lies behind those walls," Master Edward sighed as he raised his hand. A long red spear began materializing in his hand, looking as if blood flowed within it. "And I''ll cut anything down to find my answer."

    "A schr to the bone," the young man smiled as Niki saw a drop of sweat roll down his face. "I always respected you and still do, so allow me to be impudent this time."

    The trees fortified by the wind began stacking against each other to create a giant rod in the sky, taller than the walls behind it. Niki wondered about the identity of this young man to be so powerful yet so young.

    The giant rod descended on Master Edward, and his long red hair flew in the wind. The strategist assumed his position as he raised his blood spear, pulling his hand backward.

    ''Why is everyone in this vision so monstrous?'' Niki sighed as he saw the giant wooden rod descend on the strategist, and the man didn''t tter. Instead, he pushed his spear forward and met the massive attack with one of his own.

    There was a brilliant red sh that flew across the sky, appearing like red divine lightning. And the aftermath thunder soon followed, ripping the sky and shaking the ground.

    The giant wooden rod was shed in half with an enormous gap between the two halves. The red sh of light ripped through everything in its path without pause,manding everything to step aside.

    As the wall of wind began wavering, and the trees started to fall, Master Edward retracted his spear, exhaling the breath he held. Then, when he smiled at the pale young man in front of him, a ck sh of light appeared beside his neck.

    Niki''s scimitars were stacked on top of each other to sh away the man''s neck, but he was still too weak to provide any real threat. With a single motion, the Master deflected his attack away with the blood spear.

    CLINK!

    "Ugh,"

    A metallic voice ran as the spear met the scimitars, and Niki was sent flying by the mere pressure of the attack. His back struck one of the falling trees before he rolled to the side, heading toward the ground.

    A breeze of divine wind arrived to cushion his fall, and Nikinded safely on the ground, although he was far from being unharmed. The young mannded beside him with an equally tired face as Master Edward looked down on them.

    "This is the future," Master Edward looked at Niki. "And you know why we are here.. This is why you are trying to stop me."

 Chapter 138 - Termination

    "Believe me when I say that nothing goodes out of prying into this matter," Niki tried to warn him sincerely. "All I know is that this is bigger than both of us, and the consequences could be deadly."

    Master Edward didn''t say anything and simply stared at him before turning toward the ritual grounds. The man''s intuition was sharper than a knife, and he could deduce that Niki was telling the truth about this.

    "I refuse to listen," Master Edward said with a vile grin. "This is interesting, and I need to know the answer. I need to know what is going to happen and why it is going to be in this ce."

    "Then I have no choice but to fight you," Niki assumed position, even though it strained his body just to do so. The young man looked at him with approval before unsheathing his sword and standing by Niki''s side.

    "Then ''we'' have no choice but to fight you," the young man said with a grin, his mana gathering around the sword.

    "You brats are getting on my nerves," Master Edward clenched his fist, but his grin didn''t disappear. If so, then be it. Let me teach you how early it is for you two to stand against me."

    Master Edward shed his hand with his blood spear, allowing blood to poll on the ground. His palm bled more than ten menbined could bleed, but hisplexion was still rosy.

    "Coagte, My Armor," per hismand, the blood gathered around his body and began to turn into blood armor. The whole armor covered Master Edward''s body, only his red hair flying upward.

    "Be careful," the young man whispered. "This armor could withstand an attack from the King of Beasts himself," his voice didn''tck fear, but bravery is born from within that fear.

    "You don''t need to fight with me," Niki probed, as there is no need for this young man to go this far for him. He wanted to know the reason. "We don''t know each other that well for you to fight this battle."

    "I don''t know you, but I know myself. I shan''t waver in the face of adversity, not when I am with a friend," and true to his words, he didn''t back down.

    Niki wanted to dissect his mind to see what was inside. He was sure that he would find ideals rather than logic in his mind, not necessarily good ones.

    "Suit yourself," Niki didn''t want to give his back to a stranger, but his hands with tied against the monster in front of him.

    The pair of blue eyes glowed from within the blood armor as the Blood Knight raised his spear, ready to fight. There was no crushing pressure nor heavenly strings. There was only one thing.

    Bloodlust.

    An invisible string connected the blood spear to his neck as if the two were destined to meet. Death was staring at him, and it came in the shape of the Blood Knight''s blue eyes.

    "Prepare yourselves," Edward''s voice rang deeply, although the armor muffled it. The two youngsters tightened their fists around their weapons, ready to fight.

    [Divergence: 50%]

    "What?" Niki was confused before the Blood Knight dissolved into a pool of blood. Master Edward was nowhere to be seen, and it was enough to realize that he had no intention to fight them, only to fool them.

    [A character with a high fate meter learned of the vision.]

    [Unable to restore the timeline. The system will now terminate the current one.]

    [Termination has begun...]

    Niki watched the world crumble as the youngster beside him was confused by the series of events. However, hispanion''s mental status was unimportantpared to what would happen from this point on.

    As the vision crumbled, Niki found himself in the darkness again. Three massive words appeared in front of him before one of them changed.

    [Terminations left: ¨C¨C]

    Then, thest word dissolved to be reced by a different one. Just like the one before, Niki couldn''t see what the word was. He could guess it was a number, but there was no way for him to read it.

    [Terminations left: -¨C¨C]

    Niki felt his consciousness fade as a familiar feeling overtook him as he was trying to understand what was going on. The only other time he felt this was when the Elven Princess killed him for the fate-changing artifact.

    It was death.

    ***

    "Wee, Lyle," Saint Maria called him by the name he gave her before. Niki blinked his eyes, and his eyes adjusted to the lighting through the window.

    "This is..."

    "Something wrong?" Princess Maria was confused by his confusion, and the two confused people looked at each other with equal perplexity.

    Niki closed his eyes and reopened them to make sure he wasn''t dreaming. Instead, he was in the mansion''s study with the princess, the same ce she asked him to go to the ritual and find out what was about to happen.

    "No, there is nothing wrong..." Niki tried to examine his body, and he saw that he was wearing the same ck suit she had given him.

    "I guess you have yet to fall into your role, and in this way, we are simr," Maria sighed with worry, but Niki felt as if this reaction was better than the awe he faced in the past time.

    ''The past time,'' Niki took a deep breath. ''I was here before. I lived this one time before.''

    The termination of the timeline wasn''t something new to him, it seems. Niki had gone through this experience once before. So, this was the proof that his past life wasn''t him being crazy, but it happened.

    The existence of the termination means that his system wasn''t something that only existed in this lifetime but the one before. The system was the reason that he went back in time.

    The system terminated the timeline where he lived, and it was his first life as well. This exined a lot of questions, but it didn''t make him feel at ease.

    How many terminations does he have left? How can he terminate the timeline, and who gets to decide if termination is necessary? The condition for the termination was, in no way, his death. After all, he didn''t die in the vision.

    The future deviated too much.

    However, a terrifying question made Niki feel small in the room. It was a question that he wasn''t sure he wanted to know its answer.

    ''The future deviated from... what?''

    What was the future that needed to be maintained? Who or what was maintaining it? Why did Niki need to reach that future for him not to be terminated?

    ''A character has been deleted.''

    Niki never paid attention to the Characters menu because it changed too much. He only used to know the fate meter of certain characters, at least those registered in the system.

    However, why did the system use those specific words? Why didn''t it simply say that a person in the database died? The same thing applied to ''termination'' as if the system wanted a specified ending.

    Niki closed his mouth into a thin line, as a realization sat in his stomach:

    Am I a prisoner of the system?

    "Your face is pale," Saint Maria stood up from her desk, her face worried about him. Niki snapped out of his daze and found that his face was covered in sweat, his lips quivering.

    "I just need to get some fresh air," Niki wiped away his sweat with his glove, and he looked at the droplets of salty water in his palm.

    It was a long time since he felt genuine fear.

    However, the termination this time gave him a chance to avoid a simr fate to thest time. He got to know that Lilith was visiting this city because of what happened with the water serpent.

    Furthermore, Lilith knew Master Edward. The termination this time gave him a lot of information that he didn''t even know that he needed.

    "I understand," Saint Maria nodded with a smile. "How about we visit the garden?"

    Niki was about to refuse when he noticed the letter on the table. When he was here before, Saint Maria had a worried expression because of this letter.

    "Yes, let''s do that," Niki nodded with a smile, and the princess nodded in joy. The letter disappeared from the desk before Maria toward him, allowing Niki to escort her out of the study.

    The servants looked at them as the two walked together, Niki walking behind the princess. He ensured that they weren''t too close but not too far for her to be upset.

    Whispers ran as the retainer of the princess made his first debut. His story was that his father served Master Edward before in the army, and the Royal Family rewarded him the position of the princess''s retainer because of his father''s services.

    ''I hated this position,'' Niki thought, ''but it might prove useful in the end.''

 Chapter 139 - An Expensive Commission

    Saint Maria poured tea for him. Of course, the other generals would call him a traitor if they learned of this. However, in that instance, Niki didn''t want to think of Lilith and her minions.

    He needed to calm down.

    Or rather... he had more important worries. Yet, true to her name, the saint made all of his fears vanish like mist. Her smile, fragrance, and aura all radiated contagious peacefulness.

    "It seems you have calmed down," Saint Maria pushed the teacup toward him. "I would love to credit myself for that, but I can''t deny how calming this garden is."

    The princess said in a self-mocking manner, and it was only then that Niki noticed the surrounding scenery. They were sitting on the opposite sides of a table, which had been ced in a giant garden full of dark pink trees and flowers of subtle color.

    "The reason you called me to your study is because of the ritual, right?" Niki couldn''t say that she had the right to credit herself, so he changed the subject. Her eyes turned wide, and she sighed.

    "You are fearsome," there was a hint of envy, which she had shown in the previous timeline. "You are correct. I want you to visit the ritual ground and learn what you can about it. Your report could help me appear less... clueless?"

    "You don''t appear as clueless," Niki said, which surprised him and her equally. "Ahem," he coughed, almost embarrassed for trying to reassure her. "My father always said that as long as you don''t talk, people would assume you have something to say."

    "What if nobles of the Bestial Kingdom asked me?" Maria asked with a not-so-convinced expression.

    "At that time, you can answer them, and the impact would be greater. They will leave with an impression that the princess didn''t rehearse her words but carried real knowledge about the kingdom."

    "I''m d to have you as a retainer," Saint Maria smiled with relief, her shoulders dropping slightly. "I understand. I''ll do as you asked. However, I still need you to go there."

    "Your wishes are mymands," Niki smiled and bowed. "However, I want to understand the people''s image of the ritual first, before hearing from those who oversee it."

    "You can take your time going around the city, then," Saint Maria sipped on her tea, and Niki mirrored her actions. After cing her cup down, she took out the royal badge like the timeline before. "This is proof that you are my retainer. Carry it with pride, Lyle."

    "I will," Niki received it with a smile. Then, he tried to pick his words carefully. "I never had a friend before. Ever since my father died, I started going from one city to the other. I know that we are far from being friends, but you can always count on me with your worries as your retainer."

    "Ah," Maria was confused before realization dawned on her. "You''ve seen that I was worried when you came into the study," she had a grateful smile. "There is nothing, just a letter from my older brother."

    "If you ever need me, then I will be by your side," Niki stood up to leave with those words. "If you would excuse me now. I have a report to write."

    "You may leave," the princess said with an expression that was hard to read. However, Niki knew that he was closer to her now, and it was enough for a start.

    ***

    This time, he avoided the old driver as if he carried the gue. In some sense, Master Edward was indeed a gue. Niki left through the side gate, riding one of the carriages that resupplied the mansion.

    Soon, he found himself in the city''s busy street, with vendors surrounding him from every direction. Naturally, his attire drew attention, but it worked to give him the authority he wanted.

    A human in this city wasn''t a rare sight, but it was indeed unusual. The beastmen looked at him with both wariness and hostility, even though the majority ignored his presence.

    There were other human travelers, but all of them looked like hardship-chiseled adventurers. They carried giant swords on their back or wore a skull over their head. It was both a sign of pride and a warning.

    Niki didn''t lie when he said he wanted to ask the locals about the ritual. Understanding the ritual also means that he would understand what the vision entitles. This time, he needs to make sure that he would be the only one to go into the vision.

    If you want to receive an honest opinion about something, you need to ask the fearless. There were two types of fearless people: those with strength and those with nothing to lose.

    That''s why the first stop would be the adventurer''s union.

    Niki walked out of the market into the street, where tall buildings stood on each side. There was no need to ask for directions because the building was usually...

    ''There it is,'' Niki looked at the tall building in the distance. Even though the union wasn''t exactly at its peak, it was still a proud entity in every country.

    Of course, there was a difference in leadership depending on the country. However, there were dealings between the unions to make sure adventurers had their needs met.

    The beastmen avoided him as if he stunk because they knew that human nobles and their followers were in this city. Niki reached the door, but he found it closed. Finally, after three knocks, a window opened in the door.

    "Who are you?"

    "A retainer," Niki showed his badge to the pair of eyes, and it examined the badge before closing the window. Then, the door was opened.

    Niki walked in, past the short man on the stool who opened the door. The adventurers inside all turned toward him, stared him down, dissected him with their eyes, and turned away in the end.

    It seems there wouldn''t be the cliche rejection of the outsider, and Niki felt a little disappointed. Maybe they learned that he was a retainer of the royal family and decided to stay away from him.

    "Hello," Niki walked toward the counter, where sat a tall woman with her hair covering both of her eyes before diverging at her nose.

    "How may I help you?" her rabbit ears danced at his question, and Niki realized she must be blind.

    "I want to learn more about the Vyxas Ritual. Do you know where I can find a historian or a suitable adventurer to give me a tour?"

    "Ah, I have a great fit for this job. Would you like to start amission with our guild? Their minimum fee is two high-grade ores."

    "Amission?" Niki never considered it. If he did indeed hire an adventurer, he would receive a more detailed report about this ritual. "That would be ideal, but the fee is quite high."

    A high-grade ore piece was almost equal to one gold Rosian coin. Thus, the fee was two gold coins, which was an insane rate even for adventurers of another country.

    "I agree," to his surprise, the rabbit woman agreed. "However, this adventurer is quite special because she only takesmissions which are rted to archeology and the ancient gods. Her fees are high, but her expertise is genuine."

    ''Ancient gods?'' Niki was intrigued. ''I might find something about Val or the other gods.''

    Everyone might think that this person''s knowledge is useless at the current moment. However, when the gods make their debut, their knowledge will be priceless.

    "I understand. Please initiate themission. Here are the two gold coins," Niki said as the two coins appeared in his glove, and he handed them over.

    "Wee to the Adventurer''s Union of Fera," the rabbit woman said with a smile. Fera was the official name for the Bestial Kingdom, but it was rarely used in the Rosian Kingdom. "Please take a seat as I summon the adventurer here. She should arrive in half an hour."

    Niki nodded and walked toward an empty table. As he sat down, he felt as he blended into the background. The noise of the adventurer''s fights andughs drowned him, and he found himself to be at peace.

    The minutes slipped past his perception as Niki took out a coin for him to y with it. Adventurers and people who came for theirmissions filled the union, and Niki watched the crowd from afar. Unfortunately, his habitual observation of people was cut short this time by the arrival of the woman he hired.

    "Evening," a voice said from behind him as the woman pulled the chair and sat down.

    "It is still morning," Niki answered as he ced his coin away and turned toward the adventurer. "I heard you know a lot about gods?"

    "I know what they want everyone to know: their heroism," the adventurer said, and Niki managed to get a better look at her.. "And I know what they want no one to know: their viiny."

 Chapter 140 - A Suitable Offering

    Niki never liked anyone on their first meeting. Today was the exception. The woman in front of him must be in herte twenties or thirties, but he could tell she was wise beyond her years.

    Taly is her name, an umon name. Niki tried to see if she was a beastmen, but there was no indication of that. However, he didn''t want to ruin their meeting by making her ufortable. At least, not until he gets something useful out of her.

    "Their viiny," Niki leaned in with a straight back. "borate," he wanted to continue the subject after their brief introduction.

    "Of course, nobles would be interested in that," she rolled her eyes, which had dark bags beneath them. Her unnatural violet irises focused on his body and attire. "However, I never expected the Rosian royal family to be one of them."

    A thin smile yed on her lips, which had a distinct smudge of ink beneath it. Niki leaned forward as an embedded handkerchief appeared in his hand, and he wiped away the ink.

    "Ugh," Taly frowned as he rubbed her chin, cleaning it before pulling away from her. "You are a bold man to touch a woman so easily."

    "I guess you were busy with work, which is a great sign for me," Niki said. "I am a retainer, not a noble, and this is also within my interests. I came here out of my own will, and I am not a noble."

    "That would be for the best," she said with a smile as she pocketed her hands into her brown leather jacket. "So, where were we?"

    "Their viiny," Niki repeated.

    "Ah, yes. Even a child knows that gods are unkind to us. Rather, they should be the only ones who know naturally. But, instead, they hold the natural fear of the unknown, and parents use the gods to threaten their children into discipline."

    "Then, the parents should also be aware of how cruel the gods can be," Niki rested his chin on his hand as he listened to her analysis.

    "They choose to ignore it without being aware. Well, to say that they ''choose'' is a bit inurate. We are naturally drawn to the divine, and we always glorify it. Have you ever wondered why humans needed to believe in gods, to begin with?"

    "To function as a society. Faith unites us in a world where everything divides us. We chose to believe in gods because it''s easier than to practice altruism, serving themon good, andpassion."

    "How old are you?" she asked while looking taken aback.

    "Almost eighteen," Niki answered truthfully.

    "Kids are scary nowadays," she sighed, full of emotions, but she jumped forward to m the table with her gloved palm. "You are right! That was the first reason that we believed in gods. Do you know what''s the second?"

    "That''s why I hired you," Niki answered with a smile. "Tell me."

    "Because they exist," Taly gave a wide grin as if she revealed the unspoken. However, Niki was hard to surprise, given that this was his second time redoing life. "You know that already?" she pouted.

    "I do," he said, "because I am one of them."

    The archeologist paused as she stared at his sincere face. Niki was simply messing around, trying to gauge her reaction and knowledge about gods. However, the most important thing to him is to see how open-minded she is.

    "Then wee to the human world," she smiled atst. Niki almostughed, and he simply shook his head.

    "Please, tell me more."

    "My pleasure," Taly nodded before looking around as if deciding whether this was a good spot. "Let''s go somewhere private. After all, not everyone likes what I have to say."

    Niki nodded in understanding before he stood up. Some eyes were watching them, and not all of them were friendly. Their observation started when Taly arrived as if they were offended by her existence.

    The two left after signing a contract with the union that protected both parties from being scammed or harmed. Taly walked beside him, and she barely reached his shoulder.

    With short pants that ended at her thighs and a brown leather jacket that covered a white shirt, Taly fit the archeologist role well. The two didn''t say anything as they left the busy main street.

    "This is our first destination," Taly stopped at a giant za with a massive well in the middle. People drank their fill from the well or simply filled their leather bags. "This well is famous in our city because it''s deeply rted to Vyxas."

    "How?"

    "Before the gods ascended to Celestia, Vyxas lived in thisnd. The ritual is happening in the ce he was raised and born, and it was a small vige in the suburbs," Taly walked forward and waited in the line for the well.

    "And how is this well rted to him?"

    "I told you that the gods are known for their heroism, not their viiny," she said with an apathetic expression. "However, most of the time, those two things are the same."

    "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder," Niki pocketed his hands. "One man''s fortune is another''s misfortune."

    "Are you sure that you are only eighteen? Most kids your age only care about alcohol and girls," Taly nced at him. "Your words are correct. This ce is where Vyxas in the widely detested monster called Aquana, Lord of Floods."

    "The people weren''t fond of floods, it seems."

    "You''d think they are not, but very few know the whole tale. Aquana was not the Lord of Floods. It was a wise creature who tried to drown Vyxas and his minions," Taly continued as their turn arrived. "However, Vyxas slew it to end the floods, and it became another one of his feats. This well became Vyxas gift to the people, and they thank him to this day."

    "Where is the viiny in this story?"

    "Ites after because Aquana was what kept thisnd alive," Taly scooped some of the water from the well and handed it to Niki. "That''s why even now, it tries to give life to everything through this never-ending well."

    "What happened after it died?" Niki stared at his reflection in the water, distorted by the ripples.

    "A famine struck thend, but it served as another one of Vyxas''s feats. However, that is a tale for another time. Let us leave."

    Niki followed after her as the people stared at them with suspicion. Taly didn''t care and simply kept walking forward. She took him to a withered tree which was worshiped because it saved Vyxas in exchange for its life, but no one knew that Vyxas simply devoured it.

    Vyxas''s feats were everywhere. It was a god that was considered to be the protector of thisnd. Everything it did was for Fera, and that''s why it was one of the gods remembered to this day.

    Niki knew that the fabricated tales would serve as an excellent report for Saint Maria. She might even buy these stories and end up as an admirer of Vyxas''s virtues.

    "You have the right to disregard my words as lies, but I am nothing but a historian. I know both sides of the story, and I pick the one I find most reasonable."

    "I believe you," Niki said, and he could feel her genuine surprise. However, he couldn''t tell her that he knew this because Vyxas descended in his first lifetime, and it wasn''t a protector or a saint. Instead, it was the God of Gluttony.

    "Kids aren''t so bad these days. Maybe I should adopt you," she said teasingly, but Niki''s brow twitched.

    "Tell me about the ritual," Niki said, and the archeologist picked the cue. They were now at the edge of the city, sitting on the dyke of a stream.

    "Every year, Vyxas gets hungry."

    "Tell me both versions of the story," Niki reminded her.

    "Every year, our protector''s powers are weakened," she said in a high-pitch, praising voice. "We have no choice but to replenish its powers through a sacrifice! The core of a legendary monster, a divine herb, or... a pure soul."

    ''The God of Gluttony is always hungry,'' Niki knew, so it made no sense that it was only fed once a year. However, what drew his attention was the matter of a pure soul.

    "What happens when the ritual is over?"

    "For three days, thend is protected by the divine powers of Vyxas. A pool of holy water appeared in the ritual grounds, and it blesses every follower of Vyxas with extraordinary strength."

    "I never heard of such a thing in the previous years," Niki pointed out, and Taly jumped to stand on the dyke.

    "Because until now, no one gave a suitable offering. None of the things I said worked, so Vyxas''s blessing was never received.. That is why they say that when Vyxas is pleased, the world will know the terror known as Fera''s warriors."

 Chapter 141 - A Fate Vision

    The information he received should be enough for the report Saint Maria needed. First, however, Niki wanted to know more about the other gods. Specifically, Val. If there were a way to learn more about the god he was aiming to inherit, it would help him in the trial.

    "I need to go back," Taly said all of a sudden as she kept ncing back. Niki followed her gaze, but he could only see an empty alley. There were no presences there. Before he could say anything, Taly had already walked away. "Ask the union to summon me tomorrow, and we''ll continue our talks."

    Niki looked at the sky, and it was barely the afternoon. However, it seems that he couldn''t pester the archeologist with his questions for now.

    ''Maybe it''s time to see that vision,'' Niki walked through the alley before choosing a corner to disappear into his stealth. Then, he waited.

    There was no reason for his suspicion other than Taly''s nces at the alley. That''s why Niki waited to see if there was something out of the ordinary.

    There was nothing until there was. Then, after a few minutes, a sh of light passed through the alley, rebounding off the walls before pausing in the corner that Niki disappeared it.

    The light had no form other than a softly glowing sphere floating in the alley. Niki could feel its puzzlement over his disappearance, but it seems he wasn''t a priority. The light resumed its trajectory following the direction Taly took.

    Niki frowned as he stepped to stand in the middle of the alleyway. However, the light was traveling at a speed he couldn''t keep up with, so it was futile to chase it.

    ''Is she in danger?'' Niki wondered, but he didn''t know if this was just a skill user traveling home or someone pursuing the archeologist.

    Even if he wanted to help her, hecked the reason and the method. He paid her two golds for her services, but it wasn''t worth it to risk his life.

    Niki turned around and left the alley through a different route. Since he still had the time for it, he decided to visit the ritual. This time, there will be no strategist to mess things up.

    Carriages were prohibited near the ritual grounds, so there was no way for him to hitch a ride. Niki passed the gates, unseen, as he wondered if he should simply run there.

    Even though the ritual grounds were far, the distance wasn''t enough to deter him from traveling on foot. Furthermore, it was the best way to avoid detection or being followed.

    Niki sallied on his journey toward the ritual grounds. The sun was slowly hiding from view, taking away its blinding light. Niki took several detours and waited, hidden, for any signs of being followed.

    By the time he saw the walls of the ritual grounds, there were parts of the forest that had dark slipping between them. Niki studied the forest destroyed in the vision and marveled at how powerful the system was to take him back in time.

    However, the length of the terminated branch was rtively short, only involving the vision and his encounter with the old monster. It made Niki wonder why the system didn''t take him back in time further, but it didn''t matter.

    Unlike what he expected, the termination saved him. It did once before, but there must be a cost of which he was unaware. The system said that there were terminations left for him, but he didn''t know the exact number.

    "Halt!"

    A voice asked him to stop as Niki''s mind wandered into possible oues for running out of terminations. When he looked at the person, he found that it was one of the ground''s guards.

    "I am here to inspect the grounds, answering the wishes of her highness, Princess Maria," as he dered, he took out his badge and showed it to the guard.

    Just as before, the guard hesitated to let him in, despite the badge. The beastman hurried to call over the captain, who turned out to be a different person than the one in the vision.

    "What brings the royal family here?" the captain said after ncing at his badge. It was a beastwoman that had tiger-like hair and eyes. A simple nce seemed enough to check the authenticity of his badge, so Niki ced it away.

    "Her highness wants to make sure the ritual grounds are secure and that it is safe for the nobles of our kingdom to visit the ce. If you are unwilling to allow us to inspect the grounds, then I can only ry that message to her highness."

    "What qualifications you have to inspect our security?" the tigress growled at him, showing off her fangs.

    "I am the retainer of her highness, tasked with keeping her safe as well as serving her. I don''t need any more qualifications than my badge. I will take my leave."

    After his threats, Niki turned around to disappear into the forest. As long as they targeted the princess''s life, they couldn''t afford for such a rumor to go out that there was a possibility of danger on the grounds.

    "Wait," she called him over, true to his expectations. "How did you arrive at this ce? There is no carriage, nor any flying ships."

    "I am capable enough to travel such a short distance," Niki turned around with a wide grin. "Don''t worry about me. I will find my way back and report what happened here in detail."

    "There is no need," the tigress woman said coldly. "You may enter. However, we can''t allow any outsiders after dark. You''ll have to inspect the grounds in what little time you have left."

    "I don''t need much," Niki said with confidence as he turned and walked past the captain. The guards were hesitant until their captain raised her hand, and they hurried to open the gates in front of Niki.

    ***

    [Activating the vision requires 10 Fate Points to see the events that would transpire here.]

    The system did not need to analyze the phenomena like before. The tigress should have been apanying him, but she grew less cautious after Niki knocked on every tile and pir to check for traps.

    Niki nced back at the tigress woman, who was talking to some underlings. His fate was consumed as the cluster of fate was activated. Without hesitation, Niki grabbed into the cluster.

    The same asst time, Niki''s consciousness was pulled into the vision. However, this time, he didn''t need to stop the Temporal Divergence like before.

    There was no need for him to do anything except see the future of the events that transpired that night. However, it seems that the cluster of fate ripped across the ritual grounds, alerting all of the guards.

    "What are you doing?"

    The tigress captain shouted behind him, but Niki had his eyes closed. Instead, she drew her sword in alertness and pointed it at him in a threatening gesture.

    "Answer me!"

    The tip of the sword was touching his back by the time the vision ended. Niki''s eyes were shaken, and a myriad of emotions shed through them of what he just saw.

    "I should be the one asking you," Niki disappeared from the tigress''s vision before reappearing behind her, a few feet away. "If you dare draw your sword at me again, I''ll make your whole kingdom regret it."

    "Answer my questions!" she almost shouted, even though she retracted her de.

    "I already told you before I entered the grounds," Niki smiled. "I am here for inspection."

    ***

    The mansion''s lights cast his shadow long over the tiles as he passed through the gates. The guards blocked his path, and Niki almost lost his temper and attacked them.

    "Know the face of her highness''s retainer," Niki waved the badge in their faces, and they grew pale as they allowed him entrance. "I apologize," he said before he walked in. "I know that you are just doing your job."

    The guards were bewildered by the young man''s apology as he left them to walk into the mansion. Niki went straight toward his room, where he allowed himself a moment of rest in his pocket dimension.

    It became his ritual to untie the silk around his head after every long day. The ck silk fell to the ground of his dark dimension, pooling beside his feet.

    The ce looked a lot more like a room than a pocket dimension. Nevertheless, Niki ensured that he had the necessities like water and other things inside his pocket dimension.

    As he looked at the headband, Niki infused it with his darkness to make sure that Master Edward wouldn''t find out his real race. There was a giant mirror in front of him, which he had stolen from the room.

    "My existence is the reason for her death," Niki muttered as the vision reyed in his mind. The vision had blood, devoted followers, and ancient gods.. Now, Niki needed to figure out how to change the future.

 Chapter 142 - A Fantasy Of Friendship

    Taly was right about the offering made to Vyxas, the God of Gluttony. However, when he remembered the assassination attempt mentioned in his past life, Niki never connected because it failed.

    However, his vision was different from what happened in his past life. Thus, the timeline has changed, ever so subtly, yet led to drastically different events from the previous one.

    ''How did I end up in this mess?'' Niki wondered, but he wasn''tining. ''Opportunity lies within the chaos,'' he grinned as he wrote down thest bit of his report.

    It included everything he got from Vyxas in a format that allowed the princess to make use of it. Of course, her peace mission was of no concern for him, but it was a part of his duties.

    The Fate Vision consumed ten points of his, but Niki didn''t find it a waste. On the contrary, it was probably the best investment he made because he might be able to sneak into Celestia using the knowledge he obtained.

    The only reason he was even considering such a reckless n was that he had two of Val''s fragments, which should aid him in stealing the source of his powers.

    ''To steal from Celestia,'' Niki signed the report with his alias name as goosebumps spread over his skin. ''One mistake and I will die.''

    Niki lived his whole life following the whims of others or avoiding their impulses. Even after getting a second chance at life, all he did was prevent Julian or follow Valkyrie''s schemes.

    ''I learned about the reason why my life was miserable at the academy, but I didn''t even consider going against Valkyrie or the others. Even now, I am just running away from Lilith, Master Edward, and everyone who wishes me harm.''

    Niki sealed the report in the envelope before standing up to leave his room. The servants began to bow to him as he walked through the mansion until he reached Maria''s study.

    "Come in," her answer came after the first knock, and Niki walked in to find that Master Edward was also present. The blood monster gave a wide grin when he saw him.

    "My missing toy is back," he said without a hint of shame, and Saint Maria panicked. However, the master allowed her no chance to scold him. "What were you doing in the adventurer''s union?"

    There was a gleam of interest in his eyes as if he knew Niki''s every movement in the city. Niki was once again reminded of the red tattoo on his arm, but knowing his location must be the limits of it.

    Since Master Edward asked what he did there, it must mean that he couldn''t hear what Niki talked about with Taly. However, Niki had no reason to hide anything because hidden stuff made this man more interested.

    "I hired an archeologist adventure to help me with this report," Niki offered the envelope to Saint Maria, who epted it while ring at her uncle.

    "Thank you for the hard work, Lyle," she turned toward him with a smile. "Please forgive my uncle for his unbefitting words. But, unfortunately, he has a habit of upsetting around with people he likes."

    ''And killing those he doesn''t like,'' Niki thought to himself but didn''t say it. Saint Maria sat at her desk to read the report as Master Edward made several gestures to grab his attention.

    "My niece is the kindest employee you can find," he said with a smile. "How about you betray her just to teach her a lesson?"

    His words were in a whisper, but they were audible enough for the princess to hear them. However, she simply ignored him and focused on his report.

    Niki chose to stay quiet as well. Thest thing he needed was for the strategist to find a new interest in him. Niki''s greatest mistake was answering when he should have kept his mouth shut in the previous timeline.

    "No great, cynical wisdom spilling out of your mouth today?" Master Edward looked disappointed by hisck of reaction, and he chose to stand up and leave. "You are in no state for me to introduce you to my friend," he said before leaving the study.

    Niki has unknowingly dodged a bullet. The friend that Master Edward was talking about should be Lilith, and meeting her would be the same as a death sentence.

    "This report is amazing..." the princess ced the papers down, staring at Niki with shock. "I''ve seen great advisors who make sloppy reports, but yours is wless, concise, and informative."

    "Your praise is more than I can handle, your highness," Niki said with a slight bow. Thest time he made a mistake in a report or presented a messy one, Lilith cut away one of his fingers before regenerating it.

    "I am not trying to praise," she sighed before cing the papers back into the envelope and keeping it with her. "You did great, and it is only the first day. I only nned to use your travels and wit to bring the two nations together, but it seems you are a perfect fit for a retainer."

    "It fills me with pride to be seen as such by your highness," Niki said. Then, in an obvious hesitant gesture, Niki opened his mouth and closed it.

    "Is there something you wish to say?" Saint Maria could never ignore a follower of hers. Niki smiled helplessly before asking his question.

    "Master Edward wants to introduce me to a friend, it seems. However, I''m afraid that I woulde out ascking. As much as I know of his character, I don''t want to disappoint him. Can your highness tell me about this friend of his?"

    This was Niki''s current goal, to learn of the rtionship between these two people. His brows furrowed so slightly in worry, his lips turning thin in front of the princess.

    "Pft," she gave a smallugh, and it surprised Niki. "We are simr, after all," there was relief in her voice as she invited Niki to sit. "I understand how difficult my uncle can be. Furthermore, I appreciate your services greatly, so I will help you. First, however, don''t tell him about this."

    "You have my word for that, your highness," Niki said with a sincere smile as he ced his hand on his heart. Saint Maria paused and shook her head.

    "You said that you don''t have any friends," she began. "I am the same. We are almost the same age, so you can call me by my name when we are alone."

    There was a tint of blush on her face, but Niki knew she wasn''t flirting with him. Saint Maria was a sheltered princess before Valkyrie''s house led the coup against her. In short, she was lonely and in need of friends.

    ''You would expect a person of her status would have forsaken such fantasies of friendship and whatsoever,'' Niki paused before he smiled gently at the princess.

    "I am honored, Miss Maria," of course, it was too soon to call her by her first name only, but it was already intimate enough. The princess''s face brightened at his word, and she seemed more eager to help him appease her uncle.

    Niki had no issue ying along with this friendship game as long as it was helpful to him. Saint Maria could be a good person even after all the hardships she went through, but it was hard for Niki to have friends anymore.

    "Then, what do you want to know?" she said while leaning forward, whispering in a matter that suggested that they had a secret.

    ***

    Niki debated whether faking a friendship with the princess for his gains made him a bad person, but such things rarely ended with an answer.

    The princess was a lonely person, surrounded by politicians and nobles who coveted her status or wealth. This environment made it impossible to forge friendships because everyone was a threat.

    However, Niki was a retainer that they picked up on this city''s outskirts. His initial unwillingness to work for them made him more trustworthy, so the princess found him a good target for her teenage fantasies of friends and secrets.

    Niki didn''t me her, but it was not his fault for using her because he needed to be on her good books. For him, it didn''t seem to matter whether he felt anything toward her, as long as she lived the illusion that she had a friend to confide.

    At the very least, Niki would never tell others. However, he would make use of this knowledge himself. The only issue is that Lilith seems to be more connected to the royal family than he had imagined.

    Niki had to carefully tread lest he gets picked up by that demigod and turn into one of her freaks. That was a fate that he couldn''t suffer again, nor should anyone.

    As he went back toward his room for the night, Niki started to think of ways to sneak into Celestia by using Lilith''s ambitions against her.

 Chapter 143 - Crunch

    There was no greater enemy of people than their selves. The Elven Ruler was no different, and it has been proven countless times before. Therefore, Niki needs to use her as a distraction as he sneaks into Celestia and steals Val''s powers.

    For every god, whether ancient or celestial, there is a medium for their powers. That is why there was a chance to steal their powers, as long as the gods were weakened or distracted.

    Niki was confident about his ability to obtain Val''s inheritance, but there was minimal time left before the coup, the apocalypse, and the beginning of his suffering.

    He wanted the power to rule over the dead, one that the gods dreaded.

    Even though Val was supposedly a vile god, hated by the other celestial beings, he was still a part of Celestia. Therefore, when the gods descend, they will dere that Celestia protected all.

    Niki seems to be the exception now. As a dark fae, he suffers the curse of being hated by Celestia and every divine power.

    Curse of The Banished.

    The gods have banished his race, and Niki didn''t even know why. All he knew was that he was now cursed. These were his only thoughts as he jumped from one roof to the other, feeling as if his stomach was going to devour him if he didn''t sate its hunger.

    "They are bound to notice my absence," Niki muttered as his crimson eyes scanned the city''s alleys for any thugs he could devour.

    It was easier to devour any random person that heid his eyes on, as it would save him time and energy. However, it would strain his conscience, even if he sometimes questioned having one.

    His footnded on the edge of the building before he pushed to jump toward the next one. Since he was in his stealth, no one saw him.

    However, the curse came worse than before because he devoured the dark spirit that inhabited his weapons. It felt like a worm took his stomach as a home, and it would eat his flesh if he didn''t feed it.

    ''I need to hurry, hurry, hurry,'' Niki repeated as he looked through the city. Vendors were clearing their carts, and they were tempting him to devour them. However, he restrained himself.

    He was more than just a monster.

    As hended on another building, Niki''s eyes noticed a familiar sh of light. The light bounced from one building to the other before disappearing in a specific direction.

    It has been less than an hour since he made his report to Saint Maria and precisely two hours since hest saw this sh of light. With no other option left, Niki prayed that there was someone he could devour without feeling guilty.

    Otherwise, the innocent blood will spill tonight.

    His body blended into the darkness as he rushed after the sh of light. However, like before, he lost it. Niki was pissed, but he kept looking in the direction the light disappeared, hoping to see it again.

    The shops closed down, and people went to sleep with a smile, not knowing that a hungry monster was looking for something to eat above their roofs.

    The monster in question was getting more frustrated than hungry because of the sneaky light sphere. Niki found nothing as he looked above the roofs, through the alleys, or in the sewage.

    Anyone would think he was crazy to chase a sphere of light in his life-or-death situation, but there was a feeling thatpelled him to follow. Furthermore, the sphere looked tasty.

    ''Growl,''

    His stomach protested, but his intestines weren''t empty. Instead, it was a cry from within his soul. He needed to devour a soul, or he would devour himself.

    ''There are bound to be bandits in the surroundings,'' Niki had an epiphany to solve his dilemma, so he began running atop the walls at once.

    Niki did not bother to descend slowly but simply jumped. As the wind raced past him, his fangs grew more prominent, and his horns almost ripped through the headband.

    There was no pain when hended, but it was hard to say whether it didn''t exist or if the wrenching pain of his soul masked it. Before he knew it, Niki was looking through the forest like a ferocious monster.

    ''At least, I am away from people,'' Niki thought as he watched his actions from the sidelines as if something else had taken the wheel now. Then, as he thrashed through the forest for any lowlife thugs, Niki saw the sh of light again.

    "There!"

    His voice was hoarse,ing out as a roar of hunger. Luckily for him, he was in his stealth, and the light didn''t seem to notice his crazed appearance.

    Niki bolted toward the light, reaching it when the light stopped to look around. As he was about to grab it, the light dodged and bounced off a few trees, heading in a different direction.

    ''Damn you!''

    Niki was furious as he rushed after the light, not caring about the branches he broke with his body. The light seemed slower now, but it was still looking for something in the forest.

    Then, it stopped.

    Niki''s instinct screamed for him to stay away. An eerie aura came out of the light as it began changing shape, turning into a tiny fairy.

    With an arm-long body and wings that kept pping, the fairynded on the ground to look at the traces of blood. Niki snapped out of his hunger when he saw the blood on the ground, and he watched as the fairy slowly rose into the air and followed the trail of blood.

    "Where are you..." the fairy eerily whispered as shended every few seconds to lick the blood. "Show yourself, puny human..."

    ''Is it looking for someone?'' Niki followed after the creepy fairy, which kept licking the blood for some reason. The blood was increasing the more they followed the trail. Then, the blood stopped at a tree.

    "Found. You," the fairy said with a wide grin on its face as it looked at the tree. It slowly floated toward the tree as Niki rushed to the side, looking for the person behind the tree. However, there was none.

    A figure jumped from the tree toward the fairy, bringing a w of light toward it. The ambush took the fairy by surprise, and it tried to run away, but it was toote.

    "Ah!" a high pitch scream rang in the forest as Niki got to see the ambushing figure. Taly had a pale face as she tried to rip through the fairy''s body, but the sphere around it prevented her from doing so.

    "Leave me alone, you monster," Taly spat before jumping backward and taking out a small cylindrical device, which she pressed before throwing it toward the fairy.

    A prison of light appeared to surround the fairy, which cried in horror and tried to flee. However, the prison made it in time, and the fairy was caged by bars of lighting out from the device.

    "Let me out!" the fairy shrieked, but Taly only had a grin of victory on her face. The archeologist fell on the ground, huffing, as she pressed on the wound in her abdomen.

    "I have finally... caught you... you annoying fly," she said throughbored breathes and a sweaty face. "I will figure out the person behind you even if I have to gut you alive for it,"

    "Please, no, don''t hurt me," the fairy began to cry inside the prison, shedding tears upon tears out of fear. "I will tell you anything, please, let me go!" it begged.

    "Tell me who is following me," Taly demanded, looking rather desperate for an answer. However, the fairy kept sobbing without giving a reply. Finally, "Tell me!" she roared, and it was then that the fairy raised its head to reveal a devilish grin, its long teeth spanning the length of its face.

    "You have been fooled!" the fairy said as another light emerged from being Taly, striking her in the back. The archeologist had a lock of horror as the sound of flesh ripping rang in her ears.

    "A fool!"

    "A fool!"

    The two fairies chanted as the archeologist fell to the ground, bleeding her life away. The fairy tried to rescue its friend as the woman struggled to stand up, but the prison didn''t break.

    "Annoying human! Look at what you made me do! Master said to bring her alive, what should we do?"

    "What should we do?"

    The fairies mirrored each other with their high pitch sound. Then, as if reaching an agreement, they stopped talking simultaneously, and a grin appeared on their face.

    "A knowledge buried is better than one lost, hehe,"

    "Hehe,"

    The fairy flew toward the archeologist, who turned over in her attempt to struggle. Then, as its arms turned into swords of light that wanted to cut through Taly''s neck, a hand emerged from the darkness and grabbed the fairy''s body.

    "Wha..."

    Crunch.

 Chapter 144 - A Long Time Ago

    The crunching sound rang through the forest, sending chills down the spine of those hearing it. The fairy inside the prison looked at the being emerging from the darkness.

    Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

    The darkness covered the being from head to toe, and it rippled like a me. It was munching on the fairy''s head with its long, sharp teeth before it spat out its head.

    "What...."

    The fairy''s body began shaking at the sudden death of itspanion. It had no idea how this being slipped past their notice and how it effortlessly crushed their barrier.

    Their queen blessed the fairies with a barrier that protected them from most physical and elemental attacks. However, the darkness destroyed the barrier as if it was nothing.

    The head rolled on the ground to reveal the fairy''s lifeless face¡ªand the monster opened its jaw again to devour something etherealing out of its body.

    "What are you?!" the imprisoned fairy shrieked with horror. However, the dark being was unbothered with it, and it didn''t even try to devour its friend''s body and threw it away to roll on the ground.

    "I didn''t think it would work," the dark being muttered as he crouched beside the wounded archeologist. "Do you think you can live?"

    "Answer me!" the fairy said from behind him. However, it was ignored. The dark being was staring at the archeologist, who met his gaze.

    "I... can..."

    "Well said," the dark being stood up from his spot and turned toward the fairy. "I will help you," the being said, with his neutral voice that seemed masked. "However, you will have to give me something in return."

    "I... ept..." Taly didn''t hesitate because she knew without his help, she would die. The dark being revealed his fangs into what seemed to be a grin.

    "It is time for another meal."

    ***

    Niki used his darkness to hide his identity and to break through the fairy''s barriers. One entity could be behind these fairies, but Niki didn''t know why they were after the archeologist.

    "Stay away!" the fairy shrieked as it mmed its body into the light bars, but it was trapped. "Let me out! I don''t want to die! No! No!"

    "I will let you out," Niki raised his hand again, and the darkness rippled. "Just be still," he grinned as he attacked the light, and it broke down like grass. However, his hand didn''t stop and continued to grab the fairy''s body, breaking through its barrier.

    The darkness was the bane of elements, as long as the gods weren''t involved. His hand grabbed the fairy of the body, which started struggling against the darkness, but it was devouring it.

    "No, please, let me go, please, no. I will be good. I won''te back again, just don''t kill me," it begged for its life, but Niki''s jaws were unhinged.

    Screams echoed through the forest as the crunching sound returned, and a body fell to the ground. Niki felt the euphoria of devouring a living soul as the system''s notification appeared in front of him.

    [A high-quality living soul has been devoured. The Curse of The Banished has been sated. Remaining time: 13 days, 23 hours, and 3 minutes.]

    ''I gained two weeks by devouring these fairies,'' Niki was satisfied with his instinct to follow the light. It looked tasty, and Niki confirmed that it was.

    After the euphoria disappeared, Niki remembered that he had a historian to save. When he turned around, he saw that the woman was looking at him with fear, but there was also despair.

    "Do you want me to leave?"

    Even though he asked, Niki had no intention of actually leaving. There was a reason that the fairies were after this archeologist, and he wanted to know what it was. Taly opened her mouth to say something, but she simply began coughing blood. Then, she stared at her blood before shaking her head.

    "Then, we have a deal," Niki walked toward it as he took three potions that Sergio gave him. There wasn''t a lot left from them.

    Niki poured the first one on the wound in her stomach, then the one in her back, and then he made her drink the third potion. Her body began to glow as it began to heal rapidly.

    "Thank... you..." when she regained some strength, Taly thanked him. Niki was confused because he expected her to run away when she could, not to thank him.

    "I don''t care about your gratitude," he harshly said as he crouched and grabbed the archeologist''s hair, pulling her head back. "Tell me why these creatures were after you."

    "I... don''t know..."

    "There must be something that they were after, and we both know that to be chased by such beings isn''t an everyday urrence. Don''t lie to me, or I''ll devour you too."

    His mouth turned into a grin to reveal his sharp teeth, which were still covered in green blood from the fairy''s bodies. The color of their blood came from the fact that they didn''t need air to live, only mana, and their element was nature.

    "Last month... I found something..."

    The archeologist winced as she said, and Niki released her. A few strands of her hair fell because of his darkness, but neither of them cared about it.

    "What did you find?"

    "A tablet," she said after gathering her breath. "I have yet to trante it, but I think it contains a secret. After I found the tablet, these beings began to follow me."

    "How did you obtain it, but not them?" Niki pointed out the obvious. After all, these fairies were fast and countless, so they had a higher chance of obtaining the tablet.

    "I solved a riddle," she coughed, "inside some ruins. The ruins belonged to a temple where an ancient god resided."

    Niki looked at her nkly. There was something off because she was telling these secrets to a dark being. If anyone else met a being who could use this element, he would be running away to bring the church.

    "You are lying to me," Niki''s darkness exploded as a lotus appeared above him. The space began to shake because of his chaos element, and his mana was consumed rapidly.

    "You are suspecting me because I told you too easily," Taly coughed again as she leaned on the tree without fear for her life. "But I learned those holy beings are more dangerous than dark beings."

    His darkness paused, receding. "Why?" he asked with interest. This woman should not be lying about this because she had already proved her loath toward the gods.

    "Those who believe they are right, that they are justice, are more capable of hurting others than those who do it for themselves. Therefore, holy beings are the most dangerous because they believe they are doing the right thing."

    "Do you think that they are wrong?"

    "There is no right or wrong," Talyughed. "We created these concepts to help us survive. Otherwise, if everyone killed, then we would go extinct."

    ''This woman is different,'' Niki realized as he looked at the color returning to her face. She adjusted her body to lean on the tree and look him in the eye, and Niki took a step back.

    "The kindest queen of righteousness," Taly smiled weakly. "They say that she rules over small creatures who fly and save her worshipers in times of danger."

    "I know her," Niki grinned, almostughing out loud because this archeologist knew her stuff.

    "Now, the kindest seem to be not so kind, and these creatures are hunting me day and night for me to give them the tablet. I can''t break through their barrier, even after preparing, but you killed them so easily."

    "You want me to protect you?"

    "I want you to trust my need for you. I need you to survive, so I won''t try to run away from you. If the gods want me dead, then the devil is my friend."

    There were no words for a while because she genuinely amused Niki. It has been so long since he met someone interesting, and he didn''t think that someone like this was here.

    Taly.

    "Your hate toward the celestial seems like an overreaction to this attempt on your life," Niki pointed out the obvious as his darkness calmed down. "There is a reason that you haven''t told me."

    The archeologist was quiet, and her face hardened. Niki almost saw himself in her eyes, and they had cynicism and hate toward life.

    Then, the woman began to stand up. Her stance was unsteady as she leaned on the tree. Her hand reached out toward her shirt, and she lifted it to reveal her stomach.

    "A long time ago," she said while revealing the symbol carved into her stomach. It was a giant scar in the shape of a circle and several lines connected inside it. As she traced her scar, Taly continued.. "I was an offering to the gods."

 Chapter 145 - Scoundrel Of Rosia

    An offering to the gods.

    There were countless gods and countless souls offered to them. They condemned Niki with the curse of devouring souls while they asked for worshipers to offer them.

    ''A group of hypocrites,'' Niki knew. The archeologist in front of him didn''t seem to be lying, nor did the ugly scar on her stomach. It wasn''t ugly because of its shape, but because it signified how weak humans were.

    They were ready to kill each other just to appease creatures who treated them like ants. Hence, the gods weren''t the only ones deserving of hate, but also those who worshiped them and sacrificed others for their moral cause.

    "Which god?" Niki asked, even though he had no use for such information. However, Taly didn''t answer him and hid her stomach instead.

    "One who would die eventually," she said with hate in her eyes. "Along with his dear worshipers, of course," the archeologist gritted her teeth.

    Her words sent his mind into turmoil because they made him realize how ambitious this woman was. She wanted to kill a god and everyone who worshiped him.

    "Maybe you gave this scar to yourself," Niki''s cynicism came to the surface. "A prepared sad story to get you out of prison, a pinch, and assault."

    "You think I did this to myself to earn pity and avoid being raped?" Talyughed with disbelief. "You are truly a devil because you know that you can''t trust others."

    "I am one banished by Celestia," his hoarse voice cut across the forest as his feet brought him closer to the woman. His arm was inches away from grabbing her throat, and the darkness was thirsty. "I find it hard to believe that you would conveniently be on my side when you needed me to survive."

    "I am not on your side, devil," Taly said without fear, even with the darkness inches from ripping her throat. "This is an equal trade."

    "And what do I get in return?"

    "Whatever information the tablet carries, once I am done," Taly said as she began to grow weaker. "I will decipher the rest of it in a few days. At that time, you can have the tablet and the information within it."

    "And what did you find out within it so far?"

    "A secret concerning Celestia," Taly said as she slid down on the tree. Niki realized that his darkness caused it, the same thing that happened to Sergio. "I never... go back... on my words..."

    The archeologist passed out afterward. As she fell to the ground, Niki sighed, and his darkness disappeared like smoke to reveal him in his ck suit.

    "Then you have a deal," he said, looking down on her. "It seems you realized that I am the only one capable of surviving against the fairies, so you used the tablet as a bargain. Smart."

    Niki picked up the archeologist and entered his stealth to return toward the city. The curse has been sated, and his historian has been saved. The sun wasing out by the time he reached the city.

    As he didn''t know where she lived, Niki had to sneak into a room in an inn and leave her there. He left a letter in her pockets with instructions about their next meeting and how to summon him if she was in danger.

    Niki left her an anonymous username to contact him on the Wide Mana Array if she was ever in danger. She also needed to share her location with him using the wide mana array to save her when the time came.

    Niki returned to the mansion as he thought about how technology was useful so far. They lived in a weird age where technology evolved every day alongside magic, without anyone losing to the other, and each one helped the other instead.

    A few minutes after he sneaked into his room using his stealth, a knock arrived at the door. It was still a bit past dawn, but someone decided that the day had started already.

    "Yes?" he asked, acting sleepy, as he opened the door. The one behind it was one of Saint Maria''s handmaids. She acted as if he was cking, ncing at him up and down.

    "You need to pick up her highness''s jewelry today and make arrangements with the florist for the perfume," she said, ring.

    "What do I have to do with that?"

    "Her highness instructed that you are the one to choose them, even though they are our responsibility," the handmaid almost spat out mes at him.

    "Choose them?" Niki tilted his head. "So, it''s only about picking them up."

    "Stop sleeping and get going already. Her highness wrote you this letter, and it includes the name of the shops, so visit them today," the girl shoved a paper into him and left him dazed.

    "I don''t think this was a part of the job''s responsibility?" Niki turned around and opened the letter, which was a lot less formal and shorter than he had imagined.

    "Meet me, without being seen, in the flowerbed south of the river," she wrote and then signed it. "Your friend, Maria."

    Niki stared at the two lines for almost a whole minute before he had to bring himself back to reality. This was unexpected. The princess wanted to meet him, alone, in a flowerbed?

    "Isn''t this... too childish?"

    A regr guy would have been over the moon for being asked out by a beautiful girl as the princess. However, Niki only found the whole matter childish.

    Maria was a princess, no matter how sheltered she was. It was childish to sneak out of the mansion on the night of a grand ball, not to mention with a friend who you only made because he wanted to use you.

    "What if I was a killer?" he sighed as he ced the letter away. "If Master Edward finds out about this, then it will be... I have no idea how it would be."

    Another sigh escaped his mouth as he looked out of the window. The sun broke behind the horizon to give the city a drowsy color, but he had to go out already.

    After wearing his suit, Niki walked out of the mansion. His legs dragged themselves toward the river, hoping he would find the flowerbed easily.

    After finding the river cutting through the city, Niki had to walk on its bank and look around until early morning. Then, at longst, Niki found the flowerbed, and someone was sitting atop a tree''s dead trunk.

    "Your highness," Niki sighed as he saw the girl swinging her legs on the trunk. She wore arge hat over her head and a simple flowery dress with a belt around the waist. "I don''t think..."

    "Shush!" she raised a finger on her lips while looking at him with a smirk. "I helped you with a secret, and you need to help me too."

    "Master Edward can know where I am," Niki said, knowing fully well that the monster was already suspicious of him for leaving the mansion at night. "Sneaking out is useless if you do it with me."

    "Don''t worry. My uncle has yet to return since going to see his friend yesterday. I am sure that he has his hands full at the moment to notice anything about you."

    "I sure hope so," Niki sighed in relief, but she thought he was worried.

    "Grow some backbone, Lyle!" she jumped to stand on the tree''s trunk. "This is another adventure and a grand secret!"

    "A secret?" Niki looked interested because every secret she knew could be useful. Then, seeing him hooked, the princess grinned.

    "Yes! We are going to monitor for the most loathsome young master in all of Rosia, The Bastard!"

    "The..." Niki was speechless that a princess would say such a thing, not to mention a future saint. "Why do you want to monitor him?"

    "Everyone says that he is a horrible human being, scum of the scum, and a phnderer!" as she listed his misdeeds, Niki noticed that she didn''t seem convinced.

    "There is no smoke without fire, your highness," Niki had to tell her the ugly truth, but this time, she was headstrong and stubborn.

    "The fire is his birth," the princess gave a sly smile. "No one would say anything good about a bastard. Not to mention the bastard son of the man known as the world''s strongest!"

    This time, Niki didn''t need to fake his interest. There was only one man known as the world''s strongest, and he was the reason the royal family was still ruling Rosia. He was an outsider to the royal family and a duke.

    "That man had a bastard son?" the words left his mouth, and Niki saw arge smile appear on the princess''s face. She knew that he was interested, and there was no escape now.

    "If you want to know more about the secret, help me uncover the truth! Is he truly the scoundrel and rogue of this kingdom?"

 Chapter 146 - Stalking Or Investigating?

    Since he was in his hellish days in the academy this time of his previous life, Niki knew very little about the gossip and young masters of the kingdom. However, there was one man that they grew up admiring him and Shon.

    The Strongest.

    Long ago, the Rosia kingdom was at the brink of copse against the Bestial Kingdom. The nearby nations decided it was best to choose the victor''s side, so they sent aid to the Bestial Kingdom.

    This was almost thirty years ago, so the Strongest was nothing but a young soldier at that time. The previous king was ipetent, and the future looked bleak.

    His name was Griffin, after the legendary beast, and he was even stronger than that monster. As the war was nearing its end, the future looking bleak, the man appeared from the midst of despair.

    The might of his wind became the bard''s favorite topic; all fighters pursued the strength of his body. Finally, his heroism saved the kingdom from extinction, and the war ended.

    After that day, he was known as the world''s strongest fighter. From amoner soldier with no title to a duke, the man''s rise was akin to a fairytale. However, the man was the only one said to be half a step into divinity, making him a demigod.

    It was hard to imagine that a man as ancient as Griffin had a bastard son, not to mention one hated by many. It could only be exined that the house of Griffin was the one behind the discrimination, as the bastard was an outsider.

    "Lyle, you are just like others," the princess sighed. "You would be hooked as soon as you know it''s rted to the man known as the strongest."

    "Can I even refuse yourmand?" he asked with helplessness. Even if he were interested, Niki would prefer to prepare for his ns of invading Celestia.

    "Hehe," she gave a bashfulugh, and Niki wondered how such a person would turn to be the Bloody Saint. A ruthlessmander with nothing to stand in her way and one who wouldter be the saint of a religion.

    They were crossing the flowerbed and going into the city, following the princess''s ns. The reason for her interest in the bastard was a mystery, but Niki could use this n to make use of this bastard''s misdeeds.

    ''If I can ckmail the son of such a man, then I can gain ess to countless secrets,'' Niki almost let a smirk appear on his face.

    "Since this rogue is the half-brother of the Griffin House''s current head, then it made things quiteplicated. This bastard son of his is dotted on by Griffin and taken into the family under his directmands, so it raises the question of who would be the house''s heir."

    "Thus, the discrimination," Niki realized. "However, even if a reason for his reputation to be blemished existed, that doesn''t mean he is innocent. A son of such a powerful man is bound to be quite arrogant."

    "You are just like my uncle, even though he acts respectfully on the surface. Cynicism is truly the main trait of you two. How about believing in the good in people?"

    "You do realize that to believe he is a good person means that everyone who spread the rumors is bad. You are the cynical one for believing that everyone is lying about him."

    "... I understand why my uncle likes you, now," the princess pouted as they crossed the river. "I still want to investigate the matter. You can''t refuse, as my retainer."

    ''Such a selfish brat,'' Niki almost kicked her into the water. However, it was interesting to uncover such rumors. If this man indeed became the next Griffin, then Niki would benefit from learning more about him.

    Fishers started appearing on the river''s bank as they walked into the inner parts of the city, where houses of beastmen surrounded each side of the road.

    They stared warily at the two strangers, who made their way through the city without worry. Niki wanted to go into stealth lest they get attacked, but the princess was with him.

    "From here!" she suddenly pointed to an alley and jumped into it. As Niki followed, he saw the princess take out an umbre. His confusion was answered when she stood close to him and infused the artifact with mana, making them disappear.

    "Where did you get this from?" Niki was worried because if this artifact was a part of the nation''s treasury, it should be tracked.

    "A gift from a friend," she mysteriously said as she grabbed into his arm and pulled him toward the end of the alley. "I received information that he frequents this street at this time of the day."

    "You are stalking him?"

    "...investigating," she said bashfully, and Niki began to think this was more than just an interest or a curiosity. Why would the royal princess care about this topic, out of all the gossip in the capital?

    "What are you going to do if he came here to relieve himself?" his words were brash given that he was talking to the princess of this kingdom, but it was necessary to prepare her for the ugliness of the world. "I''m sure that your report included sightings of him leaving this ce rather than entering. Hence, that can only mean he stayed the night here."

    "I am not going to do anything, as it has nothing to do with me. However, it would mean that people don''t stay the same," she said, with thest of her words turning into a whisper.

    Niki didn''tment on her words, but they were enough to tell him that the princess met this bastard before, maybe a long time ago.

    After they found some shade to hide under, the two waited. Their wait lengthened until it was interrupted by the sound of swirling wind. When they turned to the end of the street where the wind came from, they saw a giant eagle running after a little boy.

    "AAAAAA!"

    The boy screamed as he ran, but the eagle made no effort to attack him. However, now and then, it would p its wings to send wind des to strike the ground behind the boy.

    "Wait," as the princess was about to jump to his rescue, Niki grabbed her arm. "The child is not in real danger, and he knows it. However, he is still scared that he would be struck if he stops."

    "Unhand me," Saint Maria frowned at him. "We can''t take the chance based on your assumptions."

    "My assumptions kept me alive," he said as he let go of her arm. "I think that eagle is unique, and you should recognize it."

    Saint Maria paused and turned toward the eagle with confusion. It took her a few moments to realize that this was a familiar, rather a monster.

    Niki frowned because he recognized this monster from his vision. It belonged to the young man who aided him for reasons he didn''t understand. However, it didn''t make sense for him to be here unless he was the bastard.

    ''Orphans help each other,'' the young man said in his vision, but why would he say that if his father was Griffin?

    The princess seemed to recognize it too, and she refrained from helping the kid. But, as the kid and eagle passed them, they could see the determination that the kid had on his face.

    Niki and Maria began following after them while hidden without any more words between them. But, this time, they had an equal interest in this matter.

    It seems that the kid was training because he tried to use mana every time that he couldn''t run away anymore. This was basic training to awaken mana in a person without using crystals, but it was pretty harsh.

    However, it gave a better mana affinity than crystals. Niki would have opted for this training if not for his ability to farm crystals.

    Furthermore, there was no greater affinity to darkness than his current one, as it became a part of him. The cube inside of his body was the one creating this darkness, so it made sense that Niki had perfect control over it.

    They followed the kid until his training was over, and they reached an isted spot of the river bank. Sitting on a giant rock was a young man sleeping there, and he woke up when the kid arrived.

    "Have you seeded?"

    "Again!"

    "Quite determined," the young man whistled as he jumped up. As hended in front of the kid, Niki felt the princess grab his arm tightly.

    ''It seems this is the bastard,'' Niki inwardly thought with a sigh because this young man was the same one who helped him in his vision.

    "You can''t defeat the strongest man if you are so weak," the young man shook his head.. "That is why I will be the one to defeat him," he said with a grin, thumb pointing at his chest.

 Chapter 147 - Lucas Griffin

    <strong></strong>

    As his words associated with his identity, Niki realized that this young man wasn''t a true fan of his father. The alternative was that he respected him or tried to prove he was worthy of being the heir by defeating the strongest man in the world.

    Regardless, the words the young man spoke sounded delusional in Niki''s ears, but they worked to make the boy rise again. No words left his mouth, and the young man lowered his hand before asking.

    "Again?"

    "Again!"

    Then, the eagle descended from the sky, and the boy began running again, with each step making him give out a pained groan. Finally, they left to leave the young man and the hiding Niki and Maria.

    "He better awakens quickly," the young man looked at the rising sun as he said helplessly. "I can afford to keep sleeping in this ce."

    ''That exins the rumors of him being a phnderer,'' Niki thought to himself, and seeing the princess''s happy smile, she was bound to have realized the same thing.

    "This is one rumor turned to be false," the princess said without fear of being heard, which meant that the umbre also isted sound from leaving.

    "What is his name?" Niki knew it was bad to feed her ego, but he was interested in this young man because he could hold his own against Master Edward.

    "Lucas," she said and then added. "Lucas Griffin. He is my childhood friend," she didn''t say it gloatingly, but with pride. Niki nced at her and then at Lucas, and he finally understood their connection.

    Lucas seemed captivated with the princess in his vision too, but Niki thought it was another admirer of many. Now, it might not be too bold to say that the feelings were mutual.

    "I guess it is time to go back," Niki concluded since this little ''investigation'' should be over. However, the princess looked at him with disapproval.

    "You are acting rather ungrateful, even though I told you how to appease my uncle," Saint Maria said, looking upset. "You can go back if you want to, but I''ll never help you again."

    "...I apologize," his brow twitched, but he had to give in to her demands. After all, she was indeed useful. If he had to y with kids to get information on the monsters, he would y until his bones broke. "Is there another rumor?"

    "That''s a better attitude, detective Lyle," she grinned while looking at Lucas, who was crouching beside the river bank to wash his face. "During thest tournament, Lucas defeated his nephew and a few of the powerful youth in our generation. They say that he did so by cheating and drugging them."

    "We need to find out if he has actual strength?" Niki pondered. His vision confirms that he has that kind of strength, but he wanted to know how this young man grew so powerful.

    "After he returns from his morning activities, Lucas usually goes into the forest beside the city. Unfortunately, however, I couldn''t send anyone after him to know what he does there."

    ''Please respect his privacy, at least,'' Niki inwardly sighed. However, there was onemon aspect among the children of nobility: being spoiled and selfish.

    Lucas waited for the kid to return, but he did not, so he went to look through the street. When they arrived at the scene, they saw the young kid sprawled on the ground, unconscious. Besides the kid stood the eagle, a bit perplexed about what to do.

    "You overdid it again, brat," Lucas crouched beside the kid and grabbed his wrist. Then, a smile of pride appeared on his face. "At least you are better than yesterday, which means you are getting stronger. Yuno, take him home."

    As hemanded the eagle, Lucas picked up the kid and ced him on the eagle, which flew away while making sure to protect him.

    ''Why is he helping him?'' Niki wondered to himself as Lucas watched the kid disappear into the distance before walking out of the neighborhood.

    As the people emerged out of their houses, Lucas made his way through the streets, whistling. Niki was sure that he was aware of the rumors resulting from his actions but still did them anyway, which was interesting.

    "He must be going to the forest," Maria muttered as she followed after him. Niki could only silently follow her without saying anything.

    Lucas strolled through the city and left through the front gates under the eyes of the guards. Their pursuit continued through the forest and beside the river, leading them toward a waterfall.

    Lucas jumped down from the cliff, and the wind carried him tond beside the waterfall, which threatened to deafen their ears. They looked down to find Lucas jumping over a rock beneath the waterfall.

    There was a sh of green light and then a breeze that passed through their hairs toward Lucas. A burst of mana apanied the howling sound of the wind, which rushed upward as if trying to split the sky.

    The sounding from the waterfall ceased and was instead reced by the mighty wind. When they opened their eyes again to see, they were dumbstruck by the appearance of the water gathering in the air above Lucas.

    The wind created a barrier above the young man, who sat on the rock in meditation. The water spilled to the side of the barrier before it stabilized.

    "He is not done," muttered the princess as Lucas stood up and looked upward. His green eyes shed, and his arms were thrown toward the sky as the wind burst forward to push the waterfall back.

    ''He is insane,'' Niki knew that Lucas was training, but it was simply crazy to do so under such circumstances. If he lost grasp of his mana, then the water gathered above him would be enough to kill him.

    The insane aspect of this matter was the wind he controlled, which made Niki doubt if this young man was an ancient monster.

    The wind pushed against the water, despite the two having different densities and masses. Then, as a giantke appeared in the sky, another change arrived, and the wind made onest push.

    As if something was breaking through the water''s surface, theke began to swell until the water exploded in every direction. The princess tightened her hand around the umbre, which worked to shield the water.

    "And now this exins the aquatic monster said to have appeared in thisnd," the princessughed as the sky kept raining, and the waterfall resumed. "He grew so strong," she said with sadness.

    As Niki tried to find the words to describe the spectacle, the princess''s bracelet began to glow. Finally, her face crumbled, and she sighed before tapping the bracelet.

    "I need to go," the princess said. "It seems that there is a visitor, another one trying to woo her highness," she sighed with exasperation. "I think that Lucas must be tired. I would be worried if he was not. Can you make sure he returns safely to the city?"

    "As youmand, your highness," Niki bowed down, and the princess handed him the umbre with a smile.

    "I am grateful, Lyle," she said before the princess''s body began to turn into petals which scattered in the wind, disappeared from her spot.

    "A bunch of monsters," Niki blinked as the petals drifted into the wind and then disappeared altogether. As the waterfall resumed falling, Niki turned back to look for Lucas. However, he was gone.

    "You know, I can feel the wind as much as I can control it," a voice said from behind him, and Niki turned to find the young man standing atop a tree''s branch. Lucas jumped tond in front of Niki, and his boots got muddy. "Ah," he cried with surprise.

    Niki kept quiet and held his breath. Lucas, on the other hand, was shaking the mud off his feet in annoyance. Then, after a sigh, he looked in Niki''s direction.

    "I can easily know you are there because you are blocking the wind."

    "..." Niki was speechless that the princess missed having such a feature. It was simple enchantment magic to install a corresponding wind current like the one blocked. With a sigh, the umbre disappeared into his pocket dimension. "Hello there," he greeted.

    "Hi~" Lucas grinned and waved. "You are rather calm for someone who was caught," he said with an interested smile.

    "You appeared after she disappeared, and it can only mean that you are aware of her identity. Otherwise, you would have attacked us since the beginning."

    "Why do I feel like I am acting, as long as someone is watching?" Lucas sighed. "I did this for the past few days, but the moment she was watching, I felt like I was showing off."

    "I don''t care," Niki said. "You seem capable of going back on your own.. Therefore, I have fulfilled her request," Niki turned to walk away.

 Chapter 148 - No Reason

    Niki wanted to go into stealth and hide from Lucas, but it was better to hide his cards. However, the man in question tried to stop him from leaving by asking about the princess.

    "How is she?"

    His voice carried authority as if Niki was bound to reply, but the illegitimate son''s expectations were shot down, and he was ignored.

    "Wait a moment," the young man panicked and gave chase, but Niki kept walking. "Please tell me how she is," he said as he tried to grab into Niki.

    A streak of light shed, and a weapon rested on Lucas'' neck. The young man stopped moving as he met Niki''s gaze.

    "Let go," his voice carried no respect or fear as hemanded. Niki was already restraining himself from finishing the attack because no one had the right to touch him as they desired.

    "I apologize," Lucas said as he released his hand and raised them. "I am in no state to fight. Maybe we can fight it fair and square once I''m well-rested?"

    "Just leave me alone," the weapon disappeared, and Niki resumed walking away from Lucas. "She is fine and as annoying as you are. You can ask her yourself, so keep me out of it."

    His words mightplicate things since he was calling the princess of the kingdom annoying. Finally, however, he made his real feelings about this whole thing known, and the princess might even consider it a token of friendship.

    "I will make sure I do, haha," Lucas gave a dryugh before he started walking behind Niki. When thetter red at him, Lucas shrugged. "The city is this way. Furthermore, you said that that she asked you to help me return, and I am truly in no state to fight any random monsters."

    "You are the strongest man''s son. You can do better on your own," Niki probed the man''s limits, but he didn''t grow agitated.

    "This is the first time someone chose to encourage me using my linage instead of berating me for being a disappointment," Lucas said, in a tone that spills trouble for Niki. "You can leave," he said, surprisingly. "But I might mention this to her highness when we meet tonight."

    "..."

    Niki knew that would be troublesome. It was one thing to act annoyed by her antics, but hermands needed to be followed. Otherwise, she would strip him of his position.

    While that was ideal for Niki, who wanted to run away, it was also bad since he wanted to sneak into Celestia using the ritual. However, while doing that, he also needs to make sure the princess survives.

    The princess''s death might elerate the events of his past life. If the two kingdoms waged war earlier, it might tempt the elves to attack them and make a footing for conquering the continent.

    The Elven Empire will be the nightmare of the human lords, who were pushed to extinction at the end of his life. Niki lived to be one of thest powerful humans before the Elven Ruler betrayed him.

    ''The Ending War,'' they called it, and Niki knew it was urate. After the dungeons start breaking and throwing the world into mayhem, kingdoms will fall, and Celestia''s Beloveds will rise.

    "Tell me your name," Lucas brought him back from his endless cycle of thinking. "I didn''t know Maria had a follower such as yours."

    "I am a new retainer of hers. My father served Master Edward, so I was bestowed with the duty of aiding the princess in anything she wants."

    "Bestowed or burdened?" Lucas grinned as he walked beside him, knowing that Niki would not shoo him away anymore. "What happened to your father?"

    "Died in the war," Niki curtly replied.

    "Mother?"

    "I never knew her," Niki frowned. "You are asking about me instead of asking about the princess?"

    "I know all I need to know about her, but you are also interesting, and I know nothing about you," Lucas said, unhurried. "You are an orphan, then."

    "I lived in an orphanage for a good duration of my life," Niki said, and the smile disappeared from Lucas'' face.

    "I''m sorry to hear that," he said, and Niki almost believed his sincerity. "Those who run these ces are the scum of society."

    "I know," he answered in agreement unconsciously because he felt the same. The priest was an abusive psychopath, and many kids weren''t spared by his followers. They justified everything using the name of their god.

    "You haven''t told me your name," Lucas asked again, this time without the interest from before, but more sincerely.

    "Lyle."

    "Nice to meet you, Lyle. My name is..."

    "I know your name," Niki cut him short. "I also know more about you than I would like to, but the princess spared no details. You two are simr to each other, so I wonder why don''t you go and visit her."

    "You are so caring," Lucas grinned as he nced at him. "You know of my reputation and how much of a disappointment I am to my family."

    "Being born seems to be your only failure," Niki said, and it made Lucasugh heartily. Then, as Niki frowned because of the lengthyughter, Lucas calmed down.

    "I am sorry," he apologized again. "This is the truest thing I ever heard, so it struck a chord. I don''t know whether tough or cry."

    "Please don''t do both," Niki sighed. "I am going to pick up the pace. You are free to stay behind," as he said that, Niki bolted forward. However, he was slow enough for the tired Lucas to keep up, which he did.

    "It seems that no amount of hard work can redeem my father''s betrayal of his family," Lucas said as they sprinted forward, his voice clear despite the wind. "I live to carry the me while the strongest sleep his days in peace, waiting for a foolish prophecy."

    "As foolish as prophecies are, they are urate," Niki said and felt like an ignorant peasant. It was hard to dismiss prophecies since they came from a particr god. At the end of his days, he fought against those beloveds by that god, so he knew better than to dismiss urate prophecies.

    "The future can be rewritten. That is my sole belief in this world. But, if everything is set in stone, then what''s the point of living? We might as well skip to the end."

    "We are here to suffer until the end."

    "And they call me the pessimist,"ughed Lucas. "I like you, Lyle. You are honest with your words, as if too fed up to care what happens when theynd."

    "Most of the time, I know how theynd: badly," Niki answered again before snapping out of it. Of course, there was no reason to say this, but this young man was scaringly social.

    ''Maybe it is the bond between orphans.''

    "We all tend to hurt ourselves as if trying to make sure that the world is one that we know: of suffering, pain, and hate. It works well, most of the time because it proves the world is the same as we know it. Yet, we almost miss noticing that we did this to ourselves."

    "And the cycle repeats itself."

    They reached the walls of the city before Niki stopped running and took out the umbre again. This will be their farewell, but he didn''t hate Lucas to be relieved in the end.

    "I will see you tonight, Lyle," Lucas said with a grin as he scratched the faint scars on his face. Such scars could be seen on every visible skin he had, and they told of his past.

    "Hopefully not," Niki replied like usual, although he had a smile on his face. Then, he activated the enchanted item, and Niki disappeared.

    Lucas'' gaze didn''t leave his back until he passed through the city''s walls. Then, after he found an alley to leave his stealth, Niki stood silently without moving.

    ''What am I doing?''

    It felt like he was repeating what happened with Sergio. Niki and the alchemist were vastly different, but trust between them came from two lifetimes. Lucas, on the other hand, was very simr to Niki.

    However, the ending will be the same. Niki was unfit to be close to anyone because he was a time bomb that would one day hurt those he cared about. Lucas was right about one thing: their suffering was brought mainly by themselves because they knew no other way to live.

    They did not pursue happiness, nor did they dream of it. The concept was so foreign to them that they never considered it. It was a sin to want such a thing.

    They knew only one way of living. It was to fight the world. They needed to fight everything to survive, and people like them never stopped fighting and finding things to fight. It was a race where they ran from a dreadful realization.

    "We have no reason to survive."

 Chapter 149 - Gathering Of Masks

    "How is he?" asked Saint Maria as she looked out of the window. Niki was silent, admiring her dress. They were dressed for the gathering, and seeing her beauty made it less tedious.

    "The answer you want is that he is alright," Niki said. "However, he seems to have realized that we were following him. Everything we saw might just be an act."

    Niki knew that it was no act, but he needed to give her the right mindset about people. Saint Maria cannot go on trusting everyone, and it was what Master Edward wanted from him. However, he was not doing it for that old monster but humanity as a whole.

    "It was not an act, even if he knew that we were following him," she smiled. "The fool cannot act even if his life depended on it."

    "You are too trusting of him," Niki warned as he saw her walk to open the drawer and wear a mask that was inside. "What is that?" he frowned.

    "The ball today is about peace between races, so it helps if everyone wore a mask," said Saint Maria. "This is also, in a way, a tradition to uphold equality."

    ''...she is so annoying,'' Niki had to admit this. Her ideas about peace and whatever were more like sick delusions that she needed to survive. ''I bet she feels good when she says them, but it is marginalizing the sufferings of war victims.''

    However, if she wanted him to wear a mask, then it was even better for him. Niki did not want his face to be known by the nobles of these kingdoms. It was already troublesome on its own that Lucas saw his face.

    Niki had a mission, and it was to sneak into Celestia using his powers. This might allow him to bypass the Law of Selection and gain Val''s powers directly.

    It was one thing to hate the gods and another to steal from them. His n might indeed make him the banished of Celestia, but he did not care, as it was never kind to him.

    "Wear your mask," Maria asked of him, handing him a ck mask that covered his nose and eyes. Niki sighed as he ced it on his face, and it turned out to be an enchanted item. "Don''t worry about it falling off."

    Saint Maria smiled at him from behind her white and gem-embedded mask. Itplemented her dress and earrings, giving her an angelic aura.

    They left the mansion and headed toward the ball, but Master Edward did not apany them. When Niki asked the princess, she said that he did not like such events and he would rarely attend.

    The ball was hosted by the lord of this city, a name that Niki did not bother knowing. The dining hall was grand, and food tables lined every side, with the middle opened for chitchat and dancing. Small gardens mottled the mansion, allowing the people inside to stand beside them and chat.

    "The Rosian Royal Family is here," announced the herald of the ball. All eyes turned to look at them, and Niki realized another role of his: to help the princess on such asions.

    The job was bing increasingly annoying, but it would be over in a few days, as long as his ns seeded. A part of his n and one of its essentials depended on today''s performance.

    "Wee, honored guests," said a suspicious guy in a mask who came forward. "I am the host of today, Lord..." and that was the end of Niki''s interest. Instead, his interest was in the guests, who were flocking their way like doves.

    "Greetings, your highness."

    "Princess Maria is as lovely as always."

    "An honor to meet you atst," said a man who the crowd allowed through. It was none other than the priest that Niki saw in the vision. "I expect to see you in the ritual in a few days," he said with a creepyugh, kissing her hand.

    "I shall attend indeed," she smiled oblivious, although Niki could tell that she was forcing it. "I learned a lot about Lord Vyxas'' great deeds."

    As the conversation went on, Niki stood in the background. A few people noticed him, and they could all tell that he was a new retainer of her highness.

    Nobles of the Bestial Kingdom did not care a lot about him, as they did not know the kingdom''s internal affairs. Then, however, Rosian nobles began to notice him, as a retainer of her highness was the desired position by almost all young men.

    "Hello there," said a person in a mask, and Niki almost rolled his eyes at him.

    "You are talking to the wrong person," said Niki as he looked at the princess. Lucas mirrored Niki, and his gaze lingered on the princess before sighing.

    "As beautiful as ever," muttered Lucas. "Again, I feel like she is the sun that I must not approach."

    "You are the bastard of the Rosia Kingdom and the most hated young man in this generation," said Niki. "She is the princess admired by all and one of the best candidates to inherit the throne. A sun indeed, and you are a wingless bird."

    "A wingless bird can fly if the wind guides him," smiled Lucas with hope, but Niki only shook his head. "Am I too ambitious?" he sincerely asked.

    "No one is too ambitious in a world where any ambitions can be realized," said Niki. "However, I do not think that associating with the princess will lead you anywhere good."

    "You are warning me from her instead of warning her from me?"

    "I warned her from you too," Niki said, standing with his back straight. "I believe that nothing good wille out of your feelings."

    "The future is unclear," said Lucas as he threw his hands behind his head. "No one knows what will happen from now on."

    "You are quite sure, despite living in a world of demons and gods," Niki turned to him mockingly. "The future is clear to many, but it can be rewritten. That is more urate."

    "Oho," said Lucas. "Well, it seems that you are also going to be hated if I keep talking to you. I will go drink outside if you want to find me."

    "You are too young to drink," Niki frowned, and Lucas took it as a joke, heartilyughing as he left. Niki sighed at how vain the nobles were.

    Then, he turned back toward the crowd. The masks fit them so well, and Niki preferred them over their faces. At least, they were wearing masks instead of changing their faces into one, which was far creepier.

    ''I don''t think she will miss this chance,'' Niki scanned the crowd, but there were no signs of his target. ''I guess she has yet to arrive.''

    Niki turned to leave the ball and walked toward the second floor, going toward a balcony. It was a safer ce to avoid mingling with the nobles and an excellent view to finding his target. A waiter arrived to offer him drinks, and Niki took one.

    ''Alcohol,'' Niki stared at his reflection. ''I hated it before, and I hate it now. It seems some things never change,'' he thought to himself and wondered again why anyone would choose to lose their mind.

    "Hello, mysterious retainer," said a voice from behind him. Niki turned to look at the woman, and she was in her mid-twenties. "Do you want to share a drink with me?" she flirtingly smiled.

    "I am underaged, young miss," said Niki to the masked woman, and she froze. It was no wonder that his words were a surprise since most noblemen did not care about such a thing.

    "Then I can teach you a thing or two," she walked over to him and ced her hand on his neck. rms rang in Niki''s mind as the feeling of intimacy terrorized him.

    "Remove your hand, or you won''t have one," he said harshly, and the woman flinched at his re. A primal fear made her tremble as she met his crimson eyes.

    "Insolent brat..." she was fuming, and Niki realized that it was too hasty to threaten a noblewoman like that. Their ego was quite abnormal. "Do you think that you can..."

    "There you are, Lyle," a voice broke their conversation, and it was no other than the princess herself. "I need you with something. Do you have a minute?"

    "Yes, your highness," Niki stepped away from the woman and bowed to the saint, who turned toward the woman.

    "Can I help you, Miss Abagail?"

    "Ah, no," the woman shrunk back. "I will take my leave now," she hurried to run away from them, and the two watched her until the princess sighed.

    "I am sorry, Lyle. This happened because she wanted to use you and gain information on me. This woman is one of my brother''s followers, and she is bent on prying into my life."

    "I understand as much, your highness," Niki said before asking. "Is there anything you need me to do? I could have handled that situation."

    "I know," Maria smiled. "However, my uncle contacted me about you. His friend wants to attend the ball, and he wants you to apany her.. Ah, there she is."

 Chapter 150 - We Are Defiers

    Niki got to see her as she stepped out of the wagon. It was a different person than the one he met in the vision, but he knew this was another persona of hers. Lilith wore a ck dress that stole the light and admiration of anyone who saw it.

    "My uncle wants you to apany her," sighed Maria. "It seems she is interested in the ritual, and you are the best person to guide her, Lyle."

    "I doubt that is the only reason," sighed Niki. "However, this is also a part of my duty. Don''t worry, your highness. I will make sure she is weed."

    "Thank you," Maria smiled at him. "And I told you to call me by my name," she pinched him intimately as she left the balcony.

    Niki followed her with his gaze, wondering how she had the nerve to touch him. However, it was all going ording to his n. As he turned, his eyes met Lilith''s eyes, who was walking on the gravel path.

    "Time to go into the belly of the beast."

    ***

    "You must be Lyle," said Lilith. "I am a friend of Master Edward, and you can call me Miss Aya," she offered her hand, and Niki took it.

    His palm was sweating beneath his gloves, and his stomach turned. This was the first time he was this close to her since she tortured him to get the system.

    "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Aya," Niki kissed her hand lightly, and he saw her lips curve upward. It was a sickening feeling, but he could not deny her beauty wearing a ck dress and mask.

    "I see that our attire is quite simr," she said while eyeing his ck suit, headband, and gloves. "It is a shame that we are wearing masks."

    "I appreciate the anonymity," Niki smiled. "After all," he turned toward the crowd. "I do not want to be seen by these nobles."

    "As Master Edward said," she chuckled, "you are a breath of fresh air. I am d to have you for tonight," Lilith said with a smile as one of the nobles approached them.

    "Countess Aya!" he eximed. "I did not think you would be attending. Words have that you are studying alchemy to seed your father. May his soul rest in peace."

    Lilith only smiled in response, and the noble found himself in an awkward position. Before he could recover, flocks of noblemen gathered around them.

    Niki watched with interest, as this was another persona that she had forged. He got to know from the chattering crowd that she was the daughter of an alchemist and a countess of this kingdom. However, she remained unmarried, and this made her quite desirable by every nobleman.

    "I am quite interested in Lord Vyxas," Lilith announced. "That is why I came here today. I would love to hear your opinions about the ritual, dear noblemen."

    Her voice was flirtatious, and it made their blood boil. The noblemen red at each other before they each sang praises of Vyxas, making sure to stab at each other''s knowledge while doing so.

    Niki could tell that none of them had any concrete information about this god, and it was apparent. However, Lilith listened attentively before turning toward him.

    "Do you have a story to add, Retainer Lyle?" she asked, and the noblemen turned to look at him, noticing his existence just now. "I heard that you are quite knowledgeable about the matter," she smiled sweetly. Niki only smiled because he knew that she was trying to make him hated.

    "I am unable topete with the finest men in our kingdom," he gestured toward the noblemen, and they all straightened their backs with smiles of approval. "You have already listened to the wisest, and only a fool would think he can add more."

    Niki met her eyes, and they were squinting in a smile. They both knew that Niki was lying, and he was only buttering these nobles to avoid their hate.

    "I see," she turned to them and ignored his existence, and Niki used this chance to withdraw from the crowd. However, Lilith had just arrived, and their interaction made him sure that she would seek himter.

    As he went to the balcony again, Saint Maria passed by without acknowledging him. As he stared at her departing back, he wondered why she looked so upset.

    Niki went toward the balcony and found a young man staring at the moon. As he heard his footsteps, Lucas turned to Niki and smiled helplessly.

    "I followed your advice," he began. "You were right. We are forever a mismatch, as long as his blood runs in my veins."

    "You can just rece that," Niki cracked a joke as he walked to stand by his side. "You did the best thing for yourself. Are you going to give up on her now?"

    "Never," heughed. "I only asked for more time. I need to grow stronger because the king will never acknowledge me as long as I am not the sessor of my father."

    "Then be his sessor," Niki picked the ss on the railings and gulped it down.

    "My father has an iron rule:" Lucas stared at Niki drinking, "strength prevails. I need to win against him to prove myself. I never thought you were a drinker."

    "I am not," Niki mmed the ss down, and it broke down. "I just need to lose my mind before it skins me alive."

    "You have an anxious mind, Lyle," Lucas smiled as he gave Niki his ss. "Drink it away," he said with sadness.

    "There is a monstering after me, so I have no other choice but to be anxious," Niki took the ss and gulped it down, and it finally began to take effect. "Listen, Lucas. I gave you advice, but this is your life and not mine. We are called Defiers for a reason," he raised his ss, "because we defy the heavens."

    "I shall drink to that," a voice said from behind them, and Lucas turned to see who it was. "You are a dreamer, it seems," said Lilith as she walked toward them. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Griffin."

    "Ah, Countess Aya," Lucas greeted her with a bow, but Niki did not turn, only grabbing the railing. Lucas nced at him with a hint of recognition. "I am honored that you recognized me despite my mask."

    "You are the only free soul among House Griffin, and it is hard to miss you," Lilith bowed in return. "I would have to steal Lyle from you if that is okay."

    "He is a free man," Lucas turned to Lyle. "Should we continue our talkter?" he asked with a hidden sign, trying to see if Niki wanted him to stay.

    There was a slight feeling of gratitude in Niki''s heart as he met his concerned gaze. Niki nodded in reassurance, and Lucas excused himself to leave them.

    "A great man," she praised Lucas as he walked away. "It is a shame that he has aplicated past. Otherwise, he would have grown to be the strongest in the kingdom, just like his father."

    "The future is limitless," Niki thought, but he knew that Lucas would not survive the apocalypse. There was an incident bound to happen that would take Lucas out of the arena, as he wasn''t present in his past life. "What can I offer you, Countess Aya?"

    "The truth, Dear Lyle," she said as she reached out to grab his chin, but Niki backed away with her. The interest in her eyes grew stronger as she lowered her hand. "I want to hear what you think about Vyxas."

    "Vyxas is the protector of thisnd," Niki answered, and he could see her displeasure. "However, that is wrong. Vyxas is a tyrant who lived here before he ascended Celestia."

    "Oho," she grinned. "This is a new opinion that I haven''t heard. Are you sure that his followers would agree?"

    "They are blinded by fear, promises of power," Niki smiled as heposed himself. A million ants were crawling on his skin simply by standing in front of her. "And by ambitions."

    "What are their ambitions?" she asked, inching closer to him. Niki could feel her warmth and could smell the scent of her body. Memories, happy ones, tormented his heart.

    "The ritual is only a way for them to please Vyxas by offerings," he could hear himself say as if his mind has disconnected from his body. "If they seed, Gates of Celestia will open, and Vyxas will descend."

    "Gates of Celestia," her eyes widened behind the mask. "I am surprised that you know this much," she said with suspicion.

    "My father was a follower of Vyxas, a merchant who traveled thisnd," Niki lied without hesitation. "These are the words he heard from one of the priests. I do not know how authentic they are."

    "Well, they certainlyck evidence," she pondered. "However, I believe that the ritual is more than just praising a god. There are movements by the Bestial Kingdom. Anyway, there is another matter I want to ask you: why are you afraid of me?"

 Chapter 151 - A True Devil

    "Fear is not logical," Niki said as his brows twitched. "I can tell that you are the same as Master Edward: a monster in human skin."

    Niki knew that she wouldn''t be offended over this but pleased. This psychopath in front of him did not take pride in her feigned humanity but considered herself a higher existence.

    "I can see why Edward likes you so much, bragging about you nonstop," Lilith smiled. "You have a better head than most of my followers. How about you..."

    "Miss Aya, there you are!" a nobleman eximed, wearing a white suit with a pink cor. "I have some important alchemy business to discuss with you. Let us discuss matters over a ss of wine, shall we?"

    Niki weed his intrusion, but Lilith radiated faint killing intent. However, she couldn''t decline his offer because it was not a part of Miss Aya''s persona.

    As he watched her departure from the balcony, Niki was reminded of how much she cared about her personas. To a degree, he thought she might have schizophrenia because sometimes she lost sense of her true identity.

    However, when the Elven Princess appears, one of the candidates to ascend Celestia, all personas be a shadow. Hence, it was safe to say that the Elven Princess had infiltrated earth for that sole reason.

    As Niki formted his escape n from the ball, his phone rang. It was someone he had met this very same day, the archeologist Taly.

    [I will still hold my end of the deal, so pleasee to my aid as soon as you can. I feel that someone is watching me. It must be those disgusting fairies.]

    Her message was rather monotonous, but Niki appreciated how concise it was. Furthermore, she included her location. This was also a chance to learn how to sneak into Celestia since the tablet had that secret.

    "Those fairies..." Niki stared at the screen as he pondered. Their Queen must be nning to sneak into Celestia just like him, and it exins how she managed to be a demigod in his past life.

    Niki wasn''t going to be that powerful even if he seeded, but it would elerate the process of obtaining powers he could fight with: necromancy.

    His gaze turned toward the ball to see it in full swing, and he was sure that Lilith would seek him again to make him a follower of hers. However, Niki had no ns on staying to reject that offer.

    The shadow beneath him began to wave, and the darkness weed Niki as he entered his stealth. Then, as he was sure no one could see him anymore, Niki jumped over the railing andnded on the grass before leaving the mansion unseen.

    ***

    "Hah," she could feel droplets of sweat roll down her face, a testimony of how drained her body was. The fairies in front of her were giggling as they wed at her barrier. "You are so persistent."

    "Die! Die! Die!"

    "Witch! Witch! Witch!"

    "Die! Die! Die!"

    They chanted, all ten of them. It was not just one or two fairies anymore, but ten of them. They could effortlessly kill a B-ranker with their shields and ws. Taly was far from contending against this man, and all she could hope for was that the devil would arrive.

    Her palm, which held the defensive enchanted item, was bruised because of the relentless attacks on the barrier. Taly could tell that it wouldn''t be long before she was ripped to shreds by their ws.

    "Please," she muttered. "I don''t care what you are," the fairies giggled manically. "Just save me!" her shout was apanied by screams of pain from the fairies as their necks snapped under the fangs of a dark monster.

    "Who? Who? Who?"

    "The Queen will be furious!"

    "The Queen will kill you! AAA!"

    Their shouts rang in the alley one after the other as Taly stared with a daze. Streaks of darkness shed space apart as they dismembered the fairies to pieces. Then, a ck lotus exploded between them, destroying their barriers and making them weak snacks for the dark beings.

    ''This is not a difference in power,'' Taly realized with certainty this time. ''This is a predator having its meal, nothing more.''

    As the fairies fell to the ground, the dark being stopped moving. The darkness receded to a pair of weapons as dark as night, which Taly thought to be limbs. Then, a man in a suit appeared out of the darkness, wearing a ck mask and headband.

    "You have a habit of being saved, archeologist," the dark being said, his voice hollow and hoarse. "Although I wee these meals, I fear they are no longer that tasty."

    "I... apologize," Taly said as her legs gave in and she fell. Her body was riddled with wounds. "They came after me the moment I woke up. It seems they realized that I have an ally now."

    "I am not your ally," the dark being walked toward her, his body covered with darkness again. "I am using you to learn the tablet''s secret. If you were lying to me about sneaking into Celestia, your fate would be the same as these," as it said so, the dark being picked up a fairy.

    Taly watched with horror as the monster unhinged its jaws and revealed its long fang. The fang bit into the neck of the fairy and tore a chunk apart, allowing an ethereal material to slip into his mouth.

    "I will devour you too, with no afterlife to visit."

    "I did not lie," Taly gathered her courage because she knew that with this being, she had a chance to survive. "I will give you the tablet once I uncover the truth of its inscription."

    "You can give the tablet to the queen, and she will spare your life."

    "I may have considered this before she tried to kill me a dozen times. Furthermore, the queen will not let me live as long as I know the secret that the tablet has."

    "And what makes you think that I am different?"

    "You saved me when you had no reason to do so," Taly stood up and took out a potion to drink. "As long as my experiences go, you have a better character than most humans."

    "That is insulting," the being growled, almost furious. However, it did not attack her and simply watched her heal her wounds. "I need you to trante the tablet in less than two days."

    "I can''t do that while running for my life," she said, and the being seemed reasonable enough to agree. "If you protect me for two days, then I can somehow manage."

    "I don''t have that much free time," the being shook his head. "Give me the tablet, and I will find a way on my own."

    "I refuse," Taly backed away as she held the defensive item tightly. "I want to know how to sneak into Celestia too."

    "Your ambitions areughable. The gods you were sacrificed for are not beings that you can hurt. Give me the tablet and forget that this happened. Otherwise, you will die."

    "I will have my revenge," she gritted her teeth as she unsheathed her dagger. "I don''t care if you can kill me. This is my only chance to find those bastards, and I am not going to give it away even if I die!" she hoarsely said.

    The dark being was silent, and he looked nothing but a young man disguising himself for a moment. Taly felt that she might have a chance to escape, but she was wrong. The darkness covered the young man and drew a grinning face as words left its mouth.

    "Then die," it said before disappearing into the darkness. Taly began rapidly breathing as she realized that the fairies were an easier target and that she might have dug her own grave.

    Her mana left her body to activate the item, and a barrier appeared around her body. However, before she could react, the de broke through her barrier and shed toward her neck.

    "Dammit," light exploded from her de as she parried the iing attack while rolling on the ground. Then, as she tried to activate the defensive barrier again, she realized it was not working and threw it away.

    "Give me the tablet, and I will spare your life," the dark being said from the darkness, but Taly did not listen and chose to run away. Her feet carried her toward the end of the alley, but it was too dark to see anything.

    As her heart tried to keep her running, Taly found herself in the infinite darkness. Finally, she decided it was better to have her back to the wall since she could not see the monster.

    As she turned and pushed her back to the wall, Taly brandished her dagger frantically in front of her. However, nothing came out of the darkness, and she struck none.

    Then, a de appeared out of thin air and pierced her chest, destroying her heart. Taly looked at the de as blood spilled from her mouth.. Then, the young man appeared in front of her again, this time looking like a true devil.

 Chapter 152 - Red Horns

    The archeologist fell to her knees. Tears, mucus, and blood mixed with the dirt of the alley. Taly has never thought this will be where she dies: an unknown, damp alley with no one to care.

    Her life shed through her mind as her body became increasingly cold. It was one filled with misery, and she found nothing to cherish in her final moments.

    The dark being crouched in front of her, and he searched through her clothes for the tablet until he found it. Taly wondered when she was going to die, but it was soon.

    "You need to wake up now," said the dark being as he looked at her in the eyes. "Otherwise, you will die for real."

    The words struck her like a thunderbolt, sending her consciousness into a state of hyperactivity. Taly gasped for air as the world in front of her changed, and she was standing up now.

    "What... happened..." she muttered with a daze as she looked down. There was no hole in her chest, and she was breathing and well. "The tablet!" she searched for her storage pouch but found nothing.

    "You care about the tablet more than your life?" said a voice in front of her, and Taly snapped her head toward it. A distance away stood the masked young man holding her pouch in one hand and the tablet in another. "This belongs to you," he said and threw the bag toward her.

    "You killed me," she said as she caught the item. "How am I still alive?"

    "I only used your fear. You gave me the tablet obediently," said the dark being as he examined the tablet. "This tablet reeks," it said with disgust.

    Taly ced a hand on her heart, and she could tell that it was beating. That means what happened a moment earlier was nothing but an illusion, as the dark being said.

    ''What a terrifying ability,'' she felt awe. ''I would have died for real because of my fear toward him. This creature, or human, can use our emotions against us.''

    There was a sizzling sound and the smell of burnt flesh. Taly frowned as she looked at the dark being throwing away the tablet as if it was a hot potato.

    "A holy item," hissed the dark being with disgust and repulsion. "I will protect you for two days, but I need to go back for now."

    "You are giving me the tablet back?" blinked Taly with surprise.

    "You don''t trust me now because you saw me kill you, but your knowledge is far more valuable than any tablet," smiled the dark being. "Give me your dagger."

    Taly did not refuse and handed him her dagger before picking up the tablet. As she held to it, she could tell that her body was growing stronger under the effect of holy power. However, for this dark being, it was nothing but a nuisance.

    ''As the case with all dark beings, its weakness is holy powers,'' Taly began to think of ways to defend herself against this creature. The nightmare of dying was still reying itself in her mind.

    Then, she turned toward the dark being, who was holding her dagger. The darkness left the dark being and covered the de, making it matt ck.

    "This weapon will destroy the barriers of the fairies, so they should be easy targets for you. I wille back in the morning, so keep sharing your location with me."

    "I understand," she nodded. "Are you... going to kill me once this is all over?" she asked, and the dark being paused. Taly watched as he pondered the matter before shaking his head.

    "I have no reason to kill you."

    Then, it disappeared into the darkness.

    ***

    Niki stared at the illuminated mansion from a distance. His phone rang again in his pocket, and he saw that it was Taly, sending him her new location.

    "She is not trying to run away," Niki was impressed. Dark Echo uses dark emotions to make the victim fulfill his wishes. It so happened that the strongest feeling Taly had toward the world was fear. "A pitiful person," he sighed.

    As he turned back to look at the mansion, his stomach turned. Niki needed an excuse to convince Princess Maria. The archeologist required two days to decipher the tablet, and he needed to find a way that would not raise suspicion.

    His feet carried him through the gardens of the mansion. The music reached his ears, and it seems that the worst of the gathering hase: dancing.

    ''An excuse...''

    It was hard to find a suitable one because Master Edward could monitor him using the red tattoo on his forearm. Niki could erase it using his darkness, but it would alert the old monster.

    This was a pinch.

    Niki walked into the hall and saw the nobles dancing with each other. Saint Maria was dancing with a young man from the Bestial Race, and it seems he was from the royal family.

    Lilith was dancing with a noble from Rosaria, the same person who saved Niki from her talons. Most people were dancing, making Niki stand out like a sore thumb.

    ''My refugee is the balcony,'' Niki sighed as he walked toward it. However, it seems that someone has already beaten him to it, and it was not Lucas.

    "Another deserter?" said the young beastwoman as she turned to face him. "I would have kicked you away, but you are the one serving that idiot princess."

    "You should not insult her if you know of my position," said Niki with a frown. There was a feeling of apprehension warning him from the person in front of him.

    The beastwoman turned, wearing a silver suit. Niki couldn''t tell her race, but she had tworge red horns over her short, messy gray hair. A silver mask hid her face, making Niki unable to deduce her identity.

    "I can tell when people are forced to be somewhere or someone," she pointed with her chin at him. "Thest ce that you want to be is here, and your loyalty toward that princess is almost zero."

    "...who are you?"

    "As always, that is the first thing they ask," she sighed as she raised a cup and gulped it down. "Are you going to worship me if I was god? Are you going to fear me if I was the devil?"

    Niki did not respond and only stared at her silently. These horns were somewhat distinguishable, so it was not impossible to deduce her identity. Only one person had such horns among the nobles of this kingdom, and Niki met him in his past life: the bestial king.

    ''His horns were smaller inparison,'' Niki frowned. ''There are a handful of people that share the same race as the Bestial King. Among them, there is only one woman as young as I am.''

    "Are you done guessing?" she asked, bored. "You wasted so much time, so I will kill you if you guess wrong," the horned womanughed.

    However, Niki knew she meant every word of hers despite herughter. A faint killing intent seeped out of her, and she treated it as if she was ying a game. This woman was abnormal.

    "You are the only daughter of the previous King of Beasts," Niki frowned as this was the extent of his knowledge. "There is no other person who fits your appearance.

    "Men are so shallow," she sighed. "They always judge us by our appearances. I am telling you this: you will die alone if you don''t care for a woman''s heart."

    The tension defused as she walked closer to him. Niki blinked, and his mask was gone. Instead, it was between her fingers, dancing.

    "Are you a human?" she asked with a yful smile as the mask danced between her fingers. His heart froze because he couldn''t even see what had happened. This woman took off his mask, and he couldn''t even react.

    "I am," he said while his face was cold. "Please return my mask."

    "Are you upset that I saw your face?" she grinned again, showing her fangs to him. Niki could feel dark energying from within her, and it pulled out the worst of him. However, Niki did not move.

    "I wish for anonymity."

    "Oh my, oh my, oh my," she repeated, her face showing her surprise. "You are controlling the darkness of your heart quite well. But, no, that is wrong. You are not trying to hold it back because it was never restrained."

    As the woman said that, she handed him his mask. Niki wore it while the woman turned toward the balcony.

    "Be careful, retainer," she said with sincerity. "Your heart is the favorite meal to devour by those beings. If you are not careful, you will meet a tragic fate."

    "What are you warning me?" Niki questioned as the woman turned toward him. She grinned, showing her fangs in a wide smile.

    "Be careful, or a demon might devour you."

 Chapter 153 - His Nemesis

    "A demon," muttered Niki as he stared at the woman. An arm surrounded his neck suddenly as an intoxicated Lucas arrived. "Let go."

    "You are so cold, Lyle," he said, looking flushed and reeking of alcohol. Niki sighed and turned toward the woman, but she was gone.

    "I need you with something, Lucas," Niki had a sudden epiphany as he stared at the bastard. Lucas snapped out of his daze when he heard Niki''s seriousness, and mana seeped out of his body.

    "Anything," he said with sobriety gained through mana. "I never thought a proud person like you would ask for my help."

    "The matter at hand is quite serious," said Niki as he looked around. "But we cannot be heard discussing it," as soon as he finished his words, a barrier of wind appeared around them.

    "You can talk freely now."

    "Her highness is in danger," revealed Niki, and the aura around Lucas morphed. A crushing presence appeared instead of the usual carefree bastard of Rosia. "I believe that she is going to be attacked in the ritual."

    "Then we need to prevent her from attending."

    "Such a thing would lead to war between the two kingdoms, and it would alert the Bestial Kingdom. Therefore, I believe they are the masterminds behind this."

    "How did you know of such a thing?"

    "I have a special ability to tell of people''s intentions. For example, the priest from earlier felt greed toward the princess."

    "That old man is just an ugly toad lusting over the swan," Lucas shook his head. "I met a fair share of old men desiring her. But, unfortunately, this is not enough."

    "I have a friend who is an archeologist, and she told me that the ritual includes an offering. I fear that this ritual is only a way to assassinate the princess and summon the Warriors of Fera. This will be the beginning of the war if they seed."

    Lucas was quiet as he pondered the matter. Niki knew it was a stretch for this man to believe him, but he was the best person to convince Maria and keep Edward away for two days.

    "I will help you, only to make sure that she is safe. What do I need to do?"

    "Are you unafraid that I am using you?"

    "At worst, I will be used. At best, I will save Maria. There is not even a reason to consider the matter. I have no issue being used to make sure she is safe."

    ''A fool in love is the perfect title for this youngster,'' Niki thought with a smile. However, he was not lying, as this would also save the princess. So then, Niki proceeded to tell the n.

    ***

    "You need Lyle?" asked Princess Maria as she held her arms in front of her. "I don''t understand why you two are suddenly so close," she said, squinting her eyes.

    ''I missed such a possibility. Naturally, the princess is jealous,'' Niki was suddenly nervous as he stood beside the Scoundrel of Rosia.

    "We met a few days ago in the forest," smiled Lucas, and his words made the princess blush and look away. "I need him with my training for the uing Lost Garden."

    "I did not know you were participating in that," she frowned and nced at Niki. "And how are you useful to him, Lyle?"

    "Young master Griffin says that I have interesting ideas regarding his usage of the wind. I was only telling him about a technique I learned a guardian spirit. If you need anything else, I would be happy to decline his offer."

    "You would be happy to decline it regardless," Lucas sighed with emotions. "I believe Lyle has the answer to make me grow stronger. The Lost Garden will be my chance to gain recognition in the kingdom."

    "Recognition, huh?" the princess was quiet. "Are there people you want to be recognized by, Young Master Griffin?"

    "There are, and one of them is none other than your father," Lucas said with a grin, and the princess blushed deeply. Niki marveled at how his words remained respectful but somehow conveyed his affection.

    ''This bastard is a yer,'' noted Niki as he looked at the gems-embedded green mask of Lucas.

    "I understand. You two can spend the next few days together. However, Lyle needs to return before the ritual. Is that clear?"

    "As clear as day, your highness," Niki bowed. "Please inform Master Edward of my absence. It might create a misunderstanding that I fled."

    "I shall," she said before staring at Lucas for a long time, and the man returned it with a smile. "I will leave now," the princess excused herself and left.

    "People will think you are harassing the princess if you keep looking staring at her back," warned Niki to the mesmerized Lucas.

    "I will marry her one day, so it does not matter what they think," said Lucas with confidence. Niki could tell that this was one of his purposes to live.

    "Love is not so bad, after all," sighed Niki, and Lucas finally turned toward him. "From all the things you live for, love is the most meaningful."

    "Have you ever been in love?" Lucas asked. Niki was quiet and nced toward Lilith, chatting to another noble. Their eyes met, and an attraction was simr to the one they shared in their past life.

    "I thought that I did, but it was an illusion of love."

    "You can try again, Lyle," said Lucas as he lightly punched Niki''s chest. "This heart is still beating, and it can still feel."

    Niki stared at the young man, who was quite simr but so different. They shared a simr beginning, but their current selves were far different from each other.

    ''Why did I end like this? I became weak, obsessed, and defiled. Lucas was simr to me, but he kept true to himself. I don''t think he would everpromise anything for a ce to belong.''

    This was his sin. Niki did everything to stand beside Lilith, even changing himself. Lilith did not kill him only once, but twice. She killed his body before he went back in time, and she killed his soul ever since he met her.

    ***

    Taly stared at the mansion in front of her. The dark being looked nothing other than a young man wearing a mask, and he had led her to a luxurious estate.

    "I will remind you once again. My friend does not know that you are deciphering how to sneak into Celestia, but a prophecy regarding the next ritual. Do not reveal the truth, or I will kill you."

    "I am not a kid," she frowned. "I will do my job as long as you protect me. However, are you a noble? This mansion belongs to nobility."

    "What difference does it make?"

    "I hate nobles."

    "I am not a noble, but my friend is," Niki said while alerting his voice using mana. "I feel the same toward nobles, but my friend is different."

    "They are always different," grumbled Taly. "I will trust you for now."

    "You have no one else to trust. I can tell that you haven''t slept for the past few days, and my protection will change that. We must go in now; my friend is waiting."

    Niki walked into the mansion, and the guards did not stop him under their master''s instructions. Instead, a butler was bowing toward him as soon as he entered the estate, and he led the way toward Lucas.

    "You are finally here," said Lucas, looking bored. "This must be your friend, the archeologist. You didn''t tell me that she is the prettiest woman in existence."

    "You are only making her feel disgusted and scared, so drop the niceties," Niki said as he walked in, and Lucas stared at him silently because of his altered voice.

    "You need to teach me how to make your voice sound so cool," said Lucas with amusement, and Taly squinted her eyes at Niki. "Well, we are going to protect her from here. This door leads you to your room, where you can work and rest."

    "I think you should send the guards away," Niki suggested. "The creatures that are after her will kill them all to get to us, and I want no unnecessary bloodshed."

    "They only listen to my father''smands," said Lucas with a sigh. "However, we can find a different ce to protect her. I know of a hidden house where we can stay there."

    "The guards will be helpful," said Taly. "We are fighting against an army, and I fear that only the two of you won''t be enough."

    "She is underestimating your strength," Niki turned to Lucas. "Are you going to depend on your father for this?"

    "Let''s go to the secret house," Lucas jumped off his chair with a smirk. "I will show you that I can do more than water a forest."

    Niki smiled at how carefree this youth was until his father was mentioned.. It seems that out of everyone who rivaled Lucas, his father was his nemesis.allnovelfull

 Chapter 154 - A Monstrous Child

    "Tell me again," Niki said as he stared at the abandoned house in front of him. "Why do you have a hideout like this one here?"

    "Good question," Lucas grinned with pride. "I have a habit of finding ces to sleep if I have nowhere to go. You can guess how it started."

    "That took a sad turn," Niki turned to the archeologist. "This is not a luxurious mansion, but we can protect you better here," he said and noticed that she was looking left and right.

    "They are close," she muttered. "I can hear their giggle. Their obnoxious giggles are getting closer."

    Niki frowned because he couldn''t hear anything, but it was not the time for doubts. They walked into the abandoned house and found that the inside was spotlessly clean, unlike the outside.

    "You did not expect I would sleep in a dirty ce, did you?" Lucas grinned as he walked toward a fridge and opened it. "I have a lot of food here, too," he showed them.

    "Ah, young master is back," a man suddenly walked out from one of the rooms. Niki almost attacked immediately, but Lucas jumped to block him.

    "Adrian!" smiled Lucas. "I did not realize that you are still here. So your house hasn''t been rebuilt yet?"

    "I am sorry, young master," the beastman kneeled on the floor. "I have yet to find a ce to stay. I know that I am exploiting your generosity. I will leave immediately."

    "Your hideout doubles as a hotel?" Niki frowned at Lucas, who looked quite awkward.

    "I found Adrian sleeping in one of the streets with nowhere to sleep, so I gave him a ce to stay. He is the one to keep this ce clean," sighed Lucas. "I need this ce for a while, Adrian. You can stay in a hotel for the next few days. Use this money."

    "You befriended a saint?" muttered Taly beside Niki, and he had no words to refute that. The homeless man cried in thanks before leaving the hideout to leave the three of them.

    "I am hoping that it''s only a phase," Niki answered before the three walked toward the room. It was a well-lit and clean bedroom that had a study desk inside. "You can work here, and we will protect the house from the outside."

    "Are you sure that I can trust you?" asked the archeologist. "I will die if you leave me here and they surround me."

    It seems she has developed a fear of closed spaces because of how long she has been on the run. Her job at the adventure''s union was her only source of money, so it was no wonder that she spent the day with him.

    "I promise you with my name that you will be safe and unharmed," said Lucas. "You are doing more to my kingdom than you think, so I will reward you generously once this is over."

    Taly looked unconvinced and turned toward Niki, who only nodded in response. Then, finally, she sighed in relief and entered the room, and her work began.

    "So, do you want to y something?" asked Lucas after a few minutes of silence. "I can also sing," said the saint.

    "We will wait outside," Niki said before leaving the house, and Lucas followed. The street was empty, and the front yard was full of weeds. "Why did you allow that man into your hideout?"

    "Adrian needed a ce to stay, and I happened to have one. So why would I not allow him to stay?"

    "There are a million reasons to avoid trusting strangers and almost none to trust them."

    "It was never about the reasons," said Lucas as he took out two chairs and sat down. "I don''t need a reason to help those in need. Years ago, I was the one in need."

    "And did anyone help you?"

    "...no," grunted the bastard. "I want people to help others more, and I will be the first to do so," said Lucas.

    Niki looked at the man taking a seat and realized how simr he was to Sergio. As the alchemist appeared in his mind, Niki realized how much he missed him.

    ''Are you well, Sergio? I hope you didn''t get scammed out of your money again. Maybe you hate me now, and you found better friends than me. I will be back soon to Rohan, but I hope that I don''t see you.''

    "She is here."

    "The woman is here."

    "That house over there."

    "We found her."

    "We found her."

    "We found her."

    Voices began appearing around the house as myriad colors lit up in the darkness. Lucas frowned when he realized that their enemy was far from being human.

    "They are fairies," Niki took out his twin scimitars. "They have powerful barriers, so do not be fooled by their appearances. Attack a singr point instead of spreading your range."

    "It seems you know them well. Are they what you fought when you left the ball yesterday?" Lucas jumped out of his chair and took out his rapier. "This will be fun."

    "Are you interested in a bet?"

    "A challenge?"

    "Let see who kills more," smiled Niki to pump him up. Lucas seemed to realize his goal but still got excited over the matter. "We can see who is the strongest out of us two," as he said so, Niki jumped forward.

    Five fairies appeared around him as soon as he reached the front yard, their ws trying to shred him apart. Niki needed to be careful lest Lucas senses his darkness.

    The twin des were dark weapons on their own, so Niki did not need a lot of effort to infuse the element into his weapons. However, it was a struggle to keep it well hidden from Lucas.

    A thinyer of darkness covered his des as they struck at the fairies. Their screams echoed throughout the yard as their barriers were torn to pieces.

    "Impressive," Lucas muttered before he jumped forward, his rapier striking at one of the fairies and destroying its barrier. Niki nced his way to see the sword''s tip covered with the condensed and sharp wind element.

    "Kill them!"

    "Kill them!"

    "Kill them!"

    The fairies surrounded them as the two stood back-to-back. As soon as a monster approaches, it gets killed by either darkness or wind.

    It was only the beginning of a long fight.

    ***

    "There is... still more?" muttered Lucas with a ragged breath. "They are infinite. The corpses are disappearing, and more are arriving. They must be immortal."

    "They are not," muttered Niki as he stared at one of the fairies disintegrating to particles. "Their queen is known to be a master of energy. Her own hands make these fairies, so they are multiplying."

    "There is a queen?" asked Lucas. "Then we just need to kill her, and this madness will be over."

    "We are too weak to kill her," Niki shook his head. "The only reason that she has yet to kill us is her enemies. When she expands too much of her energy, her domain will be attacked and destroyed. So she needs to kill us without suffering a disadvantage."

    "Why does she want to know the prophecy?" Lucas asked as she struck down another fairy, and a different one bit his forearm. Then, as his wind pushed the monster away, his sword struck its neck and killed it.

    "This ritual involves one of the ascended gods," Niki exined without lying. "Gates of Celestia will be opened through this ritual, and a god will descend. This gives a chance to those powerful beings to try their luck and force their way into Celestia."

    "That cannot be the only method."

    "It is the fastest one to ascend godhood or steal a bit of divinity."

    "Are you saying that gods exist?" Lucas nced at Niki. "Not even my father has reached such a level. I always thought that gods were an exaggeration of powerful people."

    "Most of the time, they are. The gods exist, but they are the most selfish creatures in existence. There is no beloving god, but only a good who needs people to worship it."

    "A different presence has arrived," Lucas snapped his head and warned. At the same time, the fairies dissolved into energy and flew toward a figure standing in the darkness.

    "A troublesome opponent has appeared," Niki forced a smile. "I think we need to put our bet on hold until we take it down. That is if we manage to live."

    "A life and death battle," Lucas grinned as he took a stance. His mana exploded as a pair of wings appeared. "Bring it on, monster."

    The neer started walking toward them and emerged from the darkness. As Lucas managed to look at it, his face froze because it was none other than a child.

    "Lucas," Niki called out from beside him. "Do not underestimate this child. It is a high-level spirit that serves their queen only. If we are not careful..."

    A monstrous aura exploded from the child, with an innocent face and antennas over his head. Its eyes turned ck as a grin appeared on its face.

    "....we will die."

 Chapter 155 - Not A Coward

    The neer was none other than one of the Fairy Queen''s Twelve Wings. It was a literal statement more than symbolic. They were beings created from their queen''s wings, and they were far more powerful than the ordinary tiny fairies.

    The spirit looked like a child as old as Lucas trained, no older than twelve. However, the presence it gave off was enough for Niki to think of running away.

    ''This is not a battle the current me can take on,'' Niki knew more than anyone. This monster was at the very least of the C-rank, and it was impossible to win against it with his F-rank stats.

    "I am going to take the archeologist and run away," dered Niki after sensing the presence of the monster. Lucas turned to him with surprise but nodded after a while. "I need you to stall it for a bit before running away."

    "I am not running away," the winds gathered around his body as Lucas took a step forward. "You can save her while I fight against this monster. Be safe, Lyle," he sincerely said.

    "Are you an idiot?" Niki grabbed his arm. "We are both running away. This monster is not one we can take defeat."

    "I refuse to run away from any battle. This is how I grew stronger all this time. I never turn my back to a fight."

    "You need to choose your battle, Lucas. This is how we survive. We are orphans, so we know better than anyone that sometimes, we need to run away."

    "I threw away that life and have no intentions of carrying its wounds," Lucas shook off Niki''s grip as he turned toward the monster, which was gathering its energy. "You can run away."

    ''This crazy bastard,'' Niki gritted his teeth in rage. It was no wonder that Lucas did not appearter down the timeline because he must have gotten killed by his foolishness. ''I can''t believe a person can be this stupid.''

    Lucas didn''t show any fear or hesitation as he walked forward. The monster has gathered enough energy to form a pair of wings that levitated it.

    "I can do the same," Lucas grinned as his wind gathered to form his wings.

    The two looked at each other withser focus, looking for gaps to kill their opponents. Any mistake can give away their life, and any hesitation would make their heads roll on the ground.

    "You have disobeyed the wishes of her majesty," the monster began to speak in an ancient voice. "I shall now deliver her divine judgment and retrieve what is hers."

    "You are talking too much, old man," Lucas said as the wind gathered around his rapier. "Let us end this show with a single strike. The weaker one shall die, and the stronger one will live on."

    "Gogogo,"ughed the spirit at his challenge. "You should have listened to your cowardly friend and ran away. But, at least, you get to live your life."

    The energy around the spirit gathered to form a spear as long as its body. However, the spear radiated a pulsating aura that left Lucas sweating bullets. It was no ordinary weapon, and no armor could protect him against it.

    "Bring it on!" Lucas shouted as his wind gathered at the tip of his spear. "I will never perish!" he roared in absolute conviction as his mana drained from his body. The spirit gave anotherugh as it flew upward.

    The energy was growing out of control as the building began to disintegrate. The spirit dived toward Lucas, who was gathering his strongest attack. A single desire remained in his heart: to win. This was his path and how he had survived all this time.

    As his conviction reached its peak, a change happened to the wind around him. It morphed from an azure color into a darker shade of green, almost turning ck.

    "Die for her majesty!" the spiritughed as it descended, piercing with the spear toward Lucas. A tear in space urred because of the attack, and it left a ck trail as itnded.

    Lucas closed his eyes to focus. His wind rotated faster around him, and his body shivered at the realization that it might die here. Then, as he snapped them open again, a figure appeared to block the spirit.

    "You motherfucker," a hoarse sound leaked out of the dark figure. "I am not a coward," it said as it received the attack with its bear hand.

    Boom!

    The pressure created a crater beneath the figure, which Lucas has realized to be his new friend. However, the spear did not reach the palm as if frozen in space. Instead, veins bulged on the spirit''s face as it coughed blood.

    A ck sh of light appeared in the sky before disappearing. An object fell from the sky a moment afterward, and it was none other than a decapitated head.

    As the body fell to its knees and on the ground, the dark figure began to change a human. The mana Lucas was gathering was never used, and it had no outlet other than to return to his body.

    "Lyle? You killed it..." Lucas muttered as he looked at the mysterious retainer. His heart was beating fast to realize that his friend was wielding absolute power.

    "Are you an idiot?" turned Niki toward the gaping Lucas. "It is far from being dead. It only needs a few minutes toe back to life, and we have no chance of killing it again."

    "You did it once, and you can do it again..."

    "You are so dumb," sighed Niki. "I sacrificed most of my power just to block that attack. You can tell that it was no ordinary attack, as the simple rebound damaged its owner. However, you idiot wanted to take it head-on just to satisfy some unresolvedplex."

    "You are the one who attacked because the spirit called him a coward," Lucas scratched his head. "We are not that different when ites to unresolvedplexes."

    Niki had to admit that he made a good point, but it wasn''t because he lost control of himself. On the contrary, running away was the right decision in this situation, no matter what the enemy said to provoke him.

    ''However, I can''t let this idiot die here,'' Niki grumbled as he turned away to walk into the house. ''I may be a cynical, broken bastard, but I am not a coward who lets his friends die.''

    His thoughts took him by surprise, and Niki froze in ce. He turned to look at the unaware Lucas with aplex gaze. It did not ur to him until he thought earlier, but Niki considered Lucas a friend.

    ''It is happening all over again,'' Niki began spiraling into a dark ce. ''This is the same with Sergio.''

    "I still refuse to run away," Lucas said as he sat on the chair, waiting for the spirit to recover. "I will fight this monster, and I will win."

    "You will die, and Maria will die because of you," his words made Lucas flinch, but Niki did not care. "You are an idiot if you think that you can survive every battle youe across. You have been lucky so far, and you won''t be lucky forever."

    "Do you think that luck is the reason I survived so far?" Lucas turned toward him with unusual rage. "I did everything to get stronger and never skipped a day of training. This power is one that I worked for all of my life."

    "And you are going to waste everything for some shitty pride," Niki opened the door to the mansion. "I saved your life once, and I will not stay to sacrifice mine. That spirit will only grow stronger the more energy it gathers."

    After that, Niki walked into the mansion and went directly toward the room of the archeologist. As he walked in, he found that they had been fooled.

    "Are you the one who hinders my ns?" asked the woman standing in front of the sleeping archeologist. Niki frowned as he saw the wings on her back and sensed her crushing aura. "A frog who has no idea that he is fighting a snake."

    "A pleasure to meet you, Fairy Queen," Niki did not lose hisposure and walked in casually. But unfortunately, the room seems to have been isted from the world, which is why they failed to notice the queen.

    "You are calm," she said as Niki walked toward the archeologist and checked her pulse.

    Taly was alive, and she was still grabbing into the tablet. It seems Niki was not toote, but his survival odds were still slim. As he turned to look at the queen, he cursed his luck.

    A domain was more than a ce. It was a part of the queen herself.. This means that her chances to ascend would be almost zero if another demigod attacked her domain while she was away.

 Chapter 156 - Ancient Feud

    All of this could have been avoided if Niki could leave the archeologist in his pocket dimension. Unfortunately, however, when he tried to touch the tablet before, a simple contact made his skin vaporize.

    The tablet was an object that fell from Celestia, and it contained holy powers that were the bane of his darkness. If not for that reason, Niki would have chosen to take the easy way out.

    "I can see that you are scheming something," smiled the Fairy Queen at him. "You are not leaving this ce alive if that is your aim."

    ''Are you an idiot? That would naturally be my aim,'' Niki inwardly said. This was not the time to provoke this monster, but he needed to think of a way to survive.

    "You are a dark being, it seems," the Fairy Queen frowned and covered her nose. "It is disgusting that you still exist. Why is someone like you standing in my way?"

    "I have nothing against you, my queen. I would have never hindered your ns if I could. However, this divine item has a secret that I need."

    "A way into Celestia," she carelessly said. "I know that the archeologist has already told you. I held her captive for a month, but she used the tablet to escape. It seems that the secrets recorded within it are true, and this human thought she could run away."

    "This tablet is not enough to sneak into Celestia," said Niki, and it grabbed the Fairy Queen''s attention.

    "You are bluffing," she scowled. "A dark being is one banished from Celestia, and there is no way for you to make use of this tablet. Tell me the real reason you want it."

    "You are insightful, my queen," Niki said as he looked around the room. But, unfortunately, ayer of light isted it from the outside, and there was no way for Lucas to realize their predicament. "I was ordered by someone to retrieve the tablet."

    "Another demigod?" the Queen was surprised. "You have quite the nerve to lie to me, foul being. Consider death as your punishment," she said as she gathered her mana around her hand.

    "You can kill me when I tell you what I have," hurried Niki to exin, and the Fairy Queen retracted her hand. Her crown stopped glowing, and her entirely ck eyes recovered their calm.

    "You better tell the truth, dark being."

    "I can lead you to the other demigod. I can even tell you how to sneak into Celestia using this tablet. I am nothing but an outcast who is trying to live. Why would I want to sneak into Celestia while I am banished from it?"

    His words seemed to strike a bell, and the two antennas on her head began to glow. As the light left her body, Niki could feel it examining him.

    "You are not lying, it seems."

    Niki was not lying because he talked about Lilith, a bona fide demigod who aimed for the ritual. However, he didn''t say that he wouldn''t sneak into Celestia himself.

    However, even if the Queen knew, she would barely care. In her eyes, the dark being was an ant, and the threat of another demigod was far greater.

    "A ritual will be happening in a few days, and Vyxas should be descending to im his offering. This time, the descension should happen, and this will be the perfect chance to steal divine energy or even... ascend."

    Thest words made the Fairy Queen squint her eyes. There was nothing more tempting to a demigod than ascending to Celestia. Niki could feel her power examining his mind, but he told the truth.

    "I want the name of that demigod," she demanded.

    "They use an alias to disguise themselves from humans. A true name is important for a demigod."

    "You are telling the truth again," she frowned. "I know about Vyxas and his descension, but the Oracles have foreseen its failure. You are useless."

    A spear of light began to gather above her body, and Niki could tell that this weapon could turn him into nothingness. The Oracles she mentioned were none other than the ones Niki fought with Lilith in his past life, and they could see into the future.

    "You can ask them again, but I am not wrong. The future has changed because of untethered fate. The existence of this demigod has caused this."

    "Untethered fate..." she stopped her attack. "This is also another truth. Therefore, you are either telling the truth or simply ignorant. I cannot see you as thetter. So, this demigod is from a different realm?"

    "Yes, my queen," Niki said as sweat rolled down his face. "However, if this tablet disappears, the demigod will retreat, and the untethered fate will not change the future."

    "I am more intrigued by your knowledge than any," she said with suspicion. "Your words make sense, and this is what makes me suspicious of you. Who are you?"

    "I am one of the generals," said Niki, and the Fairy Queen widened her eyes. A grin appeared on her face as fury burned in her eyes.

    "This makes sense now. You are a puppet of that whore," she said with rage. "Untethered fate... it can only be that woman. This is interesting. I found you atst, and I will not let you escape."

    Niki did not say anything because he knew she was speaking about Lilith. This was his final trump card. Niki wanted to use the eternal feud between Lilith and this demigod to get out of this situation.

    "I don''t care about Celestia if that woman is involved," the Fairy Queen was rageful. "This is my chance to ruin her ns. The Oracles should be able to see the new future now since the dices have been rolled."

    The Fairy Queen nced at Niki and the archeologist before waving her hand. A wave of energy invaded Niki''s mind, and he started feeling drowsy.

    "This was nothing but a dream that you forget when you wake up," she said before shing space apart. "I was gone for too long. At least, I encountered an unexpected harvest. Wait for me..."

    After that, Niki fell to the ground, and the Fairy Queen left the room. A few moments afterward, darkness leaked out of Niki as he started to rise, a splitting headache threatening to kill him.

    "It seems she left," Niki said with a grin. "She tried to erase my memories, but that she didn''t think that my darkness could erase her powers."

    Niki stared at his darkness as his body regained its control. There was an empowering feeling in oveing the brainwashing of a demigod. However, the satisfaction came from hindering Lilith.

    The feud between Lilith and the Fairy Queen was an ancient one. Every time the two of them met, disasters urred. Lilith runs away from the Fairy Queen most of the time because she stole something from her.

    "I survived," Niki breathed out. "And I might have created a mess. This ritual is going to be one hell of an event," he said with a smile as he dropped to the ground. "I need to get out of here."

    [You significantly changed fate. As a result, you obtained 30 Fate Points.]

    [A new character has been added to the registry.]

    [You have escaped a terrible fate.]

    Thest notification seemed like a congrattion from the system, but Niki had no energy to overthink the matter. At the very least, he obtained fate points and outwitted his way through into safety.

    The most crucial piece of his argument is revealing the existence of generals. No one knew about them other than Lilith and the generals themselves, and the Fairy Queen knew that.

    This was the reason that she believed him. Furthermore, the monster was blinded by rage toward Lilith. This was also a confirmation of how the gods were conceited.

    "Mm," groaned the archeologist as she began to wake up. "What happened to me? I remember sitting alone and..." she muttered as she tried to rise.

    "The Fairy Queen captured you, but I managed to convince her to leave," answered Niki with a frown. "You never mentioned that you were a prisoner of the queen."

    "She was here?" the archeologist panicked as she looked around. "There is no way that she simply left. You are lying!"

    "You are the liar here," Niki grabbed hold of her neck as he mmed her toward the wall. "Tell me why you hid the fact you were her prisoner. I miscalcted everything because of you. The source of that tablet should be no other than the queen herself."

    "Hah," Taly wheezed as she tried to break free from his grasp. Niki used his darkness to destroy her mana and rendered her helpless. "I... had... no... choice..."

    "Exin," he ordered as he loosened his grip.

    "Ha," she took a deep breath. "You would have refused if you knew that that tablet belonged to her, so I had no choice to make you help me but to hide the truth...."

 Chapter 157 - Calling Of Darkness

    Niki debated whether to kill the archeologist or not, but it was not like he trusted her to begin with. People are always going to be lying and selfish.

    "I want to know," she tried to stand up, "how you managed to convince her. I fear that she has manipted your memories."

    "You don''t need to worry. She tried to manipte them," he said before Niki walked toward the door and opened it. Lucas flinched on the other side as he was about to open it himself.

    "The spirit ran away after it woke up," he said with confusion. "It said something about a queen and then vanished."

    "I met the one who created the spirit and convinced them to leave us alone. We just need to make sure the archeologist does not get herself killed before she deciphers the tablet."

    "I have no more reason to cooperate with you if the queen has given up on pursuing me," Taly said as she held the tablet. "I guess this will be farewell."

    "Are you an idiot?" Niki grinned. "The queen is letting you live because I promised her something. If I don''t deliver it, she will hunt you down like a dog."

    "How do I know you aren''t with her?" Taly was suspicious. "I find it hard to believe that you convinced the queen to let us go, not to mention let us live. As far as I know, this is just a ploy designed by her to fool me."

    "The Queen was here, and you can tell by the residues of her powers. There is no reason for her to appear if I was truly working for her. Her n was going smoothly if that was the case, as you would have handed me the tablet in two days."

    His argument was irrefutable, and the archeologist nodded after a while. Then, finally, she lowered the tablet and ced it on her desk before slumping into the chair.

    "I cannot believe that crazy bitch was here. I never expected her to chase me herself."

    "Neither did I," said Niki with a frown. "There is something off about her appearance here. There must be more factors involved."

    "Are you telling me that I missed the final boss because I was fighting a weakling?" Lucas interjected with a shaky voice. Niki stared at him for a while.

    "You certainly did. I hoped you woulde into the room after me just in case a fight breaks out. However, you were too proud, putting both of us in danger."

    "I can''t be wrong for not running away," Lucas was suddenly grabbing his head and crouching on the floor. "I was doing the right thing, but I indirectly ran away from the final boss just to fight a minion."

    "I told you that you need to pick your battles," said Niki before he walked back toward the archeologist. "We need to find you a different ce to work. The kingdom must have sensed the fight that urred here."

    "Lyle," called out Lucas as he stood up. "I am sorry for being childish. I thought I was doing the right thing, but it almost cost your life. This is not what I wanted to happen."

    "I admire you, Lucas. However, you are still too childish. The real world is frightening, and you cannot beat it using your ideals. I am saying this because you worry me. If I failed to fool the enemy, you would have perished."

    Lucas was silent before he nodded. Then, with the archeologist walking between them, the three left the hideout to find a different ce to stay for the next two days.

    ***

    The night was peeled off from the sky, allowing the morning sun to slip into the forest. Lucas was snoring as he slept on one of the two beds in the living room.

    "His snores are what keep me awake, not this coffee," said Taly as she walked into the living room, where Niki was sitting silently. "You sat like this for the whole night?"

    "Should I hang from the ceiling like a bat?" his eyes turned toward her, and the archeologist shivered when she met them. "Are you done deciphering?"

    "I still have one more day before our agreement," she drank from her coffee. "I want you to tell me, Lyle. What is the real reason that you want the secret on this tablet?"

    "Are you still suspicious?"

    "I am suspicious because you have no use for this item. You cannot use it, and you cannot get near Celestia. So, this is a lost cause for you."

    "What makes you think I can''t get near Celestia?"

    "The darkness is banished from Celestia," she said as she sat in front of him. "I know all of the known gods. No god uses darkness because whoever uses it is banished."

    "There are gods who use it," smiled Niki, his grin making the archeologist grow nervous. "You are a schr, so you should know that the truth is never known."

    "You are talking about the sealed gods," she breathed out. "There is only one ce in Celestia where the darkness resides, and that is the Abyss. However, the gods made sure that whatever goes into that ce never returns."

    "My motives have nothing to do with you. This is a trade between us, and we would both benefit. I am not sure that you would survive long enough afterward, though."

    "Are you threatening me?"

    "I am warning you," smirked Niki. "I know of your ns for revenge. However," he paused, "the gods are fearsome," he said as he stopped his hand from shaking.

    "I have already seen the might of demigods, so I understand. However, there has to be a way to go against the gods."

    "A demigod is what you call an S-ranker who holds a fragment of divinity. However, gods are far more powerful than a demigod. Therefore, the difference between a god and a demigod is the same as the difference between a demigod and a normal person."

    "That cannot be," her eyes grew wide. "If that was the case, then this world has no hopes of going against them. So there is no reason for us to fight."

    "No one is nning on fighting them," smiled Niki as he stood up and walked toward the door. "They should appear in a few years: people who Celestia favors. The gods will resume their battle using toys this time."

    ***

    Niki left the cabin after waking Lucas to stand guard. There was no reason for leaving other than his need to recover. The tablet was a holy item, and he spent the past two days near it. His body could only endure so much.

    Furthermore, there was something in this forest. There was something vicious, and it was calling for Niki. It invited him into a feast, but Niki knew that he should not get closer.

    "However, the holy item should alert whatever has arrived."

    They chose to hide in this forest because it was far away from the city. However, it seems that another visitor came for the same reason. Niki wanted to make sure that they didn''t need to flee again.

    Niki entered his stealth, and the dark dimension was more prominent. His steps were slow as he got closer toward the source of this unsettling energy, which was different from his darkness somehow.

    Niki found himself standing on a cliff that bordered a deep valley. Nothing could be seen within the valley''s darkness, and the creature was there. Furthermore, it was not alone.

    ''This reminds me of a different ce,'' Niki thought to himself as his robes fluttered by the winding from within. ''It reminds me of The Nether.''

    There was a ce where not even Lilith managed to conquer, and it was none other than and known as The Nether. There was something within that ce that made all life flee it. However, no one knew what it was, and no one dared to venture.

    ''However, it does notpare to that ce. There is only a slight simrity in the aura they give off, but nowhere close to being called the same.''

    Niki wanted to avoid this ce lest he gets dragged into a more unwanted mess. First, however, they needed to change the location, but it was a small price to pay.

    There were chills on his back as he turned and walked back toward the cabin. Niki was not a fool as much as there was an itch to find out what was inside this ce.

    There were times where he wanted to be adventurous in his past life to satisfy his curiosity, but they always ended horribly.

    "I know that you are here," a voice said from behind him as he was walking away. "I know that you want to meet me. We are simr. Come here, outcast of this world. There is no ce for you other than here."

    As the voice tried to lure him into the valley, Niki could feel the valley''s darkness spreading to cover the world.. He turned slowly toward the source of the voice, and he could feel something looking back at him.

 Chapter 158 - Calamity Is Here

    Niki found himself in a pinch after hearing the voice. Something within the darkness called out for him, but Niki did not want to go into dangerous areas without reason. It was idiotic.

    However, something was staring at him from within the darkness. It was also trying to surround him to force him into venturing into the valley.

    "That is a bit suspicious, man. That is the same strategy that predators use to lure in their prey. I am out of here."

    Niki ran away from the valley as fast as possible, reaching the cabin after several minutes. The person sitting outside the cabin was no other than Lucas.

    "You are out of breath," he said as Niki appeared from behind a tree. "Are you running away from something?"

    "I am not," he replied. "However, I think that we need to change hideouts again. This ce is not safe."

    "This is the only ce that is away from the kingdom," Lucas shook his head. "There is a strict lockdown on the city now because of the uing ritual. Anyone who tries to enter the city is forced to turn away and leave."

    "We can sneak into the city," Niki did not care for his warning. "There is always a way. If things go south, then we can call for the princess."

    "We are not getting her involved in this mess," Lucas shook his head. "There is no need for us to..." he was talking but suddenly stopped. Lucas waved his arm, and a de of wind flew away to strike down a tree.

    "Young Master found out about me," a voice appeared from within the tree before it morphed into a different creature. Niki heavily frowned when he heard the voice.

    "Master Edward Ver Rosia," bowed Lucas. "I did not mean to attack you. I am only paranoid of unknown enemies."

    "I am quite amazed that you found me," Master Edward looked offended before he turned toward Niki. "Yay, Lyle is here!"

    "I know that you followed me here, Master," Niki said before he bowed. "I apologize that I did not ask for your permission before going away."

    ''What kind of rotten luck is this?'' Niki inwardly screamed. ''The Fairy Queen appeared, and now it is this psychopath. I should have destroyed the tattoo a long time ago.''

    "I was worried about you, Lyle. This forest is a dangerous ce at the moment, anding here is unwise. However, I overheard your conversation," he shamelessly announced. "It seems you have an issue going back. I can help you with that."

    "There is no need, Master Edward," Niki shook his head. "You can go back ahead of us. We still have some training to do. This is the reason that Princess Maria allowed me to skip on work."

    "Ah yes," Master Edward yed with his long hair. "A special technique that you can teach to Young Master Griffin. I am quite curious about it, but I can feel something else over there."

    Master Edward pointed toward the cabin. A smile appeared on his face as he started walking toward it.

    "We are using a monster to aid in our training, that is all. You do not need to waste your time on this," Niki had toe up with the bullshit that not even he believes. Master Edward stopped in front of him with a smile on his face.

    "It seems you made yourselffortable here, Lyle. First of all, you avoid me like the gue. Now, you hide secrets from me. Maria is not here, so I can stop pretending that you are anything more than my prisoner."

    "Master Edward," frowned Lucas as he took a step forward. "Please stop joking. Your words are quite offensive to my friend."

    "A friend, even?" Master Edward raised his brows. "You are pretty smooth with people, Lyle. I thought better of you. Yet, here you are, indulging in nonsense like friends.

    Niki found himself sweating because of the simrities between this man and the person who traumatized him. They were the same in this aspect: treating Niki like he was their possession.

    "I have yet to disobey you, Master Edward," Niki forced a smile. "We are still on the same page. I will make the princess less naive. There is no change in our ns."

    "Oho, I see," smiled the strategist. "However, you forget one thing. I am far smarter than you are. I know what you did in the past few days, and I know what happened with the Fairy Queen."

    ''This is bad,'' Niki could feel himself sinking into an inescapable pit. ''I need to find a way out of this mess too. However, what do I have?''

    "Are you trying to scheme against me too?" smiled Master Edward. "I was kind to you, Lyle, or whatever your name is. I introduced you to Miss Aya. You have no idea the future that she can give you, but here you are like a wounded dog, too scared to choose anything. So you ran away just like you always do."

    Lucas nced at Niki, and he could tell that his friend was falling into the abyss. There were people out there in the world where you could not escape from the moment they set their eyes on you.

    "This is enough, Edward Ver Rosia," Lucas dropped all titles with the Master. "As the representative of House of Griffin, I ask you to stand back and leave."

    "Do not be too arrogant, Young Master. Your father might have been the strongest, but this kingdom will fall without me," the strategist threw his hand with augh, showing his canines. "Stay out of this, or I will make you suffer."

    Niki was confused because, in the vision, Master Edward kept some respect toward Lucas. However, he was different now for some reason. Something has changed in the past two days after the vision took ce.

    After the interference of Lucas, Niki had time to think for a bit. There was something off about Master Edward because he did not look at Niki the same way that he did. He had one more emotion, but it was unfamiliar to Niki.

    Their eyes met, and there was a gleam in the strategist''s eyes that Niki had seen only in the mirror. There was jealousy.

    ''This man is jealous of Lucas? It cannot be jealous of me.''

    However, it still did not make sense if it was jealousy toward Lucas because he treated Lucas with courtesy in the vision. Therefore, Niki could only assume that it was jealousy toward him.

    "What did Miss Aya say about me?" Niki suddenly asked as Lucas was about to unsheathe his rapier. Then, for the first time since they met, Master Edward flinched, and Niki got his confirmation.

    This man was jealous because Lilith was interested in Niki. As he looked at the man''s face turn frosty, Niki felt pity because this man had also fallen into her trap.

    "You know something, Lyle," smiled Edward coldly as blood began to spill from his wrists. "It seems you are aware of her identity. Unfortunately, this cannot do, as I need to kill you now."

    "You are simply trying to get rid of me because you are jealous," Nikiughed heartily. "You are an idiot."

    "Lyle?" confusion was written on Lucas''s face. "You are not helping defuse this situation. I am not sure I can take him on for you, and not sure if I should."

    "You arrogant brats need to be taught a lesson," Master Edward fumed. "I cannot believe that she saw something in you. You were only meant as a present to be discarded, but she saw something more in you, and I need to have it."

    "The act of sanity is slipping, Edward Ver Rosia," smiled Niki. "You have lost yourself to the countless victims you devoured and to that woman."

    "Do not dare disrespect her. Tell me what you know immediately."

    "I will take your invitation now, dear friend. Consider this a debt to be repaid," Niki suddenly called out, and the two were confused. However, the answer came a momentter.

    "You knew I was watching," a voice came from within the forest as the darkness exploded to seal the light from the world. "This is fun. This is fun. This is... fun."

    The chants were not the sanity that Niki wanted to rely on, but Master Edward was not an easy opponent. This will also help him understand what was inside the valley.

    "What is this?" Master Edward frowned as his blood turned into a spear, which he gripped tightly. "What kind of trick is this, Lyle?"

    "This is a friend I made a few moments ago, it seems?" asked Niki without any certainty. "I just hope that I did not summon a cmity."

    The darkness filled the world, and the trees began to wither. Finally, a figure appeared in front of Niki, and it was a familiar one. A pool of blood gathered on the ground in front of the neer as it grinned.

    "Pleased to meet you.. The cmity is here."

 Chapter 159 - A Marriage Invitation

    The neer''s back was slim, and her hair was almost grey with shades of purple. Niki recognized her identity by the pair of red horns on her head, as they were big enough to be seen from behind.

    "You are..." Master Edward frowned. "This does not make sense. You must be the daughter of the Bestial King, the one banished from the family. So what are you doing here?"

    "My husband has summoned me," she said with a joyful grin.

    "I beg your pardon?" blinked Niki with confusion as he tilted his head.

    "What a sneaky fellow, Lyle," Lucas gave a thumbs up with an idiotic smile. He was genuinely simr to Sergio in every way, which might be why Niki considered him a friend.

    "This was the agreement. You have to be my husband in return for my help."

    "I did not ask for your help but only answered your invitation."

    "A marriage invitation," frowned the horned girl. "What did you consider it to be?" there were traces of killing intentced in her voice.

    Niki did not answer, but he was d that most of his face was hidden from view. After all, he was utterly speechless by this development. It made sense that the one within the darkness was her, but the invitation was to marry her?

    "That is not... how people get married..." he managed to utter, and her face crumbled.

    "Are you trying to back down after making me show my face?"

    Niki gulped down because her hostility shifted from Master Edward toward him. As he stared at her face, he realized that she looked quite young, perhaps as young as he is. If not for the aura of monstrosity, it would have been cute.

    "I would never back down from my word," said Niki while cing a hand over his heart. "I ept your offer with utmost pleasure."

    "That is a relief," she sighed and turned toward Edward with a smirk. "What are you going to do now, bloodsucker?"

    At her words, Niki''s eyes widened as he snapped his neck toward the strategist. It has not urred to him until now, but how did it slip his mind that this man can control blood?

    There was a time where Niki absorbed a vitality stat from a bloodsucker, creatures who fed on others of their kind. In other words, the strategist was...

    "You are a cannibal?" Lucas muttered with shock as the face of the strategist turned darker.

    "You foul creature," he red at the horned girl who revealed his identity. "How dare you disrespect me like this?" his hair flew beside him as his grip tightened around the spear.

    "I thought it was obvious since you did not hide the stench of blood," smiled the woman. "I thought you knew already, darling," she said toward Niki.

    "I could tell that something was off about him, but I never thought that the king''s brother was one of them. After all, this man led the purge of that cult years ago."

    "It seems he gained more than just fame from them," smiled the woman with approval at Niki''s exnation. "How do you want me to handle this, darling?"

    Niki felt gooseflesh because of how she addressed him. He nned to y along with this crazy woman before he ran away from her, but he felt like jumping from one trap into another.

    At least this trap did not want him dead but as a husband.

    ''Married to the daughter of the Bestial King? I would be the ultimate traitor of humankind, even more than my past life.''

    "Handle me?"ughed the strategist while staggering back. "You are all so arrogant because you have never witnessed true power. Let me show you what the world has to offer."

    Blood leaked from his wrist and started covering his body as he threatened. This was the armor he used against Niki in the vision. The man''s presence changed, and it was suffocating to stand in front of him.

    "It seems I have no choice but to fight," Niki nced at the cabin as he took out his scimitars.

    "You are still too weak, darling," the woman turned to him. "I will handle it this time. However, you need to grow stronger before our next meeting."

    "Our next meeting?" Niki was confused as the woman walked toward Master Edward.

    "I cannot take you as my husband just yet," she strolled. "You are still too weak. However, there wille a day where we meet again, and at that time, you will be my darling."

    "Why me?" he couldn''t help but ask even though Master Edward was rising through the sky like the final boss. The woman turned to him with a smile as a bony mask of a goat started forming around her face.

    "Because you are the only one who has as much darkness as I am," the bone mask formed around her face, and a pulse of energy radiated from her that caused an explosion.

    The ground around her began to disintegrate because of the amount of energy that she wielded. Niki and Lucas were thrown far away because of the explosion, and the cabin was unrooted from the ground.

    Niki rolled on the ground a distance away, and he raised his head to stare at their fight. Master Edward flew across the sky to strike the woman, but she was calmly standing in her spot.

    Then, she raised her hand, and the darkness pulsed. The cube inside of Niki began shaking as the light disappeared from the world and the darkness gathered in a single spot.

    "This is thest time you threaten him," she said. "If you dare, I will kill you."

    And the darkness exploded, covering the world. Thest thing that Niki remembered was her whispering voice. It had no threats but only happiness and love.

    "I will see you again, darling. The darkness will guide us toward each other. Until that time, do not die."

    ***

    "Lyle," a voice called out for him. Then, his mind shook as burning pain appeared on his cheek. Niki opened his eyes, but the world was nothing but a blur. "You are alive."

    His eyes began adjusting toward the light, and Niki groaned. The person who woke him up was Lucas, who sighed in relief when Niki finally woke up.

    "What happened?"

    "I have no idea, but I can tell you that it was crazy," sighed Lucas as he looked around. "I wonder if we were dreaming, but it does not make sense."

    Niki struggled to get up, and he managed to look at the surrounding. They were still in the forest, but the damage was limited to thend around the cabin.

    The cabin was gone, and so was Master Edward. But, most importantly, that woman was gone too. Niki did not even manage to get her name, but it seems she has already considered him to be her husband.

    "It seems the archeologist is still alive," turned Lucas toward the cabin. "I never thought we would go through so much just from a two days adventure. First was the Fairy Queen, and now this."

    "You are jinxed," said Niki as he steadies himself after standing on his feet. "After all of that, we are still alive."

    "You are the one who is going to jinx us," Lucas looked hurt. "Your mask is gone, so you might want to wear a different one before the archeologist wakes up."

    "My mask?" Niki touched his face, and it was indeed gone. However, there were no traces of it being destroyed, but it was simply gone. "I bet it was that lunatic."

    "You cannot badmouth your future wife like that," frowned Lucas. "I will be your best man at the wedding, right? After all, I was your matchmaker."

    "... you are as crazy as she is. That thing is not human, or have you forgotten that darkness?"

    "You use the same thing," Lucas grumbled, and Niki paused. His secret was revealed because of his fight against the spirit, where he used his darkness. "Are you worried?" asked Lucas with a grin.

    "It seems you are a threat," said Niki as he wore a different mask. "How are we going to handle this?"

    "You are going to trust me not to report you to the kingdom."

    "That seems worse than a bad n, a horrible one."

    "Then why aren''t you attacking me already?" asked Lucas with augh as he walked toward the destroyed cabin. "I would have backed down against Master Edward if I cared about such things."

    "Are you okay with me being a dark being?"

    "The world is cruel," stopped Lucas in his ce without turning to Niki. "We do whatever we need to survive. There are no evil powers. The only evil in this world is weakness."

    "I am afraid that is also wrong," said Niki, which prompted Lucas to turn toward him. "There is no good or evil in this world.. Weakness is not evil, but we made it that way."

 Chapter 160 - A Cursed Tablet

    Chapter 160 ¨C A Cursed Tablet

    "Are we in heaven?" the archeologist muttered with confusion as she tried to open her eyes. Lucas and Niki looked at each other and sighed at the same time.

    "If we were dead, we would go to hell, no doubt,"ughed Lucas.

    "Heaven and hell do not exist. They are on earth," rebuked Niki.

    "This is hell, and you two are my punishment," groaned the alchemist. "I was working, and I heard voices outside. Then there was that stench of blood, so I thought you two are dead."

    "And you decided that it was better to stay hidden," Niki smirked. "You are quite the coward for a defiant of gods."

    "I did not decide anything, as the cabin broke apart before I could think of what to do. Furthermore, I heard you trying to hide my existence, so I chose to hide."

    "Well, the danger is gone," said Lucas as he looked at the cabin with emotions. "However, our fond memories in this ce will never return."

    "This is a creepy cabin," chimed in Niki.

    "Filled with bugs," stood up Taly. "I am not even mad that we got rid of it. I need to find a better ce to work."

    "How much more time do you need?" frowned Niki. "The ritual is tomorrow morning, and I need to return today."

    "I only need two more hours," answered Taly. "However, there is a problems ma. We need to find a ce where no one can find us."

    "This is the ma," Lucas pointed at the tablet she was holding. "It seems this item is cursed."

    "Any divine item is cursed," spat Niki. "However, I would not say it was cursed. This is simply a series of unfortunate events."

    "Your marriage was not unfortunate," grinned Lucas.

    "Lyle got married?" the eyes of the archeologist widened in surprise. Niki did not appreciate that she knew his alias now, but it was a name he would throw away eventually.

    "A hot babe forced him into marrying her," Lucas started storytelling.

    "It was a monster," Niki corrected with a frown. "You do not understand that there is no love in her heart or anything. Instead, she wants me for my body."

    "Oh, my," Taly covered her mouth. "You youngsters are so bold these days. Am I the only innocent one among this generation?"

    "I am going to kill you both," Niki massaged his forehead. "You misunderstood. That monster saw something in me, and she wants it. This is how the beastmen choose their partners. There is never loved involved."

    "Racist," muttered Lucas to the side as if Niki could not hear him. Niki red at the bastard, who acted as if he couldn''t notice the rage directed toward him.

    "His words are true," sighed Taly. "Beastmen do not believe in love but survival. They choose their mates based on physical traits and power. I am just surprised that anyone chose you¡­"

    "What is that supposed to mean?" Lucas was offended for some reason. "You do not know my Lyle. Alldies are fighting with their teeth and nails to get his attention."

    "That would be a nightmare," Niki frowned at the ill attempt to lie about his reputation. "The archeologist means that no one chooses a dark being for a partner."

    "You are a dark being?" Lucas looked surprised. "I mean¡­ there is certainly no doubt you are a dark being since you use darkness. However, I only thought you were a human with a unique element."

    "I am human, Lucas," Niki did not hesitate to lie. "However, that is not how the world sees me. The moment I used darkness, I became an enemy of the world: a dark being."

    "All that is banished from light is evil," recited Taly. "This is the firstmandment of the Holy Church. Therefore, dark beings are considered to be evil by them, and in turn, the rest of the world."

    "Those priests are the creepy ones," Lucas scratched his head. "Lyle is a better person than all of the holy ones I met."

    "I am not a good person," frowned Niki. "It happens that our goals align at the current moment."

    "You saved me yesterday," Lucas shrugged before throwing his hands behind his head. "I was reckless and did not realize that I might die. You saved me even though it revealed your secret."

    "You also saved that night¡­" muttered Taly. "I know that you would do anything to reach your goals, but that does not change that you saved me from death more than once."

    "There you go, Lyle!"ughed Lucas as he walked forward and bumped Niki''s chest with his fist. "You are a good person, even though you pretend otherwise."

    ''It seems I fooled them,'' thought Niki. ''I cannot believe they are this naive. I might have saved them, but my intentions were never pure. I am incapable of being selfless.''

    It was not a regret he suddenly had about his personality but a fact he epted long ago. Lilith made sure to prove how foul people were when he served her, and Niki could never bring himself to be a hypocrite.

    "I am selfish," he said toward the two. "But I will never try to hide it. You two can believe whatever you want to believe, but I am not obliged to be loyal to you."

    "We never asked you to be," Taly shook her head. "We are the ones grateful for you, so why would we expect anything more from you?"

    Niki had no words for that, and he simply nodded because he didn''t want to speak more of this. As he turned around, he tried to look for clues of struggle, but there was none.

    Master Edward might not be dead, but he would not bother them for a while. This was proved by the disappearance of the tattoo on his forearm, as well as the cannibal''s powers.

    They needed to find a new ce to stay, which was starting to annoy Niki. If not for the tablet being a divine item, he would have thrown it and the archeologist into his pocket dimension.

    There was also the fact that anyone who came into contact with his darkness got sick, Sergio being an example of that, but that was a minor issue.

    "You said that you did not like the cabin," smiled Niki. "You are going to regret those words."

    ***

    The cave was damp and dark, and creatures were in its belly. However, Niki felt there was no better hiding spot than this one because it was close to the ritual ground.

    "You said it would take you two hours," said Niki to the archeologist after three hours from arriving at this ce. Taly raised her head and looked at him with indignation.

    "This ce is not ideal, you see. I am sitting on a rock in the darkness."

    "Lucas is holding themp for you," pointed out Niki. "The sooner we get this over with, the better. Then, we will give you enough money to live a good life, and the fairies will not hunt you anymore."

    "I''m close to finishing the script," she said. "It seems there is a technique written on this tablet that exins how to enter the abyss, but that sounds more like a punishment than anything."

    "I thought this was a prophecy," Lucas frowned at her words, and the archeologist closed her mouth silently. "What is she talking about, Lyle?"

    "Ancient gods needed a way to trap those who betray them, and it seems this technique is what they used to seal powerful monsters or enemies. Unfortunately, this is not a way to sneak into Celestia, but a way into an eternal prison."

    "And how is that rted to the assassination attempt?" Lucas frowned again. "Did you lie to me?"

    "I did not lie to you," Niki turned toward him. "I did not know how to exin it, but this ritual is targeting the princess more than anything. They are going to use her as an offering to their god."

    "We need to stop her from attending then," he stood up.

    "It is too dangerous. We are trapped in this kingdom because they n to use this opportunity to attack the border and weaken the Rosia kingdom. If the princess backs down now, they would decide to attack her rather than offering her to their god."

    "That does not excuse your lie to me," Lucas had a rageful face. "I ced all of my trust in you, but you lied. If she did not make a mistake and talk about the tablet, I would have never known."

    "I want to use this method to change the future," Niki stood up from his spot. "I can''t exin how I know the future, but please trust me again. I lied because I needed your help. I promise you that I will protect her no matter what."

    "I cannot trust you any longer," Lucas shook his head. "I will notify the princess that she is in danger. I will call for the kingdom to send aid immediately, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

    ''This tablet is fucking cursed,'' Niki inwardly screamed.

 Chapter 161 - Absolute Trust

    Chapter 161 ¨C Absolute Trust

    Even with a mask covering his face, Lucas looked furious with him. Niki saw the shadow of the chained Sergio behind Lucas, and he knew that he had betrayed his trust once again.

    "I am sorry," sincerely apologized Niki as his expression darkened. "I did not mean to deceive you, but I did what I have to do to survive. I cannot let you ruin my n."

    Niki grabbed toward empty air above his shoulders, and his scimitars appeared out of the darkness. Lucas looked at him silently, not attacking or trying to retaliate.

    "I understand why you are so cynical, Lyle," helplessly smiled Lucas. "You don''t know how to ask people for help, so you deceive them, and you think everyone is the same. You believe that everyone is the same as you are, untrusting and untrustworthy."

    "I have seen enough of people to know that trust is conditional," Niki straightened his arms, and the scimitars looked like scythes. "This is the only way for you to get what you want."

    "Nope, I will trust you."

    "¡­are you an idiot?" Niki froze in ce. "I lied to you, and I have no good reason to do so. Your n works as well, but I don''t believe it is the optimal solution."

    "Trust is not conditional," Lucas said as he took several steps forward toward Niki, standing in the scimitars'' reach. "I will trust you because I choose to trust you. You are a good person, and I will believe what you have to say."

    "I can kill you with a single attack," shed Niki, and the scimitar rested on Lucas''s neck. "I used you until now to fight against the fairies and convince the princess. Killing you is the best way to get rid of any loose ends."

    "Then kill me," said Lucas without hesitation. "I trust that you will not harm me, nor would you harm the person I love. Prove me wrong and kill me."

    "All of this to prove a point about stupid trust?" scowled Niki. "I trusted people blindly before, and I ended up broken, physically and mentally. You are an idiot if you think that I will not attack you."

    As his words ended, Niki attacked with his other scimitar and stabbed Lucas'' chest. The weapon pierced through his heart, but the man did not move.

    "Stop!" shouted the archeologist with horror as she watched the weapon pierce his heart.

    "You did not kill me yet, Lyle," said Lucas with a grin as he looked at his chest. The tip of the de was gone, sinking into a pool of darkness without harming Lucas. Niki sighed before his weapons returned to his pocket dimension.

    "You are a fool," Niki said with helplessness. "I will not change what I think about the world simply because you trusted me. I still think you are an idiot."

    "I trusted that you wouldn''t kill me, so why didn''t you? I was the right choice. Kill me, Lyle. Then, your n will work. You will use this tablet however you wish, foil their ns, and get rid of a hindrance."

    Niki was silent as he met the green eyes in front of him. They radiated powerful conviction and unwavering faith, and a wandering thought settled into his mind.

    Lucas''s conviction about many things about how the world works, people, and his ideals were the source of his strength. All powerful people shared this trait of theirs, conviction. The green eyes that stared into his were full of absolute trust.

    ''I want to break that belief of his and show him how the world works, but then¡­ I would be the same as Lilith. I don''t need to force my beliefs into anyone as she did.''

    A wave of relief washed over his soul as Niki realized this. This was the first rule he decided to impose upon himself: let others believe in whatever they believe in, as long as it does not harm him.

    "I found out that the Fera Kingdom targets the princess. All of this was to set up the stage to prevent Vyxas from harming her. This is nothing but another step to make sure that their ns. She is a good person, and the world needs her to stay alive. I lied to you because I cannot tell you how I know all of this, nor can I trust you enough to tell you about my ns."

    "I have no problem with your mistrust of me," he crossed his arms with a smirk. "I am satisfied knowing that you chose to tell me the truth instead of attacking me. This proves you care about our friendship."

    "You need to be more honest with yourself, Lyle," the archeologist chimed in, waving her finger. "There is no shame in trusting people, nor in asking for help."

    "You are not a part of this," Niki blinked his eyes at her. "I still trust you as much as I trust a stranger in the street."

    "You¡­" the archeologist looked livid. "Youngsters these days have no manners at all!"

    "How old are you, Taly?" Lucas asked with augh. "You don''t look a lot older than we are, except for the tired face."

    "I am in myte twenties," she huffed in anger. "If you two had any idea about my real identity, you would have been more respectful! I¡­"

    "Are you going to do your n or mine?" asked Niki, interrupting the bragging of the archeologist. Lucas turned to face him as they both suffered the res of the woman.

    "I will do what you ask of me," answered Lucas with a smile. "There is no way that the princess was sent here without investigating the Fera Kingdom, so I have a suspicion that it was an inside job. I don''t trust the kingdom to protect her."

    "And Master Edward should be absent for a while after what happened, so we are the only people that can do something about it. I have a n, but it is a risky one with everything at stake."

    "You said that I have no part of this, right?" Taly interjected with a trembling hand. "I guess this is farewell then, haha," she sheepishlyughed as she tried to get out of the predicament.

    ***

    The day of the ritual has arrived, and it was the same as his vision, a clear blue sky with no clouds that preceded rain. The city was bustling with life as today was a yearly celebration and a chance for shop owners to sell their merchandise.

    The crowd could see luxurious carriages leaving the city one after the other, all heading toward the ritual ground where Vyxas will offer his blessings to Fera.

    This year was different because guests of Rosia have also arrived at the scene. It was the first time Rosia was allowed into the ritual, and this was the fruit of the efforts done by the peace agreement led by the princess.

    "I am d that you returned in time, Lyle," Saint Maria squinted her eyes at him with more than just joy. "I believe that you had fun with Lucas?"

    "You address him by his first name behind his back, but by his title in his face. You need to be more honest, princess," Niki changed the subject as he looked through the curtains of the carriage. "We should be arriving soon."

    "Your report was excellent, and I managed to strengthen my rtionship with more than just one noble of Fera. I believe that after this ritual, peace will be more than just a dream."

    ''The nobles must have acted like they supported her pacifist ideology only to make sure she attends the ritual. Then, the offering will take ce.''

    Niki felt that it was ironic. The person who believed that peace should be attained was their tool to ignite a war. Of course, the Fera Warriors were powerful enough to make a real threat to the Rosian Kingdom, but it was rather unusual for the Bestial King to make such schemes.

    "Where is Master Edward?" asked Niki, feigning ignorance. Princess Maria sighed while shaking her head.

    "I wanted him to take care of my brother, but I cannot reach him. So I wonder if he went back toward the pce. I don''t think he wanted to attend anyway. All he can think of is Miss Aya."

    "I can see why," said Niki in an attempt to probe into their past. "She is quite captivating, isn''t she?"

    "I see that you have also fallen for her charms," smiled Maria. "This is also a secret, but she is the person my uncle loves. I once overheard him mention it while drunk."

    "Unrequited love is the ugliest killer of the heart," said Niki as he saw the walls of the ritual ground get closer. "We should be there soon."

    "Let''s go and change the world, Lyle," she said with a dazzling smile, looking unstained by the world. Niki stared at her face silently withplexity.

    ''What an unfortunate fate you have.''

 Chapter 162 - Maiden Of Ritual

    Chapter 162 ¨C Maiden Of Ritual

    "Wee, dear guests," the priest took the pedestal as he spread his arms. "We are here to celebrate none other than Fera''s protector, Vyxas!"

    "Vyxas!"

    "Vyxas!"

    "Vyxas!"

    The devoted believers chanted his name as the nobles from the Rosia kingdom grew ufortable. It was not abnormal to see such devotion to a god because those who worshiped them survived. However, it was a new experience to see your enemies worshiping their gods.

    Niki once again met those he killed in his past life. A one-eyed giant was standing to the back next to the prince of Fera and son of the Bestial King.

    His body was standing still, but his mind was going into hyperactivity. All of the attendants, their identities, their powers, and the likelihood of their involvement all appeared in his mind.

    Lilith was here, which suggests that the Fairy Queen must have snuck into this ce. They were all waiting for the moment Vyxas''s powers descend to devour the offerings, Saint Maria.

    "Are you the new retainer?" whispered the knight beside him. Niki nced at him and saw the old man who seemed to be a captain of the knights. "I am the one responsible for protecting her highness. So do not let down your guard, and make sure always to be close to the princess."

    "That is my job, captain," smiled Niki. "However, I cannot apany here when the ritual begins."

    "At that time, you do not need to intervene. I will be close enough to protect her if anything happens."

    "Your words suggest that danger is inevitable," Niki turned to look at the knight, his crimson eyes meeting the old knight''s apathetic eyes.

    "Danger is inevitable," he said with a smile. "You are the same as his highness, Master Edward: a pair of creeps in human skin. I suggest you close your mouth and do your job."

    "Aye, aye, captain," Niki said without any seriousness as he turned back toward the priest. The knight red, wanting to beat him now, but it was not the time.

    Niki saw the knight walk away and stand closer to the princess, surrounded by nobles from both kingdoms. They were all standing around the central pond where Niki saw his vision.

    ''Everything is going ording to n,'' Niki already had this interaction with the knight captain, and he already knew that the captain was not on their side.

    The internal struggle for the throne yed a significant part in the changes happening in this timeline. However, the assassination attempt was foiled because Lilith was not here, and Master Edward protected his niece.

    ''My existence changed things,'' Niki couldn''t have imagined that killing the sea serpent would bring Lilith to this ce. However, she was looking at him with a twisted smile even now.

    Lilith started walking toward him; her presence was unnoticed by the rest of the nobles. It seems this was her handiwork, all to talk to him without the interference of the rest.

    "You are here, Miss Aya," Niki took the initiative to greet her. "I did not think that you would believe my words."

    "Why do you think I came here because of what you said?" she said with a smile. "I have no business with gods and monsters."

    "I heard you are not a fan of gatherings, but you attended two of them in the past few days. But, of course, no one thought you would attend the ritual since your family is not on good terms with Fera."

    "That is certainly true," she hid her smile while standing beside him. "I can see that you are still wearing the mask. The party is over, but it seems that wasn''t the reason."

    "I have a disfigured face," he replied, and he could see her brows twitch. Niki knew such a notion would repulse her because this woman hated imperfections.

    "All faces are disfigured," she said while trying to hide her repulsion. "I am indeed here because of your words. I grew curious about the descent of a god, so I wanted to see it for myself."

    Niki knew that she would never reveal herself if she weren''t sure about today''s events. Lilith was not a person that would throw away one of their personalities easily unless the return was far greater.

    "I am afraid that my knowledge is limited," he said while looking at the priest glorifying Vyxas and his protection of thend. "A god''s descent requires a suitable offering."

    "A suitable offering," she was curious. "I wonder what that would be?" she said with a smile while looking at the princess. "Gods are interested in the purest of things, so we might see something interesting today."

    Niki felt sorry for the princess, who stood straight while trusting her words were heard. The notion of peace never crossed the minds of any attending nobles except the princess.

    Lilith disappeared again, and Niki expected her reappearance once the ritual began. But then, his legs moved on their own, and he found himself standing close to the princess.

    "Lyle?" she was confused. "This is not the time, as the ritual is underway. Let us talkter," she said before turning back toward the priest.

    "I wanted to say something," Niki knew this was unnecessary. However, maybe his words would change something about her fate. "Your dream of peace¡­" she turned to him with confusion.

    Niki couldn''t say more because he found it hard to believe. Encouraging the princess down this path might hinder her growth, but it was uncertain whether his words would have any meaning.

    "¡­is attainable. The world will seek to prove you wrong in every way it can. However, there is no change without resistance. Believe in your path and now can stand in your way."

    Saint Maria blinked before a childish and delighted smile appeared on her face. The princess tried to hide it with her hand, fearing others would see it.

    The noise of the crowd grew louder as their worship of Vyxas continued. There was a bubble around Niki and the princess. Afterposing herself, the princess replied while looking the happiest.

    "I know that," she said. "However, I needed to hear these words. You are the first person who encouraged me rather than warned me. Thank you, Lyle."

    Niki was silent before nodding. Then, he slipped back into the crowd, walking farther away from the princess. The priest sang praises of Vyxas until his voice was hoarse. Then, it was time for the main event.

    Niki slipped into the crowd before disappearing from his spot. The world turned darker, and he felt at home. His steps were not fast, and he managed to make his way into the pond where the priest stood.

    ''Now, Lucas,'' Niki turned over toward his partner, who stood by a table and held a cup. Lucas started gulping down his ss before mming to the table.

    "I would like to say a few words!" shouted the drunken actor. The crowd turned toward him with confusion. "Why are we to make peace with those weaker than us? That does not make sense! As the strongest person here¡­"

    "Weaker?" the one-eyed general stepped forward, his height towering over the crowd. "Have you used us of weakness, human?"

    "Are you deaf?" Lucas was intoxicated as he staggered. "I said weaker, not weaker. You must be an idiot."

    "Step down, Young Master Griffin," Saint Maria panicked. "Please act decently on this day."

    "As youmand, your highness. However, this idiot needs to prove that I am weaker than him."

    "That was my exact intentions," the general strode forward and stood in front of Lucas. "What is your name, human?"

    "Lucas Griffin!" he proudly said while knocking on the giant''s belly. "Your height must be the reason for your stupidity!"

    "Griffin?" frowned the man. "I cannot believe that you are his son. No matter your identity, I must teach you a lesson."

    "Do not kill him," ordered the Bestial Prince. The general nodded with understanding. Killing the son of that man was far from wise.

    Mana exploded from Lucas as so was the case for the man. Then, while the two powers shed, Niki strolled toward the cup beside the priest. It had wine inside of it. His darkness seeped into the cup before retreating.

    Boom!

    The ce shook as Lucas''s body fell from the pir. He coughed several times as the general stood in front of him. Finally, after saying a few curses, Lucas passed out.

    The crowd was silent before the priest realized that they needed to stick to the n. That is why he chose to change the subject in haste.

    "We are here today, not only to glorify our lord but to make peace with our friends from the Rosia Kingdom. This is the first step that would lead us to a better future. I am honored to introduce her highness Maria Ver Rosia as the maiden of this ritual."

    "A maiden?"

    "This is unbelievable."

    "I did not think that is possible. However, if the priest is the to say it, then it must be alright."

    The crowd grew noisy as the princess took steady steps toward the pond where the priest stood.. His yellowish eyes curved in a smile as he received her.

 Chapter 163 - Divine Descent

    Chapter 163 ¨C Divine Descent

    There was a darkness inside all of us, Niki thought. The scene unfolded in front of him like a y, and all involved were actors, except for the princess.

    "I present you with the Divine Grail," said the priest as he gave the cup to the princess. "This wine is the one given to Vyxas every year, and by presenting it yourself, we are to make peace."

    Saint Maria received the cup with her slim hands, and she looked at her reflection in the red liquid. Then, she raised her hand with a smile and lifted the wine toward the priest.

    "For peace," she said, and the crowd cheered. The priest bowed down and gestured toward the pond. Niki watched as the princess descended into the waters, her dress trailing after her, soaked.

    "Did you find anything?" asked Lucas, who appeared beside Niki. After ncing at his miserable state, Niki nodded.

    "The grail was enchanted with a cruse that harms whoever holds it," reported Niki. "However, I took care of it. There is no danger on the princess from that side."

    "There are other sides?" frowned Lucas.

    "Vyxas is a greedy god," said Niki as he silenced the nobleman. "We need to avoid being seen together. The next part of the n is underway."

    Lucas nodded before walking away, limping because of his attack. Niki felt sorry, but it was a crucial distraction to use his darkness without anyone noticing.

    The pond was glittering in the sunlight, which came through the round hole in the ceiling. This ce was full of divinity because it was where Vyxas ascended to Celestia. As the princess was waist-deep into the water, a hymn appeared out of nowhere. The sunlight began to twist and turn into a spiral as the otherworldly song mesmerized everyone.

    Niki retreated to the back because this was not the time to intervene. The divinity in this ce made him feel suffocated, but it was a different matter for Lilith, whose grin could not be hidden.

    ***

    A divine descent.

    Lilith could not believe this was happening. The divinity in the ritual ground was enough that even a mortal could feel it. Her head snapped to look for the person who gave her this intel, but he was nowhere to be seen.

    ''I will find himter, and I will make him mine,'' she vowed in her heart. However, now was not the time for such thoughts. Vyxas was about to descend to receive his offering, and it was by no means the Divine Grail.

    Her eyes rested on the young woman holding the grail, raising it toward the sky. Lilith had to admit that even she found her beautiful and holy. This offering was one that Vyxas could never refuse.

    Her n was simple, to attack Vyxas as he is about to descend. A fragment of divinity should be easy to obtain if Lilith managed to summon enough power.

    ''I found another fragment of divinity.''

    This would speed up her ns and head off against other candidates. The man who told her about this descent, which no one has foreseen, deserves to be one of her followers when she ascends Celestia.

    "I am Maria Ver Rosia," said the princess as she raised the Divine Grail. "I present you with this offering, hoping for peace between our people."

    The divinity in the surrounding intensified, and the hymn grew louder. Clouds swirled above the ritual grounds into a vortex in the sky.

    "It is¡­ happening¡­" the priest''s body shook, and Lilith realized that this ritual was just a lucky coincidence. "The offering has been epted!"

    His words raised amotion in the crowd, and the surprise in his voice made Saint Maria hesitate. Lilith almost killed the priest on the spot, but it was still necessary to offer the sacrifice.

    "Oh, we see," a voice appeared from the sky, singing as the music threatened to crush their soul. "And and sea," the voice sang as the world began to shake. "And an offering for me!"

    The voice made the world shake and almost break into pieces. The clouds swirled faster as the wind made the maiden''s dress dance, her hair flying backward.

    ''They are here,'' inwardly muttered Lilith. ''Gates of Celestia are here!'' her eyes could see the golden gate start to form above the ritual ground.

    "Our Lord!" shouted the priest as he took a few steps forward while spreading his arms open. "This is our offering for you! This is the purest royal blood, untainted by the words!"

    His words confused the crowd, and the ploy was finally revealed. The noblemen from the Rosia kingdom realized with horror, albeit toote.

    "What is the meaning of this?" shouted the captain tasked with protecting the princess as he drew his sword. "Are you monsters trying to sacrifice her highness?"

    "Our Lord," the priest shouted again as he ignored the captain. "Please open your gates for us if you ept this offering!"

    Boom!

    The world shook as something banged on the Gates of Celestia from inside. The chains around the gate ensured that only the worthy could transpire the two worlds. However, another attack from the other side made the chains crack.

    "You bastards!" mana exploded in unison from the nobles of Rosia, along with Captain of the Knights. "Protect her highness!" he shouted while pointing his sword.

    Lilith almost sneered. This captain acted all righteous, but he has yet to rush forward to get the princess out of here. It seems the politics of the kingdom was ying a role here.

    "Protect the ritual!" shouted the one-eyed general as warriors d in armor appeared out of nowhere. They were each three meters tall, and their appearance was of ogres.

    Boom!

    Another attack shook the world as the Gates of Celestia was being forced open. Saint Maria tried to flee, but a barrier entrapped her inside.

    "Why are you doing this?" she shouted toward the priest. "This will cause war between our kingdoms! Please, everyone, reconsider!"

    However, the priest only stared at the sky, his lips muttering prayers to summon his god. Then, another attack arrived, and the gates were thrown open.

    A divine presence descended, freezing every noble to their feet. The terror of meeting a god sank into their minds, and no one could move a muscle.

    "Our lord is here!" shouted the priest with ecstasy. "Please, ept our offering!" As the priest pped his hands, lights appeared from his body before traveling toward the grail.

    "Throw it away!" shouted one of the nobles, who was none other than a duke of the Rosia kingdom.

    Maria threw away the grail, and it flew a few meters before being suspended midair. The light gathered around the cup before it exploded, blinding everyone from what happened inside the barrier.

    "My offering¡­" a voice appeared from the sky, which made Lilith''s heart shake. A giant arm appeared from with the gates, descending toward the pool. "I want¡­ blood¡­" the arm inched toward the pond.

    "What is happening?" shouted the priest as the light disappeared. Maria was within the barrier, unharmed. Then, however, the barrier began to break down because of the explosion. "The curse! Why are you unharmed?!"

    ''Their n failed?'' Lilith realized as a figure bolted forward. It was none other than the one-eyed general who had chosen to finish the job himself.

    "A useless priest," he shouted as he struck forward toward the princess. But, before his attack could reach her, a wall of wind appeared in front of her.

    "Not so fast, idiot," Lucas appeared, his wings stretching a few meters in each direction. "Let us have a real fight this time, shall we?"

    "Die, human!" the general punched again, and the wall of wind was destroyed. Then, as the wind blew in every direction, it began gathering around Lucas, whose body started glowing green.

    "Let me show you that the technique I learned from my old man," Lucas grinned as the wind gathered around him, formingyers uponyers,pressing themselves without end. "I did not want to use this because it is what made him the world''s strongest man."

    "This boy knows fortification!" shouted the priest with horror. "Do not underestimate him!"

    "I will not lose to a peasant!" roared the general with fury as his body began growing in size. "I will show you that¡­"

    Boom!

    The general was sent flying by a punch from Lucas, who disappeared from his earlier spot. The general smashed into a pir right next to the destroyed one.

    "This is payback for earlier," Lucas wore a battle-crazed grin.

    "I want¡­ blood¡­ divine¡­ blood¡­"

    The voice descended again, and it was wrathful for being deceived. Celestia''sw was that the gods could not attack a living human unless used another. However, a dead offering can further strengthen a god, depending on who was sacrificed.

    "Kill her!" shouted the priest, and the warriors rushed forward.. The ce was thrown into mayhem, and this was the chance that Lilith wanted.

 Chapter 164 - Unwavering Love

    Chapter 164 ¨C Unwavering Love

    The descent of a divine being was not a simple matter, and it was far from easy for the being itself. Celestia was a higher dimension than Earth, but the gods still tried to make themselves known. This was another testimony of how powerful a person''s desire was.

    There was amon trait among powerful people: their thirst for power. These characters were not strong or favored because they were born this way.

    This world was fair. Those who strived for strength shall be rewarded. Those who desire power will grow far greater than those without ambitions.

    We are the masters of our bodies, and they obey us. This made them the one thing that would never betray us. However, what if a person worshiped another and revered them instead of having desires himself?

    This was the reason that Earth was necessary for the gods. The people fed the gods with more people, and only those who survived until the end deserve the throne.

    Lilith could feel her body be lighter as her desire burned intensely. The technique her race developed, Limit Break, also came to y to amplify her stats.

    A new world appeared in front of her, and she could see nothing but the arm with its celestial strings and divinity. This was her chance to grow stronger than anyone.

    Her knees bent slightly, and her foot stood on her toes. Then, Lilith bolted forward, leaving a trail of destruction behind her. The nobles screamed as the unknown burst of energy took them by surprise.

    No one could stop her as she appeared on the edge of the pond. Lilith crouched again before bolting toward the sky, straight toward the arm of a god. The world turned into an afterimage in her view, and there was only one target in front of her.

    "Who¡­ dares¡­!" the divine presence intensified as power exploded from the arm. Vyxas clenched his hand into a fist before he struck toward her.

    ''A foolish god,'' Lilith smirked because she could tell that the world was rejecting Vyxas by the second. The gods cannot descend just yet, not easily.

    His power grew weaker the more he tried to summon it, and it was the perfect chance to strike down a god. A silver dagger appeared in her hand, the treasure her father gave her.

    "A god-ying weapon¡­" there was apprehension in the voiceing from Celestia. "You are not a normal human¡­ it seems a demigod somehow knew about my n¡­ what a troublesome ant you are."

    The words were arrogant, but Vyxas had the right to be. This tyrant was a powerful god who ascended Celestia by killing a god himself.

    However, Lilith had one more trick up her sleeve. Her eyes shone violet as she turned into a streak of light, reaching Vyxas in an instant. Her weapon shed the arm apart as a wrathful shriek arrived from the sky.

    "Arrogant ant!"

    A thousand arms exploded from Vyxas''s body, striking Lilith, who was mid-air. The divinity forced her out of her current form and made her soar like a broken kite.

    "Bastard," her face was overtaken by rage, and her fangs grew longer. The dagger danced in her hand as another materialized, a mirror of the first. Lilith held both weapons in reverse as the thousands of arms attacked her.

    Every arm gave birth to another, carrying the same ivory skin brimming with divinity. As the arms surrounded her from every direction, Lilith closed her eyes.

    "Moon Dance, Royal Stance," her eyes snapped open as the heavenly strings responded to her Celestial Art. The daggers exploded with light as Lilith brought them down, appeared tens of meters ahead.

    The arms trying to take her down were all ripped to peace, turning into divine energy scattering into the air. A shriek came from the gate as a crushing presence pushed Lilith toward the ground and into the pond.

    BOOM!

    Hernding threw all the water out of the pond, and Lilith stood in a crater. Then, as she was about to attack again, someone started coughing a distance away from her.

    ''This is¡­ the princess?'' Lilith turned toward the person thrown to the edge of the pond by the impact. It was none other than the foolish princess of peace, who was supposed to be the sacrifice.

    A god could only partially descend because of the offering made in its name. This was a contract between the worshipers and the god, and both needed to give things of equal value.

    The Kingdom of Fera decided to throw away their temporary peace in exchange for Vyxas'' blessings. However, the offering has yet to bepleted, and Vyxas was not tied to this world.

    ''This cannot do,'' Lilith realized that she couldn''t let him run away before she stole his divinity. ''I need to bind him to this world.''

    As a result of her current train of thought, her target changed. Lilith walked toward the princess, who was on the ground, and pulled her hair backward.

    "I will remember your sacrifice, so be proud of yourself," grinned Lilith as she brought her dagger to Maria''s neck. A wind current appeared beside her before Lucas stabbed her with his rapier.

    "Let go!"

    The weapon met her skin, and Lilith did not feel like she needed to do anything. The de broke apart in front of his desperate eyes as he realized the difference in their power. A smirk appeared on her face as she held the princess closer.

    "Do you love her?" she asked, a twisted smile ying on her lips. "Stab yourself, and I will let her go."

    "You are lying!" Lucas took several steps backward, his eyes darting everywhere for a way to save his friend. "Let her go, or you will make an enemy of the kingdom."

    "I will give you three seconds," she pressed her dagger against the princess'' neck, who opened her eyes and looked at Lucas. "Stab your heart, or she will die."

    Lucas looked at the princess and then looked behind her into the darkness. However, no one came to his rescue as the bestial warriors kept the others at bay.

    "Three," she began counting down.

    "How do I know that you are telling the truth?" Lucas tried to calm down, but Lilith did not make any efforts to reassure him.

    "Two," she grinned as blood spilled out of the princess'' face. Lucas took a step forward as he gritted his teeth.

    "I will do anything, so please, let her go," he started begging, but Lilith was not satisfied. The dagger was now tainted with blood from the princess.

    "One," she grinned. "Bid your lover farewell!"

    A fountain of blood appeared to cover Lilith''s face as her eyes were filled with sick satisfaction. Lucas stood in front of her with his abdomen bleeding and his eyes ring at her with hatred.

    "I did¡­ what you asked¡­" muttered Lucas as he coughed up blood, his face growing increasingly paler. "Please¡­ let her¡­ go¡­" he said before falling to his knees.

    "Oh my," she looked down on him as she tilted her head. "You can live even with your heart drowning itself. Are you truly a young man? Now I regret wasting such a talent."

    "Lucas¡­ no¡­" the princess started crying in her hands, and Lilith was disgusted by the sentiment they shared. This bond could not be true but a figment of their imagination.

    "The world does not need useless things," she said as her dagger shed the princess'' throat, decapitating her. The head hung by her beautiful hair as her body fell to the ground, bleeding itsst. "This is your offering, Vyxas. You can even get an extra one."

    Lilith strode forward with the head in her hand, dragging it through the dirt. The arms in the sky were silent as they regenerated because the offering had been made.

    "Ahaha," augh appeared from behind her, and Lilith turned with a frown. There was no way to mistake this annoying voice even if she turned deaf. "You truly thought that you seeded, slut."

    A figure began forming a distance away from her beside the princess''s body. A pair of giant wings covered the empty bond as Lilith gritted her teeth.

    "What are you doing here, vermin?" her rage was boiling through her words. "This is not a ce for lesser lives."

    "Then why are you here?" smiled the Fairy Queen before turning toward the corpse on the ground. "It seems you still think that you are holding to the offering."

    "What are you¡­" Lilith looked down and saw the head turn into countless rays of light, slipping through her hands. "It was one of your illusions?"

    "Everything is an illusion," smiled the Fairy Queen. "Well, of course, except for the pain that you are going to feel when I''m done."

    "Where is she?" asked Lilith as she looked around. "So, this was all your doing? I knew that his sacrifice was fake," she smiled in triumph.

    "Ah," the Fairy Queen looked at Lucas'' corpse drowning in his blood.. "I am afraid that he truly died for his love."

 Chapter 165 - Ruthless Saint

    Chapter 165 ¨C Ruthless Saint

    The battle between demigods and gods was not one that mortals could withstand. Aftermath from an impact was enough to turn their bodies into nothingness, which was why all nobles and warriors were deterred away from the two women.

    A pair of long wings protruded from the non-human demigod, who looked like a celestial, ethereal queen. In addition, there was a crown on top of her head that radiated divine aura, suggesting that she was a bona fide demigod.

    The person standing opposite the queen was none other than a noble from the Rosia kingdom, whose identity was questioned by the rest of the nobles. She was none other than the alchemist, Miss Aya.

    "I cannot believe that there would be a person this foolish," Miss Aya muttered as she nced at the corpse of the young man. "His father was blinded by strength, and unfortunately, this man was blinded by love."

    "Are you sure that you have time for this?" smiled the queen. "Vyxas might have realized that he would lose a fragment of his at this rate. You need to hurry up and snatch it."

    "And you want me to believe that you don''t crave it as well?" grinned the twin-des woman. "I will take this fragment whether you like it or not, vermin."

    Miss Aya rushed toward Lucas''s corpse to snatch it, but a de of energy struck her away. However, she did not stop but continued soaring through the skies, straight toward the gates.

    "Your failure is enough for me," grinned the queen as her wings stretched before a single p made her disappear. The two demigods chased each other while striking down the divine arms attacking them.

    The crowd watched, engraving the scene into their minds. Their bodies could tell that they were ants inparison, and they shook as a response. This was the primal fear that froze all of the attendees.

    There was one exception.

    A figure tore through the sea of an unmoving crowd, wearing a ck suit and mask. His footsteps echoed as they struck the marble floor, but no one seemed to notice his presence. The world was shaking, but he seemed unaffected. Perhaps, he was affected by something else.

    "I can''t sense any life from him," muttered the figure as he stopped in front of the corpse. "Maybe this was how he was supposed to die?"

    Niki did not know the answer to that. However, his mind seemed to freeze whenever he looked at the corpse. Then, he crouched and turned the body.

    Lucas had a pale face with a bloody chest. His eyes were desperate even in death. Thest scene he saw was the murder of the one he loved, and maybe that was what indeed killed him.

    "No," muttered Niki as he stared at his dead friend. "It was me. I was the one who killed him. Lucas trusted my n, but I failed to think this would happen."

    There were no excuses that he had. Niki calcted everything, even the attack on the princess''s life by Lilith. However, he had calcted that the Fairy Queen would prevent her.

    His calctions were right, but the oue was far from what he expected. The Fairy Queen prevented Lilith from making the sacrifice, but she did it through an illusion. She could have attacked directly, but she wanted to taunt Lilith.

    Niki witnessed the test Lilith gave him, but he did not move because he shared the same thoughts as her. Lucas would never kill himself for the person he loves. It was idiotic because no one guaranteed that she would stick to her word.

    "I knew that the queen would never allow Lilith to seed, but I didn''t think Lucas would attack her. So, I stood there, watching it unfold because I knew that I would die if I intervened."

    His words sounded like an excuse no matter how much he tried to make none. Lucas would never hear them because he died for his beliefs. He died for love.

    Niki was scared by his actions. This man was the anomaly, not the world. This man would die for what he believed in and would die for others, but that was abnormal.

    "I was right, Sergio," smiled Niki as he fell to his knees by the corpse. "All those who be my friends end up dying. I was right for pushing you away," he said as he closed Lucas'' eyes.

    Lucas was as young as him, but he was far stronger than he could ever be. This man trusted Niki and sacrificed himself for his love, all to prove his beliefs.

    "I never asked you, Lucas. I never asked you why you love her. I never asked you why you wanted to be the strongest. There were so many things I did not ask, but you trusted me anyway."

    Niki knew that he had a n to follow and was wasting his time. The Gate of Celestia was still open for him to sneak into it using the secret in the tablet. However, Niki did not move.

    "Maybe I have changed," he told the corpse as he looked at his palms. "I should be twenty-eight years old, but I still repeat the same mistakes. Why did I drag you into this? I did the right thing with Sergio; why couldn''t I push you away too?"

    There was no answer, and Niki did not need to hear it. Instead, his eyes turned toward the sky where the two demigods fought against each other, vying for supremacy. His time was running short.

    "Lucas?" a voice arrived behind him, and Niki turned to look at the edge of the pond. There was none other than Saint Maria, who the Fairy Queen saved. "Lyle¡­ what happened? What is wrong with¡­"

    The princess walked deeper into the empty pond where Niki sat beside the corpse. Her eyes shook as she saw the hole in her friend''s chest and the blood that was starting to dry.

    "The Fairy Queen reced you," said Niki as he turned back toward the corpse. "However, we did not know that. Lucas thought that you were held captive, and she told him to pierce his heart."

    "You are lying," she took a step back. "Lucas can''t be dead. There is no way that he died!" Maria started shaking as she shouted. Niki turned to her, tilting his head. It was then that he realized why the princess changed after the assassination attempt.

    Lucas died in the previous timeline, sacrificing himself to save the princess. This timeline was the same, and Lucas died to protect her. This is how the princess breaks apart.

    "Tell me that you are lying," she said as she inched closer, her mouth twitching into a smile. "This must be one of his pranks. He wants to see how I react if he was gone, right?"

    Niki stared at the princess as she started to lose her mind. Finally, he rose and walked toward her before raising his hand and pping her. Her cheek was red, and she seemed shaken.

    "Lucas died," he said. "However," Niki paused, "I think that you can save him. I need you to ept his death because only then can you save him."

    "Save¡­ him?" she muttered with confusion as she touched her face. "I can save him?" the princess looked uncertain before she turned toward the corpse. Then, reality struck her, and tears spilled out of her eyes. "Please, tell me how. Please," she was sobbing.

    Niki was not sure about it himself because it was too soon. The girl in front of him might grow up to be the saint, but she was still just a child with average abilities.

    "I am worthless," she cried, "I can''t do it, Lyle," she wiped away her tears as they flowed down her face. "I call for peace because that is the only thing I can do. I am scared of war because I know how worthless I am in it."

    Another pping sound echoed, and the princess was thrown to the ground. Niki was sorry that he did it again, but they honestly had no time for her self-pity.

    "Listen up, dumb shit," Niki crouched in front of her, and the princess was looking at her with a swollen face. "There is no time left because Lucas was gone for too long. When his soul leaves this world, there is no way that he can return to his body even if you heal it."

    "You want me to heal him?" she frowned before shaking her head. "I can barely heal small wounds. I can never restore a destroyed heart, Lyle. Please, don''t ask me to do this. I will fail."

    "That is fine too," he nodded. "Lucas dies, in that case," as soon as he told her, her body started shaking. Then, the princess stood up, and she wiped away the blood from her mouth.

    "I will do it."

    Niki looked at her and saw the same Saint he met all those years ago. A battle genius who was called the immortal because of her ability.. Saint Maria was the kindest, but she was also named the Ruthless Saint.

 Chapter 166 - Divinity And Reversal

    Chapter 166 ¨C Divinity And Reversal

    Her figure was grace itself, her long blond hair, almost white, dancing behind her. Swords made her bleed, but the wounds disappeared as if fearing to taint her body.

    Thousands of soldiers, thousands of monsters, and they couldn''t take her down. She was called the Immortal Saint because of her divine skill, regeneration.

    Niki stared at her back as she sat on the ground. Her body was shaking, and it was hard to say that she could activate her innate skill in such a short time.

    "You are having difficulties with using your skill because your mastery iscking," Niki exined. "You must be a novice, or even below that. I need you to use your skills believing that it would heal his body."

    BOOM!

    An explosion urred in the sky, and it shook the world. The princess flinched and tried to look upward, but Niki grabbed her head and directed it toward the corpse.

    "I cannot bring him back if it takes too long," Niki exined. "You can either do it now or never."

    "I¡­ need more time¡­" she said, but Niki knew they had no such luxury. He was hesitant about the matter because of the trauma the princess would live with if she failed. However, this was better than not trying.

    "You can''t have more time. Listen," he let go of her head and crouched beside her. The princess looked at his eyes. "I believe in you. I truly do. The world can mock you for your ideals, belittle your strength, and call you useless. However, I know that you are stronger than anyone. You can do this if you try. I have an unwavering belief in you."

    It was inurate to say he believed in her but knew her future. However, the princess did not know that. His confidence in her abilities seemed to shake her core, but she began to calm down.

    "I can''t believe in myself," she said. "So, can I trust your words?"

    "You can. Trust me on this. I never lie, and you should know that. You can do this, and I know that better than anyone."

    "I will try," the princess nodded and closed her eyes. "Please, don''t leave me, Lucas. I need you here. I need you by my side."

    "Listen to my voice," Niki whispered in her ears. "Guide the mana toward your consciousness until you feel like you can move it. Then, dive deeper into your sea of consciousness. There you will find your true self."

    "I can see¡­" she muttered, unexpectedly, "a tree. There is a tree."

    "Are you sure?" Niki frowned, and the princess nodded. This was a terrifying genius if she managed to dive into her consciousness while retaining control over her body.

    A dark emotion overtook his head, and it was envy. Niki had to train for months before mastering this technique, but this genius could do it after simple guidance. This was the difference between them.

    "The tree¡­ is glowing. It is calling for me," the princess panicked, and Niki shook off the darkness within him. "What do I do?"

    "Use mana to exchange the tree, and it will give you its powers in return. Then, use your consciousness to bring out the powers from within your soul and use it on Lucas."

    "I understand," she muttered before her body started glowing. Niki could only watch and wait as she tried to summon more of her powers. This awakening needed years of practice because mana was easier to control but to use one''s will to control the world requires desperation that changes it.

    The princess was glowing, but it was not enough. Her face darkened as she kept trying, but she kept failing. Finally, after trying several times, the princess started coughing blood.

    "I failed," she was tearing up while wiping away the blood. "I can''t make the power listen to me. I used all of my mana, but it was not enough."

    "Drink this," Niki handed her a mana-restore, and she gulped it down readily. "Now, try again. Imagine a world without Lucas and try again. Imagine a world with him and try again. This will be thest time you can save him, so don''t mess it up."

    The princess was shaking but nodded anyway. Then, the world shook again, and Niki nced upward. The Gates of Celestia was closing, but he had a role to y if he wanted to save Lucas.

    "This is thest time, Maria," he turned to the princess who closed her eyes. "Please, prove that I don''t kill anyone who gets close to me."

    His words came out without him noticing it. Niki epted that fact a long time ago, but it seems that he still had hopes that he could fit into this world.

    The princess did not glow anymore, but there was a change in her aura. Niki could feel a nauseating stench leaving her body, and he realized it was divinity. A smile appeared on his face as he realized that his time hade.

    "I need to do this before the princess awakens," he took a few steps toward the corpse, and he could see that Lucas had indeed left this world. However, he can feel it. His soul has yet to leave.

    Niki opened his mouth, and his fangs shone in the light. Then, as he crouched beside Lucas, he revealed his neck before biting into it. There was a feeling of disharmony as he tried to devour the soul of his friend and a sense of euphoria because this soul was more powerful than he had ever tasted.

    The Curse of The Banished was craving food, but Niki knew that he could not devour his friend''s soul. So, as he raised his head to the sky, the ethereal matter left Lucas''s body and gathered in his hand.

    [You have extracted a living soul.]

    Niki grinned as he read the notification. It seems that he did not need to devour the soul but could just extract it. At that moment, Maria opened her eyes, and divinity exploded from her body.

    "What are you doing?" her hair flew upward as the power of life brimmed in her body. Niki turned toward her with a smile before pushing the corpse toward her.

    "Heal it so I can return his soul to his body," he said, and Maria looked at him with suspicious eyes. Niki could feel that she changed after summoning her powers, and maybe this change was the reason behind the title Ruthless Saint.

    The fight above stopped as the aura of divinity appeared in the princess. The two fighting figures red at the scene with confusion.

    "My¡­ offering¡­!"

    Vyxas was wrathful because he did not receive the offering that contained a Divine Fragment. Lilith and the Queen were confused because no one foresaw that the useless pacifist princess had the willpower to be a candidate.

    "I will trust you," Saint Maria walked toward the corpse and ced her hands on him. "Live for me, Lucas."

    Her power exploded from her body, gentle and healing. Niki felt like his body was rejecting this power because of the banishment, but it was not holy in any way, only divine.

    The change appeared in Lucas almost instantly. The wounds began to close, and his heart began to regenerate. His pale skin returned to a healthy rosy shade. However, he was still not breathing, and there was no life within him.

    "This is my role now," Niki said as he walked closer and crouched beside the princess. "This will also be my farewell gift, princess."

    "What are you saying?" she was confused.

    "I will leave after this, and I hope we never meet again. If we do, then we will kill each other. I know so," he smiled before pushing the soul into the body. "Let''s hope this works."

    Light exploded from within Lucas''s body as the soul remerged with the healthy corpse. The world rejected the reversal, but Niki used his darkness to shield them.

    "You are¡­" the princess looked at the dark dome around them, "a dark being?" she asked with shock.

    "I always have been," he smiled. "You will kill me the next time that we meet, princess. Until then, don''t get yourself killed. Can I ask you for onest favor?"

    "What is it?" she frowned.

    "Please, tell Lucas I am sorry."

    After saying his farewell, Niki slipped into the darkness, leaving the princess. The dark dome began to crack as light exploded around them to blind the world.

    When the light died down, Maria was able to see again. She looked around her, and they were still in the pond, with her retainer gone. A groan leaked from the corpse in front of her, and it made her flinch.

    "Lucas?" she threw herself at him, and the man groaned again. "You are alive¡­ This is not a dream, right? Please tell me you are alive," she started crying.

    "You are¡­ alive too¡­" Lucas smiled. "His n worked, after all," he said knowingly, almost with relief. Maria had so many questions, but a shout from above startled her.

    "You dare deceive me?" the shout was hoarse, and it came from none other than Miss Aya she knew.. Maria looked upward, and she could see darkness running across the sky atop the celestial hand, straight toward the Gates of Celestia.

 Chapter 167 - Bell Of Blasphemy

    Chapter 167 ¨C Bell Of sphemy

    The scene was one all would live to remember and tell. This news was going to shake the world, and their impact was stronger than anyone dared to imagine, even the culprit himself.

    As the darkness appeared into the world, the crowd realized that a dark being had appeared. These beings were known as the world''s bane, and all races despised them. The reason was simple. These beings were not a part of this world.

    "You dare deceive me?" the wrathful cry shook the world stronger than Vyxas''s shout, and the person in question was none other than Lilith, whom Niki had brought to this ritual.

    The darkness made way for him to run through, and it was all the darkness he could create. However, none of the demigods were holy, and his darkness was the bane of elements.

    Of course, there was a limit for how much it could withstand before breaking. Lilith chased after him like a hurricane that swallowed everything into it. The divine arms also attacked him, but his darkness brought him momentary protection.

    "¡­boom! boom!"

    Explosive noises rang around Niki as he sprinted forward as if his life depended on it, and it did. The arms were one thing, but if Lilith managed tond a strike¡­ death it is.

    Niki ran across the sky while also avoiding the arms. The divinity concentrated into this world made it impossible for him to enter his stealth because his darkness was still too weak to sustain the dark dimension.

    "I need to reach the gates," he muttered as his eyes nced backward. However, there was no way that he was going to outrun Lilith. The only reason he managed to reach half the distance toward the gates was his head start while she was busy fighting the Fairy Queen.

    "Are you saying that he is not your generals?" the Fairy Queen also sounded wrathful because of Niki, who also deceived her into attacking Lilith.

    Niki wanted Lilith to attack the divine descent to weaken it, and that was the only reason he could survive against the arms that attacked him from everywhere. However, Vyxas withdrew from this world after the offering failed, which was why Lilith felt deceived.

    The offering should have happened when the Holy Grail was detonated, but Niki used his darkness to destroy the enchantment. Then, Lucas protected the princess who was about to be killed. The Fairy Queen was another pawn that he used, but it did not go as expected.

    ''At least Lucas is alive,'' Niki thought as he ran across the sky. His eyes nced downward, and he could see Lucas standing with Maria''s help. ''Do not die easily, bastard.''

    Lucas moved his lips with a terrified face. Niki realized that he was warning him, and he looked upward to see Lilith descending toward the arm.

    BOOM!

    "AAAAAAH!" the arms screamed as Lilith descended, breaking the divine arm and bending it. "Mortal¡­!" the god''s voice was wrathful, but Lilith did not care. The arm crashed into the ceiling, and the ritual ground crumbled.

    Her eyes snapped open as she looked around, but the darkness was fleeting, and there was no one here. Then, after a few seconds, a figure jumped out of her shadow and stood in front of her.

    "Hello there, Miss Aya, who is not Miss Aya," smiled Niki mockingly. "I did not lie to you, did I? The ritual happened, but you were too weak to seize this chance."

    "You bastard," Lilith stomped on the ground and bolted forward. "Greet death for me," she said with a crazed grin before striking with her dagger. Niki smiled as he lifted both hands to block the attack. "Foolish!"

    Niki saw the dagger tear space apart as it radiated incredible power. However, he was not afraid. Niki has managed to withstand one of her attacks in the vision, and he could do it again.

    <ABSOULTE SHIELD>

    The barrier appeared one centimeter around his body, covering it all like another skin. The dagger struck his palms, but the weapon did not break his skin.

    "Impossible¡­!" her expression showed iprehension, and it was a delight for Niki''s eyes. Then, as she pushed against him, Niki grinned at her.

    "I will kill you one day, Lilith," his eyes showed his unwavering resolve for revenge. "I will cut your limbs and drink your blood. But, wait for me," as he said so, Niki jumped, and her attack made him fly away toward the Celestial Gates.

    [-7829 DMG!]

    Her attack was enough to send him toward death with not even a single cell left. However, his Absolute Shield did not betray him. Niki watched as the Gates of Celestia were in front of him, and he started following the tablet''s instructions.

    "Open for me, Abyss," his darkness exploded in front of him. "This is my offering to the fallen gods, so let me in!"

    The runes inscribed within his sea of consciousness left his body and merged with his power before creating a giant arrow. The arrow flew to strike the celestial gates, and a crack made the world tremble.

    "I will never let you run away!"

    A shout came from behind him, and Niki could feel that Lilith threw her dagger toward him. His teeth gnashed against each other as the darkness and the runes dug through the gates.

    He obtained these runes from reading the tablet aloud after Taly deciphered it. They were the ones forced upon sinners of the past to send them into the Abyss, where the darkness was overflowing.

    The darkness was his home, so Niki did not fear it. As the dagger flying toward him was about to strike his back, the Gates of Celestia were broken.

    DING!

    A bell rang that shook the world. It reached the furthest ends known to man, awakening ancient creatures from their slumber. This was the Bell of sphemy, only ringing when someone dared to go against Celestia.

    DING!

    From the highest of heavens and through the infinite skies to reach the deepest of valleys, the bell rang to announce heavens'' wrath.

    DING!

    The bell rang again as Niki disappeared from the world of mortals. The dagger struck the gate and fell toward the ground, creating a giant crater as itnded.

    "That dark being¡­ seeded¡­" the priest muttered on the ground with horror. "The monster has sneaked into Celestia¡­ the Bell of sphemy rang three times¡­ this is bad¡­ this is bad¡­ heavens show mercy¡­" the priest fell to his knees as he started crying."

    "What does this mean, priest?" asked the Bestial Prince who stood beside him. "What was that bell?"

    "Your highness," the priest turned to the prince as if he was his final hope. "You have to report this to his majesty. This cannot do, this cannot do. The heavens are wrathful. We need to prepare or¡­" the man began shaking.

    "Talk sense, priest," frowned the Bestial Prince. "What is going to happen?"

    "We are doomed. We are doomed. We are doomed," the priest kept repeating as he fell to his knees, going back and forth. Then, the Bestial Prince realized that the man had gone insane.

    The crowd did not know what this event meant, but the world will soon learn of this. Celestia was wrathful against the darkness, and the hunt willmence again. However, this was not the beginning of a ughter.

    "The bell," muttered Lilith as the Fairy Queennded beside her. "I cannot believe that it happened this quickly. We should have had more time to prepare¡­"

    "What is going on, whore?" asked the Fairy Queen. "Have you finally lost your mind?"

    "This is not the time," said Lilith before turning toward her rival. "You need to go back to your domain, now. They are awakening."

    "Are you talking about¡­" froze the Fairy Queen. "That is nothing but a legend. The darkness has been banished for thousands of years."

    "When there is light, there is always darkness," said Lilith as she walked toward the dagger and picked it up, looking at her reflection on its surface. "That dark being¡­ I was blind to miss it," she gritted her teeth.

    "I was a fool for being deceived, too," frowned the Queen. "However, it told us nothing but the truth. That was the reason we believed him. It used our weaknesses against us. The only question is¡­ how did it know?"

    "I am unaware myself," Lilith answered with a sigh. "Thou desire to fight against mine?"

    "Haha,"ughed the queen. "Your words are slipping back into the ancient tongue. Tell me, whore. Do you know who that dark being is, and how did it know all of this?"

    "I don''t know," Lilith corrected her speech and shook her head. "I thought it was an interesting seedling, but it turned out to be a poison that is going to kill this world. This creature knows of secrets that none should know."

    "Then, what is going to happen now?"

    "Are you an idiot?" frowned Lilith. "We need to prepare before they arrive.. Otherwise," she paused, "this world will be destroyed."

 Chapter 168 - After War

    Chapter 168 ¨C After War

    The world was shaken, and the kings, emperors, and presidents called for their historians and priests. The bell that rang through the sky was soon revealed as the one foreseen since ancient times.

    The End''s Beginning.

    The world was shaken, and the event that transpired spread like wildfire, reaching the farthest ces on earth. However, those most affected by the news were the Rosia Kingdom for reasons unrted to Celestia.

    "My daughter was attacked?" muttered the aged man sitting on the throne as his subjects trembled in fear. His cane struck the ground, making the gold of the hall ring as he rose to his feet. "My Petals," he waved his hand, and four figures appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Bring the princess back, and kill anyone who stands in your way, even if it was the Bestial King himself."

    "As youmand, my lord," they replied in unison before they turned into petals that danced in the wind. The nobles trembled in fear at the appearance of the strongest people his majesty had.

    "Your Majesty," his advisor stepped forward. "Master Edward seems to have been missing for a few days," he said with worry.

    "Thest person we need to worry about is your master," replied the king as he sat back down, his eyes far-seeing and wise. "However, this seems far too nned. The Bestial King cannot be the one behind such borate scheme that uses demigods as pawns."

    "I hear that the assassination failed because the dark being was someone the princess assigned as her retainer."

    "I remember her mentioning him in her letter," the king stroked his beard. "I never thought that such a creature would get so close to my daughter. How did Edward miss such a threat?"

    "I gathered a report about him from our knights over there," said the advisor as he advanced. "This dark being was none other than a young man, no older than the princess. I wanted to get a portrait of his face, but it seems he wore a mask with most people, except for her highness."

    "Then we will wait for her return," answered the king with a grin. "That dark being has infiltrated Celestia, and whatever he brings out will change this world. I must get my hands on him."

    The advisor was silent because he did not know what to say. His lord was too ambitious, ignoring the fact that this dark being might bring them doom instead of a fortune. A bad feeling told the advisor that his kingdom might suffer the most from this event.

    The army sallied toward the Bestial Kingdom. Their finals stop being Alil vige. However, their march came to a halt because they received news that the beastmen were assembling their troops.

    ***

    "I told you that I recovered," Lucas told her, but Maria found it hard to believe. His dead body was still imprinted into her mind, refusing to disappear, even if the owner was now alive.

    "You died, Lucas," she insisted as she stood in front of him to protect him. "Let us handle these monsters. You can jointer."

    The ogres roared as they attacked at the barricade of warriors. The old Knights'' Captain was in the lead, fighting against the ogres while the rest fought to protect their princess.

    "The reinforcements are here!" a noble pointed toward the sky as a colorful signal died its blue. "We can survive this!"

    Maria sighed with relief when she saw the signal. Her eyes met those of the Bestial Prince, who she danced with, and he was smirking.

    "I will have you," he mouthed to her before walking away with his general. The ogres started fighting ferociously, and the prince could no longer be seen.

    The ogres screamed as the reinforcements attacked them from behind. Their troops were in disarray, allowing the knights to reach their princess.

    "We need to go," she grabbed Lucas, who was still looking toward the sky at the remnants of divine energy. His eyes were unwilling to go because he expected his friend toe out at any moment. "Lyle is gone."

    "I still don''t understand why he wanted to sneak into Celestia," sighed Lucas. "That bastard didn''t even say goodbye," he grumbled as he allowed the princess to guide him through the sea of soldiers.

    "I feel like you knew about his secret," she nced back at him, and Lucas sheepishlyughed. "You trusted a dark being, Lucas. This is beyond stupidity."

    "That dark being was the one to save me," Lucas smiled as he ced his hand on his chest. "I can still remember how he saved my soul from the darkness."

    "He was the darkness," she emphasized. "But," she paused as she turned toward the front, "I don''t think he was a bad person."

    "I am sure that he had his reasons, but in the end, both of us are alive," smiled Lucas.

    "Lyle told me to tell you that he was sorry," she said, and the man she was pulling froze. Then came a sniff from behind her, making her turn her head. "Are you crying?"

    "I am not!" denied Lucas. "Something got into my eyes. That liar can act all cold, but he turned out to be quite soft, hehe. I knew that I could trust him."

    "You would trust a stranger holding a knife to your throat. You are that stupid," Maria sighed as they got to the other side, where her knights waited.

    "My princess," came forward the old knight, "I am d you are safe and sound. We need to take you out of this city immediately."

    "I will rely on you, Captain," she said before turning away. "I want no man left behind. We will ride toward the nearest border to escape. Our army should be on the other side. This might be the beginning of a war, so we need to be prepared."

    The knights saluted their princess as their blood boiled. This was the first time their princess was so assertive inmand, making them secretly proud. Lucas stared at her silently.

    "Are you fine with wars now?"

    "I am far from fine," she gritted her teeth. "However, today, I almost lost you because I believed that peace is possible. I was wrong. The only way for peace is to defeat those who oppose you. That is true peace," Maria said with conviction.

    Lucas was silent before he sighed and smiled. Then, as the knights prepared horses for them, he slipped his hand into hers. "I will follow you no matter what you want."

    His words made her heart bloom with warmth, and Maria felt conflicted because the one who made this feeling possible was a dark being. Her educators always ensured that she knew how dangerous and corrupted the dark beings were.

    However, now, Maria did not know what to think anymore. The person she was taught to hate and fight turned out to be the person who helped the most when everyone cowered. Her knight captain was a traitor, and her love was dead. A dark being was the one who saved her and gave her Lucas back.

    ''I need to find out the truth,'' she vowed. ''The world changed today, and I need to change too. Otherwise¡­ I will lose him again,'' her hand tightened around his hand, and he smiled.

    Maria realized that her previous beliefs were foolery, even though she was ready to give away her life for them. However, the only reason she hated war was her childhood friend. If peace were to take him, she would lead the battle herself.

    They rode toward the border with several toons chasing them. Lucas used his wind to increase the distance between them by splitting the air in front of them and pushing their enemies back.

    "Break through the border!" a knight shouted, and Maria turned away from the one she was healing. This man used to have half of his abdomen shed through, but now he was as good as new.

    This was another gift left behind by Lyle. The amount of healing mana she used to take from the tree was a joke, and she could now use a lot more.

    The border was a giant wall without a magical barrier like Rosia had. The knights gathered their skills and fired toward the wall, bringing down arge portion of it.

    Their escape was a sess from the Fera Kingdom, but their expressions changed when they witnessed whaty beyond the walls. An army of beastmen was fighting against their Rosian Knights.

    "The beginning of our war," muttered Lucas with apathy. "I cannot say that I am surprised by how prepared both armies are," he said with a smirk.

    Maria realized that he was right. She was naive to believe that her kingdom also wanted peace. However, the words he told her before he left were like thest strand of hope she had to bring peace. Although now she knows that peace is whates after war.

 Chapter 169 - The Great Unseen

    Chapter 169 ¨C The Great Unseen

    Tanari fastened his saddle to his horse, preparing for the dangerous ride. As the merchant slipped one rope into another, he prayed for the safety of his caravan.

    "We finished loading the potions, sir!" one of his workers rushed forward to notify him. The merchant nodded and sighed, then looked ahead toward the great darkness.

    "I miss those days of safety," muttered the merchant, and it seems his words were overheard by their lord who was apanying them, who happened to be walking over.

    "There is no path but forward, dear friend," smiled the young woman who had twin tails. "Those who fail to adapt to the world will be eaten by its darkness."

    "I know, young miss," sighed Tanari as he bowed. "I only regret not knowing that this darkness will cut all trade routes. We would have made a tremendous profit in these times if we stored for what was toe."

    "No one has foreseen the darkness, not even the great oracles," the young woman turned toward the wall of darkness far ahead. "This world is changing, and we need to ept that. The Great Unseen will not be an obstacle in my business."

    "I will make sure of it," Tanari bowed down again, and the young woman patted his shoulder. Her warmth made him more excited to personally serve the genius of the Rosia Kingdom and the one who shone the most during this crisis.

    Despite his confident words, Tanari was far from confident about crossing The Great Unseen, which was the darkness that had overtaken the world over a month ago.

    His eyes returned toward the darkness surrounding the city they were leaving. For a brief moment, his eyes picked up a ripple across the void, but it was impossible to see such a thing.

    It was called The Great Unseen because nothing could be seen inside it. Therefore, they had to use holynterns provided by the Church of Light to cross the darkness.

    "I will ride in front of the goods," his young miss dered, and the panic made him forget about the ripple in the darkness. Tanari hurried over to her carriage before her young miss got herself killed, and in turn, got him executed.

    "Please ride in the middle, young miss," Tanari begged with tears in his eyes. "The master will kill me if anything happens to you."

    "As you should," she yfully giggled, her straight-cut bangs dancing as sheughed. "There is no way that I will die, and you would still be alive, Tanari. So rest easy," she said before boarding the first carriage.

    After her words, Tanari was far from resting easily. The darkness was dangerous, and it was filled with unforeseen danger. The only benefit of the darkness is the monsters feared it just as much.

    However, that was for a good reason, and the creatures lived within it. Tanari sighed as he looked at his lord, wearing her holy mask.

    There was nothing more that he could do. Tanari took out his mask, which was the only way to survive The Great Unseen. He stared at it for a long time, admiring the perseverance and adaptability of all races.

    The darkness appeared one month ago, destroying arge portion of their world. The Great Unseen crawled from the depths of unchartednds as if a great celestial giant shed the world apart. Like a spiderweb, the darkness surrounded most of their kingdoms and cities.

    However, humans and the other races were far from being helpless. They found ways to see in the darkness and ways to go into it without being devoured. Tanari wondered how many people fell for the darkness before these masks were created.

    ''This is the wheel of advancement, and those who fall behind are crushed,'' he bitterly thought as he wore the mask. ''I wish that nothing dangerous happens on this trip.''

    His young miss was the genius of her family and the princess of their businesses. But, unfortunately, she was far from the Rosian Capital when the darkness overtook the world. Now, Tanari needed to ensure that she returned safely to her father. Otherwise, his blood will dye the pavement.

    "Let''s sail across the unknown!" Tanari raised his sword and pointed it forward, screaming on top of his lungs. The people behind him were frightened, but they were nheless homesick.

    Their horses were each equipped with a holy saddle that created a barrier around them. This was the only way for them to survive the darkness.

    The horses galloped forward, and their journey began. A feeling of disharmony overtook Tanari as he stared into the darkness. The darkness looked like a void, and it was the end of the world. There can never be anything behind it, even if they knew there was ground for them to walk and distance to cover.

    "Brace yourselves! Lanterns, prepare yourselves! Make sure your masks are well equipped and never breathe if they fall off!" Tanari shouted in a single breath, and three priests scattered across the caravan.

    A young priest rode beside Tanari and the carriage of the young miss before taking out antern and reciting his mantras. Tanari listened as they approached the darkness, and the prayers worked to ease his heart.

    "Merciful god of light," muttered the young priest. "Please guide us through the darkness you have banished and lead us to salvation. Through your strength, mercy, and light, we shall defeat the darkness of the world. Show us the way, Great Light!"

    Light exploded from thentern and spread to cover the caravan as he finished his words. Then, they entered the darkness, and the world disappeared around them.

    ***

    Cecily stared out of her window with an excited smile. The world disappeared after they had entered the darkness, and her hands did not stop taking notes about this experience.

    "How d I am to be alive in this era!" she eximed with almost zeal. Her hands danced across the pages, recording everything her eyesy on, and this was the particr skill that made her the genius of her house.

    Cecily could still remember her life before the darkness arrived. It was boring and repetitive. So many times, she wished that she lived in an era where magic had yet to be discovered and mysteries were everywhere.

    This was her only hobby in this world: to uncover mysteries and find the truth behind them. Cecily almost shivered from the pleasure of going into the unknown.

    She saw her dreams in The Great Unseen. What could be more attractive than a great expanse ofnd that no light reached? This was a dream for every explorer of truths like herself!

    "Ah, how I wish to live here forever," she muttered as the pages flipped while she stared through her window. Her carriage was molded after a study not to waste any time on the road, making her life more efficient.

    "The darkness is ever-stretching, but it seems that the holy light has a powerful effect against it. I cannot help but believe this is a genius ploy from the holy gods to profit. Maybe this is the start of the era of light, instead of that of darkness."

    This was one of her paragraphs, and she signed it. This was a habit of hers, to sign everything she found to be of great importance. What if someone read her notes after the truth was revealed? That is why she also included the date.

    The recording of her surroundings never stopped, all to the finest of details: blueprints of the devices, the interaction of mana with the darkness, the state of the affected soil, the corpses left behind, and the nts which withered.

    Then, a figure appeared across her pages. Cecily frowned and froze because she had seen someone standing in the darkness. Her mind thought of countless possibilities as to why, and she reached an intellectual answer instantly.

    This must be someone who was left behind by a previous caravan, and they chanced toe across him before he died. Cecily realized this was her chance to meet someone who experienced the darkness first hand, and she jumped out of her chair.

    "Tanari!" she screamed and opened her window, making her retainer flinch and unsheathe his sword. "Calm down. I think I saw someone in the darkness. We should stop for a bit and help him."

    "I will never, young miss!" shouted Tanari with an expression of disbelief. "You can never know what is in this darkness! It can be the illusion of a monster, and that is not the first!"

    Cecily wanted to object, but she realized something. Her face changed before she went back into her carriage, mming the window behind her.

    Her fingers danced across the pages as she flipped toward the drawing she had of that figure. It looked to be a young man, but she did not draw the features of his face. However, the sketch was enough to tell her one thing: the young man was not wearing a mask.

    "A person who can survive the darkness on their own?" her body trembled. Then, however, the carriage came to a sudden stop, and Cecily was thrown against the arm of her chair.

    "A monster! Knights, attack!" shouted Tanari from outside, and a soul-shaking roar rang in her ears. Cecily felt her soul warning her against this monster, but her curiosity was far greater than any fear.

    After jumping out of her chair, the young miss ran toward the front of the carriage and slid the small window open to see.. A giant hound that oozed darkness and had rotten flesh was blocking their path.

 Chapter 170 - Immortal Monsters?

    Chapter 170 ¨C Immortal Monsters?

    Cecily felt her blood slow down, and she could hear her breathing. It was slow, in resonance to the world. The dark being in front of them was a giant monster, almost five times as big as her carriage.

    ''I will die,'' she realized as her eyes met those of the hound. This creature destroyed everything it touched, including her. ''Where would I go after I die?'' she couldn''t help but wonder.

    "Attack!" the shout of her old retainer, Tanari, brought her back to reality. Skills rained from the sky on the hound, and it howled. The darkness it oozed worked to render their attacks helpless, making them despair.

    "An immortal creature?" muttered Cecily with confusion. "There must be a way to kill it. That is right," she ran toward the window and flung it open. "Use the blessings!" she shouted to the knights, who all turned toward the young priest in the front.

    "Young priest, please," Tanari rushed toward him, and the man nervously nodded. The hound howled again as the man began to recite his mantras.

    "Great Light, please give us strength in these times of darkness," the priest began, and the holy light radiating from him. "Give strength to your knight to defeat the darkness," he gave a few gestures and touched the back of Tanari.

    The old retainer aimed his sword toward the hound, who sensed the holy energy and grew wrathful. It ran toward their direction with saliva sshing on the ground, corroding it like acid.

    "Tanari!" shouted Cecily from her carriage, and the old retainer gritted his teeth and raised his sword. Holy light began to gather on his sword before the man shed toward the giant dark being.

    Light dyed the world white as the retainer brought down his sword. The light traveled in an arc toward the monster, but it suddenly disappeared. Cecily could not pinpoint the hound, and her sight darted everywhere.

    "Where is it?" she muttered while looking around. A ssh of saliva fell from in front of her, making her confused. Cecily slowly raised her head upward and watched the hound towering over the carriage.

    "Young miss!"

    Tanari shouted with horror, but Cecily had no idea what was happening. A whistling sound was followed by the carriage crashing behind her, and Cecily could feel the vehicle flying in the air. As a result, she was mmed to her chair and ended up coughing blood.

    The flying carriage struck the young priest, and she heard his screams. Then, as the carriage started rolling over the dark soil, Cecily grabbed tight into her chair to avoid flying away.

    Her pathetic stats helped her hang tight to the chair until the carriage stopped moving. Cecily finally let go, and nausea from spinning so much made her vomit her stomach.

    The acids from her bowel burned her throat, and she felt the world spin. However, she knew that she had to crawl out. Her mask smelled like vomit, but she could not take it off.

    Cecily crawled out as her head bled, making her vision blurry. Noises came from outside as the knights fought against the hound. The young miss pulled herself out of the carriage and fell on the hard graveled soil.

    "Ha, ha, ha," she was breathing rapidly, and the blood dyed her vision red. She finally managed to see the battle by using the carriage to stand.

    "Use your swords! Blessings, priest!"

    "Do not run! It will hunt you down!"

    The knights shouted as they surrounded the hound, but nothing worked against it. Then, finally, Cecily realized that she was too foolish to think she could survive The Great Unseen and its mysteries.

    "The Great Unseen," she coughed. "And of immoral monsters," she wiped away the blood on her mouth. "Humanity has received the cruelest of punishments."

    A body flew toward her carriage and crashed into it as she finished her words. Cecily closed her eyes and slowly opened them, watching the man bleeding on the ground.

    "Young miss¡­" it was none other than Tanari. "I am d¡­ that you are alive," he turned toward her with a smile. "Please, run."

    Her eyes were filled with tears before she realized it. Cecily walked by using the carriage as support until she was next to the knight. His chest was bleeding, and one of his arms was gone.

    "I am sorry, Tanari," she cried. "I thought that we could do it. I was wrong. I never thought that not even the holy priests could do anything against these monsters. I am," she sobbed, "so sorry."

    "A small sacrifice for the sake of advancement," Tanari quoted her words with a smile. "However, the schr must survive. You are the only person that can save the world from these monsters. You will find a way."

    "You will be there," she smiled, but the old knight shook his head. His rough hands pushed her away, and she fell on her lower back. Tanari stood up from the carriage, and his blood gushed out like running water.

    "Please, run away!" he shouted while raising his sword. "The rest have died! Run from this ce and never look back! Try to find a way out of the darkness!"

    "Tanari, I need you, please," she was crying, but the hound was walking toward them. His paws were as big as Tanari''s body, and there was no way that he could survive.

    "This is my duty," the retainer raised his sword. "I am proud to give my life for your sake, Miss Cecily. But, please, don''t forget me."

    The hound raised his ws and attacked the retainer, who shouted and blocked his attack. Cecily knew he was sacrificing his life for her sake, but she was too scared to stand. As her body shook, Cecily felt her mentality break down.

    "That was embarrassing to hear," a voice pulled her out of her spiraling, and it came from behind her. Cecily looked back and saw a figure emerge from the darkness. "Knights are the most idiotic humans, I swear."

    A cloaked man strolled toward the carriage, and Cecily realized that she had seen him before. Her perfect memory pulled out his figure and confirmed that he was the same man she had seen earlier.

    "Please, help us," she muttered, unknowingly trusting this man. Maybe she had no other choice but to seek his help, but he did not answer her words. Cecily tried to see his face, but it was covered with darkness. "Are you¡­ a dark being?"

    "You do not need to say it with such disgust," grinned the man as he passed by her. "That is not how you ask for help."

    Cecily slowly turned back toward the hound, and she could see the young man standing next to it. The knight was still blocking the monster''s attack as the man stood beside him.

    "Who¡­ are you¡­?" asked Tanari as he coughed blood. The man did not answer and simply stared at the giant hound.

    The hound suddenly vanished and reappeared several meters away from them. The retainer fell to his knees, and his remaining arm could no longer move.

    "Grrrrrr¡­"

    The hound was growling at the slim figure of the man, and Cecily realized that it was afraid. The man did nothing in response and simply stared at it.

    "Are you trying to fight me, dog?" grinned the man as his darkness exploded. "You are an ant in front of me, and you know that. Attack and I will eat you," his long fangs glittered in the light of thenterns.

    Cecily watched as the hound suddenly whimpered and turned around to flee. The cloaked man did not chase it and watched as the giant monster cut a sorry figure, running away.

    "Your friend is going to die, missy," the man turned toward her and pointed at the bleeding Tanari. "Hurry up and take care of him."

    "Tanari!" her body could move again, and she rushed forward. But, unfortunately, her savior did not stay by their side and instead walked toward the corpses on the ground.

    Cecily took out potions from her ring and poured one after the other, but the wounds were too severe, and the darkness hindered the magic. Tanari was dying, and she had no idea how to save him.

    "Please, tell me how I can save him," she begged the man who was examining the holy masks one of the dead knights wore. He paused and turned around.

    "You cannot treat him without holy power," he said before turning back toward the mask. Cecily looked around and saw one of thenterns on the ground.

    The young woman rushed toward thentern and then broke it, took out the holy water within it, and poured it on Tanari. The man began to spasm as the darkness left his body, then the potions started healing his wounds.

    Cecily sighed in relief and turned toward the man, who had now stood up and was looking at her. She could feel her heart almost leaping out of her chest as he stared at her.

    "I have no expectations since you look like an idiot noble. However, what is the date? Where are we, and what is this darkness?"

 Chapter 171 - Summoning Undeads

    Chapter 171 ¨C Summoning Undeads

    Cecily blinked her eyes twice, thrice, but still did not process his questions. This dark being, human, or monster, had no idea about The Great Unseen. She wondered if this was the case for all dark beings living inside?

    "I guess I was too hopeful to ask a noble," sighed the dark being and then started to walk away. Cecily stared at his back before she snapped out of her daze.

    "This is The Great Unseen," she exined. "It appeared a month ago and overtook the world. It has no regr borders and looks like a spiderweb that covers the world."

    "And of darkness," paused the dark being before turning toward her. "How interesting. The date?"

    "Ah, it is 2217, May 29th. Um, are you a dark being or a human?"

    "May¡­ it has been a while since I was gone, it seems," the dark being left without answering her questions. Cecily panicked because both Tanari and her would die for sure if he left.

    "Please, help us out of this space!"

    The dark being stopped moving all of a sudden. Cecily held her breath, waiting for him to leave her or attack. Instead, however, a tired sigh came from the man before he turned toward her.

    "Follow me," he said before disappearing into the darkness. Cecily was confused, but she did not waste her chance.

    Tanari was heavy, but she could lift him since she had absorbed strength crystals before. The only issue was the difference in their size, which made her drag his legs behind her.

    The dark being did not stop to help but kept walking forward. Cecily could feel her chest burning as she tried to stay awake. The darkness tried to devour her lungs, but the holy water in the masks worked as a purifier. Before she left, she looked back at her caravan and her dead followers.

    "I won''t wait for you to cry," he said and kept going. Cecily gritted her teeth and turned away from her deadrades and wasted fortune, prioritizing the living over the dead.

    Her legs ached, and at some point, she tore away her dress to move more freely. However, the man did not help her carry Tanari, and she never asked him to help her. It was only logical that a creature of darkness stays away from a man covered in holy water.

    After some time, her leather shoes were torn, and they started to make her trip. Cecily threw them away and kept following the man into the darkness. She left footprints of blood as she dragged her retainer.

    No monster appeared to hinder them as if the man in front of her knew how to avoid them. Instead, he kept inaudibly muttering as if trying to remind himself of something.

    "We reached the end," the man stopped walking and turned toward her. "A few meters from here, the darkness ends. I never thought you could carry him here. You deserve to live."

    "Ha, ha," she was panting as she looked at the man. "I thank you for everything. This is a debt I will never forget. My name is¡­"

    "I don''t want us to meet again," the man interrupted her as he started walking back. "This is not a debt, but a trade. I have already obtained my payment from you."

    "I never gave you anything," she was confused. Cecily looked at the man''s back, disappearing into the darkness as an ominous feeling overtook her heart. "What is the payment?" she shouted toward the darkness. A voice replied to her, ancient and distant.

    "The souls of yourrades."

    ***

    "A month has passed since I snuck into Celestia," muttered Niki as the darkness parted in front of him. "It seems that my actions caused this darkness. It exins the number of fate points I obtained."

    The events that transpired after he entered the Abyss were still fresh in his mind. However, Niki has underestimated the abode of the sealed gods. It was a wonder how he managed to seed despite the risks.

    "And finally," smiled Niki. "I obtained Val''s powers."

    Niki stopped walking in front of the caravan''s corpses. Their lingering souls have left their bodies and hovered above the massacre site.

    "Lost souls," stared Niki at the swirling ethereal lights that formed clouds, crying their regrets. "I will give purpose to your existence," Niki raised his hands toward the sky.

    A pulse appeared from within him, gravitating and powerful. It came from the fragment he stole from the Abyss containing the Sovereignty over the dead.

    "Gather here, lost ones," invited Niki as his arms stretched and the souls cried in response. "I will give you a home, and you shall rise once again under mymand."

    The souls shrieked in rage, regret, and agony. They gathered above him before diving into his body. Niki could feel their powers strengthening his soul as a notification appeared from his system.

    [You have absorbed fifty-nine lost souls.]

    [Sovereignty Level Up!]

    [You can now use the lost souls to create undead monsters.]

    Niki would have been intrigued if not for the aftermath of absorbing the souls. But, instead, his mind was filled with voices of the souls he absorbed. The hatred toward the world, regrets, and the agony of death were all transferred toward him for the briefest moment.

    His mind was about to break, but another pulse from the Sovereignty Fragment washed away all of the voices. After that, Niki calmed down. It was no wonder that Val warned him about this power.

    Niki was on his knees, breathing in the darkness. Fear blossomed in his heart as he realized that this power might make him rule over the dead, but it filled him with hatred.

    "Hatred is fine too," grinned Niki. "As long as I have the power to take revenge, then everything is fine too. I will make them pay for what they did to me."

    When he was in the abyss, surrounded by demons and sealed gods, in a sea of hatred and darkness, Niki had to confront his hatred toward himself. Niki loathed what he allowed himself to be, but he was wrong.

    "They were the reason that I grew so corrupted, untrusting, and cynical," he staggered while standing. "I will take revenge on everything they took away from me. My dignity, the people I cared for, and my strength. I will," he gritted his teeth, "kill them all."

    His darkness exploded from his body to cover the carriages, corpses,nterns, potions, and gold. It devoured everything, and when he was done, the field was empty except for the blood.

    "This looks like a good spot to summon them," smiled Niki as he walked forward toward the center. Then, the darkness exploded from his hands and gathered to form a giant ck cube. "Sacrifice ten Lost Souls."

    [You can control three undead monsters with your current Sovereignty Level.]

    [You have used ten Lost Souls to summon an undead.]

    [The summoning has begun.]

    An ethereal material left his body and seeped into the ck cube, rotating. The rotation created a mighty wind that pushed Niki back, and the cube started to crack. The process took less than ten seconds until the cube was destroyed and something else came out.

    Niki squinted his eyes to see what he obtained. Then, the dark mist started clearing away to reveal a thin whitish figure. As he recognized the monster, Niki realized how powerful the fragment was.

    [You have summoned one Skeleton Soldier (Lvl. 1)]

    "Tsk, tsk," the teeth of the skeleton gnashed against each other, grinding in rage. It looked around with confusion before spotting Niki. Its joins gave multiple scrapping sounds as it lowered itself into a kneeling position.

    "You are my soldier," muttered Niki, and the Skeleton nodded. "However, you can attack me at any moment. This is mymand. Destroy yourself," Niki threw a sword toward it as hemanded.

    The skeleton picked up the sword without hesitation and shed toward its thigh. A clinging sound echoed as the bone was smashed into pieces, and the undead fell to the ground.

    It did not stop and continued to bash different parts of its body. Niki watched with interest and realized that even though the bones broke, the darkness worked to reattach them to each other as if nothing had happened.

    "You can stop," smiled Niki. "Rise from the ground," hemanded, and the skeleton obeyed and stood in front of him.

    A wide grin appeared on Niki''s face as he realized that his undead would never disobey him, even if hemanded them tomit suicide. However, they would not die as long as he was alive.

    [Undead.]

    This was a sub-menu in his system, in the new feature called Sovereignty. Niki pressed on it and found one soldier, the skeleton.

    When he chose the skeleton, the stats of the undead appeared in front of him. Niki was amazed as he looked at the abnormal stats.

    "This undead is¡­ immortal."

 Chapter 172 - Skeleton Mage

    Chapter 172 ¨C Skeleton Mage

    The stats of the undead were simr to his own, and they were the standard of this world. However, some variations interested Niki.

    [Skeleton Soldier (Lvl. 1)]

    [Rank: Common]

    [Vitality: ¡Þ]

    [Strength: 10]

    [Agility: 10]

    [Intelligence: 10]

    [Mana: -]

    [Skill: Basic Swordsmanship.]

    The three stats, strength, agility, and intelligence, were simr to an average adult man. However, vitality had an infinity sign, meaning this monster could not die. As for mana, it was empty because this skeleton was no mage.

    "An immortal army," pondered Niki. "I am not supplying it with any mana more than the initial summoning. This means that I can grow this army, and my strength will only increase, no way in decreasing."

    This was a terrifying ability. Niki could not see a way for him to grow weaker from here on now. Val was a sealed god for a reason, but this made Niki wonder why he said those words.

    "You are a better fit for this power."

    Niki repeated the words, trying to understand why. As he had no way no knowing, Niki decided that time would reveal the truth. The skeleton disappeared into the darkness and reappeared in his pocket dimension, waiting to be summoned.

    "This summoning should have certain probabilities, right?" smiled Niki. "There was a rank in the skeleton''s stat, and it should mean that I might obtain a higher rank monster."

    [Umon undead monster can be summoned for fifty lost souls. There is a 2% chance of obtaining this monster from amon summoning.]

    The system answered his doubts, and the percentage was low. However, Niki had a lot of fate points after he snuck into Celestia. The number sent chills down his spine every time he looked at it.

    [Fate Points: 12849]

    "¡­" blinked Niki, and the number changed again. "This must be a prank by the system, right?" heughed in disbelief.

    [Fate Points: 12852]

    Niki could only attribute this change because this was a future that did not happen in their past life. His actions of angering Celestia changed the world, and this, in turn, made him earn Fate Points.

    However, the number was absurd. This meant that Niki could change abysmal percentages into a hundred. And the fate points were still increasing even though he was not doing anything.

    This was¡­ a jackpot.

    Niki was never lucky in his past life, or rather, he was always unlucky. This life was different. Luck was something he could control.

    "Then, let us summon an umon monster, shall we?" gulped Niki as he raised his hand toward the cube. Ten Lost Souls left his body and flew toward the cube, and he sacrificed them and his fate points.

    The cube began to spin faster, turning into a great sphere of darkness that was about to destroy everything. Then, the souls seeped into the cube and began to crack again.

    [You have obtained an umon undead monster, Skeleton Mage (Lvl.1).]

    Niki looked at the cube breaking down to reveal the skeleton mage, wearing a robe and holding a cane. There were mes in his eyes as he stared at him, and it hurried to kneel.

    "Ha," Niki couldn''t help butugh at the absurdity. The kneeling skeleton was much more powerful than the Skeleton Solider, and Niki obtained it for a fifth of the price. Hisughter did not cease because no one could stop him with this.

    ***

    [Skeleton Mage (Lvl. 1)]

    [Rank: Umon]

    [Vitality: ¡Þ]

    [Strength: 5]

    [Agility: 5]

    [Intelligence: 20]

    [Mana: 30]

    [Skill: Chaos Arrow]

    Niki sat on arge rock as he chewed on his food. It took a while for him to get hungry, but it was always a weed feeling. It reminded him that he was still not a monster yet.

    The stats in front of him belonged to the mage, with two other skeletons. Niki did not summon another mage because these idiots did not know how to handle a sword. They would be torn apart as soon as the enemy got close, and they needed protection.

    However, their skill was called Chaos Arrow. Niki realized that it was a dark skill, and he was relieved. As that woman called it, the monsters in The Great Unseen were all dark beings.

    "That is to say," Niki swallowed his food. "The dark beings of this future are a lot more than the ones in my past life. This is a worse fate than the apocalypse of a million monsters."

    The dungeon break should be happening in a year, but Niki was not sure about that anymore. These dark beings would eat the monsters before they could even touch humans.

    "The Great Unseen," frowned Niki. "Are you going to dy the end or bring it forward?" this was a tricky question to answer.

    Niki remembers that when he first got his system, he knew that there was a limit for how much he could change the future before there was no future to change. The amount of fate points he received and is still receiving was plentiful. However, they had a price.

    "The future has changed beyond recognition."

    Niki sighed as he turned away from his system and looked at his three followers. The mage was practicing his spells on the skeleton soldiers, destroying them repeatedly.

    "There must be a hierarchy between them," the scene awed him. "They listen to hismands even if I did not ask them to follow them. This is for the best, though."

    An army needed a hierarchy to function. Niki could notmand all his undead on his own. He needed generals to lead different sections. However, that was in the far future.

    Now, he only had three soldiers to follow him around. Of course, Niki could defeat them, but the catch was that they did not die. That means that Niki did not need to worry about them.

    The mage waved his staff and drew a circle that summoned a ck spear of darkness that flew toward the skeleton. Niki watched the upper torso of the skeleton turn into smithereens before it regenerated.

    "They are not truly immortal, though," frowned Niki. "An attack of holy light can destroy the darkness that binds them. When that happens, they will die."

    His lips pressed into a thin line as he watched the proud mage unting his skill to his subordinates. They were monsters, but Niki thought that they were cute for some reason.

    "Gather up, my cute undead," smiled Niki as he called, and the undead ran toward him before kneeling on the ground. "This darkness is your home. Now, we will start hunting, which will be the great beginning of our army. Are you ready?"

    The skeleton could not talk, but they started stomping on the ground with eerieughter. Nikiughed at their excitement before hemanded them to advance.

    "The hunt of the living begins."

    ***

    Niki sat on the ground far away as he watched his skeletons. Their appearance scared whoever their enemy was, but their strength wascking.

    Crunch. Crunch.

    A giant bear was eating one of his skeletons, turning it into a snack. As the bear was eating him, an arrow struck its chest and destroyed it. The bear fell to the ground, dead.

    Niki changed the probability, and the E-rank monster dropped a crystal. His stats were still his major w, but Niki noticed that everything his undead monsters touched would appear in his pocket dimension.

    "This is convenient," muttered Niki before he noticed that his skeleton was taking longer to regenerate. It must be because some of its bones were in the bear''s belly. "However, it is still regenerating."

    It might not be instant, but the regeneration wasplete in a few seconds. This was a terrifying ability befitting the infinite vitality these monsters had. However, rather than having a strong life force, these monsters had none to lose.

    "Well done, now go and kill others," Niki waved his hand, and the skeleton ran into the darkness excitedly as if he was allowing them to y.

    Niki had to do some research of his own. The bear that has just died did not generate any Lost Souls for him. This might mean that the souls needed to be¡­ human.

    However, that was not urate to assume as well. The system was precise with itsbels, and there was a reason that it was named Lost Souls.

    These were those who remained in the world. Therefore, Niki had to do a few experiments to understand how to grow his army. However, it was hard to do so without knowing where he was currently.

    "There is still my payment," remembered Niki as he looked into his subspace. Then, from the countless carriages, he took the one that looked the biggest and most luxurious to take out.

    The carriage appeared, and it was the same that the young woman crawled out from. There must be documents to pinpoint his current location and what he needs to return to Rohan.. After all, he still had people to save and others to kill.

 Chapter 173 - Upgrade Card

    Chapter 173 ¨C Upgrade Card

    "Cecily Rainmaker," read Niki as he sat on top of the carriage. These were the notebook that the woman must have written before they were attacked. "I never imagined this was from that family."

    Rainmakers were ancient people who danced and sacrificed for the gods to make rain fall over thend. These people were seen as symbols of wealth and prosperity.

    The people of Rainmaker House were experts in generating money, the current equivalent of rain. As a result, this house was the Rosia Kingdom''s wealthiest people and possibly the surrounding kingdoms.

    "This caravan belongs to them, and it exins how much gold and materials are in it. This is either my fortune or misfortune because this is a ruthless family."

    The Rainmaker family is known to be quite vengeful. Their power came from money, and money moves the world. After reading this, Niki was sure that a search item targeted these items.

    There was nothing that he could do about this. However, there was nothing that they could do about this either. Their belongings were in a different dimension.

    "Let me see you track this down," smirked Niki as he flipped through the notebook. Then, finally, after a while of reading, he concluded. "This girl is smart but arrogant. Who signs everything they write?"

    However, her notebook was filled with facts about The Great Unseen. As a result, Niki gained a great understanding of the darkness and how it affected the world.

    Trade routes have been destroyed, and the Great Unseen took many people''s lives. This exins that Niki was still receiving Fate Points. The world suffered greatly, and famine struck themon folk.

    However, several holy churches rose to fight against the darkness. Cecily wrote about her suspicions that the holy churches were somehow the most benefited from this darkness, and it made Niki have a good impression of her deduction.

    "This is indeed simr to the previous timeline, but it seems the darkness was the perfect excuse for the Trinity to gain more followers."

    The Trinity were the three holy churches that worshiped three separate gods. Those gods were the ones to banish the darkness long ago and give life to the people. This made their powers holy, unlike the rest of the gods.

    These were his enemies. However, Niki was sure that the whole world would be his enemy at one point. The living cannot coexist with the undead.

    [Skeleton Mage has leveled up!]

    [You have obtained a new card.]

    A notification popped in front of him. Niki had yet to find where he was, but the notice intrigued him. This was the first time the system mentioned something like a card, so he closed the notebook and saw his minions.

    ***

    "Well, it seems you have changed?" blinked Niki as he looked at the mage, who had shiny bones now. "You were the one attacking, so I guess that made you the first to level up."

    The three skeletons in front of him were standing idly next to the corpses of a few monsters. Niki closed his eyes and saw that his pocket dimension had more crystals than before.

    "Good job," grinned Niki. "What card did you obtain?" he asked, but the mage was confused. Niki pondered and opened his system.

    [Undead]

    [Skeleton Soldier (Lvl. 1)]

    [Skeleton Soldier (Lvl. 1)]

    [Skeleton Mage (Lvl. 2)]

    Niki pressed on the mage, and two subitems appeared instead of his earlier stats. In addition to [Stats], a new function called [Cards] was added, blinking in golden.

    After opening it, the image of the mage appeared in front of him. There was also a list beside the image, where a single item was added.

    [Skill Upgrade] [Equip]

    Niki started to understand the card function. It was a way to customize his undead and strengthen them. In addition, this card seemed to allow him to upgrade the skills of his undead, increasing their strength.

    "We humans use crystals, and it seems I can use these cards to strengthen the undead," pondered Niki. "Well, there is only one way to find out what they do."

    Niki equipped the card to his mage skeleton, and a dark light appeared around it. The rest of the skeletons backed away as the mage raised its hands toward the sky.

    "I guess you can feel more powerful," smiled Niki before hemanded. "Use your skill on that rock."

    The skeleton mage waved his cane, and two Chaos Arrows appeared. Niki was amazed that they increased in number after equipping it with the card. Then, he unequipped it and asked the skeleton to use his skill again.

    This time, only one Chaos Arrow appeared. The mage looked disappointed and downcast, so the other two skeletons tried to console it. Nikiughed at their antics and shook his head.

    Then, he tried to use the card on one of the skeletons. It used a few moves of swordsmanship, and Niki noticed that it was more skilled than before.

    "This works on all of my undead," Niki was amazed. "This makes things interesting and gives me room to improve my undead instead of summoning new ones."

    The skeleton mage tookrge strides with a hesitant expression. It pointed toward the skeleton soldier who had the card and then pointed at itself.

    "You think you deserve it more?" Nikiughed, and the mage nodded. "Well, fight it out. Whoever wins gets to keep the card."

    Niki unequipped the card and watched as his undead vied for strength and his approval. The three undead were all serious, and they had several battles until it was decided that the mage would get the card.

    "You three are thirsty, are you not?" smiled Niki. "Let us hunt some humans then. There is not much time for me, and I need to devour some souls."

    ***

    "What have we done to deserve this?" the man cried as he carried his two children, on front and back. "This darkness took away my farm, my wife, and now¡­"

    Life was too cruel. Marvin looked at his two children, both poisoned by the darkness. They could not afford a mask for each of them, so they had to buy one and use it in turns.

    The alternative was staying at their vige, which was dying of famine. Marvin knew that if he went alone, his two children would die.

    "Mama," his daughter said in her sleep. Marvin looked at her pale face as she breathed in the darkness. Finally, his heart could not take it, and he took off his mask to make her live.

    Her face returned a healthy shade of color, and Marvin sighed. His son was on his back, but there was only one mask for them. It seems that they were destined to die in this darkness.

    "I curse this world," tears streamed down his face as heughed. "This corrupted world where we were abandoned. Why were we chosen to die? What wrong did we do?"

    As he took the next step forward, Marvin realized that the ground beneath them was gone. This was another danger of The Great Unseen. You cannot travel without a holyntern.

    Marvin felt his weight pull him downward, and he fell to roll down what seemed to be a cliff. His arms tried to hold his two children, but it was futile. Their descent took a few seconds, and by its end, Marvin realized that he could see.

    "We¡­ left¡­ the darkness?"

    Marvin looked around, realizing that he had reached the end of The Great Unseen. His tears came out unceasingly as he looked around for his children.

    The two of them were unconscious and bruised, but they were otherwise fine. Marvin was sobbing as he realized that today would not be their demise.

    "Oh ho," a voice came from the forest behind him. "What do we have here? It seems that a few rats managed to cross The Unseen. We are quite lucky!"

    Marvin could tell things were going wrong. A few men came out from the forest wearing leather armor and carryingrge swords. His body started shaking as he realized who these people were.

    "Bandits¡­" his mouth was chattering from fear. "Please, please. Let us go. We have barely crossed the darkness. We are both humans, so please¡­ let us live¡­"

    "Hey, hey," one of the menughed as he pointed at Marvin. "This man has lost his mind. He thinks that we should all help each other just because of The Unseen."

    "Idiot doesn''t know that this darkness is our chance to get rich! Well, I doubt that you have any money on you. So I guess we can just solve the two kids as ves," said a man at the back.

    "Hey, boss," one of the bandits squinted his eyes. "One of these two is a girl. Do you think that we can¡­?" a lustful expression appeared on his face as he asked.

    "I will kill you!" Marvin stood up and took out his dagger, holding it with trembling hands. "I will kill all of your bastards! Don''te near us!" he was crying while waving his dagger.

    "We will kill you first, then!" said one of the bandits as he rushed forward. Marvin saw the man disappear because his eyes could not follow. There was no way for an ordinary man to fight against a Defier.

    ''Ah, what have we done to deserve this?'' Marvin watched the man shing toward him, knowing full well that he was unable to stop it. ''I wish that this world burns¡­'' as his thought grew slower, Marvin saw the man''s head disappear.

 Chapter 174 - A Lethal Weapon

    Chapter 174 ¨C A Lethal Weapon

    The bandit, who Marvin thought would kill him, staggered a few steps forward like a headless chicken before falling. There was no blood as if the body was destroyed beyond bleeding.

    "What the¡­?" the bandits were confused as to what happened. "Joe died¡­? What the hell happened?"

    "Bastard, what have you done?" the boss shouted at Marvin as he unsheathed his sword. Marvin realized that he must have awakened his innate skill, which saved his life.

    "Haha,"ughed the farmer as he stood up, holding his dagger. "You thought that I was a weakling? The gears of fate are changing again, and this will be yourst day on this earth!" shouted Marvin as he pointed his dagger at the group.

    "Boss, this man is crazy¡­ maybe he awakened an innate skill¡­" a few bandits were afraid.

    "There is no way," the boss gritted his teeth, albeit looking uncertain. "Innate skills are for those powerful families with a lineage. This man looks like a peasant!"

    "Haha,"ughed Marvin. "I am the descendant of Dai, the dragon yer! So you scum are going to suffer the wrath of my ancestors!"

    Marvin held his dagger tightly toward the group, trying to remember the same feeling that he had earlier. There must be some way to activate the skill and save him.

    However, nothing happened. The group looked afraid, but nothing happened even after waiting for a few minutes. Finally, Marvin realized that he missed a crucial element.

    "Ha! Heya! Take this!" the man started waving his dagger, and the group backed away again. "Hoooo¡­." he raised his hand high above him as he gathered his energy. "Ultimate move, Decapitation!" he screamed, but the forest was silent, and the bandits were confused.

    "Pffff," the bossughed. "This man is nothing but a weakling. We will investigate what happened to Joeter. Kill him!"

    "Hm? What is going on" Marvin was confused as he watched two bandits rush toward him, wielding giant swords that were as big as him. "Why is my skill not working?" cried the man as he started running away from them. "I need to save my¡­"

    "AAAH!" a scream came from behind him, forcing Marvin to turn around. The two bandits were on the ground, one dead and one missing most of his torso while screaming. After a few moments, the injured man died as well.

    "They died too¡­ boss! This man is the real deal!" cried a bandit.

    "I killed them again¡­" Marvin could not understand what was going on, but he vividly remembered what he did when these two died. "Are you ready to meet your end, bandits?" grinned Marvin as he turned away from the group and struck out his bottom toward them. "This move will send you to the afterlife!"

    The boss was sweating profusely as the man aimed his ass at them. There was no way that this man was powerful because he had no mana! However, how did three of his men die? It did not make sense.

    "Dammit, can his ass be that lethal?" muttered the boss as he saw the peasant ce his hands on the ground and look at them upside down, his bottom high in the air.

    Then, his expression changed because something came out from the darkness. Marvin saw the change in the bandits, who started trembling and realized that they must have sensed his aura. This move was the correct one, after all.

    "Listen up, scum! This is your chance to leave! Otherwise, I will kill you all using my, my, my Gas of Destruction!"

    "What the hell is that boss?" muttered one of the bandits as he raised his sword. Marvin smirked as he saw how they were shaking in fear. "That thing is not human!"

    ''What a rude thing to say about someone''s bottom,'' frowned Marvin before he heard footsteps from behind him. ''Oh no, my children cannot see me in this form. They would never understand.''

    Marvin raised his head toward the front, keeping his gun toward the bandits. However, his children were still on the ground, and someone was standing beside them.

    The neer wore a cloak and had thin hands, almost as if they were bones. It held a cane in its hand, which he waved as heughed. Marvin blinked his eyes before he realized this was a skeleton.

    "This is an undead monster! Everyone, run!" shouted the boss from behind. Marvin was frozen as the skeleton walked past him toward the bandits.

    Then, a man emerged from the darkness. Marvin could not see how he looked, but he could tell that the man was staring at him with confusion.

    "What¡­ are you doing?" the man asked with genuine concern. "Are you sacrificing yourself for your children?"

    "I¡­ I am," Marvin nodded, still in the same posture.

    "I don''t think those bandits are into men," the man was confused. "Well, they cannot do anything if they are dead. So, leave this ce at once, unless you want to die too."

    ***

    Niki watched the farmer carry his children and run away as his undead surrounded the bandits. It took him some time to make his undead circle around the forest, but it was necessary to catch all of them.

    After all, there cannot be rumors about the undead. Therefore, Niki looked at the farmer, who wanted to sacrifice his dignity for his kids, with a pondering expression.

    ''Maybe I should kill him too,'' thought Niki. It would not haunt him in any way, but the children will be left fatherless. But then, an image of his two orphan friends appeared in his mind. Niki knew he couldn''t orphan these kids.

    The farmer was about to leave the scene before turning toward Niki and bowed down to him. "Thank you, sir. You are the proof that there is goodness in the human race."

    Niki blinked but did not have a response. This man has yet to realize that Niki is a dark being, and it did not ur to him that he was the undead leader.

    ''Even if he talks about what he saw, most would dismiss him,'' turned Niki back toward his undead, who were fighting the bandits.

    "What are these monsters?" roared the bandit''s leader. The mage waved his hand again, and two more of hisrades died. "Kill the two swordsmen!" he rushed toward one of them, striking its spine.

    The skeleton split in half as the other one came to attack him. Niki saw the boss retreat, and that dy was enough for his soldier to regenerate and stand up again.

    "Leave two alive," ordered Niki from behind as he watched the show. The card, Skill Upgrade, was worthy of its name. The Chaos Arrows doubled in number, and it allowed his mage to kill multiple opponents simultaneously.

    [Skeleton Soldier has leveled up!]

    [Skeleton Soldier has leveled up!]

    His soldiers leveled up, but there were no more cards. It seemsmon undead did not reward him anything when they grow stronger. Niki was disappointed, but he decided to see their stats.

    [Skeleton Soldier (Lvl. 2)]

    [Rank: Common]

    [Vitality: ¡Þ]

    [Strength: 11]

    [Agility: 11]

    [Intelligence: 11]

    [Mana: -]

    [Skill: Basic Swordsmanship.]

    "Their stats increased by one when they leveled up," Niki was amazed. "How much can they grow?" his excitement was endless. The bandits could quickly destroy his skeletons, but the arrows would strike them with one wrong move.

    After a long battle, the bandits have died except for their leader and another one. Niki strolled toward the injured men, who flinched on his arrival.

    "We have been saved! Help us, these are dark beings!" shouted the bandits with hope in their eyes. "Please, save us!"

    "That family from earlier barely survived the darkness, and they were normal people with average stats, but you all showed them no mercy. I know your tactics. You wait for the tired travelers to leave the darkness to kill and loot them."

    "We are simple adventurers," the bandits pleaded. "These monsters are attacking us, and¡­"

    "Are you dreaming? There are no monsters here," Niki tilted his head. "There is only us here, no monsters."

    "What are you talking about? There is a monster right next to you!" the leader pointed at the skeleton mage standing next to Niki.

    "Then, why is it not attacking me?" argued Niki, and the bandits were confused because the undead stopped moving. "Forget it. I will treat your wounds for now."

    "Thank you, thank you," cried the bandits as Niki walked toward them and helped the leader to stand. Then, as the leader looked at the monsters in fear, Niki''s jaws unhinged before he bit the man''s neck, ending his life.

    "No, thank you, for this meal," grinned Niki as the man''s soul sated his curse. The other bandit watched his leader fall to the ground, frozen in fear. Niki walked toward him and devoured his soul as well.

    [The curse has been sated. Time left: 7 days, 3 hours.]

    "I wasted a lot of time in Celestia," groaned Niki. "I should have saved more humans for me to devour. However, I need these Lost Souls."

    Niki stared above him, and he could see the souls looming over the battlefield. Unfortunately, there were more souls than the number of bandits, which confused him.. However, with this number, he should raise his Sovereignty Level and summon more undead.

 Chapter 175 - Another Ugliness

    Chapter 175 ¨C Another Ugliness

    The fragment sent a pulse, a calling, toward the souls. His arms stretched toward the sky, calling the souls toe back home. Niki was the lighthouse of these souls, and he offered them a way to leave this world.

    The souls entered his body, and the process repeated itself. Niki could tell that all of these souls were those with regrets, and he had to listen to their wishes, all screaming within him as they seeped into the fragment inside him.

    [You have absorbed forty-three Lost Souls!]

    [Sovereignty has leveled up!]

    [You can now summon up to six undead monsters.]

    Niki was confused at the number after he absorbed them. The bandits were only thirteen in total, and it did not make sense that he absorbed this many. Finally, however, the lingering hate within some of the souls answered his doubts.

    "These are the souls of those killed by the bandits," muttered Niki as he stared at the bandits. "Those who kill another carry their hatred within their souls. So then, where does that leave me?"

    Niki killed thousands in his past life, and when he died, he did not feel a thing. Does that mean those victims are still haunting him?

    "I am happy that it is this way," smiled Niki. "I want those who hurt me never to leave this world, always suffering the agony of regret," a grin appeared on his face.

    His skeleton seemed scared by his expression, and Niki was speechless. Since the bandits were dead, Niki looked around the forest. Unfortunately, it did not ring any bells, and he needed to take out the notebook once again to figure out where he was.

    Luckily enough, Cecily was obsessed with documentation. So after a while of reading, Niki found a mention of where her journey started.

    "I am close to one of the major cities, it seems," figured Niki before cing away the notebook and opening a map. "I am far from my original location, but I am still within the Rosia Kingdom. So, this route should lead me to Rohan¡­ hm?"

    Niki paused because the route he should take happened to cross a set of ruins explored by one of the strongest guilds in the kingdom. Furthermore, they were also the ruins that Hyde will rob, making him the underground king of Rohan.

    "Scarman works for Hyde, and this means that he should know what happened to Shon," wondered Niki. "I still need to find out about Shon because of the Absolute Shield."

    His legendary skill did note for free, and he needed to make a promise with it. But, first, Niki needed to find out what happened to Shon and whether he was alive or not.

    "I need the skill," admitted Niki. "The absolute bane of a mage is that they are weak in closebat. My mana is still enough to summon this weak undead, but there will be a day where I have to focus on mana to summon stronger monsters."

    However, that was the case for normal mages. Niki had his skill and abyssal art, making him equally strong in closebat. The question that he had no answer to was this:

    "Do I need to go back to Rohan?"

    After all, Niki could strengthen his undead here in The Great Unseen. He had ns to enter the Lost Garden and find that treasure, but maybe he does not need it anymore.

    "What am I thinking?"ughed Niki. "My enemy is a demigod, not to mention Celestia curses me. Therefore, any power I can obtain is necessary before the dayes, and I take revenge against her. Furthermore, those I need to kill are in Rohan."

    Niki walked back into The Great Unseen with his skeletons, disappearing once again from the world. The darkness was a home for him, but it also reminded him what those people made him be.

    Niki wanted revenge.

    ***

    The ship was burning with divinity, as the man he considered to be a friend was in front of him, using words to hurt him. Sergio felt like he wasid bare by someone who finally epted him.

    "You need others to like you because you are afraid that they would leave," said his friend with a smile as blood pooled beneath him. "You are pathetic."

    Sergio opened his eyes, and the words still stabbed into his heart. The same ceiling greeted him, engraved and luxurious. His tired body refused to get up, but Sergio pulled himself upward.

    "Ugh," groaned the alchemist as his arms failed him and he fell. "Why do they hurt so¡­" he stared at his arms,cerated so many times that they disgusted him. "These are the sign of my weakness," Sergio traced the fresh cuts he gave to himself yesterday.

    A knock came on his door, and Sergio jumped out of fright. The room was bloodied, almost looking like a crime scene. The trail of blood started at the bathroom and to the bed.

    "I slept while bleeding," he shook his head. "I must be insane. I would have died if not for my vitality. This was too close."

    "Sergio!" came the knocks again, and it was Lex. "I don''t care whether you are dead, but Yuxi is here waiting for you!" a kick arrived at the door.

    "I am naked!" screamed Sergio, and the kicking stopped. "I will be out in a moment. Just give me time," as he said that, Sergio took out the enchanting item he bought for this purpose.

    "Who even sleeps naked¡­" sighed Lex from beyond the door. "I need to go, Yuxi. I will leave him to you. Do not bete to the academy."

    Sergio heard Lex walk away as he aimed the enchanted item. It was a ray of light that cleaned surfaces from fluids, and it worked well to remove the bloodstains.

    After cleaning his mess, Sergio took out a healing potion from his bag and drank it. And simr to the ones before it, the cuts started turning into scars.

    ''Another ugliness added to me,'' sighed Sergio before pping both cheeks and changing his clothes. Then, he opened the door to find Yuxi on the other side.

    "I am sorry that I kept you waiting," he apologized, and the short woman in front of him stared at him with suspicion. Her eyes scanned the room before she gestured a single world.

    ''Blood,'' she then pinched her nose.

    "Uh, um," panicked the alchemist. "I had bloody diarrhea?" he said with a loudugh, looking embarrassed. Yuxi looked concerned, but Sergio changed the subject. "Why are you here?"

    ''What do you mean why?'' she gestured with rage. ''We have to go to the academy today!''

    "The academy¡­" Sergio then remembered that he was indeed admitted into such a thing. It was amand from their boss, who gave them this house. "I don''t think that I can go today¡­"

    ''She asked us toe,'' Yuxi gestured, and Sergio sighed. Then, he nodded helplessly. After all, they could not disobey the one who fed them. That was the basic rule of surviving.

    Sergio wore the uniform of the academy and made memories resurface. He took care of Niki after being injured once, and he wore this exact uniform.

    Things have changed after his boss jumped into the darkness. Sergio did not remember what happened afterward, but he suddenly found himself in Rohan.

    It was another episode of disassociation, and it happened every time someone abandoned him. Sergio was used to it, but he was regretful not jumping after Niki.

    ''What are you thinking?'' asked Yuxi.

    "About breakfast," lied Sergio. "I wonder what food the academy has to offer. I always envied those nobles for their breakfasts and nothing else!" he acted silly again.

    ''You seem different,'' she noticed like usual. ''Did you have a nightmare?''

    Sergio grew quiet. Most of the time, his act was enough to hide his thoughts. It scared him how much he got used to lying, even to those he cherished. Maybe Niki saw through him too.

    "I had a dream about him," revealed Sergio, and his stomach churned. It was a sick attempt to disy emotions, manipting Yuxi into caring about him. "It was nothing, but¡­"

    His words were cut short because Yuxi held his hand. Then, she nodded at him, pushing him to continue talking. Sergio stared at her with speechlessness.

    "I wonder where he is now, even if you told me that he is a bad person. I do not believe that Bossman is such a person. I am sure that he had his reasons for leaving."

    ''No reasons justify what he did,'' she gestured. ''He wanted to endanger our lives for his gains. He said it himself: he used you.''

    "You do not understand, Yuxi," he pulled his hand away, almost offended that she doubted his friend. "We spent more time together than you know. So there must be reasons that he left. Otherwise," he could not finish his words.

    Yuxi seemed confused, but Sergio swallowed what he wanted to say.. There had to be reasons because if not, Niki left because he saw how deformed he was.

 Chapter 176 - A New Boss

    Chapter 176 ¨C A New Boss

    The academy was as Sergio imagined it: a ce for nobles to prove that they were superior over other nobles and for themoners to realize that strength means nothing without status.

    Yuxi said that manymoners were bullied, but Sergio cannot help those he does not see. Their boss instructed that they stay away from other nobles no matter the cost.

    "I cannot imagine bossman studying here," said the alchemist with awe as he stared at the tall building. "Does that mean that he is going to be back here soon?"

    Yuxi grunted at the thought of it, but Sergio did not mind. Sometimes, he admitted that he was too delusional. However, even his broken mind can feel the pain caused by that incident.

    ''The youngdy is waiting for us,'' gestured Yuxi to him, and Sergio nodded. He met her only once before, and she seemed to be close to Yuxi, almost like siblings. Yuxi said that the boss had saved her life before when he asked her about it.

    It was still a mystery why the youngdy helped them and gave them a home. A mechanic was rare, but an alchemist was asmon as chickens. So it was not hard to pick up someone like the bossman did with him.

    "I wish to stay here," said Sergio as he stared at the youth walking together, chatting happily. "It looks like a nice ce to make friends."

    Sergio had never been to a school before, and it was always a mysterious ce for him. He understood that people studied here, but he always studied alone, so the thought of studying with others was a mystery to him.

    ''The youngdy said that we need to visit A3 clubroom,'' gestured Yuxi and pointed at a giant building with whitewashed walls and windows which reflected the sky. ''Are you ready?''

    "I am always ready," answered Sergio, even though he did not know what he was ready for, exactly. Yuxi guided him, and they got more than one look, mostly from girls.

    Sergio was aware that his appearance was not that bad, almost good. However, he always thought that those who approached him for his appearance were the ones he should avoid. That was why when Niki said he needed his skills, Sergio was thrilled.

    ''This is it,'' said Yuxi as they reached a sliding door. Sergio read the sign above them, and it said Alchemy Club. The mention of alchemy sent a jolt of happiness through his body.

    "Wee," said a tall man as they entered the room. "You must be the newest members I was told about," he offered Sergio his hand, which he shook.

    The man frowned as he felt Sergio''s rough hands, but he tried to hide his feelings. However, Sergio was equally amazed that someone who dabbled in alchemy could have such unblemished hands.

    "I will be your examiner, as per thedy''s request. I am the Alchemy Clubmaster, and if you pass my test, you can join the club."

    "I don''t want to join this club," frowned Sergio, but Yuxi nudged him.

    ''Thedy wishes you enroll so that she can justify your admission. Furthermore, the academy will provide all resources for your experiments.''

    ''I do not need resources. I have enough money from the boss,'' gestured Sergio. ''I will wait for his return.''

    ''Then, you will have to leave the academy,'' gestured Yuxi, and the Cubmaster remained quiet throughout the exchange. ''This is the only way for you to stay here.''

    Sergio did not say anything more, but he tried to remember why he wanted to be here. The first one was that his boss was here too, and he should return eventually. The second reason was Yuxi, whom he liked.

    The alchemist imagined a life where he had to be alone in a house, working on his alchemy with no friends or people who cared about him. There would be more blood and more scars on his body.

    "I understand," nodded Sergio. "Let me do this test."

    Then, he passed. It was almost too easy. The recipe was there, and it was not that hard. Alchemy never betrayed him. It always works if you listen to science.

    Yuxi held his hand as she jumped up and down with excitement. Sergio saw the clubmaster''s bewildered face, and he could not help but feel that something was amiss. However, the happiness of the girl before him overshadowed that doubt.

    "Marvelous," said a crisp voice from behind them. Then, footsteps echoed in the empty room as the neer walked toward them.

    Sergio turned, and Yuxi was on her knee in an instant. The person who arrived was none other than the one he met once when they returned to Rohan.

    "I can see that Yuxi did not lie about your abilities," said the beautiful woman, who walked as if she ruled the world. "I am happy to have you to my party, Sergio."

    "A pleasure to meet you again, Miss Valkyrie," bowed Sergio as Yuxi asked of him. "I am not sure that I understand what you mean by party, but I am happy nheless with your praise."

    "My party is called the Drunken Stars," she smiled as she offered him her hand. "And we need an alchemist to meet our demands. Furthermore, your expertise is also needed on the field."

    Sergio stared at the hand she offered him and then nced at Yuxi. His friend looked at him with big, round eyes that betrayed her desire for him to join this party.

    The image of his boss appeared in his mind. Sergio was somehow apprehensive from this woman, who appeared out of nowhere. It would be troublesome to leave the party when his boss returns.

    Yuxi, however, seemed to be at this party too. Sergio could not abandon her like what happened to him. She was his friend too.

    ''Anything for friendship,'' thought the alchemist as he kissed the hand offered to him.

    ***

    Cecily opened her eyes. It was an unfamiliar ceiling. The memories of what happened took a few moments to settle and organize themselves. However, when they did, she jumped, agitated.

    "The darkness!" she shouted to look around her, but she was in a regr room. A pair of a man and woman were sitting beside her bed, looking at her with amusement.

    "¡­is gone," answered the young woman who wore silver armor. She had a smile on her face as she stood and bowed. "A pleasure to meet you, Cecily Rainmaker. We are members of the Vangir Guild."

    "Vangir?" repeated Cecily with disbelief. "What is one of the major guilds doing here? Furthermore, where is here? Where is Tanari?"

    "A lot of questions, as always,"ughed the woman. "I met you once before, but you probably do not remember. We needed to borrow some funds from your family, and I visited you."

    "I remember you," sighed Cecily as she grabbed her head. "I apologize for being so brazen. However, please understand that it was not easy to survive The Great Unseen."

    The room was quiet, and Cecily realized that something was amiss. As she lifted her head to see, she found the two guildsmen exchanging nces.

    "There is no need for apologizes," the man waved his hand. "We have already asked Captain Tanari over what happened. However, he says that he passed out in battle. You are the only person who knows what happened afterward."

    "And?" frowned Cecily.

    "We want to know how you crossed the Great Unseen," the woman spread her arms. "We are trying to cross it ourselves, but there is no way for us to know the method. We found masks andnterns, but the scouts say that they are not enough."

    "They are indeed not," sighed Cecily. "We were taken by surprise, too. The darkness has disabled the Wide Mana Array, and there is no way for us to learn from each other. However, I gathered everything in my notebook¡­ AAAAA!"

    "What''s wrong?" jumped the two guildsmen as she started to scream. Cecily grabbed her face as tears pooled into her eyes.

    "My precious notebook, no, I cannot lose it."

    "A notebook?" frowned the man. "You are lucky to be alive, so why do you care about a notebook?"

    "You imbecile," she shouted. "That notebook contains all of my ideas and ns. Whoever finds it will know the secrets of the Rainmaker Family!"

    "You should not be concerned,"ughed the woman. "There is no one who is going to find it. After all, you lost it in the darkness. There are no humans there."

    "Oh," eximed Cecily. "Yes, no humans can survive the darkness. So we all need to wear masks unless we want to be poisoned."

    ''Then, what about that man?'' pondered Cecily.

    "Well, yeah," the woman was awkward because Cecily started a solo monologue. "We need your help and knowledge, miss. We know about your great abilities. There is a ce we must reach, and we need to cross the darkness to get there."

    "A ce you need to be?" muttered Cecily. "Ah, you must mean those ruins you bought from the kingdom. Its name, as I remember, was Abani ruins."

 Chapter 177 - Trapped

    Chapter 177 ¨C Trapped

    The skull spun in the air, giggling as it flew from one side of the field to another. Niki blinked his eyes as he saw a skeleton receive the skull with his sword, striking it toward the other side.

    "What the hell are they doing?" muttered the confused Niki as he stared at the skeleton, joyfully jumping around. The one who seemed the most thrilled was none other than the beheaded skeleton. "Are they having a match of some sorts?"

    Niki never thought that his undead would be this aware. When undead are mentioned, like those in the City of Rohan, one would imagine lifeless monsters. However, these skeletons had more energy than three Nikisbined.

    "Gaaah," roared a giant ghoul as he grabbed the skull and crushed it. It was histest undead monster, Ghoul Soldier. He encountered one in his past life, a rare undead famed for his strength but neither agility nor intelligence.

    Unlike the rest of his skeletons, it also devoured the living, which seemed content with just killing them. However, Niki noticed that it grew stronger after eating a corpse earlier, making him pleased.

    The other skeletons seemed upset with the monster, who wasughing (?), and the mage even fired a chaos arrow at it. Niki did not try to prevent this but watched with interest as the attack struck the ghoul.

    However, the ghoul did not die or need regeneration but only had a small wound on his chest. The giantnky monster hunched forward as he examined his chest before screaming at the mage.

    The two sides then got into a fight, a ghoul versus five skeletons with one of them headless. The oue was not clear, but it was a mess.

    "Enough," sighed Niki as he jumped from the bedrock. "I don''t mind if you y around like this, but don''t forget that we can be attacked at any moment. Do not hurt each other."

    "Goooo¡­" thenky giant monster lowered his head, looking ashamed. Niki thought it was cute, but others would disagree, seeing its rotten wounds.

    "I have to say that I expected another skeleton mage," stared Niki at the ghoul with a pondering expression. "However, you came out. I like you, but what can you do other than being a wall?"

    Niki did not need an undead to defend itself because it would generate anyway. The monster in front of him was known for its strength, but it had slow reflexes.

    "Jeee," grinned the ghoul as it grabbed Niki by the waist and lifted him. Niki did not resist, nor did he panic, as he learned to trust the undead. The ghoul ced him on top of his shoulder, big enough for Niki to sit.

    "You must be at least four meters tall,"ughed Niki as he grabbed the bandages on the rotten head. "Are you going to carry me from now on?"

    The ghoul happily nodded, and Niki almost lost bnce. Nikiughed while the rest of the undead looked at the ghoul with hate. Then, they surrounded him as if trying to protect Niki.

    The scene was almostical, but a strange emotion rose in his heart. Niki never felt such devoted worship by anyone before, always trying to win his favor. The group of the undead then set sail toward their next destination, Abani Ruins.

    The darkness stretched far, but it had an end. The ghoul took enormous strides that turned into a clumsy sprint. After getting used to the method of transportation, Niki realized that it was indeed more efficient.

    Along the way, Niki took out some of his gold and jewels, which belong to the Rainmaker House, and fed it to his skill. Unfortunately, his fight against the high spirit and Lilith consumed his Absolute Charge, and he needed to sacrifice a lot of gold to refill it.

    "I am buying my life," muttered Niki as he watched the gold disappear into his palm as if it had a mouth. The skill was fully charged after consuming half of the gold, and it was a terrifying amount. "Ten thousand gold."

    This money belonged to a fearsome family, but Niki was not worried about it being traced. The Rainmaker House can never track down what does not exist anymore.

    "Maybe that miss has some intel about Hyde," muttered Niki as he yawned. Then, as he stood to the side, he took out the notebook and started reading it. The young miss was a zealous documenter of everything, all to the most obscure details.

    His undead monsters were fighting some giant lizard at the moment, which was stronger than they could handle. However, it seems Ghoul showed its powers atst and pinned the monster down as the rest attacked it.

    "Battle of Alil Vige?" frowned Niki as he read the title. This section mentioned a month ago battle after the assassination attempt against the Rosian princess.

    Memories shed in his mind as he remembered what should have happened. Niki pretended to be the retainer of the princess and used the ritual to which she was its offering to sneak into Celestia.

    That means that after the ritual failed and Niki sneaked into Celestia, the princess and his friend, which was also her childhood friend, escaped beyond the border to Alil Vige.

    "This was the beginning of a war in my past life," muttered Niki. "However, the rise of the undead prevented both kingdoms from emerging victorious. However, this time, the darkness came in the way and prevented the war from escting."

    The darkness crippled the world by its appearance, and kingdoms worked together for the first time in centuries to find ways to re-establish their trade routes. However, Niki knew that this was temporary peace.

    There was a reason that domains appearedter down the line. The gods grew powerful the more they were worshiped, and their candidates were the same. This pushed the lords into fighting against each other for power and supremacy.

    This was the reason that Niki hated Celestia and everyone who represented it. This pushed him into thinking about Valkyrie, who was the reason his life was ruined ever since he got into the academy.

    "I was toyed with," Niki gritted his teeth as he almost ripped the notebook apart. "That is not the time for this. This lifetime has a living Lucas, and I wonder what happened to him."

    His eyes read the rest of the notebook as his undead killed the monster. A crystal appeared quietly in his subspace, piling with the others.

    "The Bastard of Griffin," Niki found a mention of him at the end of the pages. However, this was the section for the result of the battle. "Critically injured by a dark being. Lost an arm."

    The words came out of his mouth and turned into dust, gathering on his skin, prickling it with goosebumps. Niki stared at the words, and his hands started trembling.

    "This was also¡­ because of me?"ughed Niki. "Am I cursed to hurt those I care about? I tried. I swear I tried to make sure that they were safe. However," he startedughing at the irony. "I still ended up hurting him. This is ridiculous!" he roared as he threw the notebook, and it rolled across the dirt.

    The undead stopped moving as they red at him breathing rapidly. Niki could feel his vision growing narrower and darker. His existence suddenly seemed small, as if he was trapped by something greater than himself.

    "Haha," he hollowlyughed. "I am trapped by nothing. This is who I am. I tried to avoid being a carrier of suffering, but it seems that I can never escape such a fate. Those I care about will be hurt, so all I need to do is to stop caring."

    Niki epted that this was his fate. The world returned to normal as he breathed deeply, but something inside him snapped. He realized that he was delusional, even thinking that he had a ce in anyone''s heart.

    They would all turn against him in the end after he hurt them. Niki was like this all along. His parents threw him away the moment he arrived, and he was since then discarded.

    His monsters were trembling because of his rage, and they hurried to kneel in front of him. Niki turned to them with a nk expression before giving a wide smile.

    "You cannot be hurt, right?" he said with almost relief. "You are immortal monsters that I brought from the underworld. You will never betray me, and I will never hurt you. You are all I need."

    The undead monsters kept kneeling for him. There were only six of them now, but Niki vowed to make them growrger. Then, he will take revenge on the world that discarded him.

    A crystal appeared in his hand, and it was one of those farmed by his undead. Niki waited for them to pile before he strengthened himself.

    The stats were all over the ce, as he could not control what monsters his undead found. However, they were plenty for him to grow stronger.

    Other people had to hunt for crystals independently, depending on luck. As for Niki, his undead killed for him, and luck was the one to depend on him.

 Chapter 178 - A Good Tool

    Chapter 178 ¨C A Good Tool

    Niki breathed out as he finished absorbing the crystals. All of them rewarded him with three stats points. Furthermore, as he waited, his undead went ahead and started hunting more monsters.

    The monster can be E-rank, but it could not defeat his undead monsters. These monsters were organized and attacked as one, unkible, and used the darkness.

    However, very few monsters can survive the darkness. Most of the monsters they encountered were dark beings, but they awarded Niki more mana crystals than normal monsters did.

    The dark beings were not undead, and they were not immortal. Humans thought of them as immortal because usual elements were weak against the dark element. Unless someone has the element of light, or holy powers, or a lot stronger than the being, then they cannot kill a normal dark being.

    As for Niki, his element was on a different level. His Abyssal Art, which he got from Lex, brought his darkness to another elemental level: Destruction.

    This made his undead very powerful, even against monsters who were stronger than them. Their stats were low, but Niki knew that their nature gave them an advantage. This brought him plenty of crystals.

    [Vitality: 77]

    ¨C   [Blood Energy: 19.]

    [Strength: 82]

    [Agility: 91]

    [Intelligence: 70]

    [Mana: 102]

    Four of his stats were at thete stages of the F-rank, while mana was even higher than the usual threshold. There was no evolution needed from Niki to ascend a higher ranking, but he required special training to control more skills.

    Many people had stats befitting an E-ranker, but they were not truly considered to belong into that ranking. The reason was simple. They did not strengthen their souls to make another contract with a skill.

    The Absolute Shield was the best proof that skills were not static beings but manifestations of power that had their level of consciousness.

    "This strength," Niki clutched his hand as he muttered. "I took years to reach this level because of Julian and Luke. I was denied strength because of Valkyrie, and things only went downhill from then."

    His hatred intensely burned within him. It was the umtion of countless years of suffering and struggle, all then dedicated to a single person who betrayed him.

    "I am being too distracted," calmed down Niki with a smile. "Justice will be served. That is right, I am only an ally of justice," he said with sarcasm.

    "GGGOOOO!"

    His Ghoul gave a rageful roar,pelling Niki to see what was happening. He found his four skeletons attacking an entrapped giant bird who kept attacking the Ghoul pinning it down. Niki could see that the wings had ck holes in them, probably caused by his mage soldier.

    The Ghoul struggled against the giant flying monster, and Niki watched as it raised the enemy and struck it down. Then, Ghoul stomped on its neck and killed it.

    [Ghoul has leveled up!]

    [A card dropped. You can equip it using the system.]

    Niki saw the two notifications arrive as his Ghoul breathed heavily above the monster. The monster cannot be tired, but it seems he was savoring a difficult victory.

    "What odd creatures," Niki felt amazed by their level of intelligence, almost feeling like they were people instead of monsters. His finger pressed the different menus, opening the card he obtained.

    [Giant ws Card.]

    Niki could figure out what it was by seeing it, but he did not think their bodies could be modified. So he dragged the card toward one of the skeletons and equipped it.

    A dark mist left the skeleton soldier''s hands as they morphed. Niki watched as sharp ws appeared instead of its earlier hands, and it threw away its sword and started shing apart air.

    The shes left a trail of darkness behind them, and it seems the ws were embedded with the element. Niki could see that the ws were bony, fitting the skeleton''s body.

    Then, he equipped the card to his Ghoul. The monster raised its arms toward the sky as giant ws appeared on its hands. Each sharp nail was as long as a short sword and just as sharp.

    "GOOO!" it roared with ecstasy, and Niki felt like it deserved the card, so he left it.

    Then, his nose sniffed the scent of living humans.

    "There are humans in the darkness?" frowned the necromancer. "I need to see for myself, but there seems to be a lot of them. My undead, return," as he said with a wave, the undead disappeared into his pocket dimension.

    The best function of his pocket dimension was to store his monsters. As it was constructed out of darkness, Niki could tell that his undead liked it in there.

    His body turned to ck mist as he entered his stealth. Niki then stomped on the ground, tasting his new stats, and bolted forward. Thendscape rushed by as he approached the group of humans.

    When he finally got close enough to see them, Niki frowned because the symbol painted on their armor was one that he recognized. A pair of wings.

    "Vangir," muttered Niki with apprehension. It was a good call to stop his undead from attacking them. This guild was one of the most powerful in the kingdom, and it was the one that Hyde infiltrated. "However, they should not be taking this route."

    Their headquarters were in a different direction, a ce far enough to guarantee that they would not cross paths with Niki. Yet, they were here.

    "Are you sure this is the way, Miss Cecily?" asked one of the men at the lead. Niki walked close behind them to listen. The name he said was one he read not so long ago.

    "I believe so," she said. "I survived by following my guts. This is what the darkness is telling me. The way is from here."

    Her lie amused Niki because her gut feeling was none other than him. He saw Cecily look around in search of something, and it made him wonder how she found him.

    "I should get rid of her," decided Niki as it was annoying for someone to follow him. "However, I cannot do that straight away. I need to find who works for Hyde in this guild, and I can use her."

    A n started to form in his head. First, Niki needed to find Hyde to answer his question. He also needed to help that fence, Ash, who was bound to be in Abani Ruin after Niki promised to help him.

    After the decision was made, Niki needed to arrange a private meeting with this young woman. A good tool is better left alive until he no longer needs it.

    ***

    Cecily looked around the darkness, looking for any clues of that man. But, unfortunately, there were no footprints or anything that she could use to make her find him.

    Her only wish was to meet him, but she needed this guild to protect her until she did. That was why she lied to them about guiding them herself.

    However, she did not deceive them and bring them to their deaths. Cecily was confident about finding him here because of a reaction she felt a day earlier from her most treasured item, the notebook.

    That notebook was a gift from her mother when Cecily was three years old. It was the item that stayed by her side the longest, and she poured her soul into it.

    The change happened when Cecily was bullied by her cousins, who took the notebook and hid it. Her desire to find it created a link with that notebook on a spiritual level.

    However, the link was lost after she woke up. Cecily could not feel where the notebook was, but there was a brief time where she managed to do it. It was a day ago, but she did not know what had changed.

    ''The dark being must be the one keeping it and preventing me from finding the notebook,'' she thought while looking around. The guildsmen were growing doubtful of her abilities, and they might realize that they were being fooled.

    However, Cecily did not lose hope. The notebook was in this direction, and the dark being should be close. She has epted that a dark being helped her, but this made her even more interested in that creature.

    An intelligent form of life that used the darkness. Furthermore, he looked no different than a human, as far as she could tell. Cecily wanted to meet him, or it, again to sate her curiosity. And to thank him, she thought at the end.

    As the guildsmen were growing more tired, they heard a roar of countless monsters. Cecily flinched as she looked toward the source and found that a few dark beings had found them.

    "You said that you can avoid the dark beings!" shouted one of the guildsmen with fury. "This woman is ying us into being her servants, dammit."

    His words were not responded to, but she could feel their res falling on her body. Finally, however, they had no time to waste, and they started the fight against the dark beings. Meanwhile, they ignored Cecily, who retreated to the back.

    "We meet again," a deep voice said from behind her.

 Chapter 179 - A Weakness

    Chapter 179 ¨C A Weakness

    Cecily froze in ce as she heard the familiar voice. A clear and confident voice covered with ayer of darkness, spilling the cruelty behind it. The spells rained on the dark beings, looking like fireworks as they exploded.

    "I hate lies, Cecily Rainmaker," a hand reached out and grabbed her neck, making her unable to move. "You will die if you don''t answer me truthfully."

    "I understand," she replied with almost eagerness. "I am not an enemy," she tried to make him understand.

    "Everyone is an enemy," he cut her off, not willing to hear her peace-seeking words. "I want to know how you found me."

    "The notebook," she replied right away. "I can tell where it is. However, I couldn''t feel anything for the past few days. Then, a day or so ago, it reappeared before disappearing."

    "There is no way I missed any mana or spiritual energy," announced the dark being his decree. "You are lying, and death is the punishment."

    Cecily could feel the darkness crawl over her skin, seeking to devour her. The darkness covered her face in an instant, almost entering her mouth. However, she managed to save her life using two words.

    "Heavenly Strings," she said, and the darkness stopped moving. Then, it retracted, and the hand let go of her neck. Cecily was barely breathing, but she survived.

    "That seems to be the truth. The second question is this: why are you following me?" the dark being was no longer threatening her, seeming to have trusted her.

    Cecily told him a hypothesis that she had. She was no fighter, so the heavenly strings manifested in what she did best, documenting. It was ame ability to track down her notebook, but it was her most treasured possession.

    "I need the notebook back, please," she said with desperation. There was no answer. "My mother gave me the notebook, and it has everything I created. I am nothing without it."

    "I cannot care less," came the reply, cold and apathetic. "I will return the notebook as long as you do something in return. There is a spy in the guild you are with, and I need to know who it is."

    "They already know that I lied about guiding them. So they do not trust me anymore," she pleaded.

    "I will make sure that they trust you. I will guide you, and you can pretend to scare the monsters away. Trust me and walk toward the dark beings if you want your notebook back," said the voice before disappearing.

    Cecily was shaking, but not only from fear but also excitement. This being was intelligent. Furthermore, she can now reach her destination using his help.

    However, there was still the issue of finding the spy he mentioned. Cecily could not understand why a dark being was interested in the internal affairs of Vangir Guild, but she had no choice but to obey.

    "You are all helpless," she said while walking forward. The guildsmen were confused as they turned, the dark beings still attacking them. "I will take care of these weak monsters. I wanted to see your strength, but it is honestly disappointing."

    Cecily walked forward under the enraged res of the group. This was the first time in her life that she tried to bluff her way through an obstacle. First, however, she needed them to trust her to get close to them.

    "You crazy brat, stay back!" shouted one of the guildsmen.

    "Do not disrespect her. She is still a Rainmaker!" shouted their leader. "Miss Cecily, please retreat. This is not the time for games."

    "My name is Cecily Rainmaker, and I will show you what I can do," she walked past them toward the dark beings. Her body was shaking, but she fought to hide it.

    The countless monsters in front of her looked at her as if she was their new food. However, she was confident that they should run away at any minute.

    ''Wait, why did I believe him?'' she realized as her steps led her to possible death. ''This can be a trap to get me killed, and it would be no different than suicide. There will be nothing to investigate. The daughter of the Rainmaker family killed herself.''

    Her doubt led her to stop walking, and it was still a few meters away from the monsters. Then, finally, Cecily realized that it made sense. The dark being wanted to get rid of her because she could find the notebook he had.

    "You are doubting me only now?" a voice said as her vision started to get blurry. "I cannot believe that the Rainmakers raised such a naive daughter. The most important business rule is to trust no one, naive girl."

    The voice was dragging her down the abyss of doubts. Cecily could feel her heart hammering her chest, wanting to burst out. A giant reptile monster slithered toward her, dark scales covering its body.

    "Retreat at once!" shouted the woman knight, but Cecily could not move. There was no one to save her because they were all protecting themselves against the monsters.

    ''I trusted a dark being,'' she blinked as sweat rolled down her face. ''I cannot be more foolish than this. I spent my life thinking I was the smartest, but this journey only proved how naive I am.''

    Cecily had no time for this self-hatred, but she had no other choice. The dark being, which looked like a giant earth dragon, slithered toward her.

    "I can give you one more chance. Walk forward, and you will be saved. This is your leap of faith."

    "I cannot trust you!" she shouted, and the voice startedughing. Then, the giant dark being jumped toward her and ripped her body apart. Cecily screamed her voice out as the pain of being eaten was all she could feel.

    Then, she snapped her eyes open. The dark beings were gone, and all that was left was the holy light from thenterns. Her face was pale as the feeling of being torn apart was still coursing through her body.

    "You scared the dark beings away," muttered one of the guildsmen from behind. Cecily gulped down as she realized that it must have been an illusion. "How did you do it?"

    "You have no use knowing that," she said while turning. "I believe you are the same person who said that I used you for protection. So tell me, who is protecting who?"

    The man closed his mouth as his face turned red. The rest of the guildsmen snickered as the man, who seemed to be the leader, walked forward.

    "You have my gratitude and admiration, Miss Cecily. I apologize because we doubted your abilities. Please, help us through this darkness."

    "That is a more befitting attitude," she said with a smile. "I am only helping your guild because I admire everyone''s strength. So, you can follow me," she said before she led the group.

    Cecily could not stop her heart from beating loudly in her chest, wanting to burst. The dark being created the dream of being eaten alive, she realized. However, why did he have to make her go through that?

    "I do not want you to trust me," the dark being said. "I want you to be useful and tell me what I want to know. However, you can trust this: failure means death."

    Cecily gulped down her fear as she led the group. The Heavenly Strings guided her toward Abani Ruins, in a path where no dangery. However, at the end of the road, she might die.

    ***

    Niki was frustrated by the level of ipetence this girl showed. She was supposed to be one of the greatest minds, but her naivety made him sick.

    It might be a bit sadistic to show her a fate that would have awaited her if Niki did not need her, but it brought him a lot of satisfaction.

    However, he also learned about a vital weakness that he had from Cecily. Niki was the same as in his past life. He could not feel heavenly strings.

    This made him weak until thest moment, unable to advance like the rest of the generals. Niki had to use his wits, guns, and stats to survive and reach the rank of a general in Lilith''s domain.

    "This is so annoying," spat Niki as his teeth gnashed against each other. "I need to be careful while fighting other users of Heavenly Strings. However, it seems my darkness cripples the strings."

    The daughter of the Rainmaker Family told him that it was only a moment that she could feel the Heavenly Strings. That moment must be when Niki threw the notebook away after learning what happened to Lucas.

    This darkness was the most precious thing he had, and it proved useful once again. The strings he had to suffer against in his past life could not stand against him.

    The Ghoul took giant strides ahead of the group while his skeleton carried the notebook behind Niki. They were leading the guild toward Abani Ruins.. Then, after knowing who the traitor is, Niki will get rid of Cecily Rainmaker forever.

 Chapter 180 - Abandoning Humanity?

    Chapter 180 ¨C Abandoning Humanity?

    "You were amazing, young miss," admired one of the guildsmen. "I always admired your intellect but never thought that you had such useful abilities."

    This bootlicking has been happening ever since Cecily scared away the monster. The ironic thing is that she did not even remember it but was traumatized instead.

    The illusion that he made her see made her confused. The dark being could have sacrificed her, but he did not. Instead, he taught her a lesson.

    That did not make sense. Cecily knew that the best way to kill amb is to make it trust you, not the other way around. It seems this dark being was angry that she even trusted him.

    ''Does that make it trustable?'' she was conflicted. Her suspicions were there before he attempted anything, and they stemmed out of her fear.

    However, her suspicions wavered when he showed her that nightmare. It still felt real, and she would never forgive him for that, but a question demanded an answer: can this dark being be trusted?

    ''In this thesis, I will discuss¡­''

    Cecily imagined herself writing in her notebook. It always helped her gather her thoughts, but now she did not have them. That was why she needed to think of clues herself and memorize them to draw a conclusion.

    "How old are you, young miss?" asked the creepy guy who kept flirting with her. Cecily was used to this kind of unwanted attention, but the timing made her feel murderous. However, before she ignored him, Cecily remembered her task. Her mother taught her that no easier prey there was than an infatuated man.

    "Twenty, good sir," she replied with a sweet smile. The sudden attention brought the man a jolt of surprise. "I want to know more about the team we are traveling with. Other than you, I fear the rest are not fit for the mission."

    "Hehe, miss Cecily has good eyes,"ughed the man, and it drew attention from the rest. Thus, he lowered his voice. "We are ten in this team, but there is another team that we are meeting. You can say that we are reinforcements."

    "How reliable!" she wanted to puke.

    "Haha, that is what they call me," said the man with pride. "The Vangir Guild has many teams, which is ranked among the highest. However, as you said, I have some qualms about some members."

    Cecily nodded with a smile, keeping her ear strained to memorize everything he said. As she expected, this kind of man who harasses girls is always the one who would put others down as soon as he can.

    "That man has a terrible aim, and that horse with a ponytail thinks he is some swords master. As for the captain," the man kept going about strength and what-not.

    Cecily quickly realized that his information was useless. It all mentioned strength and body odor and whatever instead of the members'' characters.

    Furthermore, it seems that there was another team that was already there. The guild sent this team even though the original one did not ask for help, which made her suspicious.

    As the dark being said, there might be a spy, and they were in this team. This halves her suspects to ten, but the trip was too short for her to narrow it down to one.

    The man was still thering, nitpicking the others to make them look bad. Cecily genuinely wondered what this man wanted to get from getting close to her, enough to make him spill everything about his team.

    ''Then, my prime suspect is you,'' she decided while looking at the man. He seemed too idiotic to be a spy, but appearances can be deceiving.

    "As for me, I hail from the great northern tribes. I am the son of Azmiar, who killed the great dragon that terrorized our beloved kingdom."

    Cecily did not have to ask, and the man was already talking about himself. However, from his words, she started to recognize his identity. His goatee beard was unique, and his thin appearance was indeed someone she recognized.

    Her notebook should have recordings about the great families in the north, and she remembered what she wrote. There was indeed the son of Azmair in the Vangir Guild, but his mention was in passing.

    Her clues were too few for her to find the spy. The suspects all had backstories that verified their identity, so it was hard to decide which one was more suspicious.

    However, the spy should be someone who recently joined their team. Abani Ruins were a recent discovery, hailed as one of the most promising ancient ruins in the kingdom.

    "I want to know which one joined recently," she asked, and the man did not suspect a thing as he tried to think. Then, he turned in a specific direction. When she followed his gaze, the person was also looking back at her.

    ***

    Niki yawned as the Ghoul carried him. Then, his Fragment the presence of living humans, or more precisely, Lost Souls. This attempt to lead this guild staggered the growth of his army, and it was bugging him.

    "Then, it is time for a little meal," he smiled as he summoned his skeleton and the notebook back into his pocket dimension.

    The guild behind him stopped, but Niki decided that Cecily would have to think of an excuse. After leaving one of his skeletons, Niki led the rest of them toward the humans.

    Niki saw that it was a merchant''s caravan using his stealth. These people were not bandits like those he killed earlier, but innocent people who simply wanted to cross the darkness.

    "I never killed for this reason before," frowned Niki. "I was given orders before, and somehow, it made things easier. I always had reasons to kill innocent people, but rarely was its strength."

    Niki felt like this was a deciding moment for him. It was not easy to find people in this darkness, away from humans. However, it was also a dark path to take.

    "This can either make me a viin or a man of reason," he sighed. The choice was difficult to make, for Niki did not think of himself as a viin.

    Niki knew that everyone he ever knew would look at him differently once he took this path. There will be no redemption for him anymore, and it was a leap into a dark path.

    However, things have changed. Niki cannot keep killing rotten viins because that would limit his strength. It made him question why evil paths led to power faster.

    "Redemption, huh?" smiled Niki as he shook his head. "I am still too naive to believe that there is redemption for me. I killed many people before, but that has been undone. However, the actions that Imitted will forever leave their marks within me."

    Niki took out his weapons as his fangs grew out. Darkness gathered around his horns as his bloodlust reached unprecedented heights. There was only one aim: to kill.

    His undead appeared beside him as he left his darkness. All of them were ready to devour these people, craving the flesh of the living. Niki was the first to rush forward, prepared to kill his first victim.

    The caravan was getting closer as Nik was getting further away from a life where he could find happiness. As his twin scimitars shed apart the air, Niki managed to see their faces.

    A young woman turned to look his way as if sensing his existence. Niki flinched as he saw her face, and along with his undead, turned to smoke.

    The people were confused as the darkness rushed into the holy light, but then it disappeared. The young woman looked for a long time into the darkness as if she was looking for someone.

    ***

    "Why is she here?" Niki looked toward the ground of his pocket dimension after hiding like a rat. The face he saw was one that he recognized from his past life.

    However, it did not make sense to him why she was here at this time. Niki wanted to abandon that life, to be a monster who sought strength, and to destroy any weakness his heart had.

    Yet, time and time again, he proved that he could never change. He was still a child begging to be liked enough by someone for them to ept him.

    "I killed her once before," his hands shook. "I cannot do it again. This is too cruel, far too cruel. I am so weak. I am still," his tears fell, "so fucking weak."

    Niki wanted to be strong, and he wanted to abandon whatever linked him to humanity. His weakness stemmed from his heart, and he knew that he would have to rip it out for him to change it.

    However, Niki knew that he could not attack these people at that moment. There was no way for him to grow out of this weakness now. Niki can attack others, and he can kill countless people.. However, he will always be the same.

 Chapter 181 - Icarus

    Chapter 181 ¨C Icarus

    A memory yed into his mind, like a movie that summarized the person he just met. Niki was sitting inside the darkness as he remembered the lowest point of his life.

    "Are you awake?" asked the gentle voice as Niki was nudged. Then, finally, his awareness came, but it brought a killing headache with it.

    "Ugh, where am I?" asked Niki as he rose. It was the same inn he frequented, and the waitress looked at him with concern.

    "You drunk too much again, Sir Yaran," she said with a sigh. "I always knew that young adventurers were into killing themselves, but not in this way," she giggled.

    "Are you mocking me?" Niki scowled at her, and she giggled more before bringing him some water to wash his face. The inn was empty, and it was morning, so she only took care of him.

    This waitress was the only person who cared about him at this time, and it made him cling to life instead of thinking about ending it. This was also the reason that he frequented

    Niki was still working at a guild, a low-tiered guild responsible for patrolling Rohan. It was the beginning of his miserable years where he spent it with the drunken and whores.

    This was probably the lowest point of his life until he had a falling with some gangsters in the city. Then, he witnessed the kidnapping of someone kind to him, the same waitress who cared about him and fed him at his lowest.

    This was also the person Lilith killed in one of her raids and why Niki met the Elven Princess. It was also the same woman in the darkness which he could not kill after deciding to take this path.

    Niki did not know how much time he spent in the darkness, but he knew it was time to think. He closed his eyes as the darkness surrounded him like a womb, where every memory he had from his past life resurfaced.

    ***

    The young man who was looking at her was the one that joined the most recently. It was a thin man wearing white armor and had a handsome face. However, his presence was weak as he slipped unnoticed.

    "I¡­ I heard he was a phnderer," said the son of Azamir in an attempt to tarnish his reputation. "There are rumors that say he is here because of connections. He is the son of the vice-guildmaster, so hecks ability."

    Cecily noticed the man smiling at her. There was no lust in his eyes, and it was a sincere smile thatpelled him to trust her. When he noticed her gaze, the young man strode forward.

    "Let us switch, as I am sure that you are tired," said the young man, and Azamir''s son snorted before leaving. Cecily was surprised by how quickly the man gave up after his gossip.

    "I did not ask for help," said Cecily with a smile, and the young man shrugged. "You are the son of the vice-guildmaster, Icarus."

    "I am ttered that the young miss knows me," said Icarus with a smile. "I hope Zanir did not tarnish my reputation beyond repair. But, unfortunately, that is his forte, and I am not a match."

    "I learned to take things with a grain of salt," she said with a smile. "I know about you because we met before. So, I apologize for not noticing you."

    "I would be more bothered if you did, Young Miss,"ughed Icarus. "I want to keep a low profile among this group. I do not trust that they are loyal to the guild."

    "I thought you were not a match for Zanir," she called him out, and Icarus covered his mouth with a frown.

    "I am not usually this talkative, but I get loose around beautiful women," he said with sincerity that almost got to her. However, Cecily was not the same person as earlier.

    The nightmare was the best lesson she could learn before investigating. This man was sincere, but it made her even more rmed than her interactions with the others.

    "Are you saying that some of them are disloyal?" she asked with surprise, hiding her true thoughts. The young man acted like he zipped his mouth and did not say anything.

    As she was about to ask him more, Cecily sensed the disappearance of her notebook, and she came to an immediate halt. The group frowned when the person leading them suddenly stopped, and some drew out their swords.

    "Danger?" asked the leader with eyes that tried to peer the unseen, his hand resting on the handle.

    "We need to wait," said Cecily with a shaky voice. "There are powerful monsters ahead of us. We need to wait for them to pass."

    "You seem to underestimate our abilities, Rainmaker," said a giant man who took out his hammer. "This is the chance to shine as heroes."

    "As dead heroes," corrected Cecily as she red at him. "We are crossing the unknown, knight. This is not the time to endanger us. You can go back into the darkness and fight on your own once we reach Abani Ruins."

    The man was stomped for words, and he grew quiet. The rest of them smiled but were in no mood to mock him. Their hands did not let go of their weapons as they waited.

    Cecily had to think of countless possibilities as to why the dark disappeared with her notebook. First, of course, he might have betrayed her, but he did not need to show himself if that was the case.

    Her goal did not change: to find the spy. However, the suspects were equally suspicious. The person beside her was the most recent one to join, but he was someone she knew when they were young.

    Many times, noble families gathered for politics, trade, or fun. However, the kids were not usually taken to formal meetings and parties but instead allowed to y together.

    Icarus was always the quiet but dashing prince of their group. It was always wonder what he thought about, but he was kind and helpful.

    His father, the vice-grandmaster of Vangir Guild, was nothing less than a marquis of this kingdom. Icarus himself was hailed as the young genius of their generation, even allowed to join a guild none other than Vangir.

    This information made it harder for her to ept that Icarus was the spy, but her skill was tingling. Cecily had an innate legendary but nonbat skill that allowed her to memorize every detail of her life.

    Then, she can pinpoint the mismatch or whatever did not belong to the rest. This made her a genius at handling the financial matters of her family as she took down the corrupted subordinates that they had.

    Therefore, Cecily can simply gather their stories and point out what did not make sense to her. However, she did not have time to know everything about them.

    Icarus took a step closer to her, and it made her flinch. However, the knight was standing before her in case a dark being from the lie that she said indeed attacked them.

    "You can rely on me for protection, Cecily," said Icarus as he showed her his reliable back. "I am different from the rest of this group. We are friends, remember?"

    Her violet eyes started glowing as her skill activated, pulling back memories from her childhood. Once, Icarus protected her like this against some of her cousins who bullied her.

    Cecily can still remember how she looked at Icarus at that time. Her father did not take care of her, and her mother died that year. However, Icarus made her feel safe.

    "You are still naive," a memory jumped out of line, and it was a recent one. Cecily snapped out of her daze as she remembered the nightmare that the dark being had shown her.

    Then, she started seeing the inconsistency of the story. Icarus did not try to talk to her until he saw that she was talking to the man from earlier. Furthermore, only one person knew about her ability to pinpoint the fakery: the knight in front of her.

    ''He is trying to distract me,'' she realized. ''The reason I did not notice him until now was that he made sure of it. He always chose to stand behind someone and made sure his presence goes unnoticed.''

    Cecily started to realize that the spy was the one she knew the most. However, the act fell apart as soon as the man told her about the group because Icarus knew she would use her skill.

    However, how did he know that she was investigating them?

    Cecily almostughed at her naivety. Icarus knew how curious she was about the world. It did not matter if he knew she was investigating because he would still be in danger.

    "I hate that you are here, Cecily," he turned toward her.. "Why did you have to appear now?" his face looked guilty and Cecily knew she was in danger.

 Chapter 182 - A Guilty Farewell

    Chapter 182 ¨C A Guilty Farewell

    A glint in his eyes terrified Cecily, but she knew she had to act like she did not understand what he meant. Her once childhood ymate was now a mighty adventurer who may have betrayed his guild.

    "What do you mean, Icarus?" muttered Cecily with a shaking voice as she took a step forward. The young man red at her, and his eyes twinkled with light. Then, as she turned to the others, Cecily saw them fall unconscious.

    "I cannot believe that we would find you here. You should have died in the Great Unseen. At least my job would have been easier," said Icarus from in front of her as lights danced around him.

    The guildsmen fell one after the other, causing thenterns to roll across the ground. The darkness flickered as the two stood in front of each other.

    "What are you doing, Icarus?"

    "I would have done nothing if for your appearance," he sighed. "That damned skill of yours is as annoying as you are. I knew that you would remember me the moment you look at me."

    "You are proving that you are the spy," she turned toward the rest, seeing that they were knocked out cold. The six lights around Icarus all flew toward Cecily, circling her. They moved in orbit as if Cecily was their sun.

    "This mission failed the moment that you appeared. I know that you would have realized the inconsistency at one point. But, unfortunately, that head of yours cannot let things go, and that is the reason you are hated even by your own family."

    Cecily looked around her for a way to defeat him. However, the notebook''s presence was gone, and it made her realize that she needed to rely on herself.

    "I need you to tell me, Cecily. Why did you keep asking questions? You would have never noticed me, and we would not be here."

    Her mind pulled every memory she had on him. All the events that surrounded Icarus arranged themselves into a line. But then, she found the inconsistency. There was a time where Icarus disappeared from the Royal Academy, and he resurfaced afterward.

    "The Vangir Guild suffered their first raid after your reappearance," she said through her holy mask. "There is no way for me to realize this unless I realize you are among this group."

    "You are like a machine, Cecily. A machine devoid of feelings that allow others to use it," said Icarus as he smiled behind the mask. "I wonder how long it takes until you break."

    "Are you going to kill me now?" she retreated as a dagger slid out of her sleeve and hid behind her. "I must warn you. The darkness is a friend of mine," she tried to stall.

    "I was never afraid of this darkness, as my six servants will take care of any monsters. However, I was impressed by what you did. Tell me how."

    The lights danced around her until they created a circle of light. Cecily felt dizzy as she began to stagger. Icarus said gently to her, "You will listen to me from now on."

    The voice seeped into her mind as she grew dizzier. Cecily was on the ground, holding her dagger, as Icarus walked toward her. The knight passed through the lights which he controlled.

    "I changed after that year, Cecily. You can change too. This darkness will not scare you if he is on your side," Icarus raised her chin to look into her unconscious eyes. "There is more power on this path than any other."

    Cecily did not respond, and Icarus smiled with a shake of his head. Cecily jerked her arm and stabbed the dagger into his stomach as he was about to stand.

    "I will not fall for the same trick twice," she said with a smile. Icarus stared at her with wide eyes before looking at the dagger piercing his stomach. "This is the item that I acquired after a lot of trouble. It does not matter what stats you have; this dagger will kill you."

    Icarus fell to the ground as she pulled the dagger away and stood. This was the first time she killed someone with her own hands, but Cecily did not feel anything.

    "Maybe I am a machine like he said," she muttered. However, something made her frown. Cecily turned around and found that the six lights were still there.

    "I did not think you would be immune to my skill," said a voice from one of the lights, which began to expand. "You killed one of us," muttered Icarus, who appeared after the light turned into a human.

    "You should be dead," her eyes widened until most of them were white. "This should not be¡­"

    "I agree," said Icarus, who walked toward his corpse. "This is not possible, but I told you that I changed. It was my wrongdoing for wanting to make you live. Die, Cecily," he said while crouching beside the body, which turned into a dim spot of light.

    The lights expanded and turned into five humans, all looking the same as Icarus. They wielded their weapons at her as Cecily turned around to flee. However, she tripped and fell to the ground.

    "Die!" shouted one of the clones as he pierced toward the ground. Cecily epted her imminent death, but the ground began to sink, swallowing her whole. The sword hit the ground, but nothing else.

    Cecily could not feel any pain, so she opened her eyes. There was nothing visible, not even her own body. Then, as she thought that thenterns broke, a voice came from ahead.

    "You created quite the mess," said the dark being as he appeared from the darkness. However, something was different about him, something almost human.

    Cecily swallowed down as she helped herself stand. The dark being had his hood down, but the darkness still obscured his face. However, his body was humans, and his clothes looked costly.

    "I found the spy," she reported, and the dark being looked surprised. "It was the man who wanted to kill me. I know his name and how he turned against the guild. We can report to Vangir," she started to present her case.

    "You thought I was doing this for Vangir?" the young man tilted his head. "However, I am amazed that you managed to find him so easily. I find it suspiciously amazing."

    "I was lucky because I knew his identity from before. That is mostly the reason, but I would have found the inconsistency sooner orter."

    "The inconsistency, huh?" muttered the dark being with a pondering expression. "You are quite useful," he dered, and her heart throbbed in pride.

    "I can help you with many things," she walked forward. "This is not the limit of my abilities. This is only a fraction of what I can do. Let me join you, and I can¡­"

    "You want to join a dark being?"ughed the man heartily. Cecily flinched as if sheid herself bare. "I know everything about you, Cecily Rainmaker. I know your life, and I know that you are destined for greatness. You have no reason to join, but you are too eager to be sincere."

    "The reason is simple. The world has changed. Either I can keep thinking of ways to cross the darkness, or I can work with you to rule it."

    "You think very highly of me," smiled the dark being, and that was the most she could see of his face. "You aim to use me, and you expect me to follow along happily."

    "You used me as well," she objected before sighing. "I can let go of that dream, as possible as it is, but I want my notebook back. You know the traitor now."

    "Let us talk outside," smiled the dark being. "You have yet to tell me about the traitor, after all," as he said so, Cecily felt her body sink into the darkness again.

    Then, she was out. Cecily looked around, but there was no Icarus to be seen. The only person in front of her was the dark being, who was standing a few feet away.

    "I ept your offer," said the man as he turned to her. "I acknowledge your abilities, and I want to make use of them. We will rule The Great Unseen together."

    "You¡­ are?" she blinked. "I¡­ promise that you will not be disappointed. We will forever take control of the trade routes using your abilities. There will be no trade without us involved!"

    "You are truly a businesswoman," sighed the dark being with emotions before taking out her notebook. "I believe this belongs to you."

    "Thank you," she ran forward and snatched the notebook. "I almost forgot; the traitor''s name is Icarus Grigoras. What are you going to do to him?"

    "It seems like you have feelings for him," said the dark being as he took a step closer to her. Cecily shook her head as the darkness rippled. But then, something within her heart was ignited.

    The dark being raised his hand, and Cecily did not retreat. His hand traced her face, making her close her eyes. There was a feeling that pulled her toward the darkness.

    "You are still naive," sighed the dark being before his hand gripped her throat. Cecily snapped her eyes as she stared at him with confusion while he raised her in the air. "I can never let you live."

    "I¡­ on your¡­" she tried to assure him, but all that came out was gasps for air. The man shook his head before he sighed.

    "I don''t care what side you are on," he said with what she felt to be guilt. "You must die because you know too much. Farewell, Cecily Rainmaker," after he finished his words, the hand around her throat tightened.. Thest thing she heard was a crack as her neck snapped.

 Chapter 183 - Vagabonds

    Chapter 183 ¨C Vagabonds

    The body was limp, hanging in front of Niki. Salvia dripped from her mouth on his wrist, making him throw the body away. Niki stared at the body for a long time, and there was no mistaking that she had died.

    "There are other ways to make her lose her memory," said Niki with apathy. "However, there is always the risk of her skill negating those effects. I can never allow her to live."

    Furthermore, Icarus was sure to chase her. That man must have reported this matter to his superiors already, making her name on the cklist of Crows. It was dangerous in more than one aspect.

    Niki raised his head and saw her soul leave her body. It was a powerful soul with a golden hue surrounding it, a delicacy for the devourer of souls.

    "I won''t make your death wasted," said Niki as he reached out toward the soul, pulling her. There was a cry of pain, hate, and regret that rang in his ears.

    "I trusted you," a voice whispered in his ears. Niki found it annoying that those he killed could still talk to him. However, it was the least that he deserved for killing her.

    "I killed you to make sure I survive," justified Niki as he reached out toward her soul. There was only one, unlike the time with the bandits. "These evil power does not like the good ones," frowned Niki.

    It was ironic for the powers of death to have preferences. However, it was without a doubt more efficient to kill those with a lot of souls on their consciousness. Furthermore, he would draw attention to himself by killing innocent people.

    His eyes fell on the corpse in front of him, and Niki coughed. This was a special case where her knowledge endangered his life. It was weird for him to have such thoughts after killing an innocent girl, but his brain knew that he had his reasons.

    As the soul was about to enter his body, Niki resisted. The event surprised him that his control of the fragment almost slipped.

    The golden hue of the body began to grow stronger, making Niki frown. His body wanted to get away from the soul as fast as possible, and he did not mistrust his instincts.

    Niki jumped backward, and a holy light exploded from the soul. It was the first time he saw something like this, and he felt more curious than afraid. As the holy light began to fade, Niki a powerful lighting from inside the soul.

    "This is¡­ a soul-item?" his eyes widened in surprise while muttering. Niki knew that some items could attach to someone''s soul, but they were as rare as a phoenix''s feather. "Is the item preventing me from devouring the soul?"

    It was an insult for the ruler of the undead. There was not a soul that he could not devour. Niki spread his arms, and the darkness exploded to surround the soul.

    However, the holy light pushed his darkness back. Niki grunted as his darkness had no advantage over the holy light like the rest of the elements.

    The soul began to shrink as if the item was devouring it. Niki felt that it would be dangerous if the soul disappeared, albeit not able to tell why. His darkness pushed against the light, but it was futile.

    The soul hid inside the item, which now looked like a pendant covered in a sphere of holy light. The orb exploded with light before flying and turning into a streak that disappeared into the horizon.

    Niki stared at the sky with a frown, feeling like this had somehow turned into a bigger issue than he thought. However, his undead monsters were plenty, and by the time this bes an issue, Niki will create his army.

    ***

    Ash turned to stare behind him at the giant monuments. These were Abani Ruins, the most extensive uncleared ruins of the ancient. Albeit being called ruins, it was a city that had countless dungeons and hidden artifacts.

    The Vangir Guild bought the rights to clear these ruins from the Rosia Kingdom. The exact agreement was unknown to many, but it must be a sumrge enough to convince the king to forgo arge portion of his ruins.

    However, this also meant that the Vangir Guild needed to prevent anyone entering the ruins. This was their responsibility, and they used all of their men in Rohan to protect the city.

    Rohan city was the closest city to these ruins, which meant that it was dangerous to leave these ruins alone since Rohan was known as the Crow''s Nest. It was a reference to the criminal lord who leeched off the city, controlling the underground world of the kingdom from Rohan.

    That was why Vangir Guild hired vagabonds to protect this city. This was the best way to avoid involving other guilds while using more workforce.

    The best way for Ash to infiltrate the ruins was by pretending to be a gunmaster hired by the Vangir Guild. However, it was still a mystery how he would bypass the final barricade overseen by Vangir Guild itself.

    "That bastard," spat Ash as he remembered the promise that student made him. "I looked for him everywhere, but he seems to have fled the city."

    Ash did not trust people most of the time. This was the lesson he learned as a fence that worked with criminals. However, there was something about that young man that made him trustable.

    The image of Mary, his sister, appeared in his mind. That young man knew his sister from the orphanage, and they were supposed to work together on this mission.

    However, that man disappeared. Ash wasted a lot of time to know that he bought a ship using his adventurer''s card and left Rohan. It was a disappointment, but Ash knew better than relying on people.

    This left Ash without a n. The one who knew about Hyde''s moves was that man, and he refused to share the n before the date of clearing the ruins. Ash thought he could trust him, but he was too naive.

    "Gunmaster!" shouted a member from Vangir, but Ash did not notice. "Giant Teeth!" he called again, and that nickname can only belong to Ash.

    "What is it?" scowled Ash at the guildsman, who pointed toward the far east. It was a thick forest that did not allow light inside it.

    "There is intel that bandits are hiding there. We are gathering men to scout the area ahead. Go and join the others!"

    Ash stared at the man silently, wondering if he wanted to die. However, he was a professional, and he saw an opportunity to make connections with the man.

    "Ah, you are a guildsman! Excuse me, sir. I thought you were one of those rouge vagabonds. I will go there right ahead."

    The guildsmen seemed pleased with the change in attitude, and Ash almost spat as he carried his backpack and walked toward the forest.

    It was a cloudy day, and there was no sign of the sun lighting the ruins. This made it hard for Ash to use his guns, but it was somehow a befitting mood for his revenge.

    "Over here!" shouted guildsmen toward the vagabonds. Ash walked out from the city''s periphery, surrounded by abandoned houses of the outskirts, and joined the group that would kill the bandits.

    "There is finally a hundred men!" shouted the captain, who leaned on his sword. "I will be the overseer of this extermination. You are all expected to work quickly and efficiently. The scouts found traces of arge group of people, at least sixty of them."

    Ashmented the state they had be. This man talked about killing humans as bugs, using the words extermination and whatnot. It made him wonder where the world was heading.

    ''The darkness, that is for sure,'' thought Ash as he stared at the wall of darkness behind the forest. This was a part of why this areacked any light, but it somehow made him safe.

    The darkness meant that there would be no passage through the valleys behind the forest. This gave them the advantage to corner the bandits they needed to exterminate, but it also gave them the benefit of running into the darkness where nothing could be seen.

    The Great Unseen was bing a part of their lives whether they liked it or not. Ash had never seen such elemental mana before, and it was the most fearsome of them all.

    "Are you more interested in the unseen, soldier?" shouted the captain as he caught Ash looking at the darkness. "I will happily send you there if you want to!"

    Ash knew that he was only making an example out of him, but it still pissed him off. With a smile, he replied, "You are only sending us there because you are afraid yourself."

    The captain red at him, and Ash realized that he was screwed.. So that was how he became the vanguard of the group and how he was the first one to see that scene.

 Chapter 184 - Idiots

    Chapter 184 ¨C Idiots

    "Pretentious fuckers," spat Ash as he walked through the bushes, his gun still pointed forward. "I am an idiot, too, for not keeping my mouth shut."

    The forest was on the opposite side of where he wanted to be. The Crows should be making a move soon, but it will never be through some bandits in a forest.

    Ash nced backward to find the rest of the vagabonds following him, and some of them gave him nods of respect. None of these people liked the guildsmen, and it might not be bad for Ash to be seen as a hero or a man with a backbone.

    Then, one of the vagabonds raised his bow andunched an arrow at Ash. His eyes widened, but the arrow whistled past him, striking something ahead.

    "AHHH!" screamed someone as he fell from the tree, his chest turning a grey shade starting from the arrow. Then, the man began convulsing and died.

    "This must be one of their scouts!" announced the archer as he stepped forward to retrieve his arrow. "Be careful. The guildsmen might be arrogant, but they are hardly mistaken," said the archer to Ash.

    "Thank you," nodded Ash to the man, who smiled and returned into formation. Ash was given a wake-up call that his life might end before executing his revenge. That would be pathetic.

    Then, they resumed their search. Ash was wary because finding a scout meant they were close to being ambushed. However, there was no sound or any movement in the forest.

    "This is too close to The Great Unseen," said Ash with a frown. "Are you sure that we did not miss them?" he asked the vagabonds behind him, who were all as confused as he was.

    "Maybe we should return and report," said the archer with a frown, but Ash felt that the guildsmen would just send them here again. That would be a tremendous waste of time and a hindrance to his ns.

    "I vote to explore until we reach the darkness. Then, there is no danger as long as we do not enter it, right?"

    "The captain was right. You like the darkness,"ughed one of the vagabonds. Ash gave a shy smile to the middle-aged man who seemed to be the strongest among their team.

    There were five of them in total, and they were the first to explore the forest. The rest of the team did not seem afraid since the bandits'' absence relieved them.

    Then, they voted to keep going until they found out what was happening. The forest grew quieter as they walked farther, and the world became darker.

    Ash frowned because there was a sound ahead of them. It was faint, but it creeped him out. The rest did not seem to hear it, which was one of his better traits. However, Ash did not warn them.

    There was a peculiar curiosity after learning that the bandits were not here. This can be rted to Hyde, so he wanted to explore. Ash did not warn the group and allowed them to keep exploring.

    After some stressful exploration, the forest ended, and the darkness began. A field of withered trees separated the two, and the sound wasing from there.

    "May the holy light show us mercy," prayed the priest as he pointed forward. "Those are¡­ bodies¡­"

    Ash saw it too. The rattling sound he was hearing was none other than corpses being pulled into the darkness. ck tongues reached out from the unseen to pull the destroyed bodies of countless bandits.

    "The darkness¡­ is swallowing them?" asked the archer with visible fear. Ash was equally disturbed because he could see that something had killed these bandits.

    There was nothing other than the overflowing blood of these men, suggesting that whoever killed them met not struggle. It was a massacre.

    "We need to leave, now!" whispered the armored man with panic, but it was toote. The darkness seemed to realize that it had been seen, and it let go of the corpses.

    The team realized that something was about to attack them, and they prepared themselves. The eerie quiet of the scene made them stand on the edge of their toes, their eyes darting everywhere.

    Then, like a giant monster that unhinged its jaws, countless tongues of darkness left The Great Unseen. The priest cried as holy light exploded to block the attack, and it momentarily worked.

    "Run!" shouted the first to do so, a usually quiet mage. The rest followed suit and turned to flee except for the priest.

    "What are you doing?" stopped Ash as he red at the priest. The man was spreading his arms as sweat rolled down his face.

    "Those who flee the darkness can never embrace the light! I cannot move while using this skill. You need to run without me!"

    "You are a fucking idiot!" said Ash with shock. Then, he turned and ran away. Ash was huffing as the trees shed past him. There was no saving for the insane, and the priest was the best example.

    However, Ash gritted his teeth as the image of his sister appeared in his mind. An unremarkable girl who devoted her life for others'' sake. It was a cruel memory for him to remember because it made him stop.

    "I am an idiot too, goddammit. I will kill that priest myself!" shouted Ash as he turned back toward the darkness and rushed to rescue the crazy man.

    It was fortunate that the man was still holding the darkness back. However, his body was on the ground now, shaking. It pissed Ash that this man was still not running away even though he had nothing to protect.

    "You priests are a bunch of lunatics," red Ash as he stopped behind the man, striking him with his gun. The man fainted as the holy light disappeared.

    Ash grabbed the man and rolled to the side, away from the tongues of darkness. The attacks destroyed the ground, trees, and everything that stood in their path.

    "I did not want to use these bullets!" shouted Ash as he loaded his gun with the elemental bullets. Then, he aimed them at the tongues of darkness that rushed toward him.

    These bullets were of the few he had with him, nning to use them against Hyde himself. However, these creepy tongues were far scarier than any man. Ash was about to pull the trigger when the darkness stopped moving.

    "Wha¡­" muttered Ash in confusion as the darkness began receding. The tongues went back into the darkness to leave him confused with the unconscious priest beside him.

    The tongues resumed pulling the corpses into the darkness as if Ash was not there. The process was eerie, making him feel invisible. However, somehow, he was safe now.

    Ash did not try to y dice with his life and decided to run while he could. The priest was still unconscious, looking to be blissfully peaceful while he was knocked cold.

    "I should kill you myself, idiot," spat Ash as he carried the priest back away from the forest. Then, in one final nce, Ash turned toward the darkness.

    The event left him confused, but somehow, he felt a familiar feeling. Those tongues only stopped attacking when they got close to him.

    "Did the darkness¡­ recognize me?"

    ***

    Niki yawned as his mage brought all of the bodies into the darkness. Unfortunately, the bodies would ruin his items with their blood, so he did not use his pocket dimension.

    The mage was confused when Niki controlled it to cease its attack. He would have never expected to meet Ash so early here. It was a close call, as he almost killed him.

    "Maybe I should have killed them all," pondered Niki. However, Ash was useful somehow, and he helped Niki in his past life. The fence can also serve as a middleman between Niki and the rest of the world. "It seems he is working with the vagabonds. That is a good n."

    Niki did not have a concrete n yet, so Ash gave him some ideas. First, however, his army of undead could not pose like vagabonds as he could, so they needed to hide.

    There were now twelve monsters in total, and the number was growing faster than Niki could count. The one who pulled the corpses into the darkness was none other than his newest mage, who had a different skill that was perfect for crowd-control and restraining.

    It was not a skeleton, though. Instead, this creature was nothing but a cape that floated around. A monster solely created out of the darkness. It looked cool, though, so Niki secretly made it his favorite.

    "Good job," patted Niki the humanoid darkness, and the mage gave some screeches of happiness. All of his undead were the cutest. "You can eat them now," he waved his hand to summon those who devoured corpses.

    Niki watched as his monsters appeared to devour the bodies. Then, he started wearing clothes to disguise his appearance.. Finally, it was time to infiltrate the ruins himself.

 Chapter 185 - An Executor

    Chapter 185 ¨C An Executor

    "Ugh," the priest groaned as Ash threw him in the camp''s infirmary. Ash stared at the man with hatred before sighing. He has needlessly endangered his life to save another.

    Life taught him better.

    Ash cannot remember how it began, but somehow, he learned to avoid being a hero. There were times, as a kid, when he pretended to be one, and his sister praised him. But, that was before Hyde''s gang killed her.

    It always made him wonder whether his sister''s belief only lived within him when she was alive. After her death, Ash could not remember how life was. However, he can remember that he needed to change, and he did.

    This was how Ash turned from a foolish kid to a fence who killed those who threatened him. However, as he was finally about to get revenge, Ash realized that some things refused to change.

    "I did what makes you proud, Mary," sighed the fence as his head rested on his arms. "How about you let me protect my ass from now on?"

    Ash suddenly remembered the kid who told him Hyde would be here. There was a time when he also helped him escape the city guards. But, everything rted to Mary somehow makes him fall into buried naivety.

    "You are here!" shouted a man who came into the infirmary. "I thought you died trying to be a hero! Furthermore, you are uninjured?"

    Ash raised his head to find the armored man, the strongest of his group. It seems they managed to return before them, and it left a bad taste in Ash''s mouth to be treated like a hero.

    "I was lucky," said Ash, unwilling to say more. "I will go and patrol the forest. Take care of this priest."

    "Why are you in a rush, gunman?" asked a voice behind the armored man. Ash frowned and stopped walking toward the door as the captain from earlier walked inside. "I heard about what happened."

    "Nothing happened," red Ash as he nced at the armored man. This dog hurried to report what happened to Vangir Guild instead of using this to deceive them. This man was a spineless coward, judged the fence.

    "You are a secretive man," the captain squinted his eyes. "You were interested in the darkness, and now you are trying to hide what happened there. I want to know why."

    Ash did not reply. This looked bad for him since he did not want to exin how the darkness ignored him. It did not make sense for him, and he did not want to give them an excuse to use him again.

    Those tongues might not be merciful next time.

    "I defeated the dark being using holy bullets," grinned Ash. "Those bandits were killed by it, and there is nothing left to worry about."

    "You are stronger than sixty bandits?" grinned the captain as he walked forward, and his hand seized Ash''s throat. "How about you try a better lie? Tell me what happened there."

    Ash can feel his lungs starving for air as the man held him in a chokehold. However, it did not ur to him to reveal what happened there because it would sound like a lie.

    ''I need to attack,'' decided the fence as the hidden weapon was about to slide into his hand. But, then, a man appeared at the door.

    "I am here!" shouted the man as he entered. The captain frowned and turned toward the door to find a masked man. Ash barely opened his eyes to see who it was, but he could not recognize them. "Ah, am I interrupting something?"

    "Who are you?" red the captain as he threw Ash away. "That mask¡­" his eyes widened as the man walked into the room, crouching beside Ash.

    "I am a friend of this man," said the neer. "And I am also an executor," said the man casually. Ash was confused as he opened his eyes, but he could see the captain shaking from his angle.

    "An executor?" muttered the guildsman in disbelief. "Are you the one who killed the dark being?"

    "Indeed, I am," the executor rose to his feet. "I asked this young man to hide this fact until I present myself. I did not want any rumors to go around."

    "I¡­ understand," gulped the captain as his eyes darted everywhere. "Does that mean¡­ that those creatures are here?"

    "There is one hiding among you, yes," the executor raised a finger. "I am here to dispose of it. However, I believe you are aware that I need your cooperation. Otherwise¡­ the church will not be merciful."

    The captain''s body was shaking before he nodded rapidly. Ash had no idea what was going on or what an executor was. However, the captain apologized a lot before leaving them alone.

    "Who are you?" asked Ash as he used one of the beds to rise. "I never met you, so why did you lie to protect me?"

    "This is not the best spot to discuss such things," the man held a finger to his mask. "Let us find a private ce, shall we?"

    "I do not trust you."

    "Then I will tell them you are the dark being. So, follow me instead of being a cynical kid."

    There was some casualness in how this man spoke to him, making Ash feel he recognized him. But, unfortunately, the threat also worked to leave him with no other choice but to follow this man.

    Their destination was the outskirts of the ruins, all the way to an abandoned house. The vagabonds and the guildsmen were ncing their way in fear, but Ash did not understand why.

    "Executors are a recent profession, known to a few elites. The church armed them with weapons for a single task: hunt the dark beings. Those who oppose the executors will be aplices, and the church will hunt them down."

    "That exins that bastard''s fears," spat Ash as he stared at the man''s back. "However, what does an executor want from me?"

    "I want you to close your mouth until we are somewhere private," said the man, and Ash frowned because, for that brief moment, he felt like this was someone he knew.

    At longst, they arrived at an abandoned house. The executor walked inside, and Ash followed. The man held the wall for a second before sighing and turning toward him.

    "We are finally alone, Ash," said the man as he took off his mask. Ash''s mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg as the man''s identity was revealed.

    ***

    "You¡­ you¡­ what are you doing here?" the fence pointed at Niki after he removed his mask. This was one of the priests'' masks, but without the holy water.

    "I am adhering to our ns, right?" smiled Niki as he grabbed a chair to sit. "However, I cannot believe that you are stupid enough toe here alone."

    "Bastard!" red Ash before rushing to grab Niki. "You are the one who ran away without saying anything! It has been months since west met, so I had no choice but toe alone!"

    "Easy now. I just saved your life!" smiled Niki. Ash spat and let go of him, walking toward the wall and mumbling to himself in frustration.

    "You seem different," said Ash after he calmed down. "Why are you wearing that headband? And what happened to your face?"

    "A transformation skill," sighed Niki. "However, it made me stronger and gave me a better chance against Hyde."

    "A chance¡­ against Hyde?" muttered Ash before he burst outughing. "Hahaha, you are crazy!"

    "You are the one who wants to kill him using elemental bullets," grinned Niki without being offended. "I want to know what you uncovered."

    "As if I would trust you after appearing all of sudden, looking as pale as a corpse!" said Ash after he stoppedughing. "I will take down Hyde myself, even if I have to give away my life."

    "I am sure that is your only n," said Niki with a shake of his head. "You want revenge, and I want something that Hyde has. The only reason for us to be enemies is that I am a crow."

    "You are, maybe," Ash said before raising his gun. "I want to know where you have been. Money can change anyone, and you might be here to kill me."

    "Ah, yes. Hyde fears your assassination attempt and has sent me here to prevent you. That man cannot even sleep at night because he fears your powers."

    His sarcasm made Ash turn red before he lowered his gun. Niki can hear him mumbling to himself in wounded pride, looking like a second-rate assassin.

    "I don''t have a lot of expectations, too," mumbled Ash. "That means you also don''t have a chance. Then, why are you here?"

    "I have a n to take down Hyde," Niki said as he spread his arms. "We are weaker than the criminal lord, so we have to act smart. There is no way for us to kill him, so all we need to do is¡­."

 Chapter 186 - Soul Gun

    Chapter 186 ¨C Soul Gun

    "Are you sure it works?" Sergio asked Lex, who was tinkering with some guns and machines. "I cannot die just yet. This better works!" he aimed the gun at her.

    "I will kill you myself if you don''t leave me alone," she waved her hand. "This gun is stronger than the one that bastard had. That is how powerful it is!"

    "I am terrible aim, unlike bossman," muttered Sergio as he lowered his gun, looking at it with nostalgia. "Thank you for making it look the same."

    "I don''t care, honestly, but Yuxi will scold me if she knew I enabled your obsession."

    "You cannot call it an obsession!" shouted Sergio as he mmed the gun on the workshop desk, making Lex stop working and re at him.

    They were alone inside the workshop, which Valkyrie had created for Lex to work on her machines. It was filled with all kinds of machinery, even those who had souls of their own.

    "You are a grown man who is still thinking about a bad friend," she pointed her finger at him, making Sergio take a step back. Lex sighed and removed her goggles before gesturing for him to sit. "I was in a simr situation years ago. I still am, sometimes."

    "What kind of situation?"

    "Where I wanted to deny reality for what it is. I saw my family get killed in front of me, but I had to stay quiet to live. It broke me, and I never talked afterward for years. Finally, however, the dwarves gave me a home, and I learned to move on."

    "I am not denying reality."

    "The words he said¡­" Lex sighed, "cannot be said to a friend. You know that he is not the kindest man in existence, and I am sure that you have realized this."

    Sergio was quiet as he suddenly remembered how bossman wanted to kill Yuxi multiple times. However, he always believed that the boss did not trust people.

    "Maybe he was not a good person, but he is still my friend."

    "You knew him for a month."

    "It does not matter how long I knew him for," Sergio shook his head with a smile. "I felt epted. I don''t feel that way with anyone. However, I felt that he saw every w in me and still epted it."

    Lex was silent before she picked up the gun and pushed it toward Sergio. The Gunmaster looked conflicted, but a smile emerged on her face afterward.

    "Then, you need to find him and see the truth for yourself. This gun is a special one that I created using the technique I obtained. You can link it to your soul, and you will never miss a shot."

    "It seems I need to create proper bullets,"ughed the alchemist evilly. Lex shivered as she seemed to remember the explosion in the dwarves'' vige, making her hesitant.

    However, Sergio ran away from the workshop before Lex took the gun back. The mansion wasrge enough to have a training ground, allowing him to test the gun straight away.

    The targets were there, but Sergio did not know how to activate the soul item. That is why he did the mostmon method: mana. The gun lit up as it came to life, and blue runes appeared on it.

    Then, the blue runes slipped into his hand, and Sergio felt like he was holding no gun but another part of his body. The targets were far away, but the moment Sergio thought about shooting them, his arm moved on its own and fired.

    BANG!

    The bullet tore the dummy apart before Sergio realized it. This was beyond the realm of skills. The Souls Mechanic technique allowed Lex to revolutionize the world and build countless armies.

    "Then, why did bossman insist that she is the one to use it?" frowned Sergio as it did not make sense. Lex hated his boss because he destroyed her rtionship with the dwarves. However, in return, he gave the ability to change the world.

    Niki was not evil as they imed he was. However, it was hard for his friends to ept that, and seeing the world insist otherwise made Sergio doubt his judgment.

    "You seem ready," said a voice from beside him, and Sergio turned to see his new boss arrive. Young Miss Valkyrie walked with her light armor to stand close to him, eyeing the gun with amazement. "I am indeed lucky to have both of you join my party."

    "You gave us everything we can ask for, boss," bowed Sergio. "We can never repay how much you gave us. I am ready to aid you all in the next mission," he was not lying, as Valkyrie was everything but unkind to him.

    "I am only d that your talents were not wasted. Yuxi keep bragging about your abilities that I had to see for myself, and I am d that I did."

    "Yuxi is a good friend," smiled the alchemist with appreciation. "I had no home or a job to return to before she suggested that we work for you. So this can be a good fate of ours."

    "Fate¡­ what a mysterious thing," sighed Valkyrie with emotions. "I am sorry for what happened, Sergio. I would have never allowed you all to be in danger if I knew sooner."

    "I regret nothing," said the alchemist with confusion, and the knight nodded with a smile. Then, she spread her arm for them to walk into the mansion, which he approved."

    "I am sure that you heard about The Great Unseen," she said, and Sergio nodded, the two of them walking side by side. "A great disease that inflicted our world. The church grew more powerful, while trade grew weaker."

    "It made life harder for our city," sighed the alchemist. "I hope that this is a momentary cmity."

    "I fear not," said Valkyrie while shaking her head. "The Rosia Kingdom is bleeding as we speak. There is a great famine heading our way, and we have no way to stop it."

    "That cannot be," frowned Sergio. "I learned that the churches are developing countless methods to cross the darkness. It should be a matter of time before we find a way."

    "The church will monopolize whatever they invent because we live in such a world. However, there are stories of people who crossed the darkness without the help of the church."

    "Are they powerful?" asked the alchemist as he opened the door for his boss, and she walked into the mansion.

    "Not necessarily so," Valkyrie walked into the living room, where she poured both of them tea. "A group of them are close to our city. I wanted to invite them to learn their secrets, but I fear it would take a while before they are free. At that time, the church would have contacted them."

    "A group close to our city¡­?" pondered the alchemist as he received the tea from her, who sat beside him. "The closest event that I can think of is the Vangir Guild''s exploration."

    "I like smart men," she said with a smile while sipping her tea. Sergio was not sure if she was flirting, but he dismissed it. "That is indeed the case. The Abani Ruins are being explored as we speak. Some reinforcements arrived a few days ago, crossing the darkness in less than a day."

    "That is amazing," said Sergio with awe. "Even the church cannot cross the darkness in such a time. How did they do it?"

    "That is going to be our investigation. I pulled a few strings for our party to participate in the exploration. We are still students, but my party is strong enough topete against the guildsmen. We must get close to them so that we learn the secret."

    "You are talking like a scheming person, boss,"ughed Sergio as he stared at his tea. "However, I know that you are doing this, the Rosia Kingdom. How can I help?"

    "You are a loyal man, Sergio," Valkyrie said as she ced down her tea. Then, her hand grabbed his forearm. "I have many strong people in my party. I can summon any of them to fight for me, but few of them are smart enough to change the world. You are such a man, Sergio. I believe you can find a way for us to cross The Unseen. I want you toe with me."

    Sergio stared at her hand, grabbing his forearm, and he feared that she would feel the scars hidden beneath his clothes. However, it was long since someone ced such faith in his abilities. It made him feel valued.

    "I understand," nodded Sergio. "I will follow you to Abani Ruins, boss," he said, and Valkyrie bloomed with a beaming smile.

    "Well then, I will send the detailster," she let go of his arm and caressed his cheek. "Thank you, Sergio."

    "I am only doing my job, boss," said the alchemist with a smile, although he felt a bit ufortable with the sudden affection. Valkyrie seemed disappointed and left shortly after, leaving him alone.

    "I am so pathetic," smiled the alchemist as his head dropped forward. "Bossman was right. I need people to like me, and when they do, I will bleed for them stay."

    A sudden realization that the person who knew him best was the one to leave.. It made sense, in the end, because even Sergio knew how pathetic and a burden he was.

 Chapter 187 - Rare Undead Monster

    Chapter 187 ¨C Rare Undead Monster

    Inside the abandoned house, the two of them nned to infiltrate the inner ruins teams of the Vangir Guild, and for that, they needed to earn their respect.

    There was only one way for Niki and Ash to make themselves valuable without Nikipromising his secret, and that was to stage a fight.

    Ash believed that Niki would lure in a dark being from The Great Unseen toward the middle outskirts of the ruins. The gunman would then chase the dark being and take it down using his holy bullets, forcing them to believe that Ash was valuable.

    "You want me to trust you?" red Ash. "Thest time that monster left me was a mistake. I will never fight against a dark being."

    "You must believe in yourself. If what you told me is true, then that dark being cannot perceive you. We can use this to make ourselves valuable!"

    "Are you going to fight it alongside me?" asked Ash with wariness. Niki grinned and tapped his executor mask.

    "This will be our ticket into the city. I will be the confirmation of your ability. An executor might not be as valuable, but his words have some weight."

    "What if they see through your disguise?"

    "Then¡­ run."

    "That is a terrible n."

    "I have some countermeasures," said Niki as he waved his hand. "I will lure the monster, and then we will fight it. First, however, we need to find a person to be the victim we save. A high-ranking guildsman who is not as powerful as the rest."

    "I will look into that," said Ash with confidence. Niki smiled because he knew this man had eyes and ears that transcended humanity.

    "That seals the deal. You can find that person and monitor his activities long enough to find us a spot. Then, we will save them while letting the dark being slip into the inner parts of the ruins."

    "We are ying with fire," frowned Ash with worry. "The dark beings are not things that we can control. A mistake is all it takes for us to end up like the corpses in The Unseen."

    "And that is the case against Hyde, too," said Niki. "This is what we vowed to do. I can tell you with quite a certainty that if Hyde steals what is in these ruins, there will be no one to stop him."

    "¡­I understand."

    After that, Ash left the abandoned house to do his surveince. Niki trusted that he woulde back with a proper target, so he did not need to worry himself with these things.

    "There are times where I question my motives, too," stared Niki at the ceiling. "I don''t need to fight against Hyde for this man. However, ruling a criminal syndicate can give me the protection I need inside the city. This will be the fastest path to revenge."

    Niki knew that he could not live in the Great Unseen and prey on bandits and caravans for souls. There were things that he needed to do from inside the city and people to hinder.

    ***

    Sergio looked at the wall of darknessing that the flying ship was approaching. This giant vessel was bigger than Alias, allowing them to fly above the clouds.

    "We are so high, but the darkness is still touching the sky," muttered Sergio as he looked upward. "Are you sure that we can cross this?"

    "ording to our maps, then there is only a small stretch of darkness between Rohan and Abani Ruins. Therefore, we should not have any troubles crossing it," answered Valkyrie beside him.

    ''I will protect you,'' Yuxi gestured after pulling on his sleeve. Sergio smiled and nodded, gesturing that he would protect her too. Lex did not apany them because she was not exactly a fighter.

    This proposes the question of why Sergio needed to be here, but Valkyrie said that his knowledge was necessary for the exploration. Furthermore, he was not afraid since he obtained the Soul Gun, allowing him to shoot opponents with a thought.

    "Leader," shouted a man from behind them. "Leave the alchemist alone ande have a drink with us!" it was a handsome fellow that seemed to be a noble.

    "Excuse me, you two," said Valkyrie before walking back to the party and joining them. Sergio stared at the rest of their party, and there were five that he did not recognize.

    However, they all wore new armor that did not have a single scratch. These were his seniors from Rohan Academy, also nobles of the kingdom.

    Sergio was the only person who was amoner among them, in addition to Yuxi, who seemed to be from a family that serves Valkyrie''s house.

    The rest did not like him at all. This made Sergio miss his old team, which only included Niki and him. These people were too arrogant even though he was sure that the bossman could take them all.

    This made him think of his boss''s powers. The rest events with The Great Unseen made the hate against the darkness beyond limits. However, Sergio saw his boss use that element, and so did the rest of them.

    Yuxi and Lex promised them not to reveal that information to anyone, but Sergio was still nervous about the matter. This was why he wanted to find a way to make them forget everything about Niki before any of them slipped.

    ''I need to protect him,'' thought Sergio as Yuxi tugged on his arm. The darkness was approaching, and the rest of the party took their positions, ready for any fights.

    "Wear the masks!" shouted Valkyrie, and all of them strapped their masks to their faces, feeling the purified air fill their lungs. "Lanterns!"

    The ship lit up like a star in the sky as it tore through the darkness. But, then, it scattered like mist before the vessel was fully immersed in it, and then there was nothing.

    There was no sound, light, or scent. Sergio could hear nothing but the quiet breathing of Yuxi beside him, who held his hand tighter. Their hearts were in their throats, ready for dark beings to emerge.

    And the darkness did not disappoint.

    The sound of pping wings resonated throughout the darkness, surrounding every side of the ship. Sergio looked around for the source, but there were too many.

    Boom!

    Somethingnded on the deck behind them, and the party turned around slowly. A creature stood amid their ship, oozing darkness as it rose from the destroyed tiles.

    "Priests!"

    Valkyrie was quick-witted, a bona fide leader that did not allow anything to disturb her mind. The priests said their blessings, and they fell on the party members and the guards.

    "Surround it," whispered Valkyrie as they circled the monster. Sergio looked at the beast while holding his breath¨Ca winged monkey that seemed infested with darkness that tried to devour it.

    This was the first time that he met a creature that used this element. Of course, these were nothing more than myths, but The Great Unseen gave them a home to exist.

    "GYAAAAAAH!" screamed the monkey as countless others dived toward their ship, attacking it from every side. Their tails worked as spears pierced the hull, threatening to bring them down.

    "Yuxi!" shouted Valkyrie, and the hand holding his disappeared. Sergio tried to stop her, but she ran forward, faster than anyone.

    The small girl said no words, and there were no angry shouts. Instead, her arms spread as the divine figure appeared again, just like when she attacked his friend.

    "No¡­" memories started shing in his mind as he saw the monkeys scream in agony, struck by the divine arrows of Yuxi. The image of his friend whose hand was pierced by the archer appeared in his mind. "No!"

    His gun did not need him to move to activate, and Sergio was holding it before he could realize it. Moreover, the arrow she released looked like the one Niki used to threaten him.

    Sergio aimed at the divine figure of the god blessing Yuxi, allowing her to attack the monsters and kill them. However, his hand trembled as the gun did not fire because of his hesitation.

    "You need to lower it, Sergio," said the alchemist to himself. "These are not the enemy. You are attacking your friend."

    However, the memories controlled him: the ship, the divinity, the darkness. These were all here except for his friend. His mother was also standing beside Niki, both whispering about him.

    A gunshot rang in the air.

    ***

    Niki watched as his undead killed another group of lurkers, who were waiting for a chance to rob the ruins themselves. Instead, these low-lives wanted to make use of the chaos after the gates opened and sneak into the ruins.

    "You are all so generous with these souls, even though some of you are just wandering vagabonds,"ughed Niki as his Sovereignty leveled up again, allowing him to summon more undead monsters.

    [You have obtained the umon monster, Ghoul.]

    [You have obtained the umon monster, Mage.]

    The two monsters joined his army. Niki was pleased by these summoning, who each took a hefty sum since they were umon summoning.

    However, he wanted to save a little something for his battle against Hyde.. So, Niki used his powers to tamper with fate and decided to summon a rare undead monster this time.

 Chapter 188 - Vikas

    Chapter 188 ¨C Vikas

    [You have obtained the rare undead monsters Death Knight (Lvl. 1)]

    Niki read the panel before him as the cube burst to reveal his undead, a tall armored creature of darkness that wielded a great sword. The undead knight took off his helmet to show his ck-me head and pair of blue streaks for eyes. Then, he kneeled.

    "I arrived to serve thee, God of Lost Souls."

    When he heard the voice, Niki looked around in confusion before his eyes fell on the death knight. His crimson eyes blinked twice, feeling like he was hallucinating.

    "You can talk?"

    "I was granted immortality through your powers, and with this, I am honored tomunicate with you."

    "That is a long way to say yes," Niki walked forward and tapped on the armor. "You are something else, Death Knight," Niki then stepped back and the knight''s stats.

    "I am grateful."

    [Death Knight (Lvl. 1)]

    [Rank: Rare.]

    [Vitality: ¡Þ]

    [Strength: 100]

    [Agility: 100]

    [Intelligence: 100]

    [Mana: 100]

    [Skills: Summoning of Death, End Strike, Advanced Swordsmanship.]

    "Those are a lot of skills," muttered Niki with amazement. "And all of them sound so reliable. Show me End Strike, Death Knight."

    "As youmand, my sovereign," the Death Knight stood up, and he gripped his sword, which was as tall as Niki. Then, he waved his hand, and an arc of darkness destroyed everything in its path. "End Strike."

    "Awesome," Niki had no words as he witnessed the wide groove in the ground created by the attack. "And what about Summoning of Death?" this was the one which interested him the most.

    "As youmand, my sovereign," the Death Knight then waved his hand, and the darkness exploded from his hand to cover the ground. Then, arms pierced through the darkness as undead rose to answer his summons.

    "Are you telling me that you can summon undead monsters?" asked Niki as he felt that this would render his other undead monsters useless.

    "The summoning consumes my mana, my sovereign. Therefore, these monsters do not regenerate as we do."

    "And how many can you summon at once?"

    "Ten," answered the Death Knight, and Niki counted nine, making him realize the End Strike consumed a tenth of his mana.

    The nine undead monsters summoned were all skeleton soldiers, who were waving their swords. Niki wondered where these weapons came from, but there was no one to answer him.

    "You are great, Death Knight," Niki said in amazement, and the Death Knight gave a smallugh of triumph. "I want to give you a name since you can talk."

    "I will be honored, my sovereign."

    "Your name shall be Vikas," said Niki, and the knight again fell to its knees, its hands gripping the sword''s hilt.

    [Vikas (Lvl. 1)]

    A notification appeared in front of him, announcing the name change. Niki did not think a lot before naming it, only going with the general impression the knight left.

    "I, Vikas, will serve you through eternity and beyond that."

    "I have no idea what lies beyond that, but you have a vast vocabry for an undead,"ughed Niki as he tapped the knight''s armor. This monster was at least three meters tall, making Niki imagine its appearance on the battlefield.

    Then, Niki summoned his undead monsters with a wave of his hand. There were now fifteen of them in total, finally looking like a small toon.

    There were six Skeleton Soldiers, three Skeleton Mages, three Dark Mages, two Ghouls, and Vikas. The monsters were diverse, making his physicalbatant quite a few. However, there were ten more Skeleton Soldiers that Vikas could summon.

    This rounds up his undead to twenty-five monsters. Niki looked at them with pride, waiting for the day there would be thousands of them.

    "You might not be the most popr monsters, and people would never adore you, but I do. You are my precious soldiers, and we will go through life together. Our first target will be none other than those ruins!"

    The mages gave some screeches while the ghouls pounded their chests. Vikas stood among the rest while bowing to him. Niki turned around with a grin as Ash should have found someone.

    ***

    "I brought you another one!" grinned Ash as he ced the giant box down, making the guard jump with joy.

    "You are a life-saver, Anton!" the guard was almost beaming as he looked at the giant box filled with liquor. "You are now titled the thirst-terrorizer!"

    "Haha, you are too kind, brother!"ughed Ash even though it was ame joke. The guard took the box into the watchtower while Ash spotted a shiping from the far horizon. "Ah, what is that?"

    "Hm?" the guard turned toward the ship with confusion. "Oh, they have arrived. I will give you a piece of advice, Anton. Do not get close to these guests. They are sons and daughters of heaven who are here to leech off our glory."

    "Are they kids?" Ash pretended to be amazed, and the guard nodded with a disgusted expression.

    "I heard this from my brother who works in logistics. These kids asked to join our guild in the exploration, but they are far from worth it. It seems they are here to learn or make themselves famous."

    "The world is vast indeed," whistled Ash as he looked around and slipped the guard a cloth-wrapped object. The guard acted as if he did not see anything and snatched it.

    Then, Ash whistled as he walked past the barricade. All it took was a few bribes and some wine to enter the ruins. However, these were the outermost areas, where everything had already been swept clean.

    The guards thought Ash was here to gather some scraps from what was left behind. That was the only reason that they allowed him into the ruins.

    "That ship is stopping," Ash squinted his eyes before he looked around. A few momentster, he was standing atop one of the houses, looking with his binocrs at the ship.

    Indeed, it was a giant one, but the hull seemed to have more than a few broken tiles. Ash looked at the railings to see the people standing there, and there were only kids indeed.

    "A group of nobles," spat Ash as he kept observing. The group seemed to be fighting as one of them attacked another. "A group of shitty nobles, to be urate."

    The infighting seemed to end when a woman stepped between them. Ash felt like he recognized her, and he adjusted his binocrs to get a better look.

    "Heir of Helnes? Dammit, why is she here?" panicked the fence as this catch was too big. She worked to defuse the situation between the two fighting men, and the rest scattered.

    Then, Ash saw her walk toward one of the two men, a handsome blonde who wore a robe and held a gun. Valkyrie Helnes acted quite intimate with the man before he walked away.

    "Oh ho. A gunman favored by House Helnes, this is the perfect catch for the n! I need to monitor them and report the location to that bastard!"

    ***

    A gunshot rang in the air, and another followed it. Sergio did not stop pulling the trigger as shots after shotsnded everywhere, striking both enemies and friends alike.

    It was another episode of dissociation, as his brain refused to live through those feelings. When it was finally over, Sergio found that he had made a mess of the deck.

    "What are you fucking doing, crazy bastard?!" shouted the armored man from earlier, who seemed to be prepared to attack Sergio. "Are you trying to kill us?"

    The rest of the team was enraged, and Sergio saw the smoke fly over Valkyrie''s sword as she used the de to protect Yuxi. Her eyes were not as gentle, but they were not hostile, only curious.

    "Fight the dark beings first!" she shouted without breaking eye contact with him. Then, her body started to overflow with the divinity that made Sergio nauseous for some reason. "A thousand des!"

    Valkyrie Helnes attacked, and Sergio realized why no one dared to defy her. A single strike was all it took for countless dark beings to be destroyed, and the others fled for their lives.

    The deck was silent again, only interrupted by thebored breathing of the group. Then, as the ship broke through the darkness, the sunlight revealed the destroyed floors of the vessel.

    "I will kill you!"

    The handsome man dashed forward, throwing away his sword before punching Sergio in the face. The pain was too sudden, but Sergio knew that he deserved it.

    Another punch, a kick to his stomach, and a push followed after that. Sergio did not resist because he knew that the rest approved of this just like he did.

    The beatingsted for a while until Valkyrie seemed to gather her energy and stand. Then, she took confident strides toward them, only needing to raise her hand between them for the man to stop beating him.

    "I want to know what happened, alchemist," she seemed disappointed and chose to strip him of his name.. Sergio looked at her through his teary eyes and bleeding face, not knowing what lie he should give this time.

 Chapter 189 - Pain Means Love

    Chapter 189 ¨C Pain Means Love

    "I lost control of the Soul Gun, who seems to react to my emotions. I was simply afraid. I apologize," lied Sergio because the truth was more pathetic. Valkyrie stared at him before gesturing toward the others to leave, including Yuxi.

    "I understand that you have some unsolved issues with that man," she said before cing her hand on his face, and it began to heal. "However, you need to understand that you must escape the trap heid for you."

    "A trap¡­?"

    "That is the forte of toxic people," sighed Valkyrie before her hand reached out and held his. "I was never loved by my parents, who believed that such a thing made me weak. This made me crave the attention of everyone, enough for me to do anything¡­" her other hand raised his sleeve to reveal his scars. "¡­even harming myself."

    Sergio flinched and flung his arm away like a scared monster. His heart started beating as he felt stripped naked and seen by her, but he did not see any disgust in her eyes.

    "I am afraid of dying, Sergio, but I keep fighting because I was taught that pain means love. We are the same, me and you," she said while reaching her hand again to him. "No one else will understand our pain."

    Sergio stared at her hand and then at her blue and gentle eyes. Her hair was tied into a ponytail that flew in the wind as a sad expression was revealed on her face. Then, she retracted her hand.

    "I understand that you are not ready for this yet," smiled Valkyrie with sadness. "However, I will be here for you, waiting for you to take my hand."

    Then, Valkyrie walked away, leaving Sergio with his thoughts. His body was leaning on the railing, and his hand curled into a fist that he mmed into the hardwood.

    Sergio could not find words to express how he felt. However, this was the only time someone saw his scars and did not look away but epted him instead. However, he was still too scared to ept them.

    ***

    Niki walked through the camp of vagabonds, wearing his purifier mask. A corpse was being dragged behind him of a giant monster that oozed darkness and an awful stench of rotten meat.

    "Sir Executor!" shouted the captain before giving him a flimsy salute which Niki returned with a nod. Then, he threw the body in front of the captain, and the others shouted with fear.

    "This is¡­ a dark being!"

    "I thought these things were immortal because no element worked against them¡­"

    "Idiot, there is a single exception! The holy element!"

    Niki almost corrected them that another element could destroy a dark being, stronger darkness. His Abyssal Art was enough to overtake the darkness any of these monsters had.

    "It was wandering close to the camp, but there were more dark beings," reported Niki with a gruff and hoarse voice. "I fear that some have infiltrated the ruins."

    "That cannot be!" shouted the captain with fear. "We must do something about this, Sir Executor!"

    "I do not answer yourmands, heathen," spat Niki in a spot-on roley of an arrogant priest. "However, I am tasked with defeating the darkness from thisnd. I will need to enter the inner city."

    "Ah, that would be a bit¡­"

    "I am not an almighty god who can kill a monster without being close to it," Niki shook his head. "You either lead the way, or I will leave to my next mission. It is, quite literally, your funeral."

    "No, no! I understand, sir! However, we should use the rest of the vagabonds to find the monster as quickly as possible. Jeffery, gather the men!"

    "I will pair with the man I saved earlier. I can tell that he is a believer in the holy trinity. Therefore, he will be more useful than any of you."

    "Ah," the captain looked hesitant before he nced at the giant corpse of the dark being. "I understand. May the light protect us."

    "The Light Protects All."

    Niki watched as the guildsmen hurried like headless chickens and gathered the vagabonds. The Vangir Guild was clearing the ruins, so there was no fear that any outsider would steal anything since the outermost areas had been emptied already.

    Ash was brought to him a few minutester, looking annoyed by everyone. However, his acting was also superb in that he looked like a hostage more than a partner.

    "Are you ready?" asked Niki, and the fence nodded before ncing toward the inner city. "Then, let us catch that dark being."

    There was a full rm among the camp after the news that a dark being had entered the ruins. This was the worst-case scenario and the thing Vangir Guild feared the most.

    ***

    "Wee to Abani Ruins, House of Helnes," smiled the man who received Valkyrie and the son of the vice-guild master, Icarus Grigoras. "I am honored to be the one chosen for apanying you."

    "I am the honored one since you became quite famous after finding a way through The Great Unseen," smiled Valkyrie while shaking his hand. "I apologize for burdening your guild with our presence."

    "There is no such thing as a burden with you involved," Icarus gave a wide smile. "I am more assured that if anything happens, you will be here to defend us."

    "I can only be of little use, Sir Icarus,"ughed Valkyrie. "However, I am also here to listen to your adventure across the no-mannd."

    "I am but a simple man, but I will share my knowledge with House Helnes on any given day," said Icarus before a knock came on the door. "Report," he said with a cold expression.

    The door was opened, and a knight hurried inside. The middle-aged man whispered something into Icarus'' ears before the handsome man snapped his eyes in surprise.

    "A dark being left The Unseen and entered the ruins?" he asked aloud, and the guildsman nced at Valkyrie before nodding. "What a troublesome matter," sighed Icarus.

    Valkyrie smiled because she knew that he only revealed the report for her to intervene. After all, Icarus knew that she was one of the few wielders of holy divinity.

    "I may be of some assistance," she said before standing. "I will patrol the area with my party. We will take care of the dark being for you since you have been so generous with us."

    "That would be very helpful indeed!" beamed Icarus as he pped his hands. "Maybe we can share stories after that if you like."

    Valkyrie then excused herself and left the temporary post to reunite with the rest of her party, who looked quite bored. Yuxi was tending to the alchemist, acting quite close with him.

    "We have a mission," she revealed, and all of them jumped to their feet. "There is a dark being inside the ruins. Yuxi and I will lead two teams who will try to hunt it down."

    Then, they split into two teams. For bnce and harmony, Sergio and Valkyrie were the only ones on their team. This will be an excellent chance to protect the alchemist against the dark being who terrified him, and it would make him trust her.

    "I know that you wanted to go with Yuxi," she said as they watched the rest of the party leaving. "You two are quite close. Are you a couple?"

    "Huh? No!" denied the alchemist with panic. Valkyrieughed lightly at his innocent reaction before she led the way into the ruins.

    "This will be a chance to ovee your fears, Sergio," she said while leading him into the main path. "I will judge whether you are worthy here."

    "What would I be worthy of, exactly?"

    "I reached out a hand to you, and I don''t trust anyone else to do that. This will allow me to know if I did the right thing. Protect me, alchemist."

    Valkyrie watched the handsome young man gulp down in nervousness with a smile. She was not lying, but she also had another n. Sergio would like her more if she managed to save him while he was in a pinch.

    ***

    Niki watched the vagabonds covering every alley that the ruins had to offer in the search for the dark being. This may have escted beyond his earlier expectation, but there was no fear because the dark being did not exist.

    The n was to use one of his undead monsters to attack the target that Ash had picked. Unfortunately, they were not in private, so he had to report briefly. Niki had to admit that there was no one better to save than a spoiled group of nobles.

    "You need to be the savior," said Niki to the fence. "You need to trust me enough, but you don''t need to endanger your life.. Use your bullets to strike where I tell you, and you will be the hero by the end of today."

 Chapter 190 - Bullet Of Betrayal

    Chapter 190 ¨C Bullet Of Betrayal

    The search was going nowhere, rightfully, since there was no dark being. However, the nobles were in the headquarters, and Ash said there was some infighting, so this was a chance for the loser to prove himself.

    Niki knew that there was not enough time to pinpoint a location, but sending the dark being in the direction of the nobles should yield simr results.

    "How are you going to lure the dark being here?" asked Ash with confusion, and Niki created a lie that he had something that the dark being desired. "Well, that is the road they should being from."

    "You can go ahead and take the post in that church. Make it fast. The dark being should arrive at any moment now. You can strike its neck since that is the weak spot."

    Ash nodded and disappeared into the alley. Niki started walking through another one, heading toward the main road, before he slipped into the shadows, disappearing.

    After making sure that no one was watching, Niki summoned one of his ghouls to run rampant in Abani Ruins. The ghoul emerged from the darkness and stood silently in the main road.

    "I guess it is time to try this," Niki smiled as he hid in the shadows before closing his eyes. The fragment gave another hum as a notification appeared in front of him.

    [The Fragment of Sovereignty is resonating with one of your undead. Manual control is now activated.]

    Then, Niki felt his consciousness leave his body as he entered the body of his ghoul. His eyes snapped open to the main road, which did not look as wide anymore.

    "Gaah," Niki opened his mouth, but his vocal cords were destroyed, and he could not speak. Then, he looked down and saw the ws he equipped for his ghoul, and it was enough to know that the manual control worked.

    Niki moved forward, lifting one giant foot with sharp nails after the other. As his footnded, the ground shook. Niki then started searching for the nobles, trying to minimize the sounds he made as much as possible.

    The church was a tall building, the only tall building around, so Ash should still have a view of the undead. Niki was not afraid of his undead dying because he could always make it go into his pocket dimension before the bullet struck him.

    ''Where are they?'' Niki hid in the alley and waited for the group to arrive. After a few seconds, sounds came from the road ahead of bickering men and women.

    Niki hid as they passed by, and his ghoulish eyes stared at the target. Finally, however, his body froze when he recognized someone in their midst.

    The mute.

    The rest of the members were people he did not know but had seen somewhere. Then, finally, after some thoughts, he remembered them from his past life like none other than the Drunken Stars.

    ''What does Yuxi have to do with Valkyrie''s party?'' wondered Niki as things did not make sense, unless¡­ ''Yuxi was working for Valkyrie since the beginning?''

    The rage in his heart boiled. The mute snuck into his ship, and it made him suspicious enough to try and kill her if not for Sergio. However, he had to trust that she was not here to spy on him for his friend.

    This proves that he was right all along. His suspicion did note from paranoia but a hunch that he developed over the years. It also means that Niki handed his friend to none other than Valkyrie.

    ''I need to find Sergio,'' realized Niki. ''However, what am I going to tell him?'' it was hard even to make the alchemist understand after what he did.

    Furthermore, Valkyrie might have already earned Sergio''s trust. The rage within him threatened to burn Niki to the ground, but he restrained himself.

    Yuxi was a user of holy divinity, and he tasted her powers before. Furthermore, if she was indeed a member of the Drunken Stars, she was also hiding her strength.

    ''I need to calm down,'' thought Niki as he breathed, and the rotten breath of the ghoul almost gave away his position. Niki closed his eyes before he heard voices from ahead, and one of them proved his fear to be true.

    The voices came from a different route, a smaller and more secluded one. Niki tried to hide his steps as he walked toward the end of the alley, using the walls for support.

    Then, after he emerged to light, he saw his friend again. Sergio was shyly smiling as he walked on the paved road. A gun in his hand looked like the one Niki used before. However, his friend was bathed in sunlight, while Niki was in the darkness, rotten skin falling from his body.

    The contrast pained him, and Niki was tempted to look at his reflection in the second-floor window beside him. It was the face of his monster, which did not differ much from his actual face, rotten and disgusting.

    "You need to protect me, Sergio," a crisp voice ordered teasingly, and it made him snap out of his self-hate. Niki turned to the person beside Sergio, who he failed to see earlier.

    It was none other than the one who pushed him into hell, Valkyrie Helnes. He never interacted with this person in his past life butter realized that she was the reason behind a lot of his misery.

    Her existence was what made him a student who enrolled through luck and a target for the nobles to destroy, leaving not a shred of dignity.

    Niki could remember all the things they did to him, the humiliation that he can still feel on his skin, the hours he spent covered in filth. And then, he can see everything she took away from him.

    ''Are you going to take Sergio, too?''

    His rage could not be contained anymore. The darkness within his heart festered, and it fed the ghoul who started growing. The monster was suddenly taller than the building beside it, reaching ten meters in height.

    "Valkyrie!" roared Niki, but all that came out was a blood-curdling scream that rmed the camp, a wrathful cry that wanted to go against Celestia itself.

    Sergio and Valkyrie realized his existence, but Niki had already hurled himself toward the blonde knight. Her image, ever so graceful and pure, did nothing but make him want to tear her apart.

    She was the one who started it all. The pain he felt was nothing but a game to her, which was the same in this life. This wretched human was hell-bent on taking things away from him, and Niki wanted revenge.

    The giant ws tore through the air as they mmed toward the knight. Niki could see nothing through the dust as he felt the ground give in because of his attack, crumbling.

    "Boss!" shouted the alchemist, and it made Niki flinch. However, as the dust cleared somewhat, he realized that he was not calling him but Valkyrie.

    Sergio was the one to jump and push Valkyrie away from his attack. The two of them were sprawled on the ground, Valkyrie looking in a daze as to what just happened.

    "Boss, snap out of it!" shouted Sergio as the paved road started falling into an abyss of underground darkness. Then, as he realized that Valkyrie was frozen in fear, the alchemist raised his gun toward Niki.

    ''What are you doing, Sergio?'' asked Niki as he stared at his friend''s eyes, hostile and enraged. The muzzle pointed toward him as the gun lit up with runic enchantments. ''You should be on my¡­ side¡­''

    BANG!

    The gun fired, and the bullet lodged itself into Niki''s eye, obstructing half of his vision. The ghoul roared with anger as the eye started to regenerate, but Niki felt more than just pain.

    This was a bullet of betrayal.

    Sergio was protecting none other than the person who ruined his life. The alchemist might have been fooled, but it hurt him just the same that he was defending this rotten knight.

    A question popped into Niki''s mind as his stance grew unstable. Sergio knew him for less than two months in this lifetime, which was almost as much as it has been since they separated.

    Even if Niki tried to reveal his identity to the alchemist, thetter might not care about that. Sergio might choose Valkyrie, a ''good'' person like him, and Yuxi will work her hardest to make sure of it.

    A whistle came from behind him as the sense of impending doom tingled on his back. However, Niki was not in the mood to protect himself, and an arrow of divinity struck his back.

    "AAAAAGHHHH!"

    His ghoul, or Niki, roared in pain as the holy divinity destroyed the darkness. This assant was none other than the divine archer, Yuxi. Niki realized that he could not keep his undead here for long, so he needed to attack Valkyrie before that.

    However, the alchemist was already pulling her to run away from him. First, the scene made him sick. Then, it made him wrathful. Niki raised both of his arms before mming them to the ground, destroying what remained of the road.. Then, all of them fell to the abyss below.

 Chapter 191 - Monster Vs Challenger

    Chapter 191 ¨C Monster Vs Challenger

    A jolt sent his consciousness back into his original body, and Niki found himself to be looking at the hard soil of the alley. It took him a moment to understand what happened, but he could feel that his ghoul was slowly regenerating.

    Niki could send the ghoul back into his pocket dimension, but it was more convenient to have eyes underground. The events earlier still left rage within him, especially toward Valkyrie.

    However, a part of him was mad at Sergio, even if he knew that the alchemist was manipted. A dark, invasive thought appeared in his mind: he was right about his friend being needy and pathetic.

    Niki hurried to chase it away because he never thought that way about his friend. It was true that Sergio was easily manipted, but he was not pathetic or needy. On the contrary, the alchemist was the strongest because he never ran away from people like Niki always did.

    "However, what is that underground space?" even with the knowledge from the 1st Termination, Niki was not sure about the structure of Abani Ruins.

    All he knew was that Hyde managed to tame a spirit in this ce, allowing him to be the criminal overlord of Rosia truly. This was the story he learned from Lilith during their dealings with the man.

    "This ce is¡­ an underground dungeon," muttered Niki as he closed his eyes. His undead could not move because most of his body was pierced through by spikes, but the ce was unmistakably some ancient underground dungeon.

    This might spill some unexpected harvest and be a better way to find Hyde. Niki calmed his heart down before he stood up and walked to the edge of the giant hole.

    An abyss below was filled with maze-like paths and unknown moving creatures. Niki can see that his ghoul managed to destroy the outer part of some dungeon, but it was regenerating like a living monster.

    "My darkness must be the reason behind this anomaly," muttered Niki with unease. "Ash must be waiting looking at me right now, but this matter takes priority."

    "Over there!"

    "The dark being should be there!"

    Niki looked at the church and waved his hand before jumping into the hole, which closed behind him. His body started to fall into the infinite abyss before a voice spoke to him.

    "Another challenger," whispered a feminine and seductive voice. "A human¡­ no, but an intelligent being, none else. So are you a monster¡­ or a challenger?"

    "My answer should make a difference. What is it?"

    "A monster will appear inside my dungeon to fight for me and feed on my powers. As for a challenger, they will appear at the starting point to prove themselves."

    "And what am I proving, exactly?"

    "The right to be my master," a pair of green eyes appeared in the darkness in front of him. "What is your choice, anomaly?"

    "I will be a monster."

    After he decided, Niki felt his body get pulled by some unknown force to the side. His head grew dizzy until a scene appeared in front of him, and he was standing on his feet.

    "This is¡­ a magic workshop?" asked Niki with confusion as he looked around. Magic was a mysterious thing, wielded by none other than the gods. However, humans tried to understand it, and the result was enchantments.

    "Wee, monster. This is my abode and the ce where everything takes ce. You are the first intelligent monster to appear, so your task will be simple: choose those who deserve my power."

    "And what will I benefit from this?"

    "That is indeed only fair," said a voice from behind him, and Niki turned to see a floating woman upside down. She wore a ck dress that stuck to her pale skin. "However, you chose to be the monster of this dungeon. There must be a reason."

    Niki stared at the floating woman, and his eyes squinted. She looked ethereal, and her body was barely concrete. So this must be the spirit that Hyde found.

    "There are people that I want to kill, and they are in this dungeon," smiled Niki, and the spirit looked surprised before she startedughing.

    "You are fun, monster. This is the first time a being eviler than me enters this dungeon, and I will rely on you to make a choice."

    "And what if I want to leave?"

    "You can do that at any moment," her body turned upside down, and her feet touched the floor. "Then, how about we make a better deal. There are a lot of humansing into these ruins. You kill them all, and I will be yours. This aligns with your goals, right?" she said while throwing herself at Niki, leaning on his chest.

    "You are an evil spirit, but why do you want a contractor?"

    "That is what my contractor decided, that is all. That man gave away his life for me to be sealed here for a worthy hero. But, unfortunately, it seems he does not understand that even a spirit turns evil after killing hundreds of thousands."

    "You are an ancient being," muttered Niki as he looked down. The woman''s ck hair flowed like a river, flying behind her. "I understand. This will indeed align with my goals. Furthermore, I have some recruits."

    As he said so, Niki waved his hand. The darkness spilled as his undead appeared, including his ghoul. The spirit looked at the scene frozen in ce before she slowly turned to Niki.

    "You are¡­ the God of Lost Souls and Ruler of Undead, Val."

    "I took this power away from Val," answered Niki before pushing the spirit away from his body. "I will use this dungeon of yours to harvest some souls."

    "Val is not a name, but a title for he who rules the dead," the spirit said while cowering away. "However, you are far too weak to be a sovereign. You must be a candidate!"

    Niki did not refute her words because there was never a case of a mortal wielding a sovereignty fragment. Instead, the spirit looked at his undead with fear, but they were still too weak to pose a threat.

    "This is truly a fated meeting," grinned the spirit. "I chose well to allow you as my leading monster. There is no monster other than those who feed on the dead."

    "You talk too much for someone sealed for so long," frowned Niki before he looked around the room. "There must be a dungeon core over here. Give it to me so that I can make the proper arrangements."

    "You know about that, too," the spirit burst outughing before she took off a ring and threw it at him. "I will count on you, mortal. So let this be fun!"

    "Whatever, crazy woman," Niki caught the ring and wore it around his ring. This development was not something he expected, but it was not bad. Valkyrie cannot escape this dungeon unless she defeats him.

    As he wore the ring, Niki was connected to the dungeon. However, there was more than just her party, as there were several others. Hyde should also being into this ce soon, so it was better to kill her quickly.

    "This stupid alchemist," frowned Niki as he realized that Sergio was healing Valkyrie. "I must separate them."

    "Ah, someone you care about?" floated the spirit beside him and touched his shoulder. Niki could tell that she was looking at the same scene he was seeing. "That woman is strong, and the man is weak. The monsters in this dungeon will eat the man without the woman. Good n."

    "That is a bad n," sighed Niki before he decided to think things through. "I have a question. Am I in control of the monsters?"

    "You are not their god, unlike your cute undead monsters," pouted the spirits. "These darlings have been helping me for years. I allowed them to have their own free will."

    "That is¡­ idiotic, but fine. Then, I should be able to rearrange the dungeon."

    "I used the energy to regenerate the hole that you came through. You need to kill some humans and use their souls to recharge the core."

    "This sounds more and more like a game!"

    "I got bored of it quite quickly, so show me something fun!" begged the spirit as she glued her body to his. "And I will give you a special kind of reward, hehe."

    Niki stared at the spirit and could tell where this was leading. This spirit can touch him and even feel like an actual human for some reason. Furthermore, she was attractive with long, flowing, silky ck hair and a pair of big green eyes.

    Their eyes met, and the spirit seemed to be leaning forward to kiss him. Niki stared at her silently but did not push her away this time. Instead, as their lips were about to touch, Niki asked:

    "Are you a subus?"

    "¡­what did you just say?" froze the spirit.

    "A subus demonic creature who fools men, either sleep or awake, to have sex with them and absorb their powers. Are you after Val''s powers? Maybe the one who summoned you was an old perverted geezer?"

    SLAP!

 Chapter 192 - Never A Tree

    Chapter 192 ¨C Never A Tree

    [Do you wish to challenge this dungeon?]

    A voice asked both of them, Sergio and Valkyrie, as they fell into an unknown abyss. The blonde alchemist was confused as he held onto his boss tightly, ensuring that the darkness would not separate them.

    "What happens if we say no?"

    This was his first concern. The abyss did not look like a good ce to survive, so he wanted to leave. Sergio has heard about dungeons before, but he was always advised against going into one. After all, he was weak, exceptionally so.

    [You will be guided outside, without any harm.]

    "Then, we don''t want to enter," said Sergio in conclusion, but the voice answered after a moment that each person needs to decide for themselves. "Boss, you should refuse as well," he asked naturally, but Valkyrie was silent as her hair swayed in the wind.

    "What kind of dungeon is this, and what is the final reward?"

    [A demonic dungeon. The final reward is power.]

    "And what is the level?"

    [The level of monsters will be adjusted ording to your strength. The criteria to inherit the powers includes ethics, bravery, and determination.]

    "I will participate," decided Valkyrie, and it made Sergio frown. His new boss was more reckless than it seemed. The two of them knew nothing about this dungeon. "I will need your help, Sergio," she said while squeezing his hand.

    "Boss, we don''t know anything about this ce. We can never guess what lies in the belly of this dungeon. There should be dark beings inside since this is a demonic dungeon."

    "This is the path towards power, lined with dangers of every kind. However, I will protect you, and this is a chance for you to prove your loyalty."

    Sergio was silent because she was again pushing him into ces he did not like. However, this has always been the case with whoever took care of him, and it was the way he preferred. At least, if he listened to their demands, then no one should leave.

    "I understand, boss," nodded the alchemist. "I agree to join this dungeon."

    As soon as the words left his mouth, the abyss disappeared, and the two of them were fell on a giant mattress. Their bodies bounced back before settling into it, their faces staring at each other. Valkyrie blinked, and so did Sergio before he jumped away.

    "Ahem," coughed the blonde with self-consciousness. "We are in a room of some sort," muttered Sergio as he looked around. "Why are there two doors?"

    "I guess this dungeon is not one fraught with danger," said the knight as she stood up and loosened her shoulders. "We need to make decisions, too."

    "I believe so," muttered the alchemist as he walked toward the brick walls and knocked thrice. "There is no resonance. We cannot tear down these walls, it seems."

    "That would beughable," said Valkyrie as she walked to a different corner, where a table and two bags wereid. "These are rations, enough tost us three days. However, are three days all it takes to pass this dungeon?"

    "If we pass," empathized Sergio as he held covered his face. "There is an underground dungeon in these ruins, and the guild must already know about it. Not to mention, it might be a spatial dungeon with different entrances. So we cannot expect ourselves to clear this dungeon."

    "Why not?" she asked with confusion, and the alchemist paused before he turned toward her. She was not asking this in a sarcastic self-ridicule but genuine confusion. "I will never participate in something I cannot win."

    "There must be hundreds who are challenging this dungeon now and thousands who did before. Yet, we did not ask if we could leave the dungeon midway or at a certain point. Furthermore, we didn''t even ask about the survival rate!"

    "There is no need for caution if it involves character and determination," she said while flipping through the books inside. "We need to have an unshakable belief in ourselves because that is the only path forward."

    Sergio was speechless at her mindset, but he couldn''t deny that unshakeable resolve was the shared trait among the higher ranks. However, she knew that he had no such a thing.

    "As an alchemist, I rely on knowledge and caution," he said while walking toward him and snatching the book from her. "You brought me here for that reason. How about you listen to me?"

    His words were bold, almost disrespectful, especially toward the person revered by the people of Rohan. Sergio has seen how this person was treated by everyone in the academy and the city.

    Valkyrie Helnes was akin to a god that no mortal could taint. Her strength was far superior to anyone in the academy. The only reason for her attendance was her ns to find good seeds¡ªthis blessed Rohan Academy with countless gifted students enrolling just to get her attention.

    The Helnes House was among the four houses that ruled over the kingdom, including the Rosian Family. This made them on equal footing with the royal family, and a change in the rule was not out of the question if the need arose.

    "You are finally stepping up," she smiled and said with a relieved voice. "I was afraid that I picked a spineless man to be my alchemist. But, you are right, and I will rely on you from now on."

    The words sent shivers of happiness over his skin, and he felt seen. It was the first time that someone worshiped by all believed in him, and Sergio knew that it was a chance to prove himself.

    As his smile grew wide, his eyes fell on the book in front of him. The words did not make sense initially, but his smile soon disappeared. The messy inscriptions inside the book were not neat enough to be a random one, but no other than diaries.

    [Wee to my dungeon.]

    A voice resounded inside the brick room, startling the two. It was ancient, covered byyers until it had no tone, no feelings, and humanity. The two of them turned toward the tform above the door, which began to shine.

    "We are grateful for the hospitality, but the voice is a bit different from earlier. Are you truly the dungeon master?" asked Valkyrie. There was a hint of intrigue on the edge of her voice as if she was more interested in the master''s identity than winning the reward.

    [Those who have nothing to say should close their mouths.]

    There was no hint of respect in the response, and Valkyrie''s face crumbled. The alchemist can tell that it was the first time for her to be treated in such a way, and he admired the boldness of the dungeon master.

    [There are two doors to leave this room. However, each door only allows one person to enter through it. There is a reward behind one door and a dark being behind the other.]

    "You want us to turn against each other?" muttered the alchemist with shock. His eyes nced at Valkyrie, but her face did not change at all. "How do we know what lies behind each door?"

    [A riddle will appear on the tform in a few minutes. You have an hour afterward to decide who enters each door. The doors will open after the hour pses, and you will need to make your decision.]

    "What is the reward, dungeon master?" asked Valkyrie with a smile.

    [A book that has secrets on the transformation arts. You will be able to use this knowledge in the following challenges of the dungeon.]

    "Transformation Arts?" muttered Valkyrie with shock, and her eyes widened. "This cannot be the reward to a simple choice. You are lying."

    [I might be, but you have no choice but to believe me.]

    The dungeon master said with disdain, and it made Sergio frown. Nevertheless, something about how this entity carried himself filled the alchemist great with nostalgia.

    "You are cowardly," dered the knight with a frown as the riddle appeared on the wall. Her attention turned toward the words, but Sergio failed to see through her mind.

    [You can do what you desire, but others might disagree; you can bend earth, ice, and fire, but you can never create a tree.]

    These are the words written on the wall. The sentences were simple, almost wise, and within them was the clue. Which door was it that contained the dark being, and which door contained the reward?

    "How foolish," muttered Valkyrie as if she had seen through the riddle. "This is nothing but an old verse from the church of trinity. However, there is a slight modification."

    "Then, do you know the answer?" asked Sergio with interest, but Valkyrie did not reply. Instead, she turned and met him with silence.

    "I want to know first if you would betray me."

    "What¡­. do you mean?" he said with a pause, and the thought never crossed his mind. "Are you going to y his game?"

    "We are trapped here, so I need to know if I can trust you and if you can trust me."

 Chapter 193 - Riddle And Question

    Chapter 193 ¨C Riddle And Question

    "You want them to turn on each other," muttered the spirit as she watched the scene in the room after Niki gave them the one-hour time limit. "However, you are ignoring the other challengers."

    Niki stared at the two inside the room as a smile overtook his face. There was no way that he would hurt Sergio, but it was an excellent chance to show the true colors of Valkyrie. It might be a bit viinous to use this method, but it was necessary.

    "I will just send them the monsters," Niki waved his hand. "However, there are some interesting characters you have here. These are the elites of the Vangir Guild."

    "Ah, I first heard that name a while back," the spirit said as she circled him, hugging his back. "It seems they found my dungeon below some ancient ruins."

    "Get away with me unless you want another p, subus," shrugged Niki and broke the embrace. This spirit tried to bounce on him earlier, and he had to p her away.

    "Che," she clicked her tongue as she floated away. "Most men would be drooling over my body. However, there is not a hint of reaction from you. Are you broken?"

    "I had my fill already from pleasure," replied Niki, but he wasn''t sure if that was the reason.

    The darkest times of his life were spent either with alcohol or prostitutes, so he developed some repulsion to the two pleasures because his brain associated them with his loser and pathetic past self.

    At least, that was the case with loveless sex because the more shameful past was after that where he desired the Elven Princess. It was as if his brain was rewired after going through that year of torture and experiments.

    "There are other challengers who look like the ones you are interested in," said the spirit as she pointed toward a different direction. "Let me show you."

    Niki nced at the lights gathering on her fingers and saw the image of a group of young men and women. His eyes widened when he saw the familiar figure of Ruxi among them.

    "You are here, rat," his teeth grew longer as bloodthirst filled his heart. "I want to send the strongest monster to kill them."

    "You know that I would do anything for you, but there are rules that the creator of this dungeon has set," said the spirit seductively. "Even as a lowly human, that man was able to satisfy me enough to use my powers."

    "Your powers?" frowned Niki. "I still don''t understand the purpose of this dungeon?"

    "It is a trial dungeon, and whoever clears it bes my master. So many proved worthy, but their lust and greed betrayed them when they saw me."

    "You are the final trial of this dungeon," Niki closed his eyes to see through the different challenges. "Interesting."

    "I sure am," she grinned. "Those who fail to keep their hearts serene when they see me or learn of my powers will clear the final trial. Unfortunately, however, none were able, and they turned insane."

    "I don''t feel anything in particr," muttered Niki.

    "You are a dark being, and my illusions work very little against you because of that. That means if you enter this dungeon as a challenger, I can be yours."

    "There is someone far more powerful than I am who will obtain your powers. However, I will make sure that someone else receives them."

    "You don''t know my powers yet to reject, so don''t be hasty," she whispered into his ears. "However, I am interested in the man you chose."

    Niki smiled and waved his hand. Then, the room disappeared, and they were inside one of the starting points, which had two people inside it.

    "You cannot be serious¡­?" muttered the spirit as she looked at the blonde young man standing beside the knight. "This man is¡­ beyond weak."

    "I thought you did not care about strength," smiled Niki, and the spirit was speechless. "This man is the best master you can ask for, trust me."

    "¡­he does not even have any mana for me to devour."

    "Do not be bitter," Niki walked around the room beside Sergio and Valkyrie, but they could not see him. He was separated from them by a dimension as the dungeon master. "This room is suspicious."

    "The creator designed it," replied the spirit as she floated beside him. "He believed that the first quality my master should have would be intelligence. Most think this is the least important trial because it''s the first, but it is the most important."

    "How thoughtful of him,"ughed Niki before he turned toward the riddle. "This is misleading. The creator was far viler than you paint him to be."

    "What do you mean?" asked the spirit with intrigue.

    "You can do what you desire, but others might disagree; you can bend earth, ice, and fire, but you can never create a tree. This is one of the teachings of the Church of Light."

    "I know that, but many have solved it before."

    "You don''t need to test me because I know that the real treasure is not behind any of the two doors," smiled Niki. "The god will do as he desires, but others might disagree. Any can bend earth, ice, and fire, but only light can create a tree."

    "A dark being reciting the teachings of light,"ughed the spirit with genuine amusement. "Then, what is the catch?"

    "I had to infiltrate their ranks once," exined Niki. "This has nothing to do with the teachings of light, and the clue was in the monster behind the door. The real clue is that wind was not mentioned."

    "The original verse does not include¡­"

    "That has historical reasons because the church wrote the teachings. However, here, there is a missing element: wind. Those who realize this can find the true treasure of the first trial."

    "And do you think this man will know?" pouted the spirit as she circled Sergio, who was frowning heavily. "Well, he is certainly attractive," she licked her lips.

    "I will cut that tongue if you do that again," Niki waved his hand, and they were teleported back toward the main room. "It is not that he will know but already knows."

    "It has been a few minutes¡­"

    "Most underestimate him, but this man is a genius. However, he is certainly naive enough to mask that intelligence. If he were ruthless, then this world would fall into his hands in no time."

    ***

    Sergio stared into her eyes, knowing that she was serious. Of course, Valkyrie was never the person who would joke around in such circumstances. But unfortunately, it seems this trial has already achieved its purpose and ced a wall between them.

    "You can," he said with confidence. "You are far stronger than I am, so there is not a lot for me to do."

    [A particr restriction has been activated. Those who share the same starting point cannot harm each other.]

    "¡­how convenient," smiled Valkyrie. "You can decide without fear, then. This would not be a trial if you had no choice but to follow me."

    "Boss," sighed the alchemist as he spread his arms. "We can think about this together. There are two doors, and what we decide will mean that one of us will live and the other will die."

    "Are you ready to die?"

    "¡­not yet," he replied. "That is why there must be another method to bypass this ce. We just need to think of a different method where we both survive."

    "That is too optimistic, Sergio, and you are smarter than that."

    "I am smart enough to notice that dungeon master did not mention one of us dying. The dark monster can be behind one of the doors, but it does not mean death. Furthermore, we have no idea which door it would be."

    "I know the answer already."

    "Woah¡­" the alchemist paused. "You are impressive, boss. However, I don''t think that you are going to tell me, right?" Sergio scratched his head.

    "No, I will," smiled Valkyrie all of a sudden and pointed toward the left door. "That door contains the treasure, and the other one has the monster."

    "How did you know?"

    "The verse is a modification of the first holy book, the second chapter. The title of the chapter is called West Church, written by the founding priests of the west. This makes the treasure behind this door."

    "That is too simple," sighed Sergio. "I disagree."

    "Oh?"

    "This is a demonic dungeon, not one a holy one. This means that this riddle means evil for the demonic beings. If it is truly the West Church, then that means there is a dark being behind the door on the left."

    "¡­you are right," she said with a knowing smile. "I am d that you realized as much. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have told you the truth."

    "Your tests will be the death of me, boss," sighed Sergio. "However, we cannot be too sure that this is the right answer. Furthermore, the question remains: who is going to fight the dark being?"

 Chapter 194 - Twisted Choice

    Chapter 194 ¨C Twisted Choice

    Yuxi stared at her group, not at all satisfied. These were the handpicked members of the Drunken Stars party and Miss Valkyrie''s trusted, but she did not think they lived up to their potential.

    For one, all of them ignored her. This was the first disqualifying quality. The second was their arrogance and belief that all of them were better.

    [Wee to my dungeon.]

    A voice weed them, but it felt less wee and more of a threat. The rest of the members stopped talking and turned toward the giant door.

    [I am the dungeon master. This will be your first trial. Behind this door is an arena with five monsters, which all of you can defeat. However, thest person to defeat their opponent shall remain and fight against a monster that is far stronger than them.]

    "This is madness," muttered a girl in their group. She was the daughter of a noble who served the House of Helnes, a mage. "That means that we need to sacrifice one of us to suffer."

    Yuxi scanned the room and read their expression. None of them wanted to take the fall, and all of them nced at her at some point. This was always the case when she was them. They thought of her as a servant.

    The members were nobility, but Yuxi was not. She was a retainer of the Helnes and one of Miss Valkyrie''s servants. This made the rest think they also held authority over her, even if she was as strong as them.

    There was also the fact that she was an archer, and archers were not exceptionally strong against close opponents. That was why, even without dirtying their hands, the rest decided that it must be her that would fall behind.

    "We are warriors, defiers!" said another arrogant noble. "Let us decide this through our strengths," he said, to which the rest agreed.

    ''Well, this is the best I can ask for, but I know that they would hinder me.''

    This matter was unimportant, but the trial made her interested. There was always a pattern to dungeons, especially ones that involved inheritances. Yuxi was there when that man forced Lex to inherit the technique, so she knew how it worked.

    However, this one was different. The first trial was not about strength but a psychological challenge that attacked the trust everyone had towards each other. Even if they survive this, the rest of the obstacles will be fought alone or against each other.

    ''What a wicked dungeon master,'' she pondered. This cynical mindset reminded her of a particr individual who fell into the abyss long ago. ''I need to find Sergio.''

    Yuxi was worried. The alchemist was the only person she approved of because he carried a truly noble character. It still brings her butterflies whenever she thinks of how kind he is towards her.

    Her feelings grew more after they returned from the Bestial Kingdom on Alias. The alchemist was heartbroken over his viinous friend, and Yuxi needed to be there for him.

    However, she also knew that her hands were tied. That was why she asked Miss Valkyrie to test him, and he did not disappoint. It was apromise because the young miss grew too fancy of the alchemist.

    Yuxi knew that it was because of her goals, but this matter was fate was still better than being manipted by that man, Niki Yaran. Furthermore, Miss Valkyrie was destined to rule this kingdom, and the alchemist will be safe by her side.

    However, her feelings were an obstacle, but if her master wanted the alchemist for herself, she could only be his friend. That was enough, too, as long as he was safe.

    "The door is opening," said the mage as she led the way, almost running to defeat her opponent. The rest followed until the only one left was Yuxi.

    The mute archer followed after them, her bow in hand. The arena was gigantic, and it was divided into six tforms. The door closed after they entered the room, and the voice spoke to them again.

    [All of you will fight against these monsters.]

    Giant wolves appeared on each tform, and it was clear to them that they were at the F-rank. This was a piece of cake, and they were all disappointed.

    [Those who kill their opponentst will face against this one.]

    As the voice announced, a hurricane of darkness appeared in the central arena. After the darkness gathered to form a figure, it was revealed as a giant knight.

    "A¡­ dark being," the mage gulped down with fear. All of them knew that this knight was far from what they could handle, even with their holy items and abilities.

    [I can give you a choice. You can all fight against this Death Knight, or you canpete for the chance to avoid it.]

    "What are we choosing?" shouted the blonde noble, and Yuxi sighed. "Are you asking us to choose someone to sacrifice?"

    The words sent chills through their spines. No one wanted to fight against the dark being because none of them could handle it, evenbined. However, to sacrifice a member of their party¡­ no one will recover from such an exposure of truth.

    Yuxi smiled as she stared at the Death Knight. It was true that even all of thembined might not match it. This monster was powerful and immortal. However, her holy powers were still insufficient to take down such a monster.

    "However, we cannot survive against that thing. This is a choice between a noblepetition and the imminent death of us all. I believe we should fight against the wolves."

    ''This is interesting,'' thought Yuxi. ''There are two choices. We can team up and die together, or we can choose the less idealistic, practical solution ofpeting for survival.''

    However, the second option was no different from a death sentence. Whoever fights alone against the Death Knight will die, no doubts about it. Their strength was simr, but all of them fought with different styles.

    Therefore, even if all of them wanted to choose the second option, there would be a chance that they would lose. This world was fraught with dangers, and carrying trump cards was not out of the question. If the rest hid their abilities, then you would be the one who remains behind and dies.

    ''All of us are thinking the same thing,'' sighed Yuxi. ''The best way to guarantee one''s survival is by attacking the others and weakening them. Another option is to rush into the tform and kill the monster, but the rest will attack whoever does that.''

    "We need to decide who stays behind," said the arrogant blonde noble who was jealous of Sergio. "We cannot fight the monster together; our deaths will be meaningless. However, there is no need for infighting. We can decide to discard one."

    His words were cruel, and it proved for a second that Niki was right about humans. They were the evilest race of them all, and they were the most selfish. However, that was also the reason they survived.

    Yuxi sighed and raised her hand. The rest turned toward her, and she pointed at herself before pointing at the floor. It was enough to dere that she would stay.

    There was no use in opposing them. Their decision should not nt doubt in their hearts because they will kill each other down the road. It was her duty as the retainer of House Helnes to bring everyone else back, even if she hated them.

    "You want to¡­ stay behind?" asked the mage with tears in her eyes, and Yuxi wanted to believe that they were not fake. "We can''t let you do this!"

    Her words were noble, but she had the chance to object earlier. However, she remained silent, as if fearing that the choice would fall on her. Yuxi shook her head and crouched on the ground.

    "We understand," nodded the blonde. "I wish you emerge victoriously, Yuxi," it was the first time he called her name.

    Then, the four of them fought against the wolves and left the arena. The mage, the giant tanker, the blonde, and the thin ranger all looked at her with gratitude and emotions.

    Then, they left.

    Yuxi sat alone with the two monsters. First, she had to kill the giant wolf before fighting the Death Knight. Her odds were slim, close to none.

    However, the alternative was that her arms and legs would be broken with the same fate. She knew that those nobles would cry about how they had no other choice while sacrificing her.

    "This is unexpected," a voice appeared behind her. Yuxi flinched as she jumped forward and rolled, taking out her bow and nocking her arrow. "I am the dungeon master."

    The cloaked figure said, and nothing could be made of his identity. There was no face, and the voice was deep. Yuxi stared at him with confusion before lowering her bow.

    "I know that you cannot speak.. However, I still want to know why you chose to stay behind."

 Chapter 195 - Unsullied Hands

    Chapter 195 ¨C Unsullied Hands

    Niki was displeased by her choice. He wanted this damned archer to suffer for fooling him and luring Sergio into the trap of Helnes Family. But, in the beginning, he did not hate her even though she attacked him with a holy arrow.

    However, it was different when he saw her with Valkyrie. The reason behind all of his suffering was the careless whims of that woman, who thought she was a god that could not be struck down.

    Niki wanted to leave Sergio''s life forever because he knew that he would keep hurting the alchemist, endangering him even more than in his past life. It was the decision he carefully chose after admitting that he cared about his friend even if they had nothing to do with each other.

    However, this lying, deceiving, and scheming mute wanted Valkyrie to use the alchemist. This was not a safe path for him because Valkyrie would discard whoever she could not use. Furthermore, Niki knew of her final goal.

    ''I can take down the dark being,'' gestured the mute with a frown. Niki was not satisfied with such an answer. This archer always acted paranoid, cynical, or simply vile for not trusting her.

    "Your friends wanted to sacrifice you anyway, huh?" grinned Niki, almostughing. "You chose to be with people who could not care about you any less."

    ''¡­do I know you?''

    The archer was silent before she gestured, her eyes furrowed. Niki did not reply. He had to decide what to do with this archer, and all he could think of ended with death. However, he didn''t want her to die.

    "You cannot be unfair in this dungeon," said the spirit as she walked beside Yuxi, who did not realize that a demonic spirit was eyeing her. "This girl chose to sacrifice herself, and the conditions have been met. She needs to fight against the dark being."

    ''I am the dungeon master, right?''

    "I assigned you, Dark Being,"ughed the spirit. "I got bored of breaking humans, so I want you to show me something different. These games do not amuse me. So show me something else."

    ''I will, but this woman needs to live for a while.''

    "I can tell that you hate her, but why do you insist on leaving her alive?" the spirit looked Yuxi in the face. "This is your type of woman, huh? So you want to do nasty things to her first?"

    ''I will kill you,'' Niki''s eyes were cold. ''I will show you why the alchemist deserves to be the winner, so nothing else matters.''

    "Fine, you can pause this challenge."

    The spirit flew away while Yuxi stared at Niki with wariness. Her hands never let go of the bow, and the stench of holy divinity was sickening.

    "You don''t need to fight this monster, human," said Niki, and Yuxi was confused. "I have another task for you."

    ''And what if I refuse?''

    "The right to challenge this dungeon is not cheap. You need to finish the fifth challenge before being able to leave."

    ''¡­what do you want?''

    "I want you to apany me," smiled Niki as he waved his hand, and a different door appeared. "Your party members already think that you are dead, so we are not in a hurry."

    Yuxi frowned but followed behind him. Niki knew that she did not trust him but simply knew he could have left here to rot instead of taking her anywhere else.

    The moment the two of them passed through the door, they were in a different room. This was the room Sergio and Valkyrie were trapped inside.

    As soon as she saw the two people she cared about the most, Yuxi rushed toward them, but she mmed headfirst into an invisible barrier. The mute was thrown, and Niki felt no regrets of not warning her.

    "These two entered my dungeon earlier than you did. I believe you recognize them."

    ''Let them out,'' she gestured with a red forehead. Niki grew tired of her gestures, but he did not want to heal her muteness, even though he could.

    "I gave them a choice. I told them the risk. The man knew better than entering this dungeon, but the woman convinced him to follow hermands."

    ''Miss Valkyrie is not reckless.''

    "You know very little of her," said Niki as he waved his hand. Then, like a movie, the time rewilded inside the room, and he showed Yuxi the riddle he gave them.

    ''The answer is simple. Miss Valkyrie should¡­''

    "West Church."

    The words her master said made Yuxi pause. Her eyes widened with realization as a grin appeared on Niki''s face, but he reminded himself to be careful.

    "You should know that she lied, don''t you?"

    ''She must have misremembered it¡­''

    The mute tried to defend her master, but even she knew that it was futile to do so. This woman would never forget anything or make such a silly mistake. There was a reason that she lied.

    However, Niki did not know the reason too. So the alchemist proposed a reasonable hypothesis that the dark being was where the church was not because this was a demonic dungeon.

    "With her lie, it is established that the dark being is behind the left door. However, the difficult choice is now. Who goes through which door?"

    ''Why do you give such an impossible choice? You are the sick one here.''

    "This is a challenge," smiled Niki. "And this is a demonic dungeon. Valkyrie has realized that we are watching her, and that must be the reason that she lied."

    Yuxi did not object.

    "Your master knows that this dungeon must be far from being righteous and that to obtain this power, she needs to be a viin."

    ''However, even to pass, she will not¡­''

    "You know that she will, archer. You know better than anyone that this woman will not stop until she gets what she wants."

    Niki stared at the beautiful face, which hid a ruthless, terrifying character. It was a stroke of luck for him to end in this position and witness the rise of Valkyrie. However, if he ever became her enemy with her awareness, then Niki knew that she would not spare him.

    This beast will dig through his secrets and eat his flesh until nothing is left but bones. Valkyrie used this tactic, this unwavering belief that her cause was right, to behave in this way.

    "Your master carried a noble pursuit, I admit," Niki was honest with the archer for the first time. "I admire her resolve to make the world a better ce through this. However, does the oue justify the means?"

    Yuxi slowly rose from her spot and held her arms together to block the scene. Niki knew that it tore her apart to see her master betraying the kindest person she had met.

    "I know that you want to die," a voice broke the silence between them, and it belonged to Valkyrie. The two of them shook, even Niki, as they turned toward the scene. "I can tell by the marks on your skin."

    "When did you¡­" Sergio was confused as he backed away with fear. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

    ''What are they talking about?'' her hands were shaking as Yuxi gestured to Niki.

    "The alchemist¡­ is suicidal."

    The words made the archer freeze in ce as if it did not make sense. Niki gritted his teeth because he knew that it made no sense for this person to hate themselves, but they did, and it hurt that there was no way for him to change that.

    "It does not matter how I knew, but the reason I am telling you this is because I want you to die for me," Valkyrie walked toward the alchemist with a smile. "I have many ambitions, Sergio. Of course, I treasure you, but this treasure is something I need."

    "The Transformation Arts?" gulped Sergio as he backed away, his hand reaching out toward his gun. "Boss, this is not funny."

    "The alchemist refuses to believe that she is betraying him," Niki stared with wrath. "However, this sick person does not want to sully her hands with his blood."

    "Aaa¡­" shouted Yuxi without any coherent words, only uttering what her vocals allowed her.

    "Those are exactly it. I need them to save many humans. Are you sure that your life is worth more than what these arts can save?"

    This made the alchemist flinch. Niki wanted to attack her this instant because she used his image of himself to make him decide the impossible: to sacrifice himself.

    "I know you don''t think like that. I lied earlier about the West Church because I wanted to see if you could tell. You are not a believer of the Trinity, and that gives you less of an advantage in this world."

    "This whore¡­"

    "You failed to see through my lies, revealing how naive you are. Yuxi loves you, but I don''t see why anyone would ever feel anything towards you."

    Niki sighed and smiled. In a different timeline, Valkyrie would have been the one to clear this demonic dungeon instead of Hyde. However, she did not know that he was the dungeon master.

 Chapter 196 - Undying Will

    Chapter 196 ¨C Undying Will

    "¡­I refuse."

    The reply came unexpectedly to all of them. Niki''s eyes widened as he looked at the alchemist, who was ring at Valkyrie. Then, Sergio pped away her arm with a frown.

    "I might be a self-loathing piece of shit, but I refuse to die. Furthermore, I won''t die for your sake, nor anyone''s sake. You can kill me yourself if you want to, but I will not give you an easy time and kill myself."

    His usually kind voice came out harsh, powerful, and unyielding. Niki stared at the alchemist as if he did not know him. Those determined eyes were not ones that he was used to seeing in his friend, who followed after him in both lifetimes with an easy-going smile.

    ''Ah, I fucked up.''

    Niki closed his eyes with regret. It was the same as before. Sergio was never weak, even if he was cruel to himself. The alchemist did not tter when he refused to create poison for the king.

    However, Niki treated him as a precious, fragile vase. These words made him realize how unnecessary his concerns were and how much he looked down on his friend, even if he did not mean to do so.

    "I am d that you finally showed me this side of you," muttered the knight, forcing Niki to open his eyes. "I apologize for the words that I said," she then proceeded to bow down to him, waist drawing a sharp angle.

    "¡­what is going on?" the alchemist was confused, and so were Yuxi and Niki. Valkyrie rose from her position and gave him a sincere, joyful smile.

    "I wanted to know if we are alike. When Yuxi introduced you to me, I was confused about what she saw in you. However, I now realize that you have what it takes to bring this world together: the pain of a victim and the resolve to march forward."

    "¡­this was another test?"

    "This habit will be the death of me, I swear!" sighed Valkyrie as she rubbed her nose shyly. "I want to give people the benefit of the doubt instead of relying on my eyes."

    "That is¡­" Sergio began.

    "¡­Idiotic," Niki finished.

    Yuxi had no time to notice how shaken he was because she was relieved that Valkyrie was not serious. However, Niki was far from that. His eyes red at the knight, who looked like a kind young woman.

    Then, he sighed.

    She was not lying. This woman was genuinely testing the alchemist''s resolve, and she wanted him to mistrust her enough to do so. That was the reason that she lied, to make him doubt her.

    However, if the alchemist listened to her even in doubt, then his will would have been too weak for her to make him one of her followers. Niki should have picked up the clues that she left behind instead of allowing his hate toward her to blind him.

    "The words I said are far from true. The thing about the church was made up as well. I lied to make you doubt me. I need someone who stands against me when I am a viin. I know that you noticed the lie as well."

    "I only thought you were mistaken, but I didn''t want to make you feel embarrassed," replied Sergio as he scratched his head. "¡­now what?"

    "Now, I approve of you, and I want to make you a knight of mine. It would be a first for an alchemist to be a knight of this kingdom, but your potions can bring down the gods, so there is no problem."

    "¡­I was blind," Niki gritted his teeth because of how things turned out. The alchemist did not need Niki to protect him or ignore his ws, but he needed someone to push him forward. Valkyrie saw this challenge as a way to bring out the best of the alchemist.

    It made him realize again that the alchemist was better off without him. Niki was about to make him go through another traumatizing experience because he believed Valkyrie was unfit for him.

    Niki was the person who could not let go.

    His rage blinded him from seeing the alchemist was with people who cared about him and wanted to make him better. Yuxi was also like that, even if she was sent after him by Valkyrie.

    "It seems that the alchemist is in safe hands," said Niki to the archer, turning toward the mute. "However, this exchange should not be known to him. I have a deal for you. I will cure your illness if you take care of the alchemist."

    ''¡­my voice?'' she gestured with confusion. ''It is impossible to cure.''

    "I know it happened because of a widespread attack from a certain monster. That scream disturbs the brains of humans, but it is temporary. However, for toddlers, the attack can leave them unable to speak among other disabilities."

    ''¡­and you can cure it?''

    "I can destroy the mana of the monster from your body, using my darkness. This is also an apology for what I did."

    ''¡­you have no reason to fool me since you can kill me,'' she gestured before nodding. Niki sighed and walked toward her, and tapped her neck.

    His finger sizzled as he touched her skin, and the archer flinched. However, Niki looked at his finger silently, knowing that the holy powers would leave a mark on him.

    He wanted them to.

    "I am sorry."

    After leaving those words, Niki turned away from her. A door opened inside the room''s darkness, leading to the second challenge, where Yuxi will wait for the two.

    "¡­who¡­are¡­ you¡­" the mute asked in a hoarse voice as she looked at Niki''s departing figure. She hurriedly covered her mouth after realizing that she could speak again.

    "An enemy of your master, so prepare well for that day. I will kill her with my own two hands."

    Yuxi stared at him withplexity, but Niki did not care. He left the dark space and returned toward the master room where the spirit was waiting for him.

    "¡­that was fun."

    "I thought you would be disappointed."

    "I had fun watching you fail. I am now interested in that knight, who remained true to herself even after facing greed and fear. The alchemist was also a marvelous sight to behold, a never-dying will to live."

    "I am the one to choose, in the end, right?"

    "I gave you that right, did I not? However, the story will be quite boring from now on. Nevertheless, the issue has been resolved, and the three will work together to reach the final challenge."

    "I believe that on the ninth challenge, the three of them will face other challengers."

    "However, none of the others are worthy. All of them are weak-willed and greedy with no major goal to achieve," sighed the spirit. "What happened to the unshakable wills?"

    "Do not worry, one of those wills ising. He should be here soon, a man so terrifying that you would be too scared to look at him."

    "Oh!" jumped the spirit from the couch as she rushed toward him. Niki did not move away as she shoved her face into his, looking at him with sparkling eyes. "Who is he, exactly?"

    "A criminal overlord who terrorized a kingdom. You can call him the king of the underworld. His name is Hyde Crow, and he will be the enemy the three of them has to face."

    "You are cruel to your friend."

    "I realized that I was too soft on him. Sergio needs to grow stronger, and only challenges will force him to do that."

    "However, I know that you allowed the mute to pass the first challenge easily. That is unfair to the rest of the challengers."

    "I am putting her against the most dangerous person in the kingdom, and you think it''s unfair to others?" sighed Niki as he walked toward the desk. "I believe that this small bit of aid is a suitable payment for the troubles."

    "You are a big softie, aren''t you?" smiled the spirit as she floated toward him and hugged him from behind. "Come on, there is a bed, and there is me. There are no reasons that can hold you back."

    Niki paused and turned around to face her, and he looked down on her. The spirit was a foot shorter than him, her big round eyes looking at him beggingly. He slowly took off his hood and revealed the giant ck horns on his forehead.

    "Ah¡­ they are marvelous¡­" she looked at them with lust. "Please, a simple touch is all I ask for. Just let me touch them."

    "You denied being a subus, but you are far creepier than one. You are turned on by these horns the most?"

    "The horns are a sign of royalty in the demonic realm," she said, her legs slowly elevating from the ground. "The color represents different races and different purities. A ck horn is unheard of, even in the demonic realm."

    As he saw her try to touch his horns, Niki did not resist because he wanted to see if anything would happen. Her fingers touched the surface, making her eyes widen.

    "No¡­!"

    Boom!

    Darkness exploded from his horns and struck the spirit, sending her flying across the room. It mmed her to the wall enough to destroy it. Niki blinked his eyes, unable to understand what had happened. It was not him.

    "Cough¡­" the spirit looked wounded. "I apologize, my queen, for touching someone that you desire. Please forgive me," she begged.

    "Who are you talking to?" he asked, and she flinched.

    "You don''t know that another demonic being has their marks on you?"

    Niki was confused before remembering a certain short girl withrge red horns.. She did him a favor before and said a lot about bing his wife.

 Chapter 197 - A Tutor

    Chapter 197 ¨C A Tutor

    "Are you saying that girl left her mark on me?" asked Niki with a frown. "I am going to kill her."

    "As if you could," rose the spirit as her image regenerated back into the same sweet girl. "You should not be worried. This mark protects you from other demonic overlords."

    "Are you saying that a demonic realm exists?"

    "Aren''t you one of them?" she was confused, but Niki did not refute her. He did not want to say that he was a dark fae, a race damned by the gods themselves. It seems that not many knew of his existence.

    "I will fulfill your requests since you asked them of me," he said with a smile as he walked towards the spirit. "Come over here, subus."

    "Stay away from me!" she shouted before rushing away like a scared cat, hanging to the ceiling. "I will be cursed for an eternity if I disobey her words!"

    "And is not thrilling to defy the gods?"

    Niki asked with his eyes looking into her soul. The spirit was dazed as she opened her mouth, but nothing came out other thanbored breathing. Her body slowly descended before she snapped out of it and disappeared into the smoke.

    "That was a bit of an overreaction,"ughed Niki as he watched the empty room. "Well, I have no time for this. I have a dungeon to run."

    As he waved his hand, his undead appeared. He missed them dearly, and he missed allowing them to fight. The skeletons were giddy, the ghouls were frightening, and the mages seemed expectant. Vikas was the only one among them who looked to be calm.

    "I know that I have not allowed you to go outside for the past few days, but this will change now. There is a floor that we can use to hunt until our heart''s content."

    "Your wish is ourmand, my liege," Vikas bowed, and Niki smiled.

    "All of you follow me. Fortunately, we have some challengers to terrorize," Niki led his troops away without checking on the alchemist. The challenges ahead were countless, but he believed that Sergio would survive.

    ***

    "Then, what are we going to do now?" asked the alchemist as the time was about to run out. The riddle was still there, but he wanted to see what his boss thought.

    "This riddle makes no sense because this is a demonic dungeon. Maybe that is the clue we need to solve it. We should think outside the box here."

    "And do you mean the box being the church?" asked Sergio.

    "I believe that this phrase was simply there to misguide the believers of Trinity. However, as for a reason, it does not make a difference."

    "If the believers were to be misguided, then the true salvation lies in the choice they will never think about."

    "¡­right," Valkyrie nodded. "You have an idea, don''t you?"

    "An improbable one, but it needs time. However, the dark being will arrive soon. I need you to stall it for me until I figure out a solution."

    "And how can I trust you?"

    "I need you to believe in me without any basis."

    "You are asking for the impossible, alchemist," Valkyrie shook her head. "I cannot fight a dark being this easily. Of course, I can stall it, but the end will be bad for me."

    "This challenge has been created to divide us, so I need you to trust me to solve it. I will remain in this room as you buy us time."

    "¡­how much time?"

    "Another hour."

    "You are pushing it, alchemist," scowled Valkyrie.

    "You are the one who got us into this dungeon. Now, protect me as I read," he said before going to the desk and picking up the diaries. "I think the answer lies here."

    Valkyrie was silent before she unsheathed her sword. However, the alchemist did not move from his position. She sighed and turned toward the door, unable to know which one was it.

    [The time has passed. There is one minute left to make a choice. If neither of you enters a door, then the dark being will enter the room.]

    Valkyrie gritted her teeth and turned toward the alchemist, who simply shooed her away. Then, as her hand gripped the sword tighter, she fell into deep thoughts.

    ***

    Helnes.

    This name cursed her with the most bothersome of lives. It was the source of her misery, but as she grew, she realized that it shielded her from the cruelty of the world. As she grew a bit older, she realized that her house was the cruelty of the world: nobles stepping onmoners for their gains, wars waged for power, and a royal family who was blinded by their peace. There were so many wrongs with this kingdom that had to be made rights.

    Valkyrie grew up with maids and servants, no teachers or parents, no friends, just people who listened to her every demand. That was why when someone stood up for her the first time, it made her confused.

    How did the world dare notply with her desires?

    It was a tutor who worked inside the mansion. Valkyrie was eight, a genius of the de and war. Her family worshiped her, and none dared defile her sanctuary.

    That tutor taught History of War, a subject that no one could guess if they saw her. A well-defined woman who had the kindest of eyes and the gentlest touches. Valkyrie did not see her remarkable she was until that p.

    It was when she did not understand life and death, suffering, or honor. Valkyrie had to admit that she was an apathetic monster raised in istion, and the monster never left, only dormant.

    "You cannot treat lives lightly."

    The tutor said as the pain of the p spread through her cheek. It was a new feeling, but she realized not all novelty pleased her. As she turned to look at the woman who had tears in her eyes, Valkyrie understood that this person was different.

    As she looks back on those days, Valkyrie realized how cruel she was simply to prove a point against her teacher. Therefore, she gave her servants an impossible choice to prove what humans would do in desperate times.

    A day after that incident, her tutor returned, with her hand missing. Valkyrie stared at the absence of the hand that pped her with confusion, but the tutor did not act any different, and life went on.

    It took her years to realize that the p was behind the punishment inflicted by her family. However, her tutor became the sole person she loved during those years. Her mother and father were never there, and the kind woman reced them.

    Valkyrie stared at the doors open as the riddle disappeared. This was an impossible choice, too. This dungeon reminded her greatly of her past self, and the alchemist reminded her of her tutor.

    The two shared the same kind eyes and broken smile. Valkyrie lied to him when she said that she harmed herself too, and that was how she knew about his tendencies because it wasn''t her. It was her tutor before she died.

    This was why she wanted to believe in the alchemist and did not look at him like a resource to use. Her n was immacte, but she needed to be cruel, to be ruthless, for her to achieve her goals.

    A slow growl came from inside one of the doors, but Valkyrie could not tell which one. Then, there were footsteps, something dragging itself across the ground, approaching their room.

    "I will believe you, alchemist," she said as if this was a recent decision. However, Sergio did not know that he had the power to make others trust him.

    "I will not disappoint, so fight!"

    His words were like amand that ran through her body. It was a novel feeling because this was one of the few times someone dared tomand her.

    "Do not get too arrogant," she said while raising her sword above her shoulder, aiming it toward the door. "I am still your boss."

    Her heart was beating fast as she said. She was unafraid of the monster, but she was more afraid that she would be disappointed. The alchemist proved time and time again that he was simr to her master.

    One other person did not listen to her whims and hated her for the test she made him go through. It happened to be the person who traumatized this alchemist, but she was unsure how to feel.

    His name was Niki Yaran, the first ranker of the midterms.

    Valkyrie wanted him because he seemed unexpected, but he was elusive. She never managed to make him trust her, even after going as far as making sure he enrolls.

    However, it was also one of her bad traits. Her master told her countless times that there would be a day when her attitude toward others would be her befall.

    Crackling sounds came from inside the alleyway as a creature oozing with darkness leaped toward her, its sharp fangs first.. Valkyrie banished all thoughts as divinity flooded through her body.

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